Laura Kalman
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I am one of the few native Angelenos my age (51!) you will find. I grew up in LA, attended Pomona College (where I majored in history) and then went on to UCLA Law School. I briefly worked in a law firm and still maintain my California Bar Association membership, but Clio's call proved irresistible. In 1982, I received my PhD from Yale and was offered a position here. I accepted the offer without even asking what my salary would be. You can imagine how thrilled I was to return to my homeland. I am also currently President of UCSB Hillel.
Research Interests
I write about the history of American legal thought, legal education, the legal profession and the U.S. Supreme Court. I also write political history: I am currently at work on a book about the turn towards conservatism in the United States during the 1970s.
Teaching Style
I teach a variety of courses about the history of American politics, culture and law since 1920. The material is charged. Consider some of the issues during "my" period: Did Truman drop the bomb to end World War II and/or to intimidate the Soviets? Did "the sixties" end with the election of Richard Nixon in 1968, Kent State in 1970, Richard Nixon's resignation because of Watergate in 1974, or when the last American helicopter left Saigon in 1975? Who deserves more credit for the end of the Cold War, Reagan or Gorbachev? I could go on and on. I try to be as forthcoming as I can about my interpretations as a way of encouraging students to develop their own. I also try to provide them the material they need to develop alternative interpretations. As I tell my students, we all have the same evidence, and we all weigh it differently. Each of us brings our own experiences and our current concerns to the study of history. Though Harry Truman was reviled when he left office, historians writing in the aftermath of Watergate transformed him into a hero. Each generation must write its own history, and historians must understand that reasonable people can and should disagree. The diverse historical interpretations that ensue give history its vitality--and keep historians employed.
Idea of a Good Time
Like most historians, I live to read other people's mail. I am very happy when I am in the archives doing just that.
Most Important Thing to Learn in College?
That's a tough one, and I think what is the most important thing for one student to learn may not be the most important for another. Generally speaking, I hope that students will learn to think critically and to write well. I hope that what they learn will increase their intellectual curiosity and help to make them engaged and responsible citizens with a lively appreciation for different points of view. Beyond that, it is probably useful for students to learn how to cook, if they don't know how to do so already, since most of our students only live in the dorms for one year. And it would be good for them to learn how to balance a checkbook, if they don't bank online and if they don't know how to balance one already: That would put them ahead of me!
Advice for New Students at UCSB
Go see your professors during their office hours. Part of our job is to write you recommendations, and we can write more effective ones if you are more than a perm number. And keep up your grades up during your freshman year. It saddens me when I have to write a recommendation for an excellent student who "messed up" during his or her freshman year. It can be hard to live away from home for the first time, and our party scene is as lively as that on most campuses. Keep your eyes on the prize. If your grades are bad during your freshman year, it can be fatal to your GPA, no matter how studious you become down the road.
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