<p>What is typically taught in history classes in this country at the more selective and rigorous schools(don’t know about elsewhere) is not the “story” or “factoids” of particular historical events alone (although these form a basis) but how the stories are put together (which primary sources are used, and which ignored, for instance.) Someone who has taken this type of class might continue to read history on their own, but might be expected to pay more attention to footnotes and bibliographies than someone without this type of training.</p>
<p>Presumably, professors who have studied a field for years and are used to developing their perspective after examining both primary and secondary sources and defending their conclusions in front of critical colleagues will have more of this type of expertise than the random reviewer on Amazon.</p>
<p>Whether it is important for someone who programs computers or designs electrical circuits (which some of our students ALSO learn on their own) to be aware of the details of their own country’s recent and distant history, or that of other countries, and how it is being written and spun for mass consumption, is another matter entirely, I suppose.</p>