No more history majors...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

DP. Your position doesn't make much sense. Like any subject, you could stop at HS level or pursue a higher level of specificity, research methods and analysis.

I had to do research methods in high school history, but that’s just a high school dependent practice. I even had a senior thesis for my high school.

It's not the same academic tier. You could say that for any subject.

It was. Do tell me more about my own experience though

No one needs to. Your HS class is not the equivalent of an upper level undergrad course. My kid took Complex Analysis in HS. Great course. Not the equivalent of college level. Same is true of any course offered at HS level. If it is not a lower or intro level college equivalent, it is not college equivalent. You think you did it all in HS because you did a HS course of the same name and a HS thesis. These are not the same in university.

Something tells me mathematics and history are pretty different fields to compare?

You can teach math in a very quantitative, number crunch way that doesn’t really have the same translation in history- reading books without thinking???

You can absolutely teach history in a way that does not require thinking. You just make sure the students are trained to parrot the propaganda that you feed them. This is in fact how the vast majority of history courses have been taught for decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a history degree, loved my classes and still value the research, study and writing skills I learned. But, I had no help from my college translating the degree/skills to the workplace. It was depressing. I discouraged my kids from majoring in history. I'd be all for it as a 2nd BA. Maybe open curriculum and encouraging students to double major across fields is the way forward. Or better career advising and alum networks.

100% correct.

Need to attend law school or business school in order to be desired by employers.

The CIA heavily recruits history majors at my kid’s non- ivy school.

Lots of DCUM is not going to consider CIA a "lucrative" job. CIA is also very competitive especially if you coming in with no military background. They don't just want history majors. Or white people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a history degree, loved my classes and still value the research, study and writing skills I learned. But, I had no help from my college translating the degree/skills to the workplace. It was depressing. I discouraged my kids from majoring in history. I'd be all for it as a 2nd BA. Maybe open curriculum and encouraging students to double major across fields is the way forward. Or better career advising and alum networks.

I'm one of the many liberal arts majors that had no idea how to position myself for the workplace. Do Universities assume philosophy majors all immediately get philospher jobs and history majors magically become historians?

I am all for ensuring that people get a good liberal arts background along with a understanding of the skills they are developing and how they are transferable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a history degree, loved my classes and still value the research, study and writing skills I learned. But, I had no help from my college translating the degree/skills to the workplace. It was depressing. I discouraged my kids from majoring in history. I'd be all for it as a 2nd BA. Maybe open curriculum and encouraging students to double major across fields is the way forward. Or better career advising and alum networks.

100% correct.

Need to attend law school or business school in order to be desired by employers.

The CIA heavily recruits history majors at my kid’s non- ivy school.

Lots of DCUM is not going to consider CIA a "lucrative" job. CIA is also very competitive especially if you coming in with no military background. They don't just want history majors. Or white people.

This school is a PWI and they’re recruiting right out of undergrad. Not everyone’s goal is “lucrative”. If that’s the goal, don’t major in engineering either. Or pre med or pre law for that matter because a majority of doctors and lawyers aren’t making a killing either. Just be an influencer on Instagram if that’s what matters most to you. Making a good living is sufficient for most people. Retirement and health benefits are important too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a history degree, loved my classes and still value the research, study and writing skills I learned. But, I had no help from my college translating the degree/skills to the workplace. It was depressing. I discouraged my kids from majoring in history. I'd be all for it as a 2nd BA. Maybe open curriculum and encouraging students to double major across fields is the way forward. Or better career advising and alum networks.

I'm one of the many liberal arts majors that had no idea how to position myself for the workplace. Do Universities assume philosophy majors all immediately get philospher jobs and history majors magically become historians?

I am all for ensuring that people get a good liberal arts background along with an understanding of the skills they are developing and how they are transferable.

I majored in Poli Sci and same. But think it’s different now. My kids’ Big State Us have a lot of support and resources for internships and employment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a history degree, loved my classes and still value the research, study and writing skills I learned. But, I had no help from my college translating the degree/skills to the workplace. It was depressing. I discouraged my kids from majoring in history. I'd be all for it as a 2nd BA. Maybe open curriculum and encouraging students to double major across fields is the way forward. Or better career advising and alum networks.

100% correct.

Need to attend law school or business school in order to be desired by employers.

The CIA heavily recruits history majors at my kid’s non- ivy school.

Lots of DCUM is not going to consider CIA a "lucrative" job. CIA is also very competitive especially if you coming in with no military background. They don't just want history majors. Or white people.

They are ok with white people so long as they are women or gay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a history degree, loved my classes and still value the research, study and writing skills I learned. But, I had no help from my college translating the degree/skills to the workplace. It was depressing. I discouraged my kids from majoring in history. I'd be all for it as a 2nd BA. Maybe open curriculum and encouraging students to double major across fields is the way forward. Or better career advising and alum networks.

100% correct.

Need to attend law school or business school in order to be desired by employers.

The CIA heavily recruits history majors at my kid’s non- ivy school.

Lots of DCUM is not going to consider CIA a "lucrative" job. CIA is also very competitive especially if you coming in with no military background. They don't just want history majors. Or white people.

They are ok with white people so long as they are women or gay.

Posters here are incredibly protective of their white athletic boys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a history degree, loved my classes and still value the research, study and writing skills I learned. But, I had no help from my college translating the degree/skills to the workplace. It was depressing. I discouraged my kids from majoring in history. I'd be all for it as a 2nd BA. Maybe open curriculum and encouraging students to double major across fields is the way forward. Or better career advising and alum networks.

100% correct.

Need to attend law school or business school in order to be desired by employers.

The CIA heavily recruits history majors at my kid’s non- ivy school.

Lots of DCUM is not going to consider CIA a "lucrative" job. CIA is also very competitive especially if you coming in with no military background. They don't just want history majors. Or white people.

They are ok with white people so long as they are women or gay.

Posters here are incredibly protective of their white athletic boys.

You don't have sons, brothers, husbands, so who cares?

[Anonymous]

college is too expensive and the world is too competitive for people to get hobby degrees. You can learn just as much by frequenting a good public library and accessing the incredible wealth of free media content that is out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:college is too expensive and the world is too competitive for people to get hobby degrees. You can learn just as much by frequenting a good public library and accessing the incredible wealth of free media content that is out there.

What an ignorant post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:college is too expensive and the world is too competitive for people to get hobby degrees. You can learn just as much by frequenting a good public library and accessing the incredible wealth of free media content that is out there.

What an ignorant post.

No lie though.

Colleges have priced themselves out of the traditional college experience - "have fun, make friends, explore different subjects, learn things every civilized person should know".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so frustrating to see history education fading away. As a history grad, it feels like history programs are becoming a rare breed, overshadowed by more “practical” majors. Take liberal arts colleges like Amherst—once bastions of broad, critical thinking—they’re slowly getting pushed aside for programs that are more focused on job training.

It’s like we're losing the value of understanding our past in favor of immediate career prospects. History teaches us to think critically, understand complex narratives, and appreciate diverse perspectives. But with fewer history programs and a shift toward more vocational degrees, it’s worrying that future generations might miss out on these crucial skills. Instead of pushing students into the latest job market trends, colleges should be championing the importance of a well-rounded education.

Your critical thinking skills must not be as strong as you think they are. Plenty of ways to develop the skills you cite without going to college and majoring in history.

Who are you people who think a knowledge of HISTORY is not important?

We are becoming dumber as a nation every day, apparently.

There are a lot of teenagers who post here and they mostly just aspire to be rich finance bros. They make fun of everything else. All that matters to them is money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

DP. Your position doesn't make much sense. Like any subject, you could stop at HS level or pursue a higher level of specificity, research methods and analysis.

I had to do research methods in high school history, but that’s just a high school dependent practice. I even had a senior thesis for my high school.

It's not the same academic tier. You could say that for any subject.

It was. Do tell me more about my own experience though

No one needs to. Your HS class is not the equivalent of an upper level undergrad course. My kid took Complex Analysis in HS. Great course. Not the equivalent of college level. Same is true of any course offered at HS level. If it is not a lower or intro level college equivalent, it is not college equivalent. You think you did it all in HS because you did a HS course of the same name and a HS thesis. These are not the same in university.

Something tells me mathematics and history are pretty different fields to compare?

You can teach math in a very quantitative, number crunch way that doesn’t really have the same translation in history- reading books without thinking???

You can absolutely teach history in a way that does not require thinking. You just make sure the students are trained to parrot the propaganda that you feed them. This is in fact how the vast majority of history courses have been taught for decades.

The dumbing down of America, Exhibit A. ^^^

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so frustrating to see history education fading away. As a history grad, it feels like history programs are becoming a rare breed, overshadowed by more “practical” majors. Take liberal arts colleges like Amherst—once bastions of broad, critical thinking—they’re slowly getting pushed aside for programs that are more focused on job training.

It’s like we're losing the value of understanding our past in favor of immediate career prospects. History teaches us to think critically, understand complex narratives, and appreciate diverse perspectives. But with fewer history programs and a shift toward more vocational degrees, it’s worrying that future generations might miss out on these crucial skills. Instead of pushing students into the latest job market trends, colleges should be championing the importance of a well-rounded education.

Your critical thinking skills must not be as strong as you think they are. Plenty of ways to develop the skills you cite without going to college and majoring in history.

Who are you people who think a knowledge of HISTORY is not important?

We are becoming dumber as a nation every day, apparently.

There are a lot of teenagers who post here and they mostly just aspire to be rich finance bros. They make fun of everything else. All that matters to them is money.

I think it's mostly the striver moms who feel like they've failed unless their kid gets into HYPS and then has a job in IB or consulting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a history degree, loved my classes and still value the research, study and writing skills I learned. But, I had no help from my college translating the degree/skills to the workplace. It was depressing. I discouraged my kids from majoring in history. I'd be all for it as a 2nd BA. Maybe open curriculum and encouraging students to double major across fields is the way forward. Or better career advising and alum networks.

100% correct.

Need to attend law school or business school in order to be desired by employers.

The CIA heavily recruits history majors at my kid’s non- ivy school.

Lots of DCUM is not going to consider CIA a "lucrative" job. CIA is also very competitive especially if you coming in with no military background. They don't just want history majors. Or white people.

They like Ivy league D1 athletes.