This review appeared in the Cultured Classrooms section of NEPCA's fall newsletter. It seems appropriate to repost it as a review on Inauguration Day. Putting Class Back Into the Classroom I'm guilty of being one of those scholars who too glibly use the words “important book” in reviews and academic discussions. We often mean, simply, … Continue reading History of White Trash
Teaching Ideas
Teaching Ideas: Ways of Thinking about and Seeing the Grateful Dead
Ways of Seeing the Grateful Dead: It often surprises music fans to learn that rightwing author/commentator/shock jock Ann Coulter claims to be a Deadhead who has seen over 60 shows. You can read all about it at: http://www.jambands.com/features/2006/06/23/deadheads-are-what-liberals-claim-to-be-but-aren-t-an-interview-with-ann-coulter It also surprises some to learn that there is an ever-growing body of scholarship called "Grateful … Continue reading Teaching Ideas: Ways of Thinking about and Seeing the Grateful Dead
Teaching about the History of White Trash
Putting Class Back Into the Classroom I'm guilty of being one of those scholars who too glibly use the words “important book” in reviews and academic discussions. We often mean, simply, a work that advances some argument within our narrow specialty—not a book we could actually teach, or one that undergraduates would find provocative. Every … Continue reading Teaching about the History of White Trash
Pedagogy Database
We are developing the new Pedagogy Database at http://www.pedagogydatabase.com, an academic online community where professors can share teaching pedagogy. We are at the initial stages of building the database across multiple disciplines and course levels, and we are seeking contributions of pedagogy that you have created in your teaching career, such as: Timelines Glossaries Case … Continue reading Pedagogy Database
University of KY History Podcasts
Two doctoral students in the History Department at the University of Kentucky, Dara Vance and Cody Foster, have started a podcast series called "Long Story Short: A Brief History of History" that features UK historians reflecting on and summarizing fascinating stories in history. The target audience is local, regional and global audiences as well as, … Continue reading University of KY History Podcasts
Bleak Journal Statistics
Are we reaching students through print? Or anyone else? This provocative article raises issues that deserve wider consideration. In this article from the Strait Times, authors Asit K. Biswas And Julian Kirchherr argue that academics should help shape public debate and policy. While Biswas and Kircherrs arguments center on the need for policy-making suggestions by … Continue reading Bleak Journal Statistics
Zeitgeist Novels for Those Teaching the 1990s
I like to read “period” novels whenever I teach a U.S. history survey course. I unshelf Howells and Twain when I teach the Gilded Age, dust off Steinbeck for the 1930s, and dive into Angelou and Walker to get an African-American perspective. With the semester winding down, I’ve been reading about the 1990s. Recent novels … Continue reading Zeitgeist Novels for Those Teaching the 1990s
Can Flawed Books Be Good Teaching Tools?
Boom! Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today. By Tom Brokaw. Random House, 2008. ISBN: 9780812975116. Historians study the past, but we know its meanings change over time. That principle extends to books written about history–some remain vital and others age more like beer than wine. Aging badly is especially … Continue reading Can Flawed Books Be Good Teaching Tools?
Evaluating Pop Culture Texts
One Popular Culture Text To Rule Them All: Teaching Popular Culture with the Right Text Popular Culture in American History (2nd edition). By Jim Cullen, ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2013; Popular Culture: A User’s Guide (2nd edition). By Susie O’Brien and Imre Szeman. Nelson Education, 2010; Discovering Popular Culture. By Anna Tomasino, Pearson/Longman, 2006; With Amusement for All: … Continue reading Evaluating Pop Culture Texts
Teaching Idea: Teaching Black Baseball
FIRST GENERATION: AFRICAN-AMERICAN BASEBALL PLAYERS AND AMERICAN SOCIETY Rob Weir The list is easy to find–the first African-American players for each of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) teams. Some of the names are instantly recognizable–Ernie Banks, Larry Doby, Elston Howard and, of course, Jackie Robinson. Others–such as Tom Alston, Carlos Paula, and Bob Trice–are little … Continue reading Teaching Idea: Teaching Black Baseball
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