The United States History Class Journal Entry Essay

Lessons learned from the study of United States History

Some of the most relevant lessons in American history that I feel still affect my daily life today were the civil rights movement, the Civil War, and the various terrorist attacks. The results of struggles for civil rights, equality, and injustice on the part of African Americans have changed as a result of this movement. Wars like the Civil War altered the very foundation of the United States, granting citizens new freedoms and protections. Terrorist acts like 1911 and other school shootings have raised our level of preparedness to deal with such disasters, particularly in the areas of preventative medicine and health care.

Advice to the Next Group of Students Who Will Be Taking This Course

My advice to the next group of students in this course is to manage their time wisely, as this course requires extensive research, reading, and dedication. I would also advise them to show commitment to the course as it entails informative and interesting facts that will enlighten their minds (Cressey, 2019). Moreover, I recommend that they re-read all the information in this course to fully understand all the material.

The Impact of This Course on Daily Life and Work

This course has helped me develop a more accepting mindset, which will be invaluable in my future career and profession. Even more importantly, this course taught me how far our society has come. One of the lessons that was interesting to me was the Civil War era. A rudimentary level of medical knowledge existed throughout the Civil War. When compared to modern medicine, there was far less effort put into preventing the spread of illness and sickness. Efforts to maintain sterility throughout operations, which would have helped avoid infections, were not made. Without medicines, even minor wounds might quickly become fatal from infection. Currently, there have been numerous positive developments in medicine. Preventative measures have increased in recent years to prevent the spread of deadly diseases and infections thanks to lessons gained from the past.

What to Be Aware of Regarding This Class

To prepare for the workload, incoming students should set aside enough time to complete assignments and homework. Every couple of weeks, they should be prepared to write lengthy papers. The abundance of writing assignments in this subject made me think I was in an English class. Incoming students should also expected to respond to at least one classmate’s post in the discussion post with a response that expands upon or clarifies the original poster’s ideas.

Learning Strategies Used During This Class

One strategy that helped me the most was re-reading every chapter to understand everything. I also consulted a wide variety of online and offline resources, including but not limited to eBooks, films, academic literature, blogs, YouTube, and websites like the History Channel (Cressey, 2019). When I needed help understanding a topic, I turned to kid-friendly resources like PBS’s website. The more I read up on the topic at hand, the more I realized how little I actually knew about it.

Advice to the Next Group of Students to Earn an A

It takes self-control and commitment to keep an A grade across the board. There will be an expectation that the student will work hard enough to achieve the required grade. The ability to effectively manage time and stay motivated to finish projects is essential. The strategies I employ are rather elementary, so they should be accessible to a wide audience. Each day, they should spend time planning out their week and logging into the university website to view their courses. Once the readings for this week’s topic are evaluated, they should do more online research to learn more about the subject from reliable sources (Cressey, 2019). Before turning in homework, they should often double-check the grading rubric to be sure they have addressed all of the criteria. This is how I was able to earn such a high grade in history.

Reference

Cressey, G. (2019). Learn it and pass it on: Strategies for educational success. In Mentorship, Leadership, and Research, 10(4), 71-89. Springer, Cham.