What Colleges offer Majors in Civil War History or Confederate History

[ConfederateFly]

What Colleges offer Majors in Civil War History or Confederate History?

[NapoleonXIV]

Gettysburg College offers it as a minor. (http://www.gettysburg.edu/academics/civil_war_era_studies/)

I would be surprised, (altho not flabbergasted) to see any college offering it as a Major on the undergrad level. The idea of undergrad work is that its giving you a grounding in the overall basics so that you can study things in depth on the graduate level. The argument (I think) is that you'd be overlearning specialized things out of their context, which can lead to all sorts of misunderstandings. Remember:

"A little learning's a dangerous thing.
Drink deep, or quaff not at knowledge's spring" Alexander Pope

[Leo Caesius]

The idea of undergrad work is that its giving you a grounding in the overall basics so that you can study things in depth on the graduate level.Actually, the idea of undergraduate work is increasingly to prepare recent high school graduates for entry into the professional world. In that case, Confederate Studies are completely useless - as useless as an undergraduate degree in Semitic Philology would be (not that that a doctoral degree in Philology opens many doors).

Some undergrads choose to pursue the liberal arts route, but that's a long and arduous path, fraught with rejection, alienation, and apathy. I don't recommend it for anyone, really.

ConfederateFly, you'd be well advised to specialize in History or Sociology or some similar branch of the liberal arts with an eye towards doing work in the Confederate period of American history as post-graduate research.

[Othniel]

Might as well get your bachelors in English...(What are you going to do? Teach?) :p

[ConfederateFly]

No I want to be a Historian at the Museum of the Confederacy

[robertp6165]

No I want to be a Historian at the Museum of the Confederacy

I suppose we should look forward to displays detailing the "Confederate-Nazi Connection" at the MOC in the future, then? :eek:

[NapoleonXIV]

Well, a museum curator is not quite a historian, although its certainly related. There may be actual undergrad majors in that. You may also want to see about Library Science and Archivist Studies also.

Again, these all sound like graduate disciplines. (in fact, I know that librarian is pretty much a grad profession, based on the MLS) but I'm pretty sure that Library, Curator and Archival subjects can also be undergrad minors at many large colleges. (This is in keeping with what Caesius said, they teach you the Major to satisfy their degree requirements and allow specialized minors to help you earn a living or pursue a special interest.)

And for gods sake DON'T mention AH on any application. Actual real historians (Caesius being the odd man out, as usual :p ) regard AH with much the same love and appreciation that archeologists reserve for treasure hunters.

[Leo Caesius]

If you're interested in a career as a curator or historian at a museum, you should find a summer internship at a museum - any museum - post-haste. Museum Studies programs (again, generally post-graduate) are quite competitive and will generally reject applicants if they don't have any work experience or at least an internship at a museum.

[wkwillis]

What Colleges offer Majors in Civil War History or Confederate History?
Could you do your thesis on gunpowder sources for the Confederacy? The blockade runner book and the railroad book and the salt source book and the anticonfederate resistance books are dated but at least exist.
I can't find any good source on nitrate and sulfur production in the Confederacy.

[ConfederateFly]

I could.....but I cant find any colleges that offer that type of major

[jolo]

Could you do your thesis on gunpowder sources for the Confederacy? The blockade runner book and the railroad book and the salt source book and the anticonfederate resistance books are dated but at least exist.
I can't find any good source on nitrate and sulfur production in the Confederacy.

Found sth. here: http://groups.msn.com/2ndUSCav/gunpowder.msnw

[Mark]

Unfortunately, I have to agree with Leo about the way things are in Academia these days. But there are places that still try to preserve some idea that knowledge is important for more than $. I would recommend a small liberal arts college majoring in history, government, and/or economics. Check the websites for the professors' interests. Maybe call or write a few with questions on how to achieve what you want. I did that and the prof remembered my name seven years later (when we finally met at a meeting). I wouldn't try to specialize until graduate school, although a senior thesis should certainly be on a subject you like.

Many of these colleges have a small on-campus museum where you may be able to volunteer or even get a work-study or similar job. Or check with your city/county historical society.

I went to college to study geology so I could study dinosaurs. While taking general geology classes, I learned that there are a lot of other interesting fields within the science. I actually ended up never doing research on dinosaurs, but on several of those other fields. So don't limit yourself too early. You may miss out on the thing you really love, but don't know it yet.

[JimmyJimJam]

Might as well get your bachelors in English...(What are you going to do? Teach?) :p

Likewise, if one is going to get their Bachelor's in say, physics, what are they gonna do, split atoms? Or, if in Math, make fractals?