Introduction to History

MODULE
1
Hooray to a new academic year! The
journey in this pandemic has been tough yet
you made it. The fortuitous spread of Covid MODULE
19 leaves a prolonged period of uncertainty
and unrest for us but it will never hinder our CONTENTS
desire to learn. I would like to welcome you
to Module 1: Introduction to History. This
module comprises of three lessons that will LESSON 1: Definition and
surely deepen your connection to the past, it Subject Matter
will help you realized how important it is,
and the effect of our history in our current
LESSON 2: Questions and
situation. Issues in History

Intended Learning
Outcomes
At the end of Module 1, you should be able to:
Describe the meaning of history
Explain the roles of Historians in History
Differentiate History and Historiography
Differentiate Positivism and Post Colonialism
Develop critical and analytical skills in assessing and defining Historical
Sources
 LESSON
“I knew my affection for the Philippines was equally as
lling: a democracy on paper, apparently well ordered,
ularly subverted by irrational chaos. A place where I'd
1 Definition and
Subject Matter
felt instantly at home.”
― Alex Garland, The Beach

TIME FRAME

TAKE THE CHALLENGE!

In this lesson, challenge yourself to:

Displays an understanding of the meaning of History ;
Explain the roles of Historians in History

GETTING STARTED

Welcome aboard in your journey across the deepest wonders of history! Fasten your seatbelts and
make yourself ready to explore the definition of the word “History” that transcends the common
description as the study of the past and appreciate the beauty of studying it.
So, what are we waiting for let’s begin!

ACTIVITY
 SPIDER WEB
Instruction: Hi there! As you can see we have a graphic organizer
called the “SPIDER WEB”, now your task is to think of any
word/phrase that could connect and describe the word “History”.
Write your answers inside the boxes. Are you ready now? Let us
get started!

SPIDER WEB

ANALYSIS

How was your experience in our activity? Was it easy for you? Did you have some fun? If so, that’s great.
Now, to wrap up your experiences from the activity you need to answer the following questions.
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2. Why do we need to study history?
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ABSTRACTION

Among the Earth’s creatures, only humans are capable

of deriving the deeper meaning of history, we are only
the creature who can have a profound understanding
and can record and learn from it. We use history
WHAT IS HISTORY? universally, we applied it to almost any profession, in
the field of medicine, law, economy, Engineering, and
Architecture, and even in the aspect of our daily living,
we make use of history.
Thus, knowing our history therefore makes our life
more manageable. By studying it, we will be able to
know what to do based on inputs from the past. Just like
in the words of President Woodrow Wilson stating that
“We need to call on our experience to aid us on how to
deal with preset events, without history our society can
be like trees without roots which can be washed away
History is defined as everything that has been recorded in the next flood or storm”. Therefore, forgetting our
or occurred from the beginning of time to the last history will be our worst enemy that we will face in our
instant. It was derived from the Greek word “historia” lives, we will forget our own identity and we will prey
which means “knowledge acquired through inquiring or to the outside pressures and lose our anchor of morality.
investigation”. This term was then adapted to classical
Latin where it acquired a new definition, “historia”
became known as the account of the part of a person or
a group of people through written documents and
historical events evidence.
Now you might ask about “What count as history?”
Traditional historians lived with the manta of “No
Document” means no history”. It means that unless
written or recorded documents can prove a historical
event, then it can’t be considered as a historical fact.
However, a mere record or collection of events is not ROLES OF HISTORIANS
history, this is just called chronology and it is not
different from a logbook of activities kept by a security
guard. To be considered as history, there should be
documentary records of the events that can be traced to
the development, the rise and fall, or the rebirth of a
person, society, and a community or a country.
 of events that occur but history shows a pattern in how
a man and his society has evolved from the primitive
form to the present, or a record of the various challenge
through time.
WHY DO WE NEED TO STUDY
HISTORY?
impossible for a very simple reason that we can’t go
back to the past, we cannot past directly to the past as
our subject matter but we can access it through its
representation like historical sources and evidence.
Moreover, it is the job of the historian to give meaning
to facts and organize them into a timeline, establish
causes, and write history. However, the historian is not
a blank paper who mechanically interprets and analyzes
present historical facts. He is a person of his own who
is influenced by his context, environment, ideology,
education, and influences, among others. In that sense,
his interpretation of the historical fact is affected by his
context and circumstances. His subjectivity will
inevitably influence the process of his historical
research: the methodology that he will use, the facts
that he shall select and deem relevant his interpretation,
and even the form of his writings.

There are many advantages to studying History, it

allows us to better understand our current situation.

APPLICATION

Instruction: Write TRUE on the blank before each number if the

statement is correct, but if not write FALSE and underlie the word/group
of words that makes it incorrect.
______1. A simple record or collection of events is contemplated as
history.
______2. Engineers, Lawyers, Doctors and other professions are
governed by History.
______3. A record of events showing the evolution of man and his
society from the earliest and from the age of barbarism to what he is
today is history.
______4. The study of History enables man to improve his present
condition as an individual, as member of society, church and state.
______5. Traditional historians lived with the manta of “No Document”
means no history”
Instruction: Explain the following.
1. “We need to call on our experience to aid us on how to deal with
preset events, without history our society can be like trees without roots
which can be washed away in the next flood or storm”.
Woodrow Wilson
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2. How does History affect the present and the future?
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3. Define the Roles of the Historians in History.
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3 Things I have learned in

today’s lesson

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2 Things I like/interesting about

the lesson
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1 Thing that I am still confuse

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about the lesson_

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Congratulations in finishing Lesson 1. You have

explored the definition of the word “History” and
understand how vital it is in terms of considering
our present situations. You can now proceed to
the next lesson. Good luck!

2
Questions and
LESSON Issues in History
“It is easier to build from scratch than to
dismantle the rotten and rebuild upon its
rubbles.”
― Rodrigo Roa Duterte

TIME FRAME
 TAKE THE CHALLENGE!

In this lesson, challenge yourself to:

Differentiate History and Historiography
Distinguish Positivism and Post Colonialism

GETTING STARTED

Hooray! So, we are here on the second stop of our journey. In this part, we
are going to answer the questions and issues about our history. We are going
to discover the different methods, perspectives, and theories in understanding
historical facts.
Let’s Begin!

ACTIVITY

SHADES OF GRAY

Hi student! Welcome to our first activity entitled “Making Connections”. You will
complete Venn Diagram by writing down the differences and similarities about the
words “History” and “Historiography”. Enjoy!

VENN DIAGRAM
 ANALYSIS

Since you already finished answering our activity, your task now is to answer the following questions.
1. Based on the activity, is there a significant connection between History and Historiography? Why and why not?
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2. How does Historiography help in assessing the credibility of History?
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In the discipline of history, the mantra “no document, no

ABSTRACTION history” stems from this very same truth, where historians
were required to show written primary documents in order
to write a particular historical narrative.
Positive historians are also expected to be object and
This dynamism of history inevitably produced
various perspectives on the discipline regarding
different questions like: What is history? Why study
history? And history for whom? In which the only
thing that could answer it is utilizing historiography.
In simple terms, historiography is the history of
history. History and historiography should not be
confused with each other. History is the study of the
past, the events that happened in the past, and the
causes of such events.
On the other hand, historiography focuses on the
study of history itself (i.e., How was a certain
historical text was written? Who wrote it? What was
the context of its publication? What particular
historical method was employed? What were the
sources used?).
Thus, historiography lets you have a better
understanding of history. You do not only learn
historical facts, but you are also provided with an
understanding of the facts and the historian’s
contexts. The methods employed by the historian
and the theory and perspective, which guided him,
will also be analyzed. With the help of
historiography, you will now understand deeper
what is in history.
School of Thoughts
Positivism is the school of thought that emerge
between the eighteenth and nineteenth century.
This thought requires empirical and observable
evidence before one can claim that a particular
knowledge is true. Positivism also entails an
objective means of arriving at a conclusion.
When the ilustrados, like Jose Rizal, Isabelo de los Reyes,
and Pedro Paterno wrote history, they intended it for the
Spaniards so that they would realize the Filipinos are
people of their own intellect and culture. Likewise, when
American Historians depicted the Filipino as uncivilized in
their publication, it was intended that narrative fellow
American to justify the means of undermining the
Philippines sovereignty. Thus, as a narrative, any history
that has been taught and written is always intended for a
certain group of audience
Postcolonialism is a school of thought the emerged in the
early twentieth century when formerly colonized nations
grappled with the idea of creating their identities and
understanding their societies against the shadows of their
colonial past. Postcolonial history looks at two things in
writing history: first is to tell the history of nation that will
highlight their identity free from that colonial discourse
and knowledge, and second is to criticize the methods,
effects, and idea of colonialism. Postcolonial history is
therefore a reaction and an alternative to the colonial
history that colonial powers created ad taught to their
subjects.
One of the problem confronted by history is the accusation
that the history was always written by victors. For
instance, the history of second word war in the Philippines
always depicts the United States as heroes and the
Japanese as the oppressors, however a more thorough
historical investigation will reveal more nuanced account
of the history of that period instead of a simplified
narrative as a story of hero versus villain. Thus, it
connotes that the narrative of the past is always written
from the bias of the powerful and the more dominant
player.
APPLICATION

Enumerative Essay

Give and explain what is asked.

What are the two school of thoughts and how would you apply it in criticizing and analyzing
history?
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2. Explain the importance of Historiography in History.
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Hooray! You have finished lesson 2. You have

gain the knowledge of analyzing literature and
differentiate history from historiography. You