Phillips Academy’s only yearlong modern European history course, History 340, will not be offered for the 2009-2010 school year. “We don’t have anyone to step in to teach 340 next year,” said Peter Drench, Chair of the History and Social Science Department. “There were no teachers interested in teaching the course under the conditions that were available.” Drench continued, “There probably are some people who could teach the course, but they’re overextended doing other things. I think when students hear ‘staffing,’ they think it’s a bureaucratic way of doing things. It’s not.” Andover has offered European history in its course of study since the curricular reforms of 1933. Edwin Quattlebaum, Instructor in History and Social Science, who has taught the European History course for 10 of the past 12 years, will retire after this school year. According to Drench, an increased number of students in the class of 2011 might force the History Department to create more sections in courses required for an Andover diploma. “We staff [diploma requirement courses] first. I have to make sure [the History] 100, 200, and 300 courses are staffed,” said Drench. “We have to first think about the needs of the majority,” he said. According to Drench, the European History course could return in a new form, but no decision has been made yet about the long-term future of the course. “We’re reassessing [the course] as part of the reassessment of all electives,” Drench said. “It should not be read as a thinly-veiled decision to destroy modern European history.” For next year, the only History course available to PA Lowers will be History 200. Two teachers who were rumored to take over the course were Mulligan and Marcelle Doheny, Instructor in History. Mulligan said that she has been sitting in on Quattlebaum’s fourth period section of 340 at his invitation since fall term. Quattlebaum said that when he took the course over from Richards, he also sat in on his classes. According to Quattlebaum, Mulligan had expressed “mild interest” in the course in the past, and did not know another interested faculty member teaching a Europe-related elective. But he added, “[Neither I nor Mulligan] guaranteed anything. She didn’t guarantee she would take it over.” Quattlebaum also said that he had previously filled in for Richards before teaching the course full-time. Katherine Wiener ’11, a student in History 340, said, “I and most students in the class assumed [Mulligan] was going to take over after next year. It’s no secret that Dr. Quattlebaum is retiring.” Chris Calkins ’11, also a student in History 340, said, “In class, [Mulligan] takes a lot of notes and she’ll fill in a couple things. If there’s a question she can answer better than Dr. Quattlebaum, she’ll answer it.” Mulligan taught a fall term elective this year entitled Europe 1914-1945: War and Peace. Quattlebaum wrote that he volunteered to the take over History 340 to the department chair after finding the course “so compelling” while sitting in. Mulligan declined to comment on the future of History 340 because “it was a decision made by the department chair.” Doheny received her Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of York in England, and attended graduate school at the University of Oxford. On her profile on the Andover website, Doheny wrote, “I have lived in this country since 1986, but retain my love for European history.” Doheny declined to be interviewed by The Phillipian. The European History course has been a prominent part of many Andover memories. Quattlebaum said, “[The course] is one of the greatest gifts anyone has ever given to me in terms of class work.” Students are currently conducting a petition in an attempt to convince Drench to bring back History 340. In a given year, about 28 to three dozen students take 340, but Drench said that number has dropped recently. Drench said that he understands the concern about losing European History, even for a year, but added, “I think it’s premature.” Drench also cited the current state of the economy as an influential factor in his decision. “We’d like to hire new teachers and staff for all our courses, but there are budgetary realities,” he said. Wiener said, “Not having the option of a European history course is actually sort of ridiculous.” Drench said, “As an individual, I hope we will reinstate this. More history and social science, I’m in favor of it. I don’t think Modern European History is going to disappear from our curriculum.” Tim Ghosh and Juliet Liu contributed reporting.
