Working Historians

Kate Schaefer teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Kate discusses her research into female spies during the Irish Rebellion of 1916 and World War II. And then there is some chatter about the Sisters of Mercy and the CIA’s suggestions for disrupting Zoom meetings, kinda.   This episode’s recommendations: Sarah Rose, D-Day Girls: The Spies who Armed the Resistance,...

Season 1 lasted for four years, and then Rob put the podcast on hiatus because, I dunno, pandemic? Exhaustion? While searching for the meaning of life, he found his old chum Jimmy Fennessy on a remote mountaintop and the two decided to get the band back together and work on Season 2 of Working Historians, which will be bigger and better than ever before! There’s even a website now. In this episode...

The Working Historians podcast is switching its hosting site from Soundcloud to Podbean, so Soundcloud subscribers should consider re-subscribing through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or any of the other dozens of podcast apps out there. In this episode, Rob provides a teaser for upcoming changes to the podcast (including a new website).

Dr. Peter Milich is a historian who specializes in Russian, Soviet, and Eastern European history. As a witness to the collapse of modern nations like the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, Rob and Pete discuss the state of modern international affairs. This episode’s recommendations: Alfred McCoy, “The Rise and Decline of US Global Power” (October 25, 2017), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GygmGSwvcI D...

Dr. Paul McKenzie-Jones teaches history, focusing on political activism among Native Americans and other indigenous peoples around the world. This episode’s recommendations: Nick Estes, Our History is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Resistance of Indigenous Resistance (Verso, 2019), https://www.versobooks.com/books/2953-our-history-is-the-future   Susan Sl...

Dr. Cassandra Clark teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University and Salt Lake Community College and is a public historian with the State of Utah’s Department of Heritage and Arts. In this episode, we will discuss Dr. Clark’s academic and professional background, her work with the State of Utah, and her research on the history of insanity and the environment in the American West, with disc...

Dr. Guy Ruoff teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University and is Town Supervisor for Scott, New York. In this episode, Guy talks to Rob about his academic and professional background, his present and future political career, and the importance of historical knowledge in the political sphere. This episode’s recommendations: The Memory Palace podcast: https://www.prx.org/memory-palace/?gcli...

Deirdre Lannon teaches history at Texas State University. In this episode, Deirdre discusses her academic and professional background (including her time fronting a rockabilly band!) and her dissertation research topic, Ruth Reynolds and her role in the fight for Puerto Rican independence.

Scott Black teaches history at numerous colleges and universities, including Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Scott talks about his academic and professional background, his career teaching history, and the challenges and rewards of writing historical fiction. This episode’s recommendations: Sabaton: https://www.sabaton.net/ Various Authors, The American Yawp: https://www.americ...

Karen Sieber is a Humanities Specialist for the Clement and Laura McGillicuddy Humanities Center at the University of Maine. In this episode we discuss her academic and professional background, the major public history research projects with which she has been affiliated, her work at the Humanities Center, and our history-related recommendations This week's recommendations: Visualizing the Red Sum...

Adam Lehman is Assistant Professor of History at Guilford Technical Community College. In this episode we discuss his academic and professional background and his research into the missed privateering opportunities of the War of 1812. This episode’s recommendations: Jeff Kinard, “Lectures in History: Civil War Weaponry,” C-Span, https://www.c-span.org/video/?465611-1/civil-war-weaponry Footnoting...

It’s Constitution Day! This presentation will include a roundtable discussion of the origins of the Constitution, some of its provisions, and its influence on modern life in the United States by a panel of historians and political scientists, including Michael Gattis, Harley Hall, Robbin Mellen, Jeremy Pedigo, and Brigitte Powell. Associate Dean Robert Denning hosts the presentation. Listeners can...

Shenetha Solomon is a historical consultant, a doctoral student, and an instructor at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode we discuss her academic and professional background, and we focus on her research into the history of the town of Taft, Oklahoma, and her family’s connections to the town. This episode’s recommendations: Daina Ramey Berry, The Price for their Pound of Flesh: The...

Working Historians is excited to broadcast the proceedings of "Theoretical Museology in US and Tribal Contexts," a symposium organized and hosted by the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), International Council of Museums - US (ICOM-US), the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). The symposium was held online on August 27 and 28, 2...

Working Historians is excited to broadcast the proceedings of "Theoretical Museology in US and Tribal Contexts," a symposium organized and hosted by the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), International Council of Museums - US (ICOM-US), the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). The symposium was held online on August 27 and 28, 2...

Working Historians is excited to broadcast the proceedings of "Theoretical Museology in US and Tribal Contexts," a symposium organized and hosted by the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), International Council of Museums - US (ICOM-US), the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). The symposium was held online on August 27 and 28, 2...

Working Historians is excited to broadcast the proceedings of "Theoretical Museology in US and Tribal Contexts," a symposium organized and hosted by the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), International Council of Museums - US (ICOM-US), the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). The symposium was held online on August 27 and 28, 2...

Working Historians is excited to broadcast the proceedings of "Theoretical Museology in US and Tribal Contexts," a symposium organized and hosted by the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), International Council of Museums - US (ICOM-US), the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). The symposium was held online on August 27 and 28, 2...

Working Historians is excited to broadcast the proceedings of "Theoretical Museology in US and Tribal Contexts," a symposium organized and hosted by the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), International Council of Museums - US (ICOM-US), the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). The symposium was held online on August 27 and 28, 2...

Sarah Estee teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Rob and Sarah discuss the use of film as a teaching tool in history courses, and touch on some of the more notorious history-based films in recent decades (ahem, 300…). This episode’s recommendations: Robert Rosenstone, History on Film/Film on History (Pearson, 2006) Disgraceland Podcast: https://www.disgracelandpod...

Dr. Gregory Robinson teaches history for Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode we discuss his career teaching high school students, his research into Native American trickster gods and other aspects of mythology, his brief stint as a playwright, and the connections he has drawn between history and motorcycles.   This episode’s recommendations: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the Un...

Larry Tye is a journalist and the Director of Health Coverage Fellowship, which helps print, radio, TV, and online journalists and editors better cover health care issues. He also recently published Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Joe McCarthy. In this episode, we discuss the book, Larry’s background, and his perspective on the state of journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic.   Links: Larr...

Benjamin Carr teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Rob, James, and Ben discuss Joshua Norton, the first Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. It’s such a San Francisco story. This episode’s recommendations: Albert Dressler, Emperor Norton: LIfe and Experiences of a Notable Character in San Francisco, 1849-1880 (Sacramento: News Publishing Company,...

In this episode, Jeff Czarnec and Rob Denning belatedly introduce themselves, provide some background on the Policing a Free Society podcast, and attempt to define and preview many of the concepts that will pop up in future episodes of the series, including the changing interpretations of history and human behavior and the complexity of policing a free society.

Dr. Richard Driver is an Assistant Professor of History at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. In this episode, Richard discusses his research into twentieth-century musicians and his career teaching history. This episode’s recommendations: Lisa Brooks, Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War (Yale University Press, 2019), https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300244328/our-belove...