If you read The Way of Improvement Leads Home regularly you know the work of Johann Neem. Listen to our conversation about the meaning of college in Episode 54 of the podcast. Read our posts featuring Neem’s work here. I...
Johann Neem
Did you or your child benefit from a liberal arts or humanities education? Write a letter!
The liberal arts and humanities are in jeopardy right now at colleges and universities. Schools are cutting programs and firing professors in these fields. Spring Arbor University in Michigan just canned one of its best professors. Liberty University and Southwest...
When historians on the Left and the Right engage in “the pleasures of condemnation”
Yesterday I wrote about the White House’s conference on American history. Read that post here. Conservatives are cheering the event. Those on the Left–particularly academic historians–are trashing the event. There are a lot of reasons to be critical about what...
Will the Coronavirus Kill American Exceptionalism?
Johann Neem is an important voice in our defense of American institutions, civil society, and an educated citizenry. Here is a taste of his recent piece at The Washington Post: “The Next Victim of the Coronavirus: American Exceptionalism.” The rise of...
What Colleges and Universities Can Learn from the Silicon Valley (Ironically, its not what you might think)
Today we recorded Episode 54 of The Way of Improvement Leads Home Podcast. Our guest was Western Washington historian Johann Neem, author of What’s the Point of College: Seeking Purpose in an Age of Reform. I don’t want to give too...
Neem: We Cannot “Think Critically” Without Knowledge
Johann Neem is on fire. Earlier today we linked to his Chronicle of Higher Education piece calling for the elimination of the business major. Now we link to his Hedgehog Review piece on “critical thinking.” I have ordered his book...
Johann Neem: “Abolish the Business Major”
It is hard to argue with Western Washington University historian Johann Neem on this point. The business major is an “anti-intellectual” degree program that should have “no place in colleges.” Why? Neem develops his thoughts in his new book What’s...
Neem: “The STEM rubric undermines the unity between the humanities and sciences.”
Back in June, we published a post on Kentucky governor Matt Bevin‘s endorsement of a bill allowing the Bible to be taught in the state’s public schools. I later published a shorter version of this post at Religion News Service....
What if Thomas Jefferson Could Come Back and Talk to Betsy DeVos About Education?
Last month, Western Washington University history professor Johann Neem visited The Author’s Corner to talk about his new book Democracy’s Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America. Over at the website of the National Education Association, Neem talks to...
The Founding Fathers Rejected School Choice
Earlier today University of Western Washington history professor Johann Neem visited The Author’s Corner. Yesterday he visited the pages of the Washington Post to talk more about public education. As Neem correctly notes, the founding fathers believed that public schools were...
Author’s Corner with Johann Neem
Johann Neem is a Professor of History at Western Washington University. This interview is based on his new book, Democracy’s Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America (John Hopkins University Press, 2017). JF: What led you to write Democracy’s Schools? JN: I...
Johann Neem on the Importance of Scholarly Writing
Johann Neem, an American historian at Western Washington University, is very aware of the fact that academic writing can be impenetrable. He also believes that it is important for historians and other academics to write for the public. Over at The...