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Fan Forums => The RPGPundit's Own Forum => Topic started by: joewolz on August 26, 2006, 05:58:11 PM

Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: joewolz on August 26, 2006, 05:58:11 PM
Hey Pundit, as you can see by my avatar and my screen name, I'm not really worried too much about people knowing who I am or what I do.  Some people are, you seem to be, but that's okay.

I've always wondered: what do you do for a living?  I'm a graduate student in history (MA candidate) in southern Illinois.

How 'bout you?
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: RPGPundit on August 27, 2006, 03:27:13 AM
The Pundit was a historian, who is now semi-retired.

RPGPundit
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: joewolz on August 27, 2006, 11:30:31 AM
Hey, that's cool.  I take it you had a different concentration than I do.  I'm a 19th century historian specializing in the First World War and its antecedents.
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: Settembrini on August 27, 2006, 01:36:25 PM
Quote
The Pundit was a historian, who is now semi-retired.

I would say this is only a narrow niche of Pundit´s illustrious endeavours, but I assume this is the official statement, so be it.
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: RPGPundit on August 27, 2006, 02:13:31 PM
Quote from: joewolz
Hey, that's cool.  I take it you had a different concentration than I do.  I'm a 19th century historian specializing in the First World War and its antecedents.

My specialty was in religious history.

RPGPundit
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: Settembrini on August 27, 2006, 03:01:40 PM
Quote
My specialty was in religious history.

How is this tought in Canada? Here religious history is mostly taught in seperate institutions, co-joined by studies in  literature  and  language of the  specific area.  And there is "comparative religious sciences".
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: joewolz on August 27, 2006, 07:36:28 PM
In the US, religious studies are kind of glommed together, the study of Christianity in particular is covered by "divinity" degrees and programs.
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: RPGPundit on August 28, 2006, 12:18:49 AM
Quote from: Settembrini
How is this tought in Canada? Here religious history is mostly taught in seperate institutions, co-joined by studies in  literature  and  language of the  specific area.  And there is "comparative religious sciences".


In the University where I taught, Religious Studies had its own department as part of Comparative studies (at different times in my career there it was actually its own department, then cuts forced it to be amalgamated into comparative studies, then back to being its own department); and this focused on the study of the phenomenology of religion from an "objective" (more acurately, a humanistic non-religious) point of view.
Whereas religious theology (ie. divinity school) was taught in the faculties of theology, of which my university in particular had two, one catholic and the other protestant.  It was still legitimate academic study, but from a "faith-based" perspective with a focus on training people for religious offices.

RPGPundit
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: arminius on August 28, 2006, 03:12:24 PM
Well, this is interesting. Before quitting grad school I was studying history, too. At one point I almost transferred to the University of Toronto but the expenses, as a foreign (US citizen) student, were prohibitive.

My concentration was late antiquity and the early middle ages.
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: Zachary The First on August 28, 2006, 03:47:25 PM
Great gravy!  Illustrious company indeed!  Double major here, History/Art History.  I was part of a focus program dealing with the U.S. Civil War & Reconstruction, my favorite era by far.
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: The Good Assyrian on August 28, 2006, 05:25:22 PM
I think that there may be the makings of a historians' cabal here...

I have a MA in History and teach at a local university.  My specialty in grad school was Soviet mass culture in the 1920s and early 30s.


TGA
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: RPGPundit on August 28, 2006, 05:31:23 PM
Since most of you guys have chosen to be more detailed then I was, I'll mention for those of you who might have been curious that my undergraduate (honours) thesis was related to early modern European occultists (specifically John Dee); and for my post-graduate thesis I took a U-turn and ended up studying the origins of Christianity (in part because I had the opportunity to get a fellow of the Jesus Seminar as my advisor).

RPGPundit
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: The Good Assyrian on August 28, 2006, 05:43:26 PM
Quote from: RPGPundit
Since most of you guys have chosen to be more detailed then I was, I'll mention for those of you who might have been curious that my undergraduate (honours) thesis was related to early modern European occultists (specifically John Dee); and for my post-graduate thesis I took a U-turn and ended up studying the origins of Christianity (in part because I had the opportunity to get a fellow of the Jesus Seminar as my advisor).


Neat!  I have read quite a bit about John Dee and I am currently studying Koine Greek.  My study partner is planning to go to Seminary and needs to read the New Testament in the original Greek, but I am along for the post-Classical pagan philosophers like Marcus Aurelius.


TGA
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: joewolz on August 28, 2006, 09:19:06 PM
Lots of historians around here...cool.

I'll be a tad more detailed.  I'm currently concentrating (for my MA) in Latin American and Modern United States history...although I'm only in the latter because my university kind of sucks and doesn't have a 19th century concentration.

In the modern US concentration, I specialize in 1880-1939, and in my Latin America concentration I study the Spanish conquest of Mexico (until about 20 years after Cortez "conquered" the Aztecs), and Mexico in general.
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: RPGPundit on August 28, 2006, 11:02:00 PM
Quote from: joewolz

In the modern US concentration, I specialize in 1880-1939, and in my Latin America concentration I study the Spanish conquest of Mexico (until about 20 years after Cortez "conquered" the Aztecs), and Mexico in general.


Switch over to South American history, so that you'll have an excuse to come visit Uruguay!

RPGPundit
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: Mystery Man on August 29, 2006, 09:50:57 AM
Quote from: Zachary The First
Great gravy!  Illustrious company indeed!  Double major here, History/Art History.  I was part of a focus program dealing with the U.S. Civil War & Reconstruction, my favorite era by far.


Fine Arts/Art History here. One of these days I'll actually get my degree....
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: joewolz on August 30, 2006, 11:19:35 AM
Quote from: RPGPundit
Switch over to South American history, so that you'll have an excuse to come visit Uruguay!

RPGPundit


That shouldn't be a problem, I've actually always wanted to see Montevideo, it's how I found out about your blog in the first place...I was loking for game stores there.  I never did find any.
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: RPGPundit on August 30, 2006, 12:35:01 PM
Quote from: joewolz
That shouldn't be a problem, I've actually always wanted to see Montevideo, it's how I found out about your blog in the first place...I was loking for game stores there.  I never did find any.


There aren't really any stores in montevideo that sell gaming books; but for most things we could hook you up, don't worry. I don't suffer from any lack of gaming material over here.

RPGPundit
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: Erick Wujcik on August 30, 2006, 05:02:09 PM
Quote from: RPGPundit
My specialty was in religious history.

RPGPundit

As it happens, I ended up taking quite a bit of religious history myself. One of my favorite teachers at Wayne State University was Professor Milton Covensky, a specialist in the history of religion (who had the amazing ability of being able to enunciate like a deity, with an old testament voice, in any language, in every religion he described). No surprise that I ended up taking every class he offered.

Finding a spectacular teacher is how I ended up deeply exploring a lot of different subjects, following them through their entire teaching catalog. I ended up with a good foundation in British History (Goldwin Smith), Japanese History (T.F. Mayer-Oakes) and Ancient History (Findlay Hooper).

Erick
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: JamesV on August 30, 2006, 05:12:30 PM
Wow.
BA History '02. I didn't really emphasize though I did coincidentally do a lot of study about Great Britain and a class on NZ/OZ. I also really enjoyed architechtural history.
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: joewolz on August 30, 2006, 05:42:21 PM
Quote from: JamesV
a class on NZ/OZ.

"We are the ANZAZ Army!
The A-N-Z-A-C!
We cannot shoot,
We don't salute,
What bloody good are we!?"

One of my favorite WW1 tidbits...a marching song from the ANZACs on their way to Gallipoli.
That class had to rock pretty hard.  I'd love to get more of an opportunity to study australia.

edited to add stuff
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: Sigmund on September 06, 2006, 10:42:58 PM
Historians and RPGs seem to go together :) My current gaming group has 2 history majors, and my previous group had a history major who now teaches high school history.
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: Spike on September 07, 2006, 06:12:02 PM
That makes me the big loser here... I only like history for fun and amateur study, not for a degree program.

Still... at least this thread serves as adaquet notice that I should NOT attempt to comment in the least bit authoratatively on ANY historical topic.  God forbid that I forget the Hittites had pointed toed shoes or something...;)
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: Sigmund on September 07, 2006, 08:34:54 PM
Quote from: Spike
That makes me the big loser here... I only like history for fun and amateur study, not for a degree program.

Still... at least this thread serves as adaquet notice that I should NOT attempt to comment in the least bit authoratatively on ANY historical topic.  God forbid that I forget the Hittites had pointed toed shoes or something...;)


HA! Same here. Hittites had pointy-toed shoes? :confused:
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: The Good Assyrian on September 08, 2006, 10:42:51 AM
Quote from: Spike
God forbid that I forget the Hittites had pointed toed shoes or something...;)


Just for clarification, I believe that pointed toed shoes were more characteristic of the Middle Hittite Kingdom (ca. 1500–1430 BC).  The New Hittite Kingdom (the Hittite Empire proper, ca. 1430–1180 BC) saw the rise of the square toed shoe in the ancient Near East.  By the period of the Neo-Hittite city-states of the of the 8th century BC this process was complete, and the wearing of pointed toes shoes had died out...

Naw, I'm just fucking with you.:D People who get too serious about the trivia of history annoy the living shit out of me.  I have known far too many Napoleonic miniatures wargamers who argue about button colors...


TGA
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: Sigmund on September 08, 2006, 02:33:48 PM
So did Hittites have pointy-toed shoes or not?
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: The Good Assyrian on September 08, 2006, 03:34:49 PM
Quote from: Sigmund
So did Hittites have pointy-toed shoes or not?

Fucked if I know!  And I'm an Assyrian...we ate those guys for breakfast.  :pundit:


TGA
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: Spike on September 08, 2006, 05:20:16 PM
Yes, teh Hittities were famous for their pointy toed shoes (the elf ones that curl up at the end), though they used the same design element in things like swords too, so I think they just had a thing for curly points..

And pointy toes are STILL popular in Turkey, well some areas anyway...
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: mythusmage on September 13, 2006, 10:55:42 AM
I'm a dropout. So my knowledge of history comes from self-study, and tends to be eclectic. Being a wargamer back when helped. I do know enough to know that the official records are not always an accurate account of what happened.
Title: What does the Pundit do?
Post by: Akrasia on September 13, 2006, 11:35:01 AM
Wow -- lots of historians here!  That's not too surprising, I suppose, as I can imagine how an interest in history could lead one to be interested in RPGs (and vice versa).

I'm a political philosopher myself (BA in political science from U of Toronto; MPhil in political theory from Oxford; and PhD in philosophy from U of Michigan).  

Currently I teach in the philosophy department at Trinity College, University of Dublin.  

You historians might already know that Trinity was established by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592.  Famous alumni include the philosophers George Berkeley and Edmund Burke, and the writers Jonathan Swift and Samuel Beckett.  As a Protestant institution, Catholic Irish were for many centuries suspicious of Trinity.  Until the mid-1960s, Catholics who attended Trinity could be excommunicated by the Church unless they received special permission to attend.  That's all in the past, though, as today most (80 percent) of the students are Catholic.