Current research involves the examination of how students reconcile the cognitive and affective nature of historical empathy. The specific focus on historical empathy is a result of my broader interest in all aspects of historical thinking including historical epistemology, significance and agency. Future plans include utilizing historical empathy and the other areas of historical thinking to further knowledge on how students of various ages best understand the past, the interpretive nature of history, and how historical study can encourage students to become agents of change in a pluralistic democracy.