Austin Knuppe
I am currently a graduate student in the Committee on International Relations at the University of Chicago. I am pursuing a Master's degree with concentrations in international security and political economy. My normal days include mounds of reading, writing, and sobbing. My current research for my M.A. thesis looks at the politics of war finance and military mobilization. (at right with wife Amy)
Why did you choose to major in history at Calvin?
I chose to major in History at Calvin because it was the subject I was most passionate about in high school. In particular, studying history allowed me to merge my interest in the Middle East with the history of US foreign policy. Learning to think historically also gave me the tools I needed to contextualize current events.
How did your time at Calvin prepare you for what you are doing now?
My education at Calvin prepared me for graduate school in many different ways. One of the best decisions I made was to travel to Uganda, Greece, and Vietnam during interim and enroll in the Washington, D.C. semester. I also benefitted from the independent study that led to my honors senior thesis. The process of writing a senior thesis gave me a better idea that I was interested in pursuing graduate school. Finally, Calvin provided me with an environment where I could build mentoring relationships with different professors. These relationships were vital in giving me advice about career and graduate school.
What are some of your memories of the Calvin History department?
Some of the best memories I have from the Calvin History Department involve my interim trip to Vietnam and Cambodia with Professor Van Vugt. In particular, our meeting with several former NVA generals gave us a sense of the Vietnamese perspective of the US war in Vietnam. While on campus I enjoyed my course work in Middle East studies with Professor Howard, my study of war and society with Professor Berglund, and courses on American religious history with Professor Bratt.
Do you have any advice for current students or those thinking of majoring in history at Calvin?
I would advise current undergrads in the History Department to explore opportunities to study abroad. I would also encourage them to take courses outside of their field of interest. Finally, I would encourage students to build mentoring relationships with faculty and not be afraid to get to know them outside of the classroom.
Derek Kramer
Currently I am finishing up a two year course of language study in East Asia that has taken me from Beijing China to Seoul Korea and a few other points in between. This may sound exciting, and at times it certainly is. However on a normal day I still spend most of my time in the library or in the classroom. When I'm not memorizing word lists I sit in on history classes and do as much reading as I can to prepare for the graduate program I am starting this fall at the University of Toronto.
Why did you choose to major in history at Calvin?
I was advised to take a wide array of classes first semester and to just take more of whatever I found to be interesting.
How did your time at Calvin prepare you for what you are doing now?
While I was doing language work in Korea, I sat in on a graduate seminar offered at my university. During the course I was a bit taken aback by my fellow classmates’ weakness in approaching topics outside of their areas of concentration. As soon as we left the topic of Asia, a couple of them would stop talking all together. I really think that studying world history at Calvin provided me with the wider context needed when doing advanced regional studies.
What are some of your memories of the Calvin History department?
This could easily get sappy. I was often deeply moved and challenged by the professors in Calvin’s History department. Every semester I would be introduced with new ideas that changed the way I saw the world. Okay, it’s already gotten sappy, but it’s true. Professor Berglund’s East European History class, with its focus on the creation of national narratives, is a prime example. It was nothing but Benedict Anderson and nationalist narratives for weeks in that class. It annoyed the heck out of everyone, but it was exciting stuff and it felt important.
Do you have any advice for current students or those thinking of majoring in history at Calvin?
For those students considering going into the direction of history, I would point out that this is a subject that is very different from what most assume it to be. It will introduce you to questions that you would have never before considered and that can really change you.
Current students, get your philosophy in as early as possible, and if you can, try to pick up another survey class in the field besides the core class. It will help you with your writing and your thinking. Also don’t chicken out and take 200-level classes when there is a 300-level class to be had. In my experience, the 300-level classes were really top notch, and I wish I had taken more. Finally, there is a History department student association. If you have your ps an qs together you can really do some cool stuff with this club beyond movies and pizza.
