GEC 12: Understanding History Study Guide

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key concepts in historiography, the nature of historical sources, and various scholarly definitions of history as presented in the GEC 12 course module.

Historia (ιστορία)

A Greek word meaning "to learn," which is the etymological root of the term history.

History (Barnes' definition)

Generally concerned with the study of the human past.

History (Medina's definition)

Principally the present and future; a forward projection and a social construction of a future reality.

History (Samuel Tan's definition)

The dynamic process of dealing with the past where aspects of development are interrelated and brought upon by the understanding of the present and future.

History (Renato Constantino's definition)

The collective achievement of man, viewing the masses as the real mover of history.

Historiography

The art of writing, specifically referring to the theory and history of historical writing.

Graphier

A Greek word meaning "to write," which forms part of the root for historiography.

New Historicism

A historical approach that seeks the interpretation of facts from all perspectives and considers data like oral history, folklore, and indigenous materials as possible sources.

Pantayong Pananaw

A perspective advocated by Zeus Salazar defining history as "ang kasaysayan ay isang salaysay tungkol sa nakalipas na may saysay sa isang grupo ng tao."

Positivism

A tradition in historical writing holding that knowledge and interpretation must be based on verifiable data gathered through internal and external criticisms.

Primary Sources

Written or non-written materials that provide direct or first-hand evidence about an event, person, or work of art, typically published or recorded at the time of the event.

Secondary Sources

Accounts of something that are not primary sources; they are one step removed and often add a layer of interpretation or analysis.

Historical Method

Certain techniques and rules followed by historians to properly utilize sources and historical evidences in writing history.

Internal Criticism

The analysis of the contents of a document to evaluate the relevance of the content to the time and place of the phenomenon.

External Criticism

The analysis of the form of a document to evaluate its authenticity by examining the author and the time it was written.

Multiperspectivity

The process of viewing historical events, personalities, and developments from several different perspectives.