Tuesday, August 26, 2014

What is history?


Matt Henderson, who teaches at St. John's Ravenscourt school in Winnipeg, is investigating the question "What is History?" with his students this coming term.  As part of that project, he has been asking historians around the country to offer their own answers to his organizing questions.
I would like my students to contemplate what it is we will be doing each and every day as "historians." Throughout the year, I would like them to think about two questions:

1) What is history?
2) What is the doing of history and what does it look like?

They will be charged with researching these questions in our ten months together and will be pressed to develop their own understandings. AND, we want you as part of the discussion. What would be great, if you choose to participate, is for you to provide YOUR answers to the above questions in the next few weeks. This could be in any format -- written, audio, or video --the choice is yours depending on how you wish to express yourself. Audio (via www.soundcloud.com) or video would be great, as I can house these really well on our blog and the students would be engaged. Written, however, is a tried-and-true form of communication.

At the same time, the students will be reading and discussion the likes of Herodotus, Thucydides, Nussbaum, Frankl, etc. as  means to propel our discussions.
Matt can be reached by email at MHenderson [at] sjr.mb.ca

I haven't answered myself yet.  Matt, should I brush up on my Herodotus first?
 
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