1. What perspectives have your peers offered that you had not previously considered about the value of identifying one's beliefs, assumptions, and values?

2. Suggest other ways historical inquiry skills might help your peers in their personal, professional, and academic careers.

Discussion Post: I grew up in a broken household, and both parents had different views on religion. So, I have tried to keep a middle ground and take every day with this mentality of trying to stay centric or moderate. This also seeps into my political and religious views; However, I am not so passionate about these things; I believe that people who are passionate about them should be able to express this. Personally, the polls are rigged, and I agree with others that say their vote does not matter, but I usually vote anyway so I can feel like I have solidified my opinion for those situations, just peace of mind. Encompassing all of this, this was the right state of mind for researching these historical and current topics. Attempting not to be biased and not view the information so skewed or emotionally, I can almost get the full picture. I stress, underline, and emphasize "almost" in my last sentence because it takes some assuming, and I am open to being wrong, especially with history. Politics has been a challenging topic for me, and I have tried so hard within my power not to have an opinion on this. Even now, the time that matters most to me as I work with DoD, I still struggle to care, and I take every day as it comes because I do not think it is worth my temperament to get so attached to politics. When I research politics, I still take the same approach, though this is the most difficult topic, I take the information and try to ignore the bias. I want to know what is happening, not what people think about others. This class honestly helped me a lot with my other class I am taking alongside this, IT-226 Communications in STEM, not only by having to research certain parts but also trying to relay a certain perspective to others. I can also apply teachings from this class to my work and personal life, so I can detach myself and truly listen to people when they reach out to me.