What's Wrong With History?
...who teaches what and why matters, and is broken
For those who have followed the links through the years here about the lost cause that is the American Historical Association and the larger problem of the teaching of military history - and military history PhD programs in the USA - you know the severity of the problem.
It isn't just the gutting of available positions in history departments, from your local community college to DOD, if you look at the areas of study of those who have a “PhD in history” - you realize that in many cases the degree has little meaning to military history except in the most tangential and useless way.
The broader area of history as it is taught and credentialed in the USA is just as bad, if not worse, than the sub-genre of military history.
What can be done, and is there someone trying to address the issue?
Take some time today to skip to the 37-minute mark and listen to former Senator Ben Sasse, now President of the University of Florida, on Jonah Goldberg’s podcast about what they are doing there and especially exciting, what the Hamilton Center is shaping up to be.
If you are looking for concrete action and an honest discussion about why it is important, this is about one of the best outlines of a problem and solution I’ve heard in awhile.
CDR Salamander, as a longtime lurker, occasional commenter and faithful reader, this is a topic I have a deep interest in. I am blessed to be a professor of history, though at the lowest rung of the collegiate ladder. I teach at a junior college in rural Texas. My students have generally poor knowledge of geography and precious little of history when I get them. That said, I use your columns as points of reference for comparative analysis of historical themes. Last semester I used your "War is Coming" column, made my students read it and then consider the idea that we are in a new Cold War with China. They then had to write a paper on Mahan, (I actually had students thank me for that assignment), none had ever heard of him before. The class also had to consider your column in light of historical circumstances in the Western Pacific in 1940-41. We ended the semester with a simulation that forced the students to consider the importance of geo-strategy in the life of a nation.
Hopefully I reach a couple students a year. Most of these kids are just looking to transfer to UT or A&M or UofH. Most want to pursue business or ag degrees, maybe some healthcare but one thing is certain, when they leave my class they will damned well understand who Mahan was, why geography is a female canine, and how important trade and by extension, the US Navy, is to the nation. So don't despair Commander, your column provides at least one educator with ammunition to fight back.
During WWII, the serious members of academe joined the military or worked in defense industries... They left the running of the universities to the ... less serious.
After the war, the universities expanded greatly, thanks to the GI Bill....Suddenly, lots of new students, needing new professors, new buildings, etc. All selected by the ... less serious.
They held for another decade or two, and started retiring in the 60's. Their replacements? The .... very less serious. That got us tolerance, if not outright acceptance and approval, of college 'students' demonstrating on campus, demanding their 'rights'.
College students, by definition, are ignorant (uneducated). That is the reason, in fact, they are at college, no? Listening to their 'demands' is irrational - like a toddler demanding ice cream for breakfast.
But, that's what we have been reduced to. Colleges are just kindergarten for grown ups - both the students and staff.