AP Western Civilizations: a new perspective on a beloved subject

I used to be obsessed with knowing the dates of things, knowing what people did. I lived for those little silly facts that teachers would throw out to keep us all awake. History classes were the highlight of my school days. I knew I wanted to take it to the next level. Enter AP Western Civilization; a class I now look back on with great fondness, even though it was a bumpy ride.

I was a bit cocky before this class. I always did so well in the basic have-to-take history classes and I figured I had this class in the bag. It was simply a way to add more facts into my head that I loved to have just floating around.

It was the first day and we got the big text books that I loved to just flip through. AP West Civilizations takes you from about the 1400's to the Cold War Era. Although, it was said that usually you’d have barely enough time to skim the surface of the Cold War. This excited me. Even more knowledge! My teacher, known for his passionate lectures, started right up with Catholicism and religious reformations during that time. This is when I really began to question if this class was right for me.

We were given dates and facts but my teacher insisted that wasn't the most important information. What else could be? What more is there? I grew quite frustrated with the deeper questions and essay tests we were given. My teacher discussed the intricate politics of empires and went into much depth about why Napoleon chose to do something. It was getting frustrating. This wasn't the dream class I first thought it would be. For once, I actually had to understand, not just know.

One day in class my teacher decided to have a chat on the material as we all seemed to be struggling. He stressed that history isn’t really about knowing the dates of royal executions and what color the Sistine Chapel was painted. It’s about why did these things happen. Not what were the points in the 95 theses but why did Martin Luther write them? What does it mean to us today? In this, I truly came to understand why people study history and just how much more important it was to us as humanity.

In history, we see ourselves. We see what we were, what we’ve become, and even what we can be. History can be a warning to the evils in the world but also bring light and hope to the present day generation.