(Source: ModelThinkers.com)
In an earlier blog (November 12, 2025), I mentioned traveling to an upcoming meeting at the Holocaust Museum that included filming an interview. Before the interview, I got early notice of the questions that I would be asked to respond to. Three of the questions read as follows:
- Elie Wiesel wrote about the Museum, “A memorial unresponsive to the future would also violate the memory of the past.” What does that mean to you?
- Why is it important to prevent genocide today?
- Why do you support the Museum’s Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide?
To those of you not familiar with Elie Weisel, among his many activities, he served as the founding chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council (1980-2016) and he led the effort to conceive and build the museum.
I answered that in my opinion, all three questions are closely related and all three can be summarized by two of the most highly used words that encompass why so many people (including myself) are still preoccupied with the Holocaust. These two words form the call of “never again.” I wrote about my attitude toward this call in an earlier blog (August 13, 2025), “A Call to Immortalize and Generalize ‘Never Again.’” Below is a key paragraph from this blog:
Expanding the scope of teaching past events—by pairing Holocaust teaching with scientifically-deduced global threats—has a good chance of having a major impact on students and teachers in future classrooms. Such pairings might be necessary to expose future generations to existing dangers for possible mitigation. However, there are serious issues with such attempts. Last week’s blog discussed some of the prerequisites for both students and teachers. Mastery of the connected topics will necessarily limit the number of students that will choose such topics.
A few days ago, the new chair of Columbia University’s History Department gave a speech about how she views teaching history. A short summary and a key paragraph of this speech are given below:
New Chair of History Says the Discipline Should Document the Past and Engage With the Present. Camille Robcis believes that historical analysis allows us to elucidate contemporary political, economic, social, and cultural questions.
Why is the study of history so important? As I see it, the main purpose of history is not simply to document the past, but to engage in a dialogue with the present. Historical analysis allows us to elucidate contemporary political, economic, social, and cultural questions by making visible the historical process through which certain things come to appear as natural, obvious, self-evident, or universal. How did we come to take for granted certain assumptions and norms, and how can we think (and act) differently once these blind spots are exposed or unmasked?
The novelty in this attitude is in the attempt to expand teaching history into understanding and having an impact on the present. Her speech does not mention how she defines the present (in my opinion it also strongly suggests that history repeats itself to be part of the present) or where she draws the line that separates present from future. In this blog and the next, I will try to draw my own lines on these issues. Before I do that, let me describe the present extent in American academic institutions, teaching students’ history vs. understanding students’ future.
Students enroll in universities to enhance their prospects for a productive future. Many choose history as their choice of focus. Per definition, all their academic choices apply toward a better future. However, not many can identify what help they need to analyze the future. I asked AI to summarize the nature of future studies and how many academic institutions in the US offer programs to try to teach students in that area. I also asked AI to compare these findings with teaching history:
Future studies:
AI (through Google):
Studying futurism, also known as future studies, involves analyzing possible, probable, and preferable futures by examining trends and their implications across various domains like technology, society, economy, and politics. Key methods include using frameworks like STEEP analysis (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political) and Causal Layered Analysis (CLA), embracing complexity and uncertainty, and preparing for future possibilities rather than making singular predictions. You can study futurism through academic programs, professional courses, or by learning to apply futurist thinking skills to your work and life.
AI (through Copilot):
How many universities in the US have “Future Studies” program?
There are only a handful of universities in the United States that offer dedicated programs in Future Studies (also called foresight or strategic foresight). The number is small—roughly fewer than 10 institutions with formal degrees or centers focused on this discipline.
How many universities in the US have “History Studies” program?
Over 1,400 universities in the United States offer programs in History Studies. It is one of the most widely available liberal arts majors, with hundreds of institutions providing undergraduate and graduate degrees in history.
Breakdown of History Programs in the US
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- Total institutions: About 1,498 universities in the US have history programs, according to EduRank’s 2025 analysis.
- Degrees awarded: Roughly 31,000+ history degrees are granted annually across the country.
- Popularity: History ranks as the #30 most popular major in the US.
- Program levels:
- Bachelor’s degrees are the most common.
- Many universities also offer Master’s and PhD programs in history.
- Community colleges and smaller institutions often provide associate degrees or introductory history studies tracks.
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To put it differently, the top figure from ModelThinkers can be viewed as a simple model of what educational institutions should be charged with providing to all students – transformation into thinkers. The next blog will try to quantify past, present, and future, and correlate this reality with “never again.”