In the beginning of the semester, the weekly new content was kind of chronological, so I thought that I would learn the history of Early China using according to the timeline. However, soon enough, I realized that tangible objects and physical places drove the topics of discussion, not the time period. Since grade school, history classes typically focused from the general era, place, or event to the specific object or person. Through this course, I learned in reverse; studying specific items from the past shows a lot about the society back then. Furthermore, using objects as a “portal” into history was more fun and captivating as a student. Common as well as special objects provide insight into societal thoughts, beliefs, and unwritten rules. I could learn about the individual items and apply what I discover to the time period. I feel as though I actually learned more this way. It felt less forced and I became eager for the next week.
This course changed my perspective on history. I think I was always confused by history because it felt as though I was trying to understand what happened in the past through my cultural bias formed from my experience in the present. Although I am sure I still instinctively judge new cultures, I think I grew more aware of my unwarranted prejudice and train myself to stop myself and look at them again, intentionally to learn from them.
For the General Academic Requirement, I think I earned the DE credit. People, including myself are very good at detecting all the differences between what is theirs and what is not. It is how we bring order to the world by categorizing. Unfortunately, we all stop there; something is lacking. HST137 prepared me to appreciate the differences because the world is becoming “an increasingly diverse and interconnected world.” It is not to turn a blind eye to the distinguishing factors, but to study them for the sake of educating myself and especially acknowledging others’ experiences. Now, instead of being afraid to share my thoughts, I feel more confident in contributing them because of the skills of analysis, consciousness, and understanding built from this course.
