Author Profile

James Hankins

James Hankins is Professor of History at Harvard University and General Editor of the I Tatti Renaissance Library. He has published reviews and opinion pieces with the Wall Street Journal, The Claremont Review of Books, American Affairs, First Things, and The New Criterion. Many of his publications can be found at https://scholar.harvard.edu/jameshankins/home.

Articles by James Hankins

How to Renew Traditional Historical Study in Graduate Schools

Aug 19, 2020 · James Hankins · No Comments

I’m sometimes asked why it is so difficult for PhD students of a conservative bent to survive and flourish in history graduate programs these days. It’s not enough to say that conservative graduate students are red drops in a blue ocean, surrounded by people who hold political views antithetical to theirs. I have taught at … Continue reading “How to Renew Traditional Historical Study in Graduate Schools”

Did You Know? Students Are Clueless About History Sep 24, 2020
Colleges and universities across the country don’t require students to study history. Although students at many colleges are “technically” required to take a history course to fulfill their general education requirements, many institutions are extremely lenient about what counts as a foundational history class. For example, instead of taking a survey course in American history, … Continue reading “Did You Know? Students Are Clueless About History”
Saving a Struggling College Starts with the Board Sep 23, 2020
Before the COVID-19 pandemic walloped our colleges and universities, higher education had been facing threats to existing business models for years. A great deal has been written the past few years predicting the demise of large numbers of U.S. colleges and universities. Many higher education institutions are indeed threatened. But their demise may not be … Continue reading “Saving a Struggling College Starts with the Board”
Of Academic Freedom and False Alarms Sep 21, 2020
It has been a very strange year. Three weeks ago I opened my email to find an unsolicited email from a lawyer, asking if I needed help. Odd, I thought, since I couldn’t remember getting any traffic citations recently. When I opened it, I discovered it was from lawyers at the Foundation for Individual Rights … Continue reading “Of Academic Freedom and False Alarms”

Of Academic Freedom and False Alarms Sep 21, 2020
It has been a very strange year. Three weeks ago I opened my email to find an unsolicited email from a lawyer, asking if I needed help. Odd, I thought, since I couldn’t remember getting any traffic citations recently. When I opened it, I discovered it was from lawyers at the Foundation for Individual Rights … Continue reading “Of Academic Freedom and False Alarms”
Woke Me When It’s Over Sep 11, 2020
Many, perhaps most, Americans are just now waking up to the meaning of “woke.” What does “woke” have to do with looting, bricks, fires, and blood in Portland, Seattle, and Minneapolis? One asks oneself, “Am I woke (good)? Or not woke (evil)? How woke is woke, how much wokeness is enough, and who decides?” In … Continue reading “Woke Me When It’s Over”
Did You Know? 13 UNC Entities Push Out Diversity Statements Sep 10, 2020
After the killing of George Floyd and the protests that followed, several departments at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have released statements on their intention to fight systemic racism. In a petition, alumni of the political science department want it to “make serious efforts towards re-constituting the graduate program towards a more … Continue reading “Did You Know? 13 UNC Entities Push Out Diversity Statements”

Is College Football an Expensive Luxury for Many Universities? Sep 25, 2020
The importance of college football to university education is vastly overrated. Rather than an integral part of the college experience, football means more student debt, another burden for taxpayers, and a compromised education for athletes. The COVID-19 pandemic is prompting universities to develop costly new teaching methodologies, require expensive campus protection strategies, and has caused … Continue reading “Is College Football an Expensive Luxury for Many Universities?”
Did You Know? Students Are Clueless About History Sep 24, 2020
Colleges and universities across the country don’t require students to study history. Although students at many colleges are “technically” required to take a history course to fulfill their general education requirements, many institutions are extremely lenient about what counts as a foundational history class. For example, instead of taking a survey course in American history, … Continue reading “Did You Know? Students Are Clueless About History”
Saving a Struggling College Starts with the Board Sep 23, 2020
Before the COVID-19 pandemic walloped our colleges and universities, higher education had been facing threats to existing business models for years. A great deal has been written the past few years predicting the demise of large numbers of U.S. colleges and universities. Many higher education institutions are indeed threatened. But their demise may not be … Continue reading “Saving a Struggling College Starts with the Board”