Portfolio: Final Exam

Writing is the formation of language on a piece of paper, and was the basis for growth in civilizations. With writing came records, and these records have been created ever since the dawn of writing, as people feel the need to write down their legacies and accomplishments. Now, we have found and preserved many of these records and study them every day. These records are not just for information on past civilizations, as some people think, but there are more reasons for studying history. Michel Foucault saw this, as shown in one of his more famous quotes, “Why [consider history]? Simply because I am interested in the past? No, if one means that […] a history of the past in terms of the present. Yes, if one means […] the history of the present.” This quote says that if you study history for the sake of studying history, your only reason to study it is interest in history, but if you study history for information that is relevant to know, then there are more reasons for studying than interest. My view on this topic is the same as Michel Foucault’s view, and it has allowed me to stay interested in the correlations of history to the present day.

There are two types of people who study history, which is why I agree with Foucault. I have been to many history classes, and have seen many different reasons for studying history. Usually most of the students study because they have to, but the teachers are almost always trying to have us learn the correlation between past issues and now. Especially during History 121, Ben, our teacher, has been trying to have us see the issues of the past in relevance to today. He takes laws passed then and their reactions, and then compares them to acts of today and their reactions, specifying the similarities between the two. Most kids in class talk about the past laws and issues as just that, laws and issues of the past that have no actual relevance. Some students attempt to find connections between the past and now, and then use that knowledge to redefine the situation of the past, and may even find solutions to the problems of today.

In class I am one of the people who learn about history for current information, which helps me learn much easier. In history, I attempt to learn about the situations of then, and therefore get all aspects of the issue. Usually, I see some correlations to today’s issues and these correlations are signs that I am doing my work correctly. An example of this is the Alien and Sedition Acts, which caused major uproars in the early stages of American history against President John Adams, which correlate to the current issue of President George Bush and the acts he’s making. Then in class, when I comment on the correlation, it brings up some new ideas and perspectives about the situation for the rest of the class. Like last week in history, we were talking about John Adams and the acts he passed, “Republicans strongly opposed the Acts on the grounds that they were in conflict with the Bill of Rights” (Early Conflicts, History 121 PowerPoint), and I brought up the correlation between these acts and George Bush, and a class discussion began, mostly about the points I had noted when reading the book the night before. If I did not have the same view of those who study history, I might have non-effective or even no ways to guide my progress in the class.

Without the knowledge of the different type of people who study history, I would have no guidelines to follow. As I stated before, I use my knowledge that I am a person who studies history for helpful information now to help guide me in my learning for History 121. If I didn’t acknowledge that people study history just to study, and some study to learn about today, I would not be able to learn as I do now. Without guidelines for what I should be doing in class, I would be doing work that did not contain all the information necessary to learn. I would probably take notes on the basics, thinking that was enough, and then I would fall behind in the class and not be able to learn about what was going on that day. This would also prevent me from receiving the different perspectives that are talked about in class, since I would be to busy worrying about what I didn’t do the night before. An example of this is my AoD class. We have to post every week about an AoD topic. Since I didn’t realize certain situations as opportunities for an AoD subject, I had no subjects to pick from for the paragraphs, and I fell behind. With this falling behind, I wasn’t able to do some readings for the class, and wasn’t able to follow the discussions during class time.

My knowledge pf the two types of history studying has guided me to a better learning process in history. If you study history just to study it, you do not have the signs of progression if you study to learn information that is relevant to today. These guidelines help you to learn properly in the class so that you can begin discussions and help others learn as well. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to figure out when you are doing well or when are not, because you wouldn’t be able to identify the signs of growth in studying. Michel Foucault’s quote emphasizes that by studying to learn, you grow in your understanding or the past and the present.