It's not my position to convert anyway into a History major, but at most I would like to recommend minoring in History because of the benefits that transcend the curriculum. An undergraduate minor can be used to modify how to approach whatever you're majoring in.
History is more relevant than originally conceived
Robert Scott III
It turned out that history is more than just some events that happened and people that lived a long time ago; for they impact and shape the present.
That is what helps make oral history, specifically, an important field, since it captures the voices of the people that may have lived in a particular time or setting.
It made me more sympathetic towards marginalized groups
Robert Scott III
Chances are we are all descendants of marginalized groups and chances are had any of us existed in our ancestors' time, we would have been treated just like them. That is what I learned upon reading about the Germanic nations that existed during the Roman Empire, for the former were the ancestors of modern Europeans (in fact, the Franks gave the country France its name). As such, the Romans regarded them as barbaric and used them as military fodder.
The same goes for the Irish, who were brought into hegemony by the British Empire.
Because I was able to see myself as part of the marginalization that would have been present had I existed at that time period, it caused me to think more sympathetically when it comes to immigrants and indigenous nations.
Survival applies to everyone
Robert Scott III
History is merely the story of the human condition. In the case of marginalized groups, from the previous entry, they often have to adapt to whatever strenuous circumstances arise, whether they have to assimilate in order to reap the benefits of a more prestigious culture or restructure their own cultures in order to work with dedication and adoption.
Reality has no political bias
Robert Scott III
This was an important lesson as a History Minor as well as researching for my article about Irish indentured servitude. But I do think that there is also the issue of noticing that political bias and looking past it in order to not be a passive follower. It is a way of understanding that human history is complex and multifaceted.
There are small parts within the big picture
Robert Scott III
In other words, historical events are not as narrowed-down and condensed as a two-hour documentary can contain. It is filled with complexities and there are many sides to the same issue; some of whom have legitimate arguments while others are propagandized. This was especially important when writing about Irish indentured servitude.
Do not summarize
Robert Scott III
This was especially important because the text already contains all of the information. What I mainly had to write about was what tied historical events together or write about a specific moment in history.
This definitely influenced my writing habits even after I switched my major.
It made my fiction-writing more materialized
Robert Scott III
It is exactly why George R. R. Martin, as well as historical fiction writers, have writing styles that are so richly detailed. For my seminar class, my professor made the decision to experiment by making our final paper either about a scholarly topic involving King Lear or a creative reinterpretation of it. You could say I took both paths. Basically, I wrote a creative path, by writing in short story form the character Edmund being juxtaposed with John Smith and Britain being reimagined as the Virginia colonies. However, since I was taking a Historical Archaeology and studying the evidence found in the Jamestown sight, I decided to use that research in order to make the setting more realistic.
Time is cyclical
Robert Scott III
It made me comprehend that time is not as linear as we would like to believe, rather there are many instances where history is often repeated, for good or ill. It is not just the past and the present to think about, but also the future. History is constantly happening and is not confined to annals or textbooks.
In this way, becoming a History minor influenced how I perceive time and how I am constantly thinking about what I might be doing in one year or two.
It made me more fascinated about historical time periods
Robert Scott III
There is just so much to discover and that was enough to get me hooked on whatever points of history I find fascinating. It is for that reason why I may have switched my major to English but pursued a minor in History.
It made me research my own subject OUTSIDE of the classroom
Robert Scott III
Of course, I did this even before becoming a History major in the first place. I would definitely spend my free time in the libraries of my community college and university in order to learn more about what time period or what people I was fascinated by, whether it was the Germanic nations during the Roman era or the Gullah people of South Carolina.