Why study history? and my research

After looking at the AHA article about the survey, I found it interesting that many thought that the most useful historical skills, regardless of their career, were research and writing.

That’s exactly what we’re focused on for Honors.

In addition, 42% mentioned that studying history helped their understanding of current events. I think that’s where I put my own interests as an instructor. I’ve always had a goal of helping students know enough about history to pick up a newspaper and say, “oh, that’s similar to this event” or “that seems familiar”. I’m interested in patterns, not just of events but of the way people think about them, and the way history is used (for good or ill) to inform how we think about today.
But as a historian, my interests are more focused. Although I began studying medieval technology, my current research is in the Victorian era, and I’m currently starting a research project on H.G. Wells and education. To do this, though, I want a larger understanding of the era, which fascinates me anyway. I want to know what ideas were out there, what was available for him to read as he developed his ideas. And although I’ve just finished reading the Steampunk Trilogy, I’m not actually looking at any of his science fiction, but rather at his experiences with education systems before he published his first real story, which later became The Time Machine.

Let’s all help each other!