HISTORY MAJORS DECLINING? SO WHAT

History majors in decline is the story.

‘So what,’ is the response.

Is there a historical reason for this?

There’s always a historical reason for everything.

Here’s the ‘so what’ part for you:

A blank page for history leaves space for anyone to write their own version.

There is no surprise in this, not when you hear so many versions of an event that you begin to wonder if the version you learned is the right one.

“This happened.”

“No it didn’t. It was this.”

“Oh, don’t be a fool, that’s not true.”

The decline in history majors will make fools of us all.

For example, did you know the Statue of David was a smoker?

 

I started college as a PE major, then sociology, English, and finally graduated with a history degree from the esteemed Portland State University on Portland’s South Park Blocks.

It was a long haul that needed help.

That help came when I got married to a smart woman who said, “Dropout is not a degree, so why not finish what you started?”

My baby boomer brain had thought, ‘You can manage without the hassle of going back to school for the third time.’

If I dropped out again it would have been strike three.

Strike out, or dropout, the pressure grew to get it done, to make a difference in our house.

She said, “What will you tell our kids about higher education if you’re a dropout?”

We didn’t have kids at the time.

 

There are those who say the common male emotional response to anything begins with anger.

Was I angry with my wife for insisting I finish college?

Or was I angry at myself for letting it slide?

We talked it out and came to a shared conclusion when she said, “Don’t blame me.”

I had a full time job, a full time family, and luckily, a local college.

My job with the Oregon Historical Society allowed time for noon classes; a good wife made time for night classes.

Work paid for Oregon history related classes, my wife found grants for the rest.

I made extra money going to college. Who can say that?

The lucky part was working a short walk from what passes as an urban campus.

It was a campus without an over-arching architectural theme like Oregon State University.

From google AI:

John Charles Olmsted, the son of Frederick Law Olmsted, designed the first campus plan for Oregon State University in 1909, a design that was designated as the Oregon State University Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

PSU has a mismatch of buildings based on available funds. It’s still growing.

But I wasn’t there as a tourist looking for historical messages.

 

The Classroom That Matters

I eventually graduated, and after that everyone graduated from something.

This is my dog’s graduation picture.

My kid’s graduated with degrees in business, economics, and Spanish.

I’m glad to be in the group. So’s the dog.

Without a shared history, all of the effort would be negligible.

You graduated? So what?

 

A good education builds trust among people: They know that we know what they know.

It’s a cultural touchstone that started with my Dad, who was the first in his family to get it done.

His influence spread to all of us.

We all understand the importance of higher learning.

Not everyone understands the importance.

My Dad was a country boy.

One of his sayings was, “You need to know how to pour pee out of a boot with the directions on the heel.”

That’s amended.

What he really said was, “They’re so dumb they don’t know how to pour piss out of a boot with the directions on the heel.”

I know what you’re thinking, ‘Who pees in a boot?’

No one when there’s a laundry hamper available. (Hey D)

 

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round

Why the decline in history majors?

 

. . . Bryan Caplan’s “signaling” hypothesis.

This thesis argues that the value of education is in proving that “Jim is intelligent and conscientious,” not that “Jim acquired XYZ skills/knowledge.”

In the supposed past, all college degrees had a strong signal of intelligence and conscientiousness, because fewer people went to college.

In the present, history has less signaling value than more rigorous subjects that weed out students.

I don’t think history SHOULD purposely weed out students…not only is it a cruel practice, but at this point it really can’t afford to lose more students!

 

I’ll ask: what do you tell your kid when they ask about the history of your house, your town, your state?

What do you tell them about U.S. history, World history, the history of math, the history of science?

Are you going tell them to go watch TV? Go talk to their friends? To listen to their friend’s parents?

Why not pull up your big parent pants and give answers yourself?

If it’s your kid you can’t be okay with letting them founder in ignorance.

Books change, education changes, learning modes change, but give them your version of history and encourage them to learn more.

Or tell them you don’t know, and you want to learn together. Make it a family event.

Yes, it will take up your time, but be a parent. That’s always time well spent.

 

PS: I learned early on as a father, from another father, that if you don’t answer your kids’ questions, they’ll make up their own answers based on poor judgment, misunderstandings, and unadulterated bullshit. They’re kids, remember?

PSS: If your kid stands up to you with their bullshit history, take it in stride. Then find a history major willing to help if you get stumped. Time is not on your side.