Signed up for a general history course only to find that
your required textbook has no helpful tools like pictures, summaries at the end
of the chapter, or colorful text to make the reading easy? Have a hard time
memorizing dates? Fall asleep when reading?
Don’t Panic!
You can and will be able to study your textbook so you can
get that A.
History isn’t as straightforward as math, science, or English
tend to be with their rules and formulas. But don’t worry. As a history major I am here to help you with all your
textbook woes.
- Ask The Basic Questions First
When studying history, remember
that you are studying what people did, thought, invented, and fought over in
the past. So your basic questions are who,
what, when, where, and why?
Historians are just detectives
trying to put everyone at the right place at the right time. So while you read,
write down/highlight/ or type up the answer to these questions.
Most history professors are looking
for your understanding of these questions especially if they have you take
written exams. When in doubt, just answer the basic questions.
- Look at the Maps!
They are there for a reason. Maps
can give you clues as to why and how wars were fought. Like how the Huns
invaded Europe, or how the Greeks defeated the Persians.
Maps also inform you about climates
and where bodies of waters reside. If you remember that the basic necessities
for survival of food and water- then civilizations that pop up around oceans
and rivers make sense.
Maps can also show why
civilizations can differ in language, tools, and customs. Asia is covered in
bamboo and thus bamboo became an important part of everyday life, similar to
how Europeans used stone in their everyday life.
Let your map become your best friend when
studying history.
- Look for Themes
When you go to class, you might
find your professor bringing up the same topic over and over again. Find that
same topic in your textbook. When I took Ancient Western Civilization, my
professor focused on women and the family throughout history. So while I studied my textbook, I made sure
to make special notes about the role of women in the society of different eras
and civilizations as well as the family.
Finding the theme your professor cares about is important because it helps you
study smarter, so when you do your first skim through your chapter, you can
easily know which paragraphs to read in detail and which ones to glance over.
4. Skim Each Chapter Backwards First
This may sound counterproductive, but in
practice it makes sense. This works for three reasons.
1) History goes in chronological order.
Thus when you read backwards, the changes in culture, warfare, and politics
stand out more.
2) You train yourself to look for the basic
answers first.
3) It’s easier to mark important things,
because you are less likely skip ahead
when trying to read each paragraph in the opposite direction.
Also, if you are in a hurry (because
sometimes you forget to do the reading), this works much more efficiently at
helping your retain information than if you had just skimmed it.
5 5. Make
a Small Timeline for Each Chapter
Sure, there are timelines in your
book but those were written by an author, not your professor.
If you want a
timeline that’s going to be effective for the specific class you’re taking,
then you need to make one specific for you.
I suggest putting the year,
followed by who, what, where, and why.
Here’s an example of a simple
timeline:
1492 Columbus Lands in Caribbean Islands
Christopher Columbus’s
expeditions brought the expansion of the Spanish Empire to the American
Continents.
1534 Jacques Cartier looks for North West
Passage
Cartier discovered the St. Lawrence River and claims
the whole North Eastern region for France.
1540 Coronado Expedition
The largest expedition
set out by Spain, Coronado set out in search to conquer the wealthy cities
described by Marcos, only to return as a failure.
1542 Cabrillo claims west coast for Spain
On a quest to find the
mythical “Cibola”, Cabrillo traveled up the west coast and discovered the San
Diego bay. His expedition helped further Spanish colonization in the Americas.
1590 Don Juan Onate colonizes New Mexico
Onate established the city of Santa Fe with settlers,
priests, and soldiers.
Of course, when you make your
timeline, feel free to make it as colorful and more detailed as you like. When
studying for midterms and finals, you could even just glance over your timeline
and use it as a study guide because it has all the information you need.
Once you tackle these five things, you are set for
understanding your history textbook.
Good luck and happy adulting!
