So I’m in a social setting, mingling with a new acquaintance. I’m asked what I do. “I’m a professor.” Bad start, haha. “Of what?” Obligatory response. “The history of sports,” I say, getting uncomfortable. I don’t like where this inquisition is headed. “So you must know a lot about sports.” “Sure, I guess,” I answer …
Continue reading “Faculty/Alumni Feature: Chad Carlson, ’03”
It was never my plan to declare a major during my junior year at Hope. I had a solid psychology major in process and on the way to completing my degree. My feet were firmly planted on the on the snowy sidewalks of Holland, so it was a surprise to many, especially my parents, when …
If you are a student of history or simply the humanities in general, you get asked the following question A LOT: “So, what are you going to do with that? Teach?” I’m pretty sure if I had a dollar for every time I was asked that about my studies in English and history, I would …
Continue reading “Alumni Feature: How to Answer “What are You Going to Do with That?””
Happy New Year, and welcome back to Hope students, faculty, and staff! The history department is gearing up for our semester, including offering new courses on Russian history and the history of peacemakers in the 20th-century United States. All of our faculty are looking forward to meeting new students and working with them on a …
It’s the end of the semester. This is one of those good news, bad news stories. The holidays are coming. We are about to get a break. For some people, the holidays mean a chance to see friends and family. For others, the holidays can be a challenging time, with loneliness and depression always a …
I grew up in a family that loved history. As a child I would attempt, in vain, to keep up with my father and older sister at dinner as they jumped from topic to topic, war to war. Tired of not contributing, I began to read. What began as an earnest desire to be part …
Continue reading “Alumni Feature: Claire Barrett, ’15: “Do What You Love””
The application deadline for the Paris May Term is Nov. 29. As that date approaches, Professor Janes asked senior history major Jennifer Cimmarusti to share some of her experiences and insights about the trip. Professor Janes: What was your favorite place that you visited or activity you did? Jennifer: The first was the beautiful town …
After Jeff Tyler’s History of Christianity class, the two courses I am most grateful for in all of my education are Janis Gibbs’s HIST 140 and Marc Baer’s HIST 400, the history major’s introductory and capstone classes, respectively. It was in these classes that I learned the art of research, which served as a foundation …
Continue reading “Alumni Feature: Samantha L. Miller, Ph.D.”
“I’m interested in business and finance, so why should I major in history?” or, more bluntly, “Business is about buying and selling things, not writing term papers, so why should I study history?” I asked myself these same questions before I became a history major, and, today I am an in-house lawyer for a private equity and …
Continue reading “Alumni Feature: A Hedge-Fund Lawyer Explains Why You Should Major in History”
