In my past history classes, we had primarily focused on United States history and Colorado history specifically. This was the first time I had learned about world history. Although we didn’t get to finish the course and learn about the World Wars, I still gained a lot from this course. From ancient civilizations to Mongols to the founding of the Americas, I learned how the world operated in the past. I learned about past civilizations and what drove them to form and ultimately what caused them to fall.
During this course, I developed critical thinking skills to analyze primary sources and what their purpose was. Such skills included the usage of Ms. Steele’s acronym SOAPSTONE, which focused on the possible bias, context, and the intent of the source. I learned about the categories in which many events occurred because of through yet another acronym, SPICET. While I always knew that events happened because of social, environmental, and etc views, I didn’t think it would be important to categorize them as such. This categorization allowed me to find connections and similarities. I learned about the advancement that these civilizations and empires, such as the Mongols, possessed and how they evolved greatly. Utilizing the various critical thinking skills, we came to the conclusion there was a lot of repetition supporting the idea that history repeats itself. Learning about others’ mistakes and foolishness, I can further think through my actions and really know that they will not only make an impact on myself but others as well. Learning about what led leaders and civilizations to make certain decisions helps me understand that many issues aren’t as black and white as one would think.
Learning about the past also helps explain many issues today. Conflicts from the past between countries disadvantage the hope for unity in the world. Also, similarities between cultures can be explained by the past as many countries were colonizing others or some cultures began “borrowing” from others. For example, Japan became an imperial power; however, it also borrowed much culture from China. With this knowledge, I can understand the relationship between countries. This course aided me in developing my interest in becoming more aware of the world around me by providing a brief look into the world’s past.