How to study history?

[Invincible Summer]

I've got a history exam coming up and I'm having a really hard time studying for this... it's the first history class I've taken since high school and I don't know what to do other than memorize everything, which I'm not good at. I'm used to sociology exams where I can just write exams based on understanding concepts and theory, not random facts.

The topic matter is American science during the end of WWII - so specifically, the atomic bomb.
I was considering taking a course on China from 1949-present, as well as a course on the Soviet Union, but now that I'm floundering in a history of science class, I am seriously second-guessing that choice.



I know lots of you guys are into history, and may even be studying it at school - how do you do it?

[Kléber]

I hate the exam system because it's just memorization and regurgitation. It made a lot more sense to force students to do that back when no one had internet access.. and I guess it still makes sense to develop a broad knowledge base and the skills to articulate any part of it effortlessly. I always fuck up on tests and make up for it by putting more work into essays.

[danny bohy]

basically what you want is to get a copy of the school syllabus. if u cant get that look through your work (or a textbook) and you should see whats important. split your topic up into subtopics and summarise each one making sure you include: the main info in the article. then support each part of information with a few dates, evidence or historians qoutes. you now have all you need to right a good essay. id write a few practice ones on what you think the main essay question is going to be.
in the test decrostruct the question and how many marks it is giving. usually for 1 mark they want one piece of info for 3 marks they want 3 pieces of info. for a big 20 mark essay question they want a COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING of the topic. you summaries and reading should have given you this. use dates and qoutations to make yourself look smarter and scab a few extra marks.

[Invader Zim]

I've got a history exam coming up and I'm having a really hard time studying for this... it's the first history class I've taken since high school and I don't know what to do other than memorize everything, which I'm not good at. I'm used to sociology exams where I can just write exams based on understanding concepts and theory, not random facts.

The topic matter is American science during the end of WWII - so specifically, the atomic bomb.
I was considering taking a course on China from 1949-present, as well as a course on the Soviet Union, but now that I'm floundering in a history of science class, I am seriously second-guessing that choice.



I know lots of you guys are into history, and may even be studying it at school - how do you do it?

History is not about memorising dates, names and facts. Rather it is about analysis and understanding. You could be examining the impact of the Cold War on the development of technology for space exploration. That doesn't require that you know the name of every major scientists working for NASA or Roscosmos, or the date of every major event and scientific breakthrough that facilitated the attempt to put a man in space and then on the moon. It is about grasping the trends and forming a coherant argument as to why these developments took place, obviously such an answer is aided by a grasp of the facts but it isn't the be all and end all of it.

But then again I don't know the curriculum that you work under. But in my experience the best students produce mature, considered and comprehensive arguments based on a good understanding of the topic. Not the ability to regurgitate facts.

[ckaihatsu]

I developed a sociological-type framework for the study of *any* period in history -- please take a look, and if you find it at all helpful let me know!


History, Macro-Micro -- Precision

http://i45.tinypic.com/149030w.jpg