A new end of the world class offers history undergraduate majors a chance to explore and understand the thoughts of the apocalyptic obsessive mind.
“This class is designed to help students understand the apocalyptic mind without just saying that anyone who believes in this type of stuff is crazy, Dr. John Smith, associate professor of history, said. “America seems to be prone to believing this type of stuff, but if we had a professional that understood why David Karesh believed what he believed and refused to give him the apocalypse he had predicted, then maybe we could have reduced the effects of that event and possibly keep something like this from happening again.”
This is the first time Dr. Smith has offered the course on an undergraduate level.
“I usually offer the class every two or three years on the graduate level, but I was not satisfied with the way the graduate students took the class because they either took it too serious or looked at it as a joke,” said Smith. “This is the first time I’m offering this course on the undergraduate level and I’ll see how they do.”
The class is open only to history majors, giving these students another choice of classes that could supplement for a required class for their degree plan.
“This class is only for history majors or for those who are enrolled in the history methodology class, who will later declare their major to be history,” Smith said. “It can easily be used to satisfy a required course for these majors or it can just as easily be used as an elective.”
Dr. Smith doesn’t mind others sitting in on the class, but he hopes to open up minds without offending anyone.
“Anyone can sit in on the class,” Smith said. “I only hope to open minds by exposing the students to a broader range of apocalyptic views, but I don’t want to offend or belittle anyone’s belief system.”
Smith feels that the class may not be a permanent class depending on how the undergraduates respond to the class, which Smith plans on using different measures to test the effectiveness of the class.
“This class may not be permanent depending on how the students respond, though I hope to continue to have it on the undergraduate level every two to three years like I had on the graduate level,” Smith said. “I’ll see where the student’s minds are in the class and whether they understand and enjoy the class through the quizzes I give on the readings, the final exam, and the huge paper on the apocalyptic mind that they are to have fun with.”
The class will be held in the spring of 2009. History major students can sign up for the class with their academic advisers, through the internet, or with Dr. Smith.