Why Study History?

A couple of days ago, one of our majors told me about a debate he had with his dad over spring break. The topic, at least from his dad's perspective, was "Why I am throwing away good money so you can become an expert in the old and irrelevant?" I think my student did a pretty good job defending the importance of studying history and the skills it imparts. At least his dad agreed to keep paying his tuition. Heather Cox Richardson offers a thoughtful response to this same question at the new blog hosted by The Historical Society. It's worth a read.