“History isn’t about things or places or events—it’s about people,” said Dr. Kathleen Comerford, Professor of History at Georgia Southern, framed by the stately marble and hanging crystal of the Georgia Southern Museum. “The attraction that humans in general have to history is because it’s studying ourselves. We love telling stories: we were just built for that.”
Perhaps nobody is more built for storytelling than history educators and scholars, who convened in a departmental mixer last Thursday evening to greet new students, mingle, and have an enjoyable night together at the museum. The atmosphere was subdued but electric, as happens when you gather a small group of people who are all deeply invested in the same subject, singularly focused on the push and pull between the past and future, telling stories back and forth. Nobody understands this dynamic more than Syd Rigdon, president of Phi Alpha Theta, GSU’s chapter of the National History Honor Society.
“It doesn’t limit you to just history jobs,” Rigdon said of GSU’s Bachelor of Arts in History program, a sentiment echoed and emphasized by many other people at the event. “You’re not just going to become some history buff and go off and have no other skills.”
“I concur with that,” Dr. Lisa Denmark added. “Historians do not like that term.”
Every student and faculty member individually made the point of mentioning a BA in History’s various practical applications—government positions, library science, women’s studies—but just as prominent was the idea that history is a truly interdisciplinary field of study that can benefit any field.
“You can have a conversation about anything if you majored in history,” Dr. Comerford explained. “Because it is about other humans, it teaches you a lot about yourself, too.”
The practicality, however, is secondary. This is a department full of passionate, lively people whose interest in history transcends job opportunities; they are historians because they love history, and this shared enthusiasm provides an instant closeness that is not found in every field.
“All of the professors are really nice, and they’re all really excited to introduce everybody to each other,” said Ella Whitaker, a first-year student at GSU double majoring in History and Philosophy. “I’m really liking it so far.”
The event was a great opportunity for History majors to meet their fellow students as well as their instructors, all bonded over a mutual love of the subject—just don’t call them history buffs.
