The March 2012 issue of Perspectives online is now available. Some articles are gated, but can be accessed by AHA members after logging in to AHA online services.

History Profession
AHA President William Cronon tackles what it means to be a "professional historian" in “Professional Boredom,” the first article of the March 2012 issue of Perspectives on History. He also advocates for history writing that’s engaging and accessible and "makes the past come alive."

AHA Executive Director James Grossman’s article in this month’s issue takes a look at “Big Data,” how historians can interpret and conceptualize it, and what it might mean for the history job market.

Sift through the statistics in a National Science Foundation report with AHA Deputy Director Robert B. Townsend to learn who the new PhDs are.

Masters at the Movies
Go to see a Soviet film with Denise J. Youngblood, who takes a new look at Elem Klimov’s World War II film Come and See, selected as the best film at the 1985 Moscow Film Festival. This latest addition to the “Masters at the Movies” series is introduced by Robert Brent Toplin.

Teaching
Two articles this month offer new perspectives on teaching history. Susan E. Gray and Colin M. Coates recount a collaboration between York University and Arizona State Universities in their article, “Teaching History across Borders,” while Tamar Carroll and Lily Geismer discuss “Integrating Gender and Political History into Courses on Post-1945 U.S. History.”

News
In recent news, the AHA Council has released a statement on assessing historians’ work in "The ‘Productivity’ Question," the full list of AHA Council and committee members for 2012 is now available, and AHA members share their latest updates and accomplishments.

Affiliates
Lee White, executive director of the National Coalition for History, explains recent efforts to improve history and civics learning in his article, “History, Civics, and Making the Engaged Citizen.”

The National History Center’s Marian J. Barber reports on three history departments that are implementing changes, like study abroad programs and curriculum reform, as recommended by the recent Teagle Foundation report, in her article “Paths of Progress for the History Major.” Also see the NHC’s list of participants for its upcoming 2012 Seminar on Decolonization.

Find all of these articles, plus the In Memoriam column, in the March 2012 issue of Perspectives on History.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.