Tyler Johnson is a history major from Dublin, Ohio.
What do you love most about history?
What I particularly enjoy about history is making the connections between what I am learning about in the classroom and what I already know. Finding relevant historical connections to contemporary subjects and debates is something I enjoy, and this provides me a new perspective to view these subjects. I also enjoy making connections between different historical events and comparing and contrasting the circumstances around those events.
Why did you choose to be history major?
History had always been my favorite subject at school, and I loved to read about history as well. This interest certainly was sparked by both great teachers throughout my time as a student and also by my family, as every time my family would travel together, we always stopped along the way at a historical landmark or fort. I chose history as a major because it has always been a personal passion of mine.
What are the favorite history courses you have taken?
It feels like this answer changes all the time! I really enjoyed History 3014 [Gilded Age to Progressive Era, 1877-1920] and History 3642 [Women in Modern Europe, from the 18th Century to the Present], but my current personal favorite history course is History 3015, which is American History from the New Era to the New Frontier. The course has been really interesting and I learned a lot of new information on subjects that I thought I knew a lot about!
Do you have a favorite professor or professors? Who are they and why?
One of my favorite professors has been Dr. Birgitte Søland. Dr. Søland was extremely nice and it was clear that she really cared about the students in her class. I took Dr. Søland’s History 3642 class (Women in Modern Europe, from the 18th century to the Present) and the course was so interesting! My friend and I in the class talked about how even the midterm and final papers were interesting and enjoyable to write. Dr. Søland designed the midterm in a way that allowed us to genuinely have fun while writing, as we were assigned the task to write out a script similar to a play based the knowledge we learned in the class. Overall Dr. Søland is a fantastic professor!
What’s one thing you wish every Buckeye knew about the past (and/or about the history department)?
Personally I think one thing every Buckeye ought to know about history is that everyone, both historians and non-historians, can find something that they enjoy in history. History can be so much more than learning about the past in a particular region! History is a part of every day life and is connected to the other academic disciplines here at Ohio State!