This project has been an invaluable experience in developing the skills I will need for my future career:
Being able to think critically is the first, and perhaps most important, skill my project has helped me to develop. This study has required me to engage with and interpret numerous texts and reflect on what they could signify in a broader historical context. In so doing, I not only considered the arguments presented by authors (both contemporary and historical) but also investigated how their personal perspective influenced their writing. This was especially true for chroniclers whose texts were frequently written for under the patronage of a noble person and therefore carried significant partiality. By investigating and thinking critically about these sources and the ideas they presented, I was able to form my own conclusions and analysis in the form of a thesis which is the principle task of the historian.
The ability to communicate is another skill I have fostered over the course of my project. Writing is the fundamental means through which historians communicate their ideas, arguments, and evidence. This writing must be clear and understandable to a wider audience if an historian wants their work to impact more than just other scholars within their area of expertise. This project has honed my ability to write not only effectively, but also to write for those who may have little to no knowledge of my topic of study.
Throughout the process of drafting I relied heavily on feedback from my peers and faculty advisors. As part of the History Honors Thesis course, I was a part of a cohort of students who all assessed the projects of their classmates in order to collaboratively improve all of our individual theses. In this way, my project has helped me learn how to better work with others who have given me vital comments on my work. Being able to incorporate the constructive critique of others into your writing is one of the most important skills an historian can possess.Â