It is as if AP European History rose from the grave. Last year AP Euro did not run, however, now there are two classes that are running this year. What changed?
Neil McCarthy has been the AP European History teacher at Mundelein High School for the past twenty years, so it was an odd feeling for him when he didn’t get to teach it last year.
“Allegedly, it was a numbers game, [and the class size] did not meet the threshold point,” McCarthy said. At Mundelein High School, there needs to be at least fifteen students in a class for it to run.
Senior Braeden Kratz is currently in McCarthy’s AP Euro class and said that he didn’t attempt to join the class last year because he was already enrolled in comparative government. He added that the reason it didn’t run last year was because “People didn’t really know about it or assumed that it wouldn’t run so they didn’t try,” Kratz said.
Another student in AP Euro, Senior Jack Salit, concurred that “the popularity [of the class] went down mostly due to covid. The senior class last year was also smaller. The class is primarily seniors, so when it was a smaller class there was less motivation to take it,” Salit said.
Due to the fact that the class unexpectedly did not run last year, McCarthy was encouraged to promote AP Euro, and he did just that.
“I went around, produced a flier, and produced a short video to raise awareness about the course. I went to several US History classes, for instance. The advertising campaign worked out, but of course you have find a way to hook them,” McCarthy said, “I emphasized what they might gain from the class intellectually.” McCarthy recommended that other teachers, who may also be trying to gain student interest in a class, should use this method.
When speaking about McCarthy, Salit said, “I know he’s very passionate about AP Euro. [His promotion] definitely drummed up more support. The senior class is bigger this year, and I know there’s a lot more devoted individuals as well.”
It’s not just Mundelein High School that has struggled with gaining support for history classes. According to McCarthy, “History departments are dying all over the country and at university levels. To me it’s a crisis. What if we as a civilization know less and less about ourselves and the world, I don’t know if we could sustain this republic very well.”
McCarthy also mentioned that in more recent times, schools have increased their focus on science and math courses and less on the humanities.
“My general theory about American education is that we value more stem-related subjects because we are more career oriented in high school, but that doesn’t mean that we should let the humanities dwindle,” said McCarthy, “It’s important to have both. Education is not just career training. It is educating the whole human being. We want people to be well rounded and to have opportunities to try different things in their young lives and to discover new talents.” McCarthy also illustrated the fact that the history department is in the “dungeons” while the science and math classes are up in the new and polished C-wing.
While AP Euro has gone through obstacles to run again at MHS, the students in the class are excited about its comeback and eager about learning more in the course. Both Kratz and Salit mentioned how they had McCarthy as their World Studies teacher freshman year, and they wanted another class with him.
“He’s been teaching this for a long time and knows how to keep the students engaged,” said Salit. Salit recommended students to join the class next year. “I would tell people to join it if they’re passionate about history and like having a fun teacher. But they also have to be willing to put some work in,” Salit added. One activity that has been memorable so far this year from AP Euro was the “philosophy walk” that Salit described. Students walked around and debated topics in the outdoor socratic circle in the C-wing.
McCarthy said that he will continue to promote the class and recommend the course to anyone interested. “Challenge yourself, maybe you’ve never done an AP course, maybe you have. It’s not about the AP exam, it’s about the fact that by the end of this course you could pick up a magazine or newspaper especially about Europe but also about the world and not be intimidated but have some wisdom and some sense of ‘oh this is why this is happening in Russia.’
History teaches us the trends and patterns of the past. My ultimate goal, not to sound cheesy, is to make them into real American citizens who care about their republic and not just vote when they’re 18, but go in that ballot box as knowledgeable, interesting human beings that know how to analyze issues and find root causes,” McCarthy said.
AP Euro is back and better than ever now. Salit said that he thinks the class will run again next year because of how much of a success it has been this year thus far.
