The online version of the December 2011 issue of Perspectives on History is now available. Some articles are gated, and are accessible to AHA members by logging in to member services.

From the President & Executive Director
AHA President Anthony Grafton and Executive Director Jim Grossman begin the December issue with articles that take historians outside of academia and into museums, politics, and the public in general.

Grafton stops by the Museum of the City of New York in his article “Historians at Work, III: Public History,” to meet up with a recent PhD who chose a two-year fellowship in public history over an appointment at a university writing program. Then, turning to Capitol Hill, AHA Executive Director Jim Grossman discusses what historians can teach politicians: the importance of context, evidence, and civility.

News
In recent news, congratulations to the new AHA officers and committee members decided on in the 2011 AHA election. Learn also about the contents of the December issue of the AHR and what’s been happening on the AHA’s social networking pages recently.

Joel Harrington reports on how historians can “Help Shape the Next International Congress of Historical Science.” While Lee White, executive director of the National Coalition for History, reports on a recent amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) meant to support a “well-rounded education.”

AHA members have been busy writing books, conducting research, and working on exhibitions. Read all about their recent activities in our latest Member News column.

History Profession
Get multiple perspectives of the history profession in a series of articles in this issue, including an introduction by Jim Grossman, a breakdown of data by Robert B. Townsend, Edward Balleisen’s thoughts on graduate education reform, Alexandra Lord’s experiences engaging the public in history, “A Day in the Life of a Community College Professor” by Natalie Kimbrough, and Dana Polanichka’s helpful job market etiquette tips.

Annual Meeting
Liz Townsend, AHA coordinator of Job Center and professional data, sends out a request in this issue to search committees interviewing job candidates at the annual meeting: let the Job Center staff know where you are interviewing. Sharing this information helps the Job Center staff better assist job seekers searching for their interview locations.

Learn the details about all the events the National History Center is sponsoring at the 126th annual meeting, including seven sessions, a series on historians and journalists, a teaching workshop, and an open forum and reception.

And if you have been thinking about presenting a paper at the 2013 annual meeting in New Orleans, January 3-6, 2013 (which has a theme of “Lives, Places, Stories”), start gathering your thoughts, as the deadline for submitting proposals—February 15, 2012—is approaching rapidly. Read the call for proposals, get your materials together, and be ready to submit the proposal as soon as the online proposal system goes live.

Teaching History and Civil Responsibility
Three articles highlight teaching initiatives in the community, in the classroom, and in museums:

• Courage and Social Justice: History Students Engage New York’s Immigrant and Refugee Communities
  By Patricia Moynagh and Lori R. Weintrob
• Instilling Civic Responsibility in the Classroom
  By Rebecca Bates
• Building Community to Engage Community: The College Museum as a Site of Civic Engagement
  By Susan Shifrin

Letters to the Editor
The debate continues on Anthony Grafton and Jim Grossman’s recent articles, “No More Plan B” and “Plan C,” on reforming graduate education. Read responses from Daniel M. Fox (“Doing ‘Real Work’”), Catherine Cocks (“A Very Modest Proposal?”), and Jesse Lemisch (“History Is Worth Fighting For: Where Is the AHA?”). Lemisch’s letter was first posted on HNN, and Grafton and Grossman responded.

One other Letter to the Editor, from Peter Hoffer, came in response to Barbara Welke’s September 2011 article, “The Art of Manuscript Reviewing,” which offers lessons learned from Peggy Pascoe.

In Memoriam
This month we remember a number of historians who have passed away: John Morton Blum, Joseph Gagliano, Robert W. Johansson, Fritz Klein, and John L. Loos.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.