A Misunderstanding?
In my quest for Professordom, I search everywhere. I turn over every stone possible, extending my search even internationally. But this advert really caught me off guard. The job title says, “Assistant Professor of Geography”. Read on and it says the candidate will be responsible for teaching “World Geography…in the Department of Humanities”. That’s exciting! Geography in the Humanities. Right up my alley. But then, listed as the first requirement: “Ph.D. in History”. Even funnier, it says, “Ph.D. in History required for this position”. WHAT ?? It’s bad enough that people confuse Geography with geology, but having someone with a PhD in history teach geography? The students will be getting a world history class instead of a world geography class. And there is a HUGE difference. Trust me. I've taken many history courses (it was one of my undergrad majors before I found Geography). I’ve also worked closely with Historical Geographers (who use history as a method to do Geography). T...