My dream college class: History of Small Arms

[hartzpad]

I was thinking how cool it would be to have firearms oriented classes in college. Heck, we learn about everything history wise except firearms. Most of my Political Science and History professors talk about "AK47's" and "M16's" generically, but they don't know what they are. Little do they know of the importance of the AK-47 for the Russians and all of their satelite nations or the importance of the UZI or Galil to early and modern Israel.

My dream class would be: "History of Small Arms since 1914"
from the bolt actions of WWI to the modern rifles from HK, Sig, Steyr, FN, and U.S. manufactuers, covering both rifles and pistols.

Lectures would include background and history on the inventors/manufacturers of the weapons like Mikhail Kalashnikov and John Moses Browning. Fuctional examples of each firearm in question would be brought into class for instruction and there would be a required lab once a week at a local gun range where students were required to try out each weapon. In addition, clips of certain war movies would be shown to teach how the firearms peformed in action.

What better education for the youth of America than this? It would teach them not only important history but skills as well and would likely stop many of the accident related firearms deaths and injuries because of firearms being unknown to most of today's youth.

 

[Chairman]

Think BYU would go for it?

 

[Stickjockey]

love to teach a class like that; the prep alone would be worth it! Unfortunately, around here the proposition wouldn't even make it past the Dean's office at most of our schools.

 

[NMshooter]

Sure would beat listening to washed up old hippies rant and rave about whatever random subject catches their fancy during the class.

I guess my mistake is expecting an education, instead of indoctrination.

 

[carebear]

Your start date is a little late, remember that the weapons a war is fought with are developed years before the war takes place. Starting at 1899/1900 might be better.

Most of the exciting innovations, smokeless powder, brass cartridges and repeaters, occured even earlier though.

Just figuring out how to frame the class would make an interesting exercise.

 

[Bridger]

Closest I got to that was last semester, Political Science 379, War and Strategy.

We covered technology briefly, stuff like how guns led to the demise of the mounted knight etc. Mostly anecdotal stuff about it all, when the professor mentioned the XM-29 and the XM-8 I think I went over everyone's heads when I participated

 

[jefnvk]

Closest we have is US Military History, which I intend to take some day.

OTOH, wouldn't it be better to take classes in which you get to shoot??? Something like Military Marksmanship Training, and Spring Adventure Training, listed in the catalog as:

Spring Adventure Training Students learn and apply leadership skills, winter survival techniques, and winter cross-country movement techniques using military skis and snowshoes. Students apply military map reading and land navigation techniques, including an introduction to the sport of orienteering. Students are taught safe firearms handling, and to shoot the M16 rifle. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-2) Semesters Offered: Spring

I think I am going to have fun next semester.

EDIT: Forgot about Beginning Rifle, too

 

[oneshooter]

jefnvk,
Took that course a number of years ago. Part of "Basic Training" in the Corps. Learned a lot of other stuff too. Try it, you might like it!

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

 

[hartzpad]

Carebear, while you are correct, I chose 1914 and later because that is when the majority of firearms evolution has occurred and while the historical innovations that make it all possible are important, there would just be too much to teach if we went back to the Chinese inventing gunpowder. That, and I don't really have any interest in guns from before WWI.

 

[Sam Adams]

The class would be immeasureably improved with a lab. One learns much better by watching AND doing, than by mere watching.

 

[Tag]

Sure would beat listening to washed up old hippies rant and rave about whatever random subject catches their fancy during the class.

Well said.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Once upon a time a young major by the name of Arthur Alphin did several hours worth of educational television production for the US Military Academy at West Point. It's the best thing I have ever seen describing the evolution of military small arms and the influence of technology on tactics. I got a copy from the audiovisual technology people at West Point while I was working for Uncle Sam to add to my agency's resource collection.

I have never seen it commercially available- I wish it was, I'd buy it. MAJ Alphin went all the way back to the longbow, so its historical database is longer than you specify. But it isn't just dry boring lecture- using working examples of each weapon discussed, compared and demonstrated, from his own personal collection and the extensive collection at West Point, there are live fire sessions with each. This series includes longbows, crossbows, matchlock muskets through flintlock smoothbore muskets, rifled caplock muskets, single shot cartridge arms, repeating cartridge arms in lever, bolt and semiauto actions, assault rifles (the selective fire ones), and machine guns light and heavy, box magazine and belt fed. There's even a bit on the Napoleon cannon.

It's an impressive piece, if anyone knows of its availability I'd like to know about it. And yes, that's the same Arthur Alphin who founded A Square.

lpl/nc

 

[4v50 Gary]

Sign me up to teach. Individual class project will be range demonstrations. Student must explain their weapon, its function & operations. Haven't thought of the final yet but it won't be scam-tron.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Small Arms History

I want a job as a lab instructor!!

Final exam for the course: Demonstrate proficiency with each new weapon development, from the matchlock to the Ma Deuce!

Alternate exam: Construct a flintlock. Materials: 1 pc. maple. 1 bar steel. Assorted small pcs. iron. Tools: Anything that might have been available in, say, 1800.

Alternate alternate exam (Held @ Camp Perry or Friendship IN): Place at least 10th in your choice of category.

 

[Detritus]

OK..... who's been perusing my dreams??!!!??

truthfully teaching such a class has been one of my dreams (albeit one unlikely to be fullfilled) ever since i did a little "re-asessment" of my goals when i realized my math skills weren't up to Engineering school.

it really would be a dream situation for me to go and get my history degree, get a teaching position, and then be allowed to teach a "history of the gun" or the firearm in US history (civillian or military usage doesn't matter here). got i wish i had the money to return to school. :banghead:

 

[sm]

Campus Bookstore is going to be a fun place to hang out.

Can't wait to see the shelves/ racks of "Instructor Required Class Materials".

 

[schizrade]

Dream course of study:

History of Small Arms, 1400-1820
History of Small Arms, 1820-1900
History of Small Arms, 1900-Present
Ancient Military History I: Greece, Rome, Egypt and the Middle East
Ancient Military History II: China, India, Africa, Mongolia, The Barbarians
Medievil Military History I: The Mongols, The Russians, The Teutons, Charlemagne
Medievil Military History II: The Spanish, The British, The Scotts, The Arabs/Islam
Medievil Military History III: The Aztecs, The Inca, The Japanese, Africa.

Getting tired, somebody add more.

High Road University: We leave the Bull in the pasture.

 

[Morgan]

Lee - if you EVER find that course please let me know. It sounds great.

 

[Soap]

I took a course at Purdue called "Modern Weapons". We covered how warfare has evolved in its various forms as a result of the technologies used to fight it. The great thing was that it covered no only the battlefield implications, but the social ones as well. Awesome course!

 

[Remington788]

If a class like that was offered, I would have to go back to college.