1. Revisit the modules throughout the course to consider your previous thoughts on the study of history and reflect on how your thinking on history has evolved. Then respond to the following question.
Now that you are coming to the end of this course, has your perception of history evolved since module one? Why or why not?
2. Niccolò Machiavelli once stated, “Wise men say, and not without reason, that whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times.” With this quote in mind and reflecting on your research this term consider this question:
Choose a contemporary issue and describe how your perception of that issue could have changed based on the research of your topic?
My research topic was the South African Apartheid. See attached.
Study of History
Student:
Institution:
Study of History
My perception of history have evolved because earlier, I thought the value of history improve over time. Before revisiting the module, I thought situations get better over history and not that situations remain the same or get worse. According to the South African Apartheid history, history repeats itself, where racial discrimination is still a big issue to date, especially among the black community (Fredrickson, 2015). Modern racial discrimination can be traced back to the early nineteenth century. The South African apartheid affected the non-white community economically, politically, and socially which is similar to the impacts of racial discrimination. How the government treated the non-white community reflects the current issues, such as poor quality education received by blacks and the whites and social restrictions among blacks. The module enhances a deep understanding based on racial discrimination that Helps in relating to the current racial issues, such as police brutality towards the blacks.
Climate change is one of the most impactful contemporary issues that can be traced back in history. To make changes in the future, human beings must first revisit the past cultural evolution that has led to the current global issue. There is a close relationship between past cultural changes and climate change, which can be traced back to the early eighteenth century. The emission of carbon IV oxide was common in the past, where charcoal and fires was commonly used to pass messages, deal with dangerous animals, and in cooking. In the mid-nineteenth century, the collection of gases in the atmosphere triggered data collection and the global warming theory development. The greenhouse warming effect was experienced in the 1960s due to human behavior, such as pollution and cultural changes, as documented in a magazine, known as the ice age. The perception of the issue could be different if I were not aware of climate change history. Current human behavior and cultural changes have evolved, causing critical impacts on climate. The past should be revisited to identify the root cause and prevent the current issue of climate change.
Reference
Fredrickson, G. M. (2015). Racism: A short history. Princeton University Press.
