Welcome back!
The caffeine question of the day is this: Are you a coffee of tea fan? Or both? Comment below!
Sorry again for the late post this week, it has been a hectic one! But today we are hitting the books with the next topic for the blog. Articles. We love them and we hate them, whether as a student, historian, or teacher. However, articles can play a very crucial role within history class!
Why is that?
Articles are the secondary sources needed in researching and studying history. After the creation of the primary source, comes the analytical review of that source. As a result, we are given a different view of what happened and why. However, there is a con that comes with articles. Today we are going to talk about how that con can be turned into a pro when teaching history. The con is biases. Articles give us that somewhat biased outlook on history. Yes, biases are not what we like to see in articles due to it’s possible lack of information relating to a topic. Remember the motto of “History is told by the victors”? Well, this can be seen in both primary and secondary sources. As students of history, we are told to look at the facts on both sides of the story, and come to an unbiased understanding of what really happened in order to uphold the integrity of history. Because of this, it is important to include multiple perspectives of history via articles and primary sources in order to show a more well-rounded, and updated, outlook on history. This in return will allow students to see that history is not always black and white as the textbooks make it out to be. When studying history, students need to learn not only about the stereotypical events, but also get a chance to learn the stories from of those who were ignored in the history books. Examples of this can be minority voices that were not seen as important at the time, such as women, the LGBTQ+ community, African-Americans, etc.
By analyzing multiple biases within lessons or study plans, students are given the opportunity to hone their critical thinking skills. This in return will allow them to better understand the happenings within history in a way that proves that history is not always as black and white as a simple battle or major event from the past. These articles can be included within lectures, as study materials, homework assignments, class discussions, or project resources for your students. Many of these articles can be found within databases such as: Google Scholar, JSTOR, Project Muse, & Academic Search Complete. In conclusion, articles incorporated into lessons will allow students to see different outlooks and analyzations of history. As a result of the influence of digital humanities, students have the ability to access other important voices in history that are often left out.
Don’t forget to like and comment below about the Caffeine Question of the Day or about this week’s discussion.
Until next time!
THE CAFFEINATED HISTORIAN 