For Kenneth Jolly, studying history is the doorway to changing the world.

Jolly earned his doctorate in African-American history from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and joined the history department at SVSU in 2004.

A professor of history and adviser to the black studies minor, he has taught a variety of history courses, including the History of Michigan, African-American History and Black Freedom Struggle.

“There’s a place for every subject, but history has got to be the most powerful and useful subject because we can learn so much from it,” Jolly said.

Jolly pinpointed a quote by Malcom X that inspired him to study history.

“Of all our studies, history is best qualified to reward our research. And when you see that you’ve got problems, all you have to do is examine the historic method used all over the world by others who have problems similar to yours. And once you see how they got theirs straight, then you know how you can get yours straight.”

This quote, Jolly explained, is about finding problems similar to ours in history. We can learn about our origins and the path that took us to where we are today. Through this, we can find solutions and see the power of history.

He believes that students must apply the work they do, but those applications cannot be limited to just the classroom.

“History is usually taught in an abstract way and isn’t applicable to students,” he said. “So teaching these courses becomes about finding the application of history so they see it’s not abstract and can be applied (to) understand what brought us here.”

He stated that good books, stories and images also help engage the students in his class, especially non-history majors.

“We study agency, which is the capacity and the will to act in the past, with the intention of inspiring our own agency and revealing our own abilities,” he said. “When studying the past, we see people like us and that they had the capacity and will to act.”

He had some advice for students looking to be successful in their classes, whether they’re taught by him or another faculty member.

He explained that students should be inquisitive and curious while also being open-minded. They should continuously strive to be better writers and better readers. Students should also follow the syllabus, ask for help when necessary and be social while getting involved.

As for students who are considering graduate school, Jolly also offered some advice: work hard, get good grades, get to know professors for letters of recommendation, read and write as often as possible and study a foreign language.

Most of all, students should be passionate about what they do.

“Being passionate and seeing value in what you do is great,” he said. “If you’re not passionate about what you do, then why do it?”