I write as one of those second-rate British scholars preferred to
good Americans here at Cornell. My appointment is in Medieval History (which
at least one colleague considered to exclude English historians) but I
lecture some of the time on England, and a bit of the time even on the
British Isles as a unit. I also seem mostly to get graduate students doing
their stuff primarily on English (or British) source material. I have two
good colleagues at present in English history, Dan Baugh for the modern
period, C18 on, and Rachel Weil on Tudor-Stewart things, but especially 17th
century and on. Given our strengths in neighbouring areas of european and
American colonial history, this makes Cornell a program to consider.
Of course, though, I agree that if you can handle funding and
ensuring that you get back here to AHA etc at job time, then several British
universities come very strongly into the reckoning. All the more so if you
enjoy warm beer, good cheese and experiencing the latest manifestations of
the culture whose past you have chosen to study.
Paul Hyams
PAUL R. HYAMS prh3@cornell.edu (607) 257-3168
History Dept.,
Cornell University,
ITHACA NY 14853-4601.