Heritage readers under review
Professors add and delete entries to enhance Hillsdale textbook
Jeff Ventrella
Issue date: 1/22/09 Section: News
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History Department Chairman Mark Kalthoff said that while the department has revised the reader numerous times in the past, this current revision project is the largest since the initial publication in 1998 under the supervision of the now-retired history professor John Willson. They will likely even choose a new book cover.
"We're always looking at what we're doing; we're always looking to improve," he said.
In the past, the readers lacked the italicized introductions at the beginning of each passage, as well as the division of the selected primary source readings into chapters that reflect the passages' common historical timeframe.
Department members added these in recent years, Kalthoff said, along with typical edits for spelling, grammar and formatting. While it will address these issues, the ongoing editing process has a more substantial purpose than in past years.
Kalthoff said the main goal of the current revision process is "selective additions, a few deletions, and improved introductions, making good books into very good books."
Kalthoff is supervising the project, but he said history professors Brad Birzer and David Stewart are handling the bulk of the content revisions. Stewart estimated that he and Birzer spend approximately 15 hours per week each on the revision process, and receive a little help from other department members.
They started the process early in the 2007-08 academic year, when the history department faculty was asked in a staff meeting to individually read through both collections and rate each reading selection according to its usefulness.
At a weekend retreat over last year's Christmas break, the entire department sat down and compared notes in order determine which readings to throw out.
"We're getting rid of stuff that none of us have time for," said Stewart.
To replace the selections they remove, Birzer and Stewart are drawing material from a collection of readings handed out in the spring semester of 2007 to certain professors for use in class as the professors saw fit.
Stewart and Birzer are accordingly using the feedback from this trial run to make their selective additions. They are also editing these selections for length and suitability to the heritage coursework.
When asked whether the semi-infamous "roger" selection would survive the editing axe, Stewart replied with a pained smile, "William Bird will be there with all of his glories."
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