Working Historians

Rob, Jeff, and Jonathan talk about the militarization of police forces in recent decades, the goals of community leaders who call for “defunding the police,” and the cancellation of the “COPS” television series after nearly 30 years on the air.

In this first episode of “Policing a Free Society,” a series dedicated to the intersection of history and criminal justice, Dr. Rob Denning, Dr. Jeff Czarnec, and soon-to-be-Dr. Jonathan Wesley bring their backgrounds in history, criminal justice, philosophy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion to bear on the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and the public response to Floy...

Scotty Edler is a student of history and political science and teaches for Southern New Hampshire University and community colleges in Texas. In this episode, Scotty talks about his pursuit of a Master of Science degree in Political Science, his historical research into Kaiser Wilhelm II and the second German Reich, the history of Mardi Gras, his experience with local and state politics, a potenti...

Darrett Pullins teaches history for Southern New Hampshire University and for the University of Phoenix. In this episode we discuss his background, the use of photography in history, a bit about World War II, and the closure of the University of Phoenix’s physical campus in Detroit. This episode’s recommendations: The works of William Manchester Ken Burns, dir., Country Music (PBS, 2019): https://...

Dr. Cherri Wemlinger teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Dr. Wemlinger discusses her academic and professional background, her research process from start to finish, and her work on Ethiopian history.

Brent Bankus is the Program Manager for the U.S. Army Strategic Education Program at the U.S. Army War College and is a graduate student at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, we talk about Brent’s background, his work on state militias and state defense forces during the twentieth century, and his history-related career within the U.S. Army. This episode’s recommendations: U.S. Ar...

Dr. Kate Buchanan is the office manager for an immigration law firm in Bellingham, Washington. In this episode we discuss Kate’s academic and professional background, her work on the relationship between Scottish castles and their physical environment, the importance of proper formatting and citations, and the cozy relationship between the study of history and the study of law. And there’s an utte...

Dr. Matthew Campbell is the Social Studies Curriculum Coach for Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District in Texas and an adjunct instructor for SNHU and other institutions. In this episode, Matt discusses his academic research into Southerners’ popular memory of slavery after the Civil War and how we teach history in America’s classrooms. This episode’s recommendations: James Loewen, Lies My...

Dr. Don Shaffer teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University and other institutions. In this episode, we discuss Dr. Shaffer’s research into black veterans of the Civil War and his life as a professor for online history courses. This episode’s recommendations: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 (Penguin Random House, 1991): h...

Matthew Avitabile teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University, is publisher of the Mountain Eagle newspaper, and mayor of Middleburgh, New York. In this episode, Matt discusses his background, his research into European history after World War II and British involvement with the Korean War, and the historical skills that he employs in his careers in journalism and public office. This epis...

Dr. Matthew Schandler is an adjunct instructor in history at Southern New Hampshire University and other institutions. In this episode, we discuss Matt’s academic and professional background, with a focus on his work on the early days of the videogame industry. This episode’s recommendations: Nick Dyer-Witheford and Greg de Peuter, Games of Empire: Global Capitalism and Video Games (University of...

Abigail Pfeiffer is the Course Lead for US History at Western Governors University, the Executive Director of the Vietnam War Digital History Project, and an adjunct instructor for Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, we discuss her academic and professional background, her research on prisoners of war during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, her development of the Vietnam War Digital Hi...

Wherein we take a break from our normal interview podcasts for a breaking news announcement on a sequel to 2018’s symposium on the definition of museums. Here Rob describes the upcoming symposium on “Theoretical Museology in U.S. and Tribal Contexts,” an online meeting of the minds in conjunction with the International Committee for Museology, the International Council on Museums, and the Associat...

Susan Keefer is a substitute teacher, assessment exam grader, and adjunct instructor for history at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode we discuss Susan’s academic and professional background, the difference between regional history and national history, historiography, the value of pursuing a K-12 teaching credential, and the use of music in history courses. This episode’s recommen...

Dr. Jeffrey Ramsey is an academic adviser and an instructor at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode we talk about academic and professional background, his research into the introduction of Title IX in the Big 10 sports conference, and his work as a college instructor and academic adviser. This episode’s recommendations: Michael Kimmel, Guyland: The Perilous World where Boys Become M...

Chris Savio teaches history, criminal justice, and special education at the high school and college levels. In this episode we discuss his academic and professional background, his teaching interests, and his diverse teaching experiences. This episode’s recommendations: Library of Congress American Memory Collection: https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/browse/updatedList.html Elliott West, The Contested...

Dr. Susan Dawson is a military and diplomatic historian and is the Branch Chief Historian for the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Customs and Border Protection. In this episode, Dr. Dawson discusses her academic and professional background, how to get started in a career as a historian in the federal government, and what life is like as a historian for a government agency. This episode...

Vasilios Kostakis is an academic adviser and adjunct instructor for Southern New Hampshire University. In episode, Vasilios talks to James and Rob about his academic and professional background and how the skills he learned as a historian help him relate to university students as an academic adviser. This episode’s recommendations: Jack Weatherford, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World...

Dr. Jamie Goodall is Assistant Professor of History at Stevenson University in Maryland. In this episode, Dr. Goodall discusses her academic and professional background, her research on pirates, life as an assistant professor, and advice for history students entering the job market. This episode’s recommendations: Mark G. Hanna, Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire, 1570-1740 (Universit...

Dr. Allen York retired from the United States Army as a First Sergeant and is an adjunct instructor for the history programs at Southern New Hampshire University and elsewhere. In this episode, Allen discusses his research on the home front during the Civil War, how the field of military history has evolved over recent decades, how his experience in the military contributed to his academic career,...

Erik Johnsen is teaches history at Portland Community College, University of Portland, and Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Erik discusses his academic and professional background, his research into Austrian nationalism between World War I and the early Cold War, and life as a full-time part-time instructor. This episode’s recommendations: Gary Gerstle, American Crucible: Race a...

In this episode commemorating Constitution Day, three scholars discuss the importance of the United States Constitution to their own academic work and the Constitution’s importance to American citizens. Christopher Kline, who teaches historical methods and American history in the graduate program, discusses the Whiskey Rebellion in the context of the early national era. Dr. Robert Irvine, a consul...

Zeb Larson earned his doctorate in diplomatic history from The Ohio State University in 2019 and is a freelance writer. He also records interviews for the New Books Network’s American history podcast. In this episode, Rob and Zeb discuss what it means to be a freelance writer and advice for history students entering the job market. Links: “We Need to Systematize Alt-Ac Career Guidance,” Inside Hig...

Marc Reyes and Bill Black are editors of Contingent Magazine, a non-profit online publication dedicated to the radical idea that historians deserve to be paid for their work. In this episode we discuss their academic and professional backgrounds and also talk about the magazine itself, which invites pitches from all historians that may not fit with more traditional academic history publications. T...

Henry Crawford is the retired Curator of History for the Museum of Texas Tech University and is currently affiliated with the Science Spectrum in Lubbock, Texas. He is the owner and operator of History by Choice, where he serves as a living history consultant. This episode’s recommendations: The Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums Museum of Texas Tech University  Kennedy...