“I Don’t Want to be a Historian! I Just Want to be a History Teacher!” A West Texas Historical Methods Odyssey

Abstract

Undergraduate history majors are often overwhelmed by the discipline’s research and writing expectations. Most history departments require only one or perhaps two courses in historical methods. In response to the alarming erosion of student writing and critical thinking skills brought about by years of standardized tests, the history faculty at West Texas A&M University has created a three-course historical methods sequence to teach students the research, writing, and interpretive skills they need to succeed. In this article, three WTAMU history professors discuss how these courses and their own teaching philosophies have evolved over two decades of teaching history in an increasingly ahistorical world.