Best Diplomatic and Military History Programs
Hi,
Would members be willing to give their opinions on the best diplomatic and military history programs in the English-speaking domain (e.g., US, UK, and Canada?
I'd apply strictly to strategic and war studies programs if given the choice, but fear they'd transfer poorly to the academic job market than a "straight" history degree.
I apologize in advance, but I'd like to decline, for anonymity purposes, to introduce myself.
Thanks
OC
Best Diplomatic and Military History Programs II
Actually, could I get a more comprehensive list of (ideally) *all* departments with a solid cluster of faculty who concentrate in diplomatic and military history, not necessarily *just* the best departments. I intend to apply to the best, but that does not mean I'll necessarily get into the best, and I want to plan accordingly.
Thanks
OC
as far as military history goes....
Ohio State is arguably the best military history department in the United States:
http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/...gram/index.htm
Looking beyond just the department level, it is also advisable to seek out the top military historian for your particular interested discipline and have them supervise your Master's or PhD work. For instance, if I were looking to study Civil War history, I would seek study under someone such as Carol Reardon:
http://history.psu.edu/faculty/reardonCarol.php
or James Robertson:
http://www.history.vt.edu/Robertson/
If they supervised my thesis and signed off on it, that would carry a lot of weight.
A university might not have a strong military history department top to bottom (such as an Ohio State), but it could have a foremost expert on a particular segment of military history. So, if you wanted to study 20th Century U.S. military history, go find the recognized expert and have them supervise your work. (Although, that can be easier said than done).
Is your frame of mind helping you to achieve your goals?
You want to study history but...
[1.] You're opting out of a good opportunity to refine your research skills.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
outletclock
Actually, could I get a more comprehensive list of (ideally) *all* departments with a solid cluster of faculty who concentrate in diplomatic and military history, not necessarily *just* the best departments. I intend to apply to the best, but that does not mean I'll necessarily get into the best, and I want to plan accordingly.
Have you taken the opportunity to consult all of the following resources?
- America: History and Life and its companion Historical Abstracts
- The American Historical Association's Directory of History Departments and Organizations in the United States and Canada
- The Society of Military Historians' directory
- The professional academic journals that specialize in your areas of interest, including (but not limited to):
- American Historical Review
- Armed Forces and Society
- Diplomatic History
- European History Quarterly
- International Security
- Journal of American History
- Journal of Cold War Studies
- Journal of International History
- Journal of Military History
- Journal of Modern History
- Naval War College Review
- Reviews in American History
[2.] Your efforts at 'snark' may be sending mixed messages about your desire for guidance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
outletclock
Would members be willing to give their opinions on the best diplomatic and military history programs in the English-speaking domain (e.g., US, UK, and Canada?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
outletclock
Second, at the risk of appearing snarky, I think it's pretty well-established that the programs with the best reputations in the field, at least in the US, and at least are those at Ohio State and UNC.
Bluntly, if the primacy of those institutions is so well established, then why have you asked the question twice? (And what about Kansas State, the University of Kansas, Yale University, The Forty Acres:D, and Texas A&M :mad::p.)
[3.] You appear more interesting in history as a job than as a profession.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
outletclock
Third, my primary concern is indeed landing a *job* as an academic. I realize the academic job market is never a good one, although I *am* bad at managing expectations. Still, that is my *primary* goal - a job. Of course, if I got a job at a think tank, or some other non-academic entity strictly construed, I wouldn't complain. But those are plum jobs in my opinion, and one needs to be realistic (ie, as you said, manage expectations).
Fourth, indeed, I'm looking for faculty who can serve as good mentors. I've had my fair share of bitterness, too, in my prior endeavors in the academy, and would love to know who possesses a reputation as someone who can - and has - shepherd students along the way. I realize I have to do my own paddling up river - but I prefer at a minimum that the paddling not be obstructed, and ideally be aided, by someone I like or, at a minimum, respect. A reputation as someone who has mentored a lot of doctoral students successfully is a good indicator of a good mentor.
Fifth, I'd like to be a diplomatic/military historian. I don't have a great (any, actually) interest in, say, post-modern approaches to the social construction of gender identity (to be snarky once more). I see myself looking at dead people who (stereotypically, at least) wore tweed. Whether I have the sensibilities to be a historian, I regretfully know not. I have post-graduate experience, alas in other fields, with only minimal historical exposure in that post-graduate experience, and my undergraduate experience amounted to a - admittedly good - year-long survey of Western civilization. But the short answer is: I like to think I'm smart, and yes, I think I can think like a historian, and for what it's worth I've read Marc Bloch's short tract on "The Historian's Craft" and enjoyed roughly half of it, but I apologize I cannot give a more definitive answer.
You may be putting the cart in front of the horse by thinking about the job you want before acquiring the professional skills and knowledge you'll need in a very competitive market. While one may scoff now at "post-modern approaches to the social construction of gender identity," one might be unpleasantly surprised when asked during a job talk by a senior historians questions such as:
- So what?/ Why should trees die for your ideas?
- Where are the women?
- What is the fantasy?
- What classes would you like to teach?
- How would you relate your study to the work of [insert theorist's name here] and [insert cutting edge historian's name here]?
The bottom line is that the days of the gentleman historian are long gone and are unlikely to return. Ever. For better and for worse, the professional environment is an arena of vigorous informed (and sometimes bitter) debates. Military historians have paid a terrible price for not taking these debates seriously, not the least because the Ivory Tower is filled with scholars who do.*
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* John Lynn, "The Embattled Future of Academic Military History, Journal of Military History 61:4 (October, 1997): 777-789, provides some useful insight. YMMV.