I explained the premise of this series in my post on vegetarianism. There is a series of half a dozen questions which almost all acquaintances have asked me by the time they have become my friends. I am writing this post so that I can simply tell people to read my blog.
Q: So, what do you study?
JD: I major in history.
Q: What kind of history?
JD: I don’t specialize in any particular era or region. I studied abroad in Paris, and incidentally, I happen to be a French major, but I really don’t know too much about French history. I spend a lot of time outside of class reading the Greek classics and Judaica, but I’ve taken only one course on Ancient Greek history, and zero courses from the Jewish Studies department. On the other hand, I’ve taken two courses on Southeast Asian history, but I’ve only read two or three books on my own concerning this region of the world. I am deliberately trying to cover as many regions of the world as possible in my studies. I still have yet to take a course on eastern or southern Africa, central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or Australia. I’m also very weak on the Romans, medieval Europe, the United States, east Asia, and… you know, this list is getting too long. The point is, I get around.
Q: Why can’t you settle down and learn something?
JD: As an aspiring teacher of history, I hope to gain a broad appreciation for all regions of the world, in all eras. I love history. I think that history is important, because, although I do not believe that it can predict the future, it explains our past and present. History can be the dynamite to demolish all the lies, fabrications, and fallacies which ignorance, hatred, small-mindedness, bigotry, and prejudice create. In other words, people should learn it. Although this is not the place to explain all of my motivations to become a teacher, I want to be the best history teacher ever. That sounds naïve, but if I can tell my students about everywhere, everytime, then I might be able to show them that history is more than a narrative of irrelevant dead white men. If I can do this, I might be able to educate them, and, who knows, change their lives. I know that my own history teachers have, and have affected my worldview (I spent the other night explaining, for instance, why the Tea Party are not fascists to a left-wing acquaintance).
Have a good Spring Break, everyone!
~JD
“The difference is that Uruguay is a case of redemocratization, where Congress went to work effectively as soon as democracy was restored… no Uruguayan president could have gotten away with decreeing a drastic [and disastrous] stabilizations package… the president must go through the Congress” (Guillermo O’Donnell, “Delegative Democracy”).
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