<p>I’m an engineer and I need 15 social science/humanities credits to graduate. The bad thing is I hate history. The good thing is classes like anthropology and psych count as “SSH” credits.</p>
<p>What I’m worried about, though, is that when I’m in my mid 20s, and someone asks me when the War of 1812 was… I’d be like… 1813? you know what I mean</p>
<p>What do you think?</p>
<p>If history’s not your thing, it’s not your thing. Take classes that are interesting to you and satisfy your requirements. I am not taking a straight history class and I am a humanities and anthropology major. </p>
<p>If you’re going into engineering, no one is going to ask you who signed the Declaration of Independence lol. I am a major history buff and even I can’t answer that (although American history bores the crap out of me).</p>
<p>So no, it won’t look bad. :)</p>
<p>Off topic, but I wonder if everyone dislikes the history of their own countries. I LOVE American history but I can’t stand Indian history.</p>
<p>To the OP: NO! It’s something that you even care. I’m hoping not to take too many math classes in college. It’s okay to stick to what you like - it’s great that you don’t ALSO hate other fields (anthropology and and psych) like some people do.</p>
<p>^ Nah, because I know PLENTY of people who LOVE American history lol. I am actually from England, although I can’t stand most British history as well. But, I dislike modern (Holy Roman Empire and beyond) history in general.</p>
<p>QuasiProfound, I don’t think so. I’m American and I love US History. :]</p>
<p>yaganon, I don’t think it’s a big deal. I haven’t taken and don’t plan on taking any math classes in college. Beyond 1st semester calc just doesn’t apply to my life, I don’t need it, and I’d rather take something I’m interested in. =P If you hate it, there’s no reason to put yourself through it. It’s good enough that you like anthro and psych, so just stick to those.</p>
<p>I like history of places other than the US more than the history of the US…and I’m American. I mean, I like history in general, but I’ve always been more interested in global studies.</p>
<p>But to the OP: No. It’s not bad if you don’t take history. I have to take 2 semesters of it, and I’m not too happy. I mean, to be perfectly honest, I’m not really learning anything in my world civ class that I haven’t already been taught before. And next semester will probably be the same deal.</p>
<p>And, to be quite honest, anthropology and psychology (especially if you learn about human nature in general) are MUCH more useful than a history class where you learn about old dead people and long-lost civilizations lol.</p>
<p>“Off topic, but I wonder if everyone dislikes the history of their own countries. I LOVE American history but I can’t stand Indian history.”</p>
<p>I hate American History with my guts and I hate Chinese history less, which conflicts with your thought.</p>
<p>“And, to be quite honest, anthropology and psychology (especially if you learn about human nature in general) are MUCH more useful than a history class where you learn about old dead people and long-lost civilizations lol.”</p>
<p>Romanpigeyes that’s exactly my philosophy. Why does history exist?</p>
<p>I never took anthropology. Studying abroad satisfied my school’s anthropology/world requirement.
I can’t imagine in any situation, as an ME major, where an employer will expect me to know anything anthropology related. </p>
<p>I figure it this way: your college has requirements of certain classes for a reason. If they’re telling you you’ve somehow satisfied the requirement, be it through taking a class that doubles requirements or fulfilling it other means – and assuming it isn’t immediately applicable to your major, then you should be okay.</p>
<p>I remember in elementary school when my P.E. teacher swore that no kid would ever make it in life unless s/he could scale a rope. And I can’t say that being forced to take an interior design class in high school has done much for me either.</p>
<p>Wikipedia will give you all the History knowledge you’ll ever need :] </p>
<p>if you’re not interested in history, why take it? there are literally hundreds of majors, you can’t sample every single one, and we studied history from 1st-12 grade already. You probably know a lot more about History than other fields like Genetics or Interior design, because we study history from Kindergarten to 12th grade, so don’t worry about gaps in knowledge. The average person knows a bit about history, but very few people know anything about Engineering. You can google the War of 1812, you can’t google how to design a spaceship or whatever it is you’re going to do.</p>
<p>and I’m American and I love American history, especially NY history.</p>
<p>It’s not really bad- just make sure that you absolutely do not have to have it. A lot of gen. ed. requirements require history.</p>
<p>Here’s how I feel about it though: it’s very important to understand the history of your people and your country. Don’t think you learned it all in high school. The history I learned in high school and the history I learned in college were two completely different stories. So much is left out of high school textbooks, and so much is hidden from you until you’re in college and old enough to comprehend it. I’ve heard some very scary questions asked in my history and gen. ed. classes, and I’m just like, I can’t believe these people were allowed to graduate high school without knowing this stuff! I’m not saying you should fill your gen. ed. credits with history, but make sure you really understand what you think you know.</p>
<p>The thing about college history classes is that unless you take a really high level class, there’s nothing you can learn in “Intro to Medieval European History” that you can’t also get from a really good book. History is fun and informative, but it’s also one of the least engaging of the liberal arts, IMHO.</p>
<p>I’ve never enjoyed history classes that I’ve taken. However, I’ve read a lot of history books and biography/autobiography books that were really exciting. If there is a really great history teacher on your campus, you might enjoy that person’s classes. But if there isn’t, well, you don’t stop learning when you leave school. If you want to be better informed about historical events than you are, then spend some time browsing the history section in your college bookstore or in other large bookstores, or a site like Amazon. Or you can check out sites like [The</a> Teaching Company : Educational Courses on DVD, Audio CD, Tape, and Cassette - Lecture Series by College/University Professors](<a href=“http://www.teach12.com%5DThe”>http://www.teach12.com) that sell materials that make you feel more like you’re taking a college course.</p>
<p>The last history book I read and really, really enjoyed was Nicholas Reeves’ “Akhenaten.” You might like it too. Or you might not. It’s not as if there aren’t enough history books that you could read them until you die and never run out. I would urge you to get a great education in your field of study, take some electives you think you’ll really like, and don’t worry about the fact that you’re graduating without knowing everything you think an educated person knows, because you’ll have many opportunities to become a more educated person after graduation.</p>
<p>Is that book “Lies My Teacher Told Me” actually accurate? Has anyone read it? I was thinking about purchasing it.</p>
<p>Bah, history is fun,(this comeing from a history/anthropology major)… except american history… </p>
<p>Ecspecially when you have an excellent professor that makes the lectures fun. :)</p>
<p>no because history sucks</p>
<p>it’s not bad.</p>
<p>That said, it is a good goal to be culturally literate.</p>