Know Your Profs is an ongoing series of profiles on the instructors at Camosun College. Every issue we ask a different instructor at Camosun the same 10 questions in an attempt to get to know them a little better.
Do you have an instructor who you want to see interviewed in the paper? Maybe you want to know more about one of your teachers, but you’re too busy, or shy, to ask? Email editor@nexusnewspaper.com and we’ll add your instructor to our list of teachers to talk to.
This issue we talked to History instructor Christian Lieb about his love of red curry and the value of studying the past.
1. What do you teach and how long have you been at Camosun?
I teach history courses at Camosun, covering a wide range of topics from Canadian and American to European and world history. I also teach a couple of courses that have a narrower focus, such as Second World War and Hollywood as Historian. I started teaching at Camosun in 2016. Before that, I taught history at the University of Victoria since 2004, and I’ve also taught at Vancouver Island University.
2. What do you personally get out of teaching?
As an instructor, I have the privilege to keep learning all the time—reading historical records, the latest research, and the daily news. I also enjoy hearing students’ insights, and I appreciate the knowledge they bring to class discussions. Student contributions enrich the learning experience by allowing us to think about events in the past from different perspectives. It’s equally exciting to see how students grow over time, and, in some cases, to hear what they are doing after graduation.
3. What’s one thing you wish your students knew about you?
That I actually mean it when I say that they should ask questions in class if anything is unclear or if they would like more details on topics that they are interested in. They are also welcome to come and see me if they get stuck with their assignments—I am here to help.
4. What’s one thing you wish they didn’t know about you?
Hmm—that would kind of defeat the purpose if I actually disclosed that here…
5. What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you as a teacher here?
What I really enjoy about Camosun is the collegiality of the faculty, and the small class sizes that make it possible to get to know students. The human interactions really shape the experience here, and that has been very positive.
6. What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you as a teacher here?
Nothing very terrible comes to mind. One disappointment was that due to low enrolment, Camosun was not able to run the American survey course this fall. Given recent events south of the border, I am hoping there will be an upswing in interest in the historic and present role of the United States in world affairs in the future, though.
7. What do you see in the future of post-secondary education?
It’s difficult to predict what exactly is going to happen since there are a lot of different factors at play, such as student preferences, public funding, and government priorities. However, demographically, we do see a decline in student numbers, which will put a squeeze on resources. This has certainly had an impact on the humanities, which is unfortunate, since History students learn valuable skills such as understanding the complex processes that shaped societies past and present, finding information, and interpreting evidence. All of these are transferrable skills that will serve students well, no matter what they are doing in the future.
8. What do you do to relax on the weekends?
I like to spend my weekends with my wife and son, ideally outdoors, hiking in places such as East Sooke Park, and taking photographs.
9. What is your favourite meal?
My favourite meal is a Thai red curry with coconut rice.
10. What’s your biggest pet peeve?
As a historian, I am concerned that many governments today are operating in a “history-free zone.” We see populist governments raising tariff barriers, lowering taxes, and undermining welfare systems, while also setting stricter limits on citizenship and immigration. Similar policies were put in place in the 1930s—they didn’t work then and they are unlikely to be helpful today. The structures put in place after the Second World War were meant to respond to the problems of the 1930s, and now it looks like they are being dismantled without a clear plan of how to effectively replace them. As philosopher George Santayana already put it in 1905, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”