• Unit 1: What is History?

    What is history? Is it simply a record of human accomplishments? Who is telling the tale? How does the historical record reflect the values of the historian? History is not just a collection of dates on a page or facts about how something happened. Those are important pieces, but they are just pieces of evidence. The real craft of history is the explanation of why something happened and what its effects were after that. In this unit, we study what a historian's craft looks like.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 1 hour.

    • Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • discuss international or global perspectives on events rather than understanding them solely through national frameworks;
      • use primary and secondary sources to create arguments about historical causation; and
      • weigh evidence for and against to craft narratives that explain why events happened.

    • 1.1: Developing a Global Perspective of History

      For a long time, history was written with the nation-state as the chief subject. The rise of history as an academic profession coincided with the age of nationalism, and many historians did not question this bias. But social movements, trade, religion, conflict, and the environment are all forces that cross the borders of a country. Global history is about studying events to see the interconnections and consequences of different events to have a fuller understanding of history.

      • Developing a Global Perspective Page

        Read this text on the role history plays in higher education. Studying history can help us build on our capacity for lifelong learning as we expand our analytical and communication skills, cultural awareness, and empathy. What is a global citizen?

      • Global Citizenship Page

        Watch this short film on what it means to be a global citizen, particularly how good communication is a part of that.

    • 1.2: Primary Sources

      A primary source is an object or document that is a first-hand account written by someone living during the period you are studying, such as a memoir or court testimony. A secondary source is written or created after the fact, such as a biography. A historiography studies how other historians have interpreted or written about the past. When we examine primary source documents, we must evaluate the author, audience, intent, and context to make a more informed judgment about their historical value.

      • Primary Sources Page

        Read this text, which explores how to evaluate primary sources in the historical context.

      • How Historians Use Newspapers Page

        Read this exploration of how historians use a source like newspapers. Newspapers are very important. Although they can have limitations like errors or biases from the publisher, they can say a lot about a moment in time.

    • 1.3: Causation and Interpretation in History

      When we interpret history, we often try to learn whether one event caused another to occur. This refers to causation. Did one event cause the other, or did one simply follow the other in time? We use primary and secondary sources to make arguments about causation, which is the chief purpose of history.

    • Unit 1 Assessment

      • Unit 1 Assessment Quiz
        Receive a grade

        Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.

        • This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
        • You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
        • You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.