Originally Posted by
DrRajpalSingh
Friends,
For sometime past, we have been discussing what history is and some very interesting and valuable points have emerged. Today, I take the opportunity to reproduce below the views of a very famous career advisor on the topic with due acknowledgements to the author and the news paper. She is none else than Usha Albuquerque, who writes in her column, ‘Field in Focus: HISTORY’ under the headline, ‘Past that can build your future, in The Tribune, Chandigarh, dated 13th June, 2012 on the significance of history as a subject of study , its vast area, additional skills and so on. THIS REPRODUCTION OF THE LEARNED AUTHOR ATTEMPTS AT MAKING THE MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF THE SUBJECT MORE UNDERSTANDABLE TO US ALL}
“History is much misunderstood subject, and even as we brush it off in terms of significance, history books and historical fiction remains best sellers, history has its own television channels which millions watch around the world, and some of the best movies made in the recent times have been based on historical events. Obviously, the popular interest in history reflects a desire to know more about ourselves, but we often dismiss its value as a subject that can help us succeed in future.”
She goes on to describe history as a vast subject. According to her, “History is study of human self-knowledge and provides clues to what man is, can do and what man have done. The value of history, then, is not only in learning from the past [we really never do] but it helps to inform us so that we might make better decisions in the future. The study of history, therefore, benefits a student in two ways—it provides domain knowledge in the subject useful for a range of occupations directly related to the study of history, and it also imparts a wide range of transferable skills, which are important in many indirectly related career fields. Understanding and analysis of issues and events are of key importance to historians and can be applied in many other fields of work. For those interested in the social and cultural aspects of history, there are options such as archaeology, museology and art restoration. A study of fossils, monuments, manuscripts, coins and excavated remains can provide you with the knowledge of societies that existed in the ancient past, and lead you on a trail of jobs that can take you right up to the Smithsonian Museum.
‘’In addition, the study of history hones general abilities, such as memory and intelligence, as also analytical and communication skills that are highly usable in other academic pursuits and in almost any career you choose to get into. The extensive knowledge that graduates gain affects the manner in which they can gather, organise, represent interpret and critically analyse information in their environments. This, in turn, affects their ability to put forward ideas and arguments in a concise manner and to reason, and to solve problems.’’
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