Welcome
Why Study Ancient Civilization?Welcome to Ms. Kim’s Individuals and Societies class! Studying ancient civilization will be an experience you will enjoy and find fascinating. As we learn about those who have come before us, we learn more about ourselves and how we came to be. Sometimes, we may find a disconnect while studying history because we fail to see how our lives are relevant to those who lived long ago. However, you will find that the fundamental needs of humans from the beginning of time are extremely similar to the needs of people today. For example, you will notice that people of ancient Mesopotamia also desired happiness, food, and a sense of community just as we do today. Therefore, this class is aimed to help you understand that history is not only relevant to our lives, but it has many gifts to offer as well.
This class will teach you skills that build your character. History teaches us about many people who have showed courage in the face of adversity, patience in the face of suffering, and acceptance in the face of differences. You will learn about their lives and the motives behind their actions that led them to become heroes, rulers and people of great civilizations. Jean Jacque Rousseau, a great philosopher of the French enlightenment, believed that humans are inherently good, but are corrupted by the evils of society. Learning history makes us good people who learn to understand the hearts and motives of other people. We will know not to judge people at face value, but to take the time to know the story of their lives- where they came from and the experiences that have shaped their culture. This class will teach you skills useful for high school and will prepare you for college and even the workplace. These skills include analytical, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. You will become investigators who know how to unravel the mysteries behind primary and secondary resource documents. You will quickly learn that the focus of problem solving is not entirely about finding the solution to a problem, but learning how to ask a variety of questions in order to reach an endless amount of possibilities. You will collaborate with your classmates and learn that working as a team allows a plethora of opportunities to reach conclusions rather than working alone. Learning about the past is important because it gives us an opportunity to work as a community of learners. As you can see, history gives us many gifts. Our eyes will be open to a broader horizon. It will bring us an awareness to make meaningful connections. We will begin to understand how the world works and why. We will become better citizens because of it. |