Wednesday, July 4, 2012

My American History Summer


I just returned from a wonderful two-week vacation. Instead of hiking 150 miles along the John Muir Trail—like I did last summer—I decided to do the intellectual equivalent. I enrolled in two intensive, weeklong, master degree level, American Government and History classes at a small liberal arts university in Ohio—Ashland University. My classes were taught by visiting professors. I came home with 13 books and about a thousand pages of other materials. I read much of it in preparation for the classes and during the weeks there, and I look forward to getting through the rest of it over the course of the next several months.

The faculty was outstanding: I took Civil War and Reconstruction from Mackubin T. Owens, U.S. Naval War College, and Lucas Morel, Washington and Lee University; and The American Revolution from Robert M.S. McDonald, U.S. Military Academy, and Scott Yenor, Boise State University.

I come home with a much greater appreciation and understanding of these two significant periods in our nation’s history, motivation to learn more, and a few ideas for the one class I teach at Snow College—American National Government.

No comments:

Post a Comment