I just got back from the OAH meeting in Atlanta. It was a great weekend. One of the panels that I was most excited to attend was the SHEAR panel on “New Knowledge in Old Containers: How Early Republic Scholars are Changing the Story.” During the panel, John Larson gathered together four past SHEAR presidents…
Today marks 149 years since Abraham Lincoln got shot at the theater, dying the next day from the head wound. So I thought I’d post about good old Honest Abe and a pretty nifty document that survives from those last fateful days. The paper, with a design drawn in ink and hand-colored with pencils, was…
Today I’m lecturing on revivalism and reform movements in the 1820s-1840s. In preparation for today’s discussion, my students read this text by C.G. Finney. We will also be looking at revival hymns — which means we should probably listen to at least one. I am tempted to play this version of “Rock of Ages”: I…
Six weeks ago, my colleague John Marks and I organized and hosted an exciting event at Rice University. “Race and Nation in the Age of Emancipations: A Symposium on the Atlantic World” included 6 panels, 15 presentations, 2 keynote lectures, and many informal conversations over Tex-Mex and barbeque exploring the complicated relationship between race, nation,…
Though I have long been fascinated (cautiously, though, I hope) by the potential for applying the mind sciences to the study of history, I have not given as much attention to new educational psychology research. This week, however, I learned of a new Duke and Rice studythat suggests some easy but effective ways of designing…
In my history/psychology learning community (team taught with a colleague from the Psychology Department), we have given special attention to the role of personality in history. Exploring 20th-century history through the lens of biography led me back to Edward R. Murrow, to whom my undergraduate professors first introduced me. Murrow’s courage in taking on Joseph…
Of course you have assigned your students writing projects. And you’ve probably had students write collaboratively. (Collaborative writing is already the scholarly buzz word, and there are some great thoughts on that in Chapter 14 of this book.) But have you ever written with your students? That is what happened to me last semester. The end…
For my second half survey this semester, I am asking my students to evaluate the significance of shifts in media technology. We began the semester with a discussion of commercial photography. You can read more about that assignment here. Our second assignment focused on the radio in the 1930s. After reading Tom Lewis’s short OAH…
What is the role of local history in the American history survey? Should the history survey always be taught in the same manner, with the same emphases, and with the same material? Should it be taught, for instance, in Massachusetts as it is in Texas? In cities as in suburbs? In poor schools as in…
We’re back from “spring” break this week, and my students have all gotten their midterms handed back to them. My inbox and office hours were both accordingly more full than usual. Some of the students are taking the time to check in, talk about their performance, and think about what they can do to improve…
