No more history majors...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a professional historian and what bothers me isn't so much the number of majors, it's that the number of faculty and course offerings are so dependent on majors. Wouldn't it be GREAT if students focused on business, economics, engineering, comp sci, etc also had a strong grounding in history? Wouldn't it be awesome if it were part of the tool kit for future leaders?

I would love to see history integrated across the curriculum. But I guess I AM describing liberal arts education.

Yes it would be great. The undergrad business program where I went to school and my MBA program both offered business history electives. I didn't take the MBA class but I got some history exposure in my economics undergrad. I also independently read Braudel's Civilization and Capitalism. So I'd say I have covered at least a survey course worth of material about Anglo-European business history.

I know quite a few people who are very interested in history but they didn't express that interest in a college setting. I would like to see college history departments do more work to identify the classes that would compel undergrads to get excited and enroll. Or multidisciplinary courses that could count for at least two different types of distribution requirements.

For engineering, an engineering ethics class serves some of the purpose that a history class might serve. In business programs, business law is a more common requirement that also incorporates some aspects of what a history course would cover. In some sense, history is built into these classes, even though different faculty departments would usually offer them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s the price.

If college cost $5, there would be a lot more history majors. And if the corporate world signaled they are enthusiastic about hiring history majors, there will be a lot more history majors.

But that’s not the case in 2024. And so the youngsters choose according

This.
Why are people pretending to be surprised and sound dumb lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way to increase the number of history majors is to stop teaching race/class/gender/labor-based America-hating Left-wing drivel, but the history departments refuse to do that, so let them all sink into oblivion as they deserve.

Hey, you seem really passionate in this. Can you show one history department that exclusive teaches race/class/gender/labor-based American...drivel? That's also a lot of groups to say "those histories don't matter to" and I'm not sure if your interpretation of history is just Constitutional law and White American studies?

Also students are the ones most interested in class/gender/race, etc. English faculty would jump to the sky if kids had any interest in old dead white rich dudes.

History is less popular now that people know more about what actually happened. It's not fun anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way to increase the number of history majors is to stop teaching race/class/gender/labor-based America-hating Left-wing drivel, but the history departments refuse to do that, so let them all sink into oblivion as they deserve.

Hey, you seem really passionate in this. Can you show one history department that exclusive teaches race/class/gender/labor-based American...drivel? That's also a lot of groups to say "those histories don't matter to" and I'm not sure if your interpretation of history is just Constitutional law and White American studies?

Also students are the ones most interested in class/gender/race, etc. English faculty would jump to the sky if kids had any interest in old dead white rich dudes.

History is less popular now that people know more about what actually happened. It's not fun anymore.

Kids today learn a much more diverse and accurate history lesson. No reason to extend it to a degree, really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you, OP. I am also a history major and often find my peers (without a liberal arts education) to be pretty inarticulate and not very thoughtful. There is a correlation between the demise of the humanities and the popularity of Colleen Hoover-type authors and books.

100%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s the price.

If college cost $5, there would be a lot more history majors. And if the corporate world signaled they are enthusiastic about hiring history majors, there will be a lot more history majors.

But that’s not the case in 2024. And so the youngsters choose according

This is classic culling. Your poor and middle class folks will continue to prioritize the trades and dumb down lower level colleges. I can assure you Princeton’s history department is just fine and Yale Law School will be seeking those history majors for first admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way to increase the number of history majors is to stop teaching race/class/gender/labor-based America-hating Left-wing drivel, but the history departments refuse to do that, so let them all sink into oblivion as they deserve.

Hey, you seem really passionate in this. Can you show one history department that exclusive teaches race/class/gender/labor-based American...drivel? That's also a lot of groups to say "those histories don't matter to" and I'm not sure if your interpretation of history is just Constitutional law and White American studies?

Also students are the ones most interested in class/gender/race, etc. English faculty would jump to the sky if kids had any interest in old dead white rich dudes.

History is less popular now that people know more about what actually happened. It's not fun anymore.

Kids today learn a much more diverse and accurate history lesson. No reason to extend it to a degree, really.

I don’t know where to begin with you except by your comment you clearly weren’t a history major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way to increase the number of history majors is to stop teaching race/class/gender/labor-based America-hating Left-wing drivel, but the history departments refuse to do that, so let them all sink into oblivion as they deserve.

Hey, you seem really passionate in this. Can you show one history department that exclusive teaches race/class/gender/labor-based American...drivel? That's also a lot of groups to say "those histories don't matter to" and I'm not sure if your interpretation of history is just Constitutional law and White American studies?

Also students are the ones most interested in class/gender/race, etc. English faculty would jump to the sky if kids had any interest in old dead white rich dudes.

History is less popular now that people know more about what actually happened. It's not fun anymore.

Kids today learn a much more diverse and accurate history lesson. No reason to extend it to a degree, really.

I don’t know where to begin with you except by your comment you clearly weren’t a history major.

Nope history minor-couldn't commit to a thesis. But, if you at all have a decent high school, the kids are learning a much more diverse history than anyone a generation back. I didn't learn much "new" in my minor courses, just different fun facts that aren't grand picture knowledge points you need to know. Obviously different story for non-American studies and Native Studies.

[Anonymous]

Plenty of history majors, as well as other liberal arts. I have two kids who majored in history and one in international affairs. All are excellent writers and doing great in their careers. Not everything has to be CS.

[Anonymous]

Somehow singling out Amherst again—wow. History was the seventh most popular major for their class of 2022, with 39 graduates (out of ~500). Hardly a dying field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Somehow singling out Amherst again—wow. History was the seventh most popular major for their class of 2022, with 39 graduates (out of ~500). Hardly a dying field.

Prelaw is popular, yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Somehow singling out Amherst again—wow. History was the seventh most popular major for their class of 2022, with 39 graduates (out of ~500). Hardly a dying field.

Prelaw is popular, yes

Precisely. Hardly any Amherst grads are going into history to use those history skills in a museum, academia, non profits, etc. It's just pre-law prep for students who want something more rigorous than sociology.

[Anonymous]

I’m a lawyer and we pretty much only interview students from top law schools. I see lots of kids with undergraduate history degrees, including many from places like Amherst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s the price.

If college cost $5, there would be a lot more history majors. And if the corporate world signaled they are enthusiastic about hiring history majors, there will be a lot more history majors.

But that’s not the case in 2024. And so the youngsters choose according

This is classic culling. Your poor and middle class folks will continue to prioritize the trades and dumb down lower level colleges. I can assure you Princeton’s history department is just fine and Yale Law School will be seeking those history majors for first admissions.

Very few people can go to Princeton and Yale. Duh. Most people will go to "lower level colleges", and should prioritize the practical. Poor and middle class folks can, and should, prioritize the practical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s the price.

If college cost $5, there would be a lot more history majors. And if the corporate world signaled they are enthusiastic about hiring history majors, there will be a lot more history majors.

But that’s not the case in 2024. And so the youngsters choose according

This is classic culling. Your poor and middle class folks will continue to prioritize the trades and dumb down lower level colleges. I can assure you Princeton’s history department is just fine and Yale Law School will be seeking those history majors for first admissions.

Very few people can go to Princeton and Yale. Duh. Most people will go to "lower level colleges", and should prioritize the practical. Poor and middle class folks can, and should, prioritize the practical.

And Princeton and Yale don't even have the best history program-that title has historically and continues to go to Massive UC Berkeley. The difference is that Berkeley has to filter and churn through grads like clockwork to produce the best students and to bring in the best graduate students and later faculty. A Princeton history major will stay a history major. History is very well supported in big state universities, but you have to be on top of your game and use all the resources possible for your specialty.