Understanding and Preparedness: Hillsdale’s Military History Program
Written by Jessica Kidwell
A “labor of love” from Director of the Center for Military History and Grand Strategy and Assistant Professor of History Edward Gutiérrez was the start of a bold new initiative in American higher education, and how fitting its birthplace was at Hillsdale College. “Dr. Arnn brought me here because he wanted a serious program that studies war and strategy,” Dr. Gutiérrez said.
The military history and grand strategy minor sets itself apart from other institutions across the country because it’s designed to pursue a global understanding rather than a Eurocentric or single-country understanding. Hillsdale is committed to studying warfare, teaching foreign strategy, and most importantly, gaining an understanding and being prepared. “Understanding and preparedness are the most important words that drive our students to take these classes,” Dr. Gutiérrez said.
This minor program offers classes like ““War in World History I-III,” “American Grand Strategy,” and electives like “Counter-Insurgency and Counter-Terrorism” and “The Just War Tradition in the West.” Gutiérrez also plans to offer future classes on China and Russia. Just War Tradition is one of Gutiérrez’s favorite classes to teach. “As a Catholic, I think it’s the most challenging for the students and me because we are looking at how to face war as a Christian; we see how men and women of faith have faced this historically. The voices of the past are instruction, and that’s what history is,” said Dr. Gutiérrez.
Dr. Gutiérrez believes everyone should be interested in these courses as part of a liberal arts education. “War is normative; as Christians, we know we are fallen creatures. Out of all these utopian, progressive visions about peace and democracy that somehow we have won, it is false. It’s essential to understand that we aren’t studying war; we are studying ourselves, man, and the human condition,” Dr. Gutiérrez said.
Dr. Gutiérrez explained that these classes are for anyone and everyone; whether you’re an analyst, strategist, doctor, lawyer, mathematician, or Wall Street banker, and certainly if you want to be in the military or government.
Gwen Thompson, ’25, is an economics major with a German and military history minor who was very excited that the College was offering this new program. “I’ve always enjoyed military history, and before, there wasn’t much of an outlet for people interested in defense policy, international affairs and relations, or statesmanship. It’s difficult to put together an interdisciplinary program including all of these,” she said. Gwen has several classes under her belt, with Ancient Warfare being her favorite to date.
“We read a lot of epics, old legends, and primary sources,” Gwen said. “It has a huge impact on the way you see other cultures, and I think it will impact my future career path. We are learning about culture, approaches to war, and values.”
Hillsdale’s liberal arts curriculum strives to prepare students to defend and hold true to the blessings of liberty in a world that continues to ignore or misinterpret the lessons of the past. “Clio is the muse of history, and she has been so abused and maligned,” Dr. Gutiérrez said. “That’s what we are trying to bring back—the essential element of understanding war and strategy. We have expert strength; we are military historians.”
Jessie Kidwell, ’24, hails from St. Louis, MO, and studies politics. Outside of the classroom, she loves to workout, watch the St. Louis Cardinals, and be with her Pi Phi sisters!
Published in April 2023