Reviews
After reading history books haphazardly, I realized I needed to look at them more systematically and with a perspective. I bought this as soon as it caught my eye at the bookstore.
Ryu Si-hyun: How to Read History
As of 2024, studying history has two main goals for the average Korean: meeting the cutoff for a grade in the “Korean History” section of the college entrance exam, or earning a level on the Korean History Proficiency Test required for public-sector jobs or teacher certification. The latter exam attracts so many applicants that registration rushes sometimes occur, and star instructors for related books and online lectures enjoy celebrity-like popularity. Stories about history buffs passing the proficiency test are posted, and challenges by elementary school students, some of whom are history enthusiasts, are often discussed. By contrast, although Korean history is a required subject on the college entrance exam, people say they gave up on history from an early age because memorization was difficult. The importance may vary, but exams are at the center of history study today. When exams become the goal, history is likely to be approached as a subject to memorize. In the new book How to Read History from Tabi Publishing, author Ryu Si-hyeon says: “We need to seek the wisdom history offers. Most things we can verify through an internet search are information. There is no need to feel burdened by having to memorize what we can look up. We should also stop asking questions in the form of tests.” (p. 341)
Korean title: 역사를 읽는 법
Korean author: 류시현
Korean publisher: 따비
ISBN-13: 9791192169378
Reviews
After reading history books haphazardly, I realized I needed to look at them more systematically and with a perspective. I bought this as soon as it caught my eye at the bookstore.
