It seems I was so absorbed in WHY history should be studied and not what to keep in mind. U.S. history texts are often biased towards the U.S., so often times history students can sometimes be under the impression that the U.S. can do no wrong, while of course there are countless sides to every story. We also have to keep an open mind when studying history. There are so many different traditions and beliefs in the world, and if students deem these other traditions as weird and nonsensical then it might be difficult for them to study the history of other culture. As students study history, I believe they should keep an open mind and know that there are other sources of information to be referenced.

Hokay, I took the Asian geography test. Not as horrendous as I had planned, but there is obviously room for improvement with my score of 87.5%, especially since I labeled everything on my map in class. I did get all of the major countries correct (India, Afghanistan, etc.) so I will learn where Brunei is in time...

As for studying history... Do I think Asian history should be studied? Yes, in fact, I believe ALL history should be studied. Today, there is so much talk of thinking globally, on an international scale. How can we begin to think FOR the world if we don't know ABOUT the world? On top of preparing us for international work, I think history is interesting in its own right. Our world is filled with vast amounts of cultures, and I think it's extremely interesting to learn about new religions, philosophies, and ways of life. I also believe the first way to instill open mindedness in young children is to introduce different ways of living and thinking while still in an elementary school age. History shapes so much of what we are today, so it should most definitely be included in our curriculums. Another key point is that of not letting unfortunate events in our history repeat themselves. How can we prevent another Holocaust from happening if a shocking percentage of students don't even know what it is?

Asian history is especially important because of life today. The U.S. is investing trillions of dollars in the Middle East and fighting a "war against terror." Shouldn't students know about the place of which their country is spending so much money? I certainly believe so. Like I said earlier, we can't expect students today to be able to take care of the world tomorrow if they don't know what is occurring in it and what occurred.

Just my thoughts :D