February 13, 2017

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Effects of the Mexico City policy

Ready to contend

Practitioners say the reinstated ‘global gag rule’ will lead to more maternal deaths | Page 2

Duke women’s basketball rolled to a fifth straight double-digit win Sunday | Sportswrap

The Chronicle T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2017

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

ONE HUNDRED AND TWELFTH YEAR, ISSUE 55

Should history majors be required to take U.S. history? Heather Zhou The Chronicle A recent study shows that most colleges do not require history majors to take a course in U.S. history—findings that have been met with backlash from some and nonchalance from others. According to a July report on U.S. history requirements in academics, 53 out of the top 76 liberal arts colleges, national universities and public institutions did not require their students majoring in history to take a course specifically on U.S. history or government. The report was released by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni—a nonprofit aiming to improve academic standards and safeguard “the free exchange of ideas on campus.” The report argued that such “weak academic standards” have created a circle of historical and civic illiteracy in college students. “Those who do not know the history of the nation are, of course, much more likely to view its constitutional freedoms with nonchalance,” the report read. Duke is among the institutions that do not require a U.S. history course for history majors or the general student body. However, the history department does require its students to select three courses from five geographic areas, including the U.S. and Canada, explained Bruce Hall, director of undergraduate studies and associate professor in the department of history. “Very few history majors here would not take some American history,” Hall said. “In fact, some of our most popular courses are in

Carolyn Sun | The Chronicle

American history.” He added that Duke has an international reputation as being one of the top universities for the study of African American history. “The implication [of the report]—if one didn’t know more about our history department—might seem like we are not taking American history seriously, but if you look at the number of faculty we have, at least a third of our faculty are teaching courses and doing research about American

history,” he said. Hall added that in the past, there was a “much more defined pathway” for the history major that concentrated more on modern American and European history. The curriculum was opened up in the past 15 years to allow a more student-directed experience, he added. The report also points to Yale University and Rice University as examples of schools that recently implemented changes to remove U.S. history requirements. Most recently,

George Washington University’s history department announced that its students would no longer have to take a course in U.S. history, leading to backlash from conservative media outlets. Some Duke students argued that a required course on American history is would be beneficial and would not inhibit the goal of allowing students to pursue their own academic passions. “One required course on American history out of 10 would not make a major Westerncentric, nor would it take away the freedom to explore diverse interests,” said sophomore Elaine Zhong, who intends to major in history. “Understanding the past of a society is integral to understanding its present. How can you be an enlightened global citizen without being a domestic one first?” Others voiced the concern that students who are not U.S. citizens might turn away from such a requirement. “I understand that American history is not relevant to every student,” sophomore Isabella Arbelaez said. “I think the history department already focuses on appealing to a diverse range of students and making every student take a class on American history could deter some students from pursuing a history major.” Jessica Malitoris, a graduate student in history and teaching assistant for “American Dreams and American Realities,” an undergraduate course in the department, expressed a similar view. “As far as being required of history majors, I worry about the politics of privileging See HISTORY on Page 3

Butchireddygari elected Chronicle V. 113 editor-in-chief Isabelle Doan The Chronicle Sophomore Likhitha Butchireddygari will serve as the editor-in-chief of The Chronicle’s 113th volume. In an election Friday evening, The Chronicle’s staff chose Butchireddygari to succeed junior Claire Ballentine as editor and president of the Duke Student Publishing Company, Inc., the publisher of the independent, student-run daily newspaper. Butchireddygari, who currently heads the local and national news department, will begin her one-year term April 26. As editor, she said one of her main objectives will be to build infrastructure to help the newspaper create a variety of multimedia content. “We need to start thinking about accruing the necessary equipment and people to do

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the things that we want to do regarding digital products and digital content,” Butchireddygari said. “I know that we have the necessary interest and drive on staff to get those people and that equipment into our office.” Butchireddygari said she hopes her Program II major “Digital Democracy and Data” will help her achieve her goals as editor. “A large part of [my major] is about how journalism is evolving. I think that while I’m considering that, I realize a lot of journalism now is about multimedia content and the digital presence of an organization,” she said. “I think [this initiative] will be a great intersection for my education and my work at The Chronicle.” Butchireddygari also hopes to address issues of diversity and representation among The Chronicle staff. A staff demographics survey was administered at the election

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INSIDE — News 2 Sportswrap Classified 9 Crossword 9 Opinion 10

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Friday, the results of which will be published this week. Butchireddygari said she would like to use the data to increase diversity in areas of race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and other identity markers. Digital content director Adam Beyer, a junior, noted his enthusiasm for Butchireddygari’s initiatives. “Likhitha combines creativity with a willingness to ensure her ideas are executed,” Beyer said. “The Chronicle needs this spirit as it continues to transition toward a digital-first model.” Junior Abigail Xie, who currently serves as news editor, said she believes that Butchireddygari is the best person for the position. “I think her experience covering so many aspects of news has given her an important See EDITOR on Page 3

Serving the University since 1905

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Jim Liu | The Chronicle Butchireddygari, currently the department head for local/national news, will assume her new position April 26.

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© 2017 The Chronicle


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