As a professor of modern European and German history, Brandon Bloch encourages students to step into the role of working historians — actively examining and interrogating who is speaking, for whom, under what conditions and with what power. This is especially important when considering some of the multi-faceted topics of his classes, which include religion, nationalism, democracy and war crimes.
Bloch has augmented his courses to equip students with the tools to discuss controversial contemporary issues through a historical lens, which can result in empathy for the ways people come to their beliefs. This, in turn, allows students to evaluate their own points of view. These critical thinking skills extend well beyond the classroom, with one former student even noting that Bloch’s goal “seems to be making his students well-rounded citizens of the globe.”
Bloch cares for his students as individuals as well. In lectures of more than 100 students, he learns every name and ensures he has individual conversations with each student over the course of the semester.
“Learning history at its highest level conveys not just knowledge in the forms of facts, but also wisdom in the form of a more mature perspective on the world and the ways that human beings experience it. Dr. Bloch achieves this: he takes some of the hardest topics and themes imaginable — ones that remain raw in our own time — and creates opportunities for students to emerge both smarter and wiser.” — Professor Neil Kodesh.