http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com Thoughts and working papers of the CliohNet2 taskforce "Threats to History?" Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:25:20 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/cliohnet2-making-change-positive/#comment-10 LAmboley Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:25:20 +0000 http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/?page_id=7#comment-10 Congratulations. I agree with all the topics and issues of this paper. I'd just want to outline the main challenge Academics in Humanities or Liberal Arts have to take up, at least in France. in the enxt years. Because of the demiocratisation of Higher Education, an increasing number of students have enrolled in Humanities but will not be teachers and will not work in this field. So how to teach/assess history for students who will not be professional historians, and in the same time, maintain and increase the level of quality and scientificity in producing new knowledge, which is one of the main missions of the university? Congratulations. I agree with all the topics and issues of this paper. I’d just want to outline the main challenge Academics in Humanities or Liberal Arts have to take up, at least in France. in the enxt years. Because of the demiocratisation of Higher Education, an increasing number of students have enrolled in Humanities but will not be teachers and will not work in this field. So how to teach/assess history for students who will not be professional historians, and in the same time, maintain and increase the level of quality and scientificity in producing new knowledge, which is one of the main missions of the university?

]]> http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/2007/12/03/hello-world/#comment-8 stefan Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:11:59 +0000 #comment-8 I know CLIOHnet2 is coming to a close, which is where this idea might have found a home, but something historians really need is a watchdog body on professional journals. The European Science Foundation has just last year evaluated them all into `A’, `B’, and `C’ categories according to how good they are – but so many of these journals don’t even reply to submissions, can then spend two years making up their minds etc.. If there was a site where researchers could submit comments on their experiences of the evaluation and publication process of individual journals, this would be a really useful tool to new researchers who are in need of publications to start their career. I know CLIOHnet2 is coming to a close, which is where this idea might have found a home, but something historians really need is a watchdog body on professional journals. The European Science Foundation has just last year evaluated them all into `A’, `B’, and `C’ categories according to how good they are – but so many of these journals don’t even reply to submissions, can then spend two years making up their minds etc.. If there was a site where researchers could submit comments on their experiences of the evaluation and publication process of individual journals, this would be a really useful tool to new researchers who are in need of publications to start their career.

]]> http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/demographic-change-and-the-teaching-of-history/#comment-7 Dag L Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:34:32 +0000 http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/demographic-change-and-the-teaching-of-history/#comment-7 Sweden has been facing similar problems. After many years of expansion the number of students has decreased during the last few years. One thing that makes this even more worrying is the fact that demographically we should experience a strong increase right now and we should expect a massive decrease within four to five years. The former social democratic government also had a 50 percent cohort goal. The new conservative/liberal government has abandoned that goal and it seems that students have done that as well. Nothing of this would have been a big problem, though, if it wasn’t for the financial system which makes us economically dependant on the number of students and on how successful the students are, i.e. if they pass their exams. In fact, the number of history students we have today in Sweden is on a much sounder level than it was five yeas ago. So, the financial system is the real threat. Another effect of the former expansion in higher education is a growing deficit in research possibilities. When the number of students increased and new university teachers were employed, the government did not ad resources for research. Most university teachers in history in Sweden today have limited or no possibilities at all to conduct research. All their time is consumed by teaching and administration. This is another fundamental threat to history. Sweden has been facing similar problems. After many years of expansion the number of students has decreased during the last few years. One thing that makes this even more worrying is the fact that demographically we should experience a strong increase right now and we should expect a massive decrease within four to five years. The former social democratic government also had a 50 percent cohort goal. The new conservative/liberal government has abandoned that goal and it seems that students have done that as well. Nothing of this would have been a big problem, though, if it wasn’t for the financial system which makes us economically dependant on the number of students and on how successful the students are, i.e. if they pass their exams. In fact, the number of history students we have today in Sweden is on a much sounder level than it was five yeas ago. So, the financial system is the real threat. Another effect of the former expansion in higher education is a growing deficit in research possibilities. When the number of students increased and new university teachers were employed, the government did not ad resources for research. Most university teachers in history in Sweden today have limited or no possibilities at all to conduct research. All their time is consumed by teaching and administration. This is another fundamental threat to history.

]]> http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/2008/02/01/the-canon/#comment-6 Dag L Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:52:03 +0000 http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/?p=4#comment-6 The major problem, as I see it, with any kind of official canon is that they tend to be fixed and authoritative. If an official canon is established it will be difficult to change it. After all, that’s the whole point with it. The examples that have been discussed (and even introduced) in Scandinavia tend to focus on names and (political) events, a fact that illustrates another problem with canons. Canons tend to emphasise traditional political history. Social history for example is much more difficult to fit into a canon. At least that is the obvious conclusion from the examples I have seen. In addition, a canon would always tend to be conservative. The whole idea with a canon is to keep it limited. Thus, I you want to ad something new to the canon (representing new fields of research) something else has to be removed. The major problem, as I see it, with any kind of official canon is that they tend to be fixed and authoritative. If an official canon is established it will be difficult to change it. After all, that’s the whole point with it. The examples that have been discussed (and even introduced) in Scandinavia tend to focus on names and (political) events, a fact that illustrates another problem with canons. Canons tend to emphasise traditional political history. Social history for example is much more difficult to fit into a canon. At least that is the obvious conclusion from the examples I have seen. In addition, a canon would always tend to be conservative. The whole idea with a canon is to keep it limited. Thus, I you want to ad something new to the canon (representing new fields of research) something else has to be removed.

]]> http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/2008/02/01/the-canon/#comment-5 HJ Tue, 04 Mar 2008 07:15:12 +0000 http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/?p=4#comment-5 I am all in favour of canons of all sorts, as long as they are not used as a pretext for fixing curricula for good. As instigators of debate, they are great. It is impossible to set up a canon that a majority would not disagree on, and try to replace with another one. For lots of very different reasons. I am all in favour of canons of all sorts, as long as they are not used as a pretext for fixing curricula for good. As instigators of debate, they are great. It is impossible to set up a canon that a majority would not disagree on, and try to replace with another one. For lots of very different reasons.

]]> http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/demographic-change-and-the-teaching-of-history/#comment-4 his047 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:29:10 +0000 http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/demographic-change-and-the-teaching-of-history/#comment-4 The British government, of course, has done the same. It is the declared aim for the Labour government to see 50 per cent of a cohort enter university. The Scottish government (Scottish National Party) has made the same declaration of intent. The phrase that is used in these declarations is that 50 per cent of a cohort "should enter" university/tertiary education. This begs the interesting question "should they also graduate"? As long as the Governments see the target being met, there is no necessity for the students to progress through the system. I am sure it will come, though... The British government, of course, has done the same. It is the declared aim for the Labour government to see 50 per cent of a cohort enter university. The Scottish government (Scottish National Party) has made the same declaration of intent.
The phrase that is used in these declarations is that 50 per cent of a cohort “should enter” university/tertiary education. This begs the interesting question “should they also graduate”? As long as the Governments see the target being met, there is no necessity for the students to progress through the system. I am sure it will come, though…

]]> http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/demographic-change-and-the-teaching-of-history/#comment-3 HJ Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:47:40 +0000 http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/demographic-change-and-the-teaching-of-history/#comment-3 The Danish government has set the political goal that half of any generation of the young should have, not only the opportunity to go to a university or another such institution of higher education, but actually go there. This will surely bring a lot of customers to the universities, but presents another problem, that of a lot of students not really being ‘university material’. As universities more and more live by their students actually passing exams, not just being enrolled there, standards shall invariably be lowered. On the other hand, this is true, the interest in history in the media is increasing. But how many jobs are to be found here? All in all, it seems that the future of history lies with serving history to the mature members of the community. Same thing as with the Church. The Danish government has set the political goal that half of any generation of the young should have, not only the opportunity to go to a university or another such institution of higher education, but actually go there. This will surely bring a lot of customers to the universities, but presents another problem, that of a lot of students not really being ‘university material’. As universities more and more live by their students actually passing exams, not just being enrolled there, standards shall invariably be lowered.
On the other hand, this is true, the interest in history in the media is increasing. But how many jobs are to be found here?
All in all, it seems that the future of history lies with serving history to the mature members of the community. Same thing as with the Church.

]]> http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/2008/02/01/the-canon/#comment-2 HJ Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:47:08 +0000 http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/?p=4#comment-2 The Danish government has set the political goal that half of any generation of the young should have, not only the opportunity to go to a university or another such institution of higher education, but actually go there. This will surely bring a lot of customers to the universities, but presents another problem, that of a lot of students not really being ‘university material’. As universities more and more live by their students actually passing exams, not just being enrolled there, standards shall invariably be lowered. On the other hand, this is true, the interest in history in the media is increasing. But how many jobs are to be found here? All in all, it seems that the future of history lies with serving history to the mature members of the community. Same thing as with the Church. The Danish government has set the political goal that half of any generation of the young should have, not only the opportunity to go to a university or another such institution of higher education, but actually go there. This will surely bring a lot of customers to the universities, but presents another problem, that of a lot of students not really being ‘university material’. As universities more and more live by their students actually passing exams, not just being enrolled there, standards shall invariably be lowered.
On the other hand, this is true, the interest in history in the media is increasing. But how many jobs are to be found here?
All in all, it seems that the future of history lies with serving history to the mature members of the community. Same thing as with the Church.

]]> http://gonetogozo.wordpress.com/2007/12/03/hello-world/#comment-1 Mr WordPress Mon, 03 Dec 2007 22:58:29 +0000 #comment-1 Hi, this is a comment.<br />To delete a comment, just log in, and view the posts' comments, there you will have the option to edit or delete them. Hi, this is a comment.
To delete a comment, just log in, and view the posts’ comments, there you will have the option to edit or delete them.

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