I take offense because I do not like it when people who have bought a $150 course online like to have a large-scale debate on aspects of history that they have no idea about. Here is why they didn't get the same education I did:
The Rigour of My History Degree (uOttawa, 1997–2001)
My degree at uOttawa, particularly the Honours BA, required me to learn "The Historian's Craft." This wasn't just learning stories; it was systematic training in evidence that a $150 course simply doesn't provide. It is important to note that this way of doing research and this way of approaching documents also spreads across other fields of study; it is the same foundational rigour found in science, literature, and other academic disciplines.
- Primary Source Analysis: I was required to find and interrogate original documents. I had to perform "External Criticism" to verify authenticity and "Internal Criticism" to detect bias. I didn't just read summaries; I read the raw data of history.
- Historiographical Study: I learned the history of how history is written. This taught me that historical "facts" are often interpretations that evolve. People with a cursory online certificate often lack the ability to see the ideological framework behind the "facts" they quote.
- Methodological Seminars: I had to complete mandatory 4000-level seminars. These were environments where I presented my original research and had it critiqued in real-time by an expert professor.
- The Scope of my Work: My degree consisted of roughly 40 courses. I put in thousands of hours of reading and wrote research papers. This scale of effort dwarfs a few hours of video content.
The Distinction of True Education
I am not mentioning these details to brag; I am trying to show the vast difference between what some people call education and what education truly is.
True education is not the passive consumption of a pre-packaged narrative for a small fee. It is a grueling, multi-year process of deconstructing information, being challenged by experts, and learning a methodology that applies to all serious thought—whether in the archives, a laboratory, or a library. A "course" gives you an answer; a "degree" gives you the tools to find out if that answer is even true.
My Financial Totals (1997–2001)
For those four years of training, my total investment was:
- Tuition: $13,500
- Books: $2,700
- Housing: $11,600
- Food: $7,000
Total 4-Year Cost: $34,800 CAD
The reason I find it frustrating to debate someone with a discount course is that they haven't put in the "work." I paid for, and laboured through, a discipline that taught me how to think, research, and verify. They simply bought an opinion.
No comments:
Post a Comment