It used to be that non-commercial studies like history were funded within universities and used in government and other institutions that paid for services sometimes. Now, history is rarely funded and universities are money mills.
I have a BA in History. I enjoy the subject. But it’s not practical. Sure, you can spin it and say that reading, comprehending, analyzing diverse facts are all useful skills that can be applied in many fields. But those skills can be available to anyone. They are not unique to History. Better, I think, to pay for a degree in something with actual application to a career.
I fully support knowledge of history. I think that is important for everyone. But you don’t need a degree in the subject to know a fair amount about the subject.
Lastly, the History field has certainly been taken over by Leftists like Zinn and so many others. A degree in history is a good way to become indoctrinated. It’s better to study something else, something practical, and then educate yourself with good sources as a hobby.
I told my kids I’d pay for college as long as they didn’t study Liberal Arts. I think it’s best to do that stuff on your own, for free.
“Elena Albarrán explained the significance of tortillas in Latin American history and demonstrated how to make them from scratch.”
Well thats just beautiful. It”ll prep these kids for a career in the food service industry....in a mexican restaurant kitchen....sheesh
I was a history major before the commies took over academia. I really enjoyed it. I ended up in the computer business as a Unix admin.
Probably the most difficult area of learning history is finding a teacher who is capable of teaching the subject.
Reading books published over 30 years ago or more would give students their best chance.
Post-secondary education has two purposes:
-Directly training students to perform tasks in specific jobs.
- Raise up Godly leaders (especially men) to go out into the world to defend The Church against its many enemies a promote Chris values.
I mostly agree with this. But I would also include philosophy. Of course it depends on who’s teaching and what/how they’re taught. But in general, I think these are the subjects best suited for developing the kind of critical thinking necessary for sustaining a constitutional republic like ours.
Learning History, is to learn there’s nothing new under the Sun, and to recognize patterns from the past in a modern context.
History may not repeat, but it sure does rhyme.
Why would anyone accept the recommendation of an author who has demonstrated his proclivity for making poor choices by majoring in history to major in history? I majored in history. I owned up to my mistake. He should too rather than trying to lead others into the same mistake.
I have a BA in History and still consider that and English the two most important majors.
Yes, most History and English departments are now run by lunatics but a thorough grounding in each is imperative for a rounded education.
I went to college to get an education, not to train for a job. If I wanted that I would have gone to a trade school.
I majored in history and ended up making a living at it—as a history teacher. But oddly, my courses didn’t include “the history of the graphic novel” or “the history of the tortilla”.
My courses were like “the history of the Holy Roman Empire” or the “history of South Asia” that required an awful lot of reading. We used these things called “books”—heavy, dusty things we got from a place called a “library”. And since everyone in the course had to read the same books, they were put on hold and you had to read them in the library.
“The History of the Graphic Novel” . . . “Food in History” . . . lovely. While I strongly approve of studying real history, I’m skeptical of the value of these frivolous courses and the politicized courses so often offered instead of teaching real facts.
My degree is in History.
I am a ‘millennial’ with a History degree from a top 25 university and I agree.
And they can open a history store?
However, some read between the lines, rather like the oppressed peoples of the Iron Curtain nations did in trying to discern the truth behind the propaganda.
My daughter, in the public schools of California, said this to me: "They keep telling us that the Republicans are racists and the Democrats are not, but it was the Republicans who freed the slaves and the Democrats who were the Ku Klux Klan."
My other daughter said this to me: "All they talk about in school is how humans are killing the oceans and destroying the planet and we're all going to die from global warming!" I asked: "Do any of the children believe that?" "Some do!" she replied with a laugh at how ridiculous they all are.
My son (12 years old) had this to say yesterday: "My health teacher is nuts." Then he told me in explicit detail how she explained to grammar school children, mixed boys and girls, how girls masterbate, how boys masterbate, etc. Naturally I was outraged. So was he, I'm happy to be able to say. He said that the woman is crazy. I agreed. This is what they're learning instead of history.
I truly wish I had become a history teacher, my husband wishes he had done the same. High school counselor said there were too many, not a good major. Should never have listened to her.
The world needs more actual historians and fewer Howard Zinns.
History Major? there’s no future there.
The market speaks. If you want a marketable skill, go STEM. If you want knowledge, go liberal arts. If you want lies,propaganda, and debt, go “Studies.”