Working Historians

Chris Savio - History, Criminal Justice, and Special Education Teacher

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 Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1998), https://kansaspress.ku.edu/978-0-7006-1029-7.html 

Susan Dawson - Branch Chief Historian, Office of Customs and Border Protection

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’s recommendations and links:

Peter Jackson, dir., They Shall Not Grow Old (Warner Bros., 2018), https://www.theyshallnotgrowold.film/

Society for History in the Federal Government: http://www.shfg.org/

Federal Government Job Application website: https://www.usajobs.gov/

And your local library!

Vasilios Kostakis - Academic Adviser, Southern New Hampshire University

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 (Penguin Random House, 2005), https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/187628/genghis-khan-and-the-making-of-the-modern-world-by-jack-weatherford/

Lizzy Goodman, Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City, 2001-2011 (HarperCollins, 2018), https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062233103/meet-me-in-the-bathroom/

“Meet Me in the Bathroom: The Art Show,” curated by Hala Matar and Lizzy Goodman, The Hole, September 4-22, http://theholenyc.com/2019/06/29/meet-me-in-the-bathroom/

John R. McNeill, “AHA Interviews, Good Intentions, and Unexpected Consequences,” Perspectives on History (August 28, 2019), https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/september-2019/aha-interviews-good-intentions-and-unexpected-consequences 

Jamie Goodall - Assistant Professor, Stevenson University

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 (University of North Carolina Press, 2015): https://uncpress.org/book/9781469636047/pirate-nests-and-the-rise-of-the-british-empire-1570-1740/

Ghost tours; any ghost tours. They’re really fun.

Allen York - US Army Veteran and Adjunct Instructor, SNHU

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, and his current life as an academic.

This episode’s recommendations:

Peter N. Stearns, “Why Study History,” (American Historical Association, 1998), https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/historical-archives/why-study-history-(1998)

Julia Brookins and Sarah Fenton, eds., “Careers for History Majors” (American Historical Association, 2018), https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/why-study-history/careers-for-history-majors 

Teaching Careers for Historians: Erik Johnsen - Adjunct Instructor

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 and Nation in the Twentieth Century, updated ed. (Princeton University Press, 2017), 

Edward E. Baptist, The Half has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism (Basic Books, 2016)

Isabel Wilkerson, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration (Penguin, 2011)

Richard White, The Republic for Which It Stands: The United States during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865-1896 (Oxford University Press, 2017),  

Zeb Larson - Freelance Writer

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 Higher Ed (November 21, 2018) https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2018/11/21/advisers-and-institutions-should-systematize-guidance-students-about-alt-ac.

“The Need for Outside Jobs in Grad School,” Inside Higher Ed (July 3, 2019), https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2019/07/03/more-grad-students-should-be-allowed-take-jobs-outside-academe-opinion.

Zeb’s interviews for the New Books Network: https://newbooksnetwork.com/?s=zeb+larson. 

Publishing Careers for Historians: Marc Reyes and William Black - Editors, Contingent Magazine

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.

This episode’s recommendations:

You’re Wrong About… podcast

Kings, Kitchens, and their Stories

John O’Malley, Urethane Revolution: The Birth of Skate, San Diego 1975 (The History Press, 2019)

Karin Wulf, “What Naomi Wolf and Cokie Roberts Teach Us About the Need for Historians,” Washington Post, June 11, 2019

Consulting Careers in History: Henry Crawford - Owner, History by Choice

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 Space Center Visitor Center 

Curating Careers for Historians: Shannon Lange - Curator, Bricks to Blocks

Shannon Lange is the Curator for Blocks to Bricks in Schaumburg, Illinois and a recent graduate of the SNHU graduate history program with a concentration in public history. In this episode we talk about Shannon’s academic and professional careers.

This episode’s recommendations:

Blocks to Bricks: Constructing Imagination

Michael Stephenson, The Last Full Measure: How Soldiers Die in Battle (Broadway Books, 2013)

Learning History: Sara English - Graduate Student, Eastern Illinois University

Sara English is a graduate assistant and Vice President of Public Relations for the Graduate Student Advisory Council at Eastern Illinois University. In this episode we talk about Sara’s efforts to find out what career-related resources and opportunities exist for graduates of MA History programs.

Resources:

American Historical Association “MA in History” Community (requires AHA membership)

Stephanie Averill on ”Our Boys: The First Status of Forces Treaties and the Problem of Jurisdiction”

Dr. Stephanie Averill teaches in the graduate history program at Southern New Hampshire University, specializing in historiography and the capstone thesis. In this episode, Dr. Averill is presenting “Our Boys: The First Status of Forces Treaties and the Problem of Jurisdiction.” 

Stephanie McConnell - Adjunct Instructor, Southern New Hampshire University

Dr. Stephanie McConnell is a historian of sports and the Cold War and is an instructor in the graduate history program at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Dr. McConnell discusses her academic and professional backgrounds, her research interests, and the working lives of historians.

This episode’s recommendations:

The Man in the High Castle, TV series, Amazon, 2015 to present. https://www.amazon.com/Man-High-Castle-Season/dp/B00RSGFRY8

First Man, directed by Damien Chazelle, University Pictures Home Entertainment, 2018. https://www.uphe.com/movies/first-man

Christopher Chan - Writer and Instructor, Southern New Hampshire University

Dr. Christopher Chan is a writer and Adjunct Instructor for History at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Chris talks a bit about his MA in Library Sciences, the theft of documents from the National Archives, the decline of shopping malls, working for an internet startup, Agatha Christie, the academic job market, and a bunch of other topics.

This episode’s recommendations:

Dorothy Marcic, With One Shot: Family, Murder and a Search for Justice (New York: Kensington Publishing Corp., 2018), http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/36070

Mark Lemberger, Crime of Magnitude: The Murder of Little Annie (Createspace, 2016), https://www.amazon.com/Crime-Magnitude-Murder-Little-Annie/dp/1537260235/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538504236&sr=1-1&keywords=crime+of+magnitude

Bright Sun Films: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5k3Kc0avyDJ2nG9Kxm9JmQ

Steve James, dir., America to Me (Kartemquin Films, 2018), https://kartemquin.com/films/america-to-me

Sam Wineburg, Why Learn History (When It’s Already on Your Phone) (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018), https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo23022136.html 

Charles Reed - Associate Professor of History, ECSU, and President, H-Net

Dr. Charles Reed is Associate Professor of History at Elizabeth City State University and it most of the way through his term as President of H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online. In this episode, we talk about Chas’s background and his reign as president, but we also wander through other topics, such as declining enrollments in history programs, historically black colleges and universities, history-based role-playing and video games, and why everybody should care about H-Net. This episode’s recommendations: Miles Taylor, Empress: Queen Victoria and India (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2018), https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300118094/empress. Richard Zacks, Chasing the Last Laugh: How Mark Twain Escaped Debt and Disgrace with a Round-the-World Comedy Tour (New York: Penguin Random House, 2017), https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/220148/chasing-the-last-laugh-by-richard-zacks/9780345802538/. Other items of interest: Clio app: https://www.theclio.com/web/ Reacting to the Past role-playing games: https://reacting.barnard.edu/ Benjamin M. Schmidt, “The History BA Since the Great Recession,” Perspectives on History, November 26, 2018, https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/december-2018/the-history-ba-since-the-great-recession-the-2018-aha-majors-report Rob Denning and James Fennessy can be reached at workinghistorians@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FilibusterHist.

Brian Cervantez discusses Amon Carter, A Lone Star Life

Dr. Brian Cervantez is Associate Professor at Tarrant County College in Texas, where he specializes in the history of the American South. Today he discusses the subject of his forthcoming book, Amon Carter: A Lone Star Life, to be released in 2019 by the University of Oklahoma Press. For more information, visit the publisher’s website: https://www.oupress.com/books/15070738/amon-carter

Jason Larson - Religion and Philosophy Teacher, Hotchkiss School

Dr. Jason Larson is an Instructor in Philosophy and Religion at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut and an adjunct instructor at Southern New Hampshire University. Today we will discuss Dr. Larson’s academic and professional background and his experiences teaching at a private boarding school. Recommendations: Travel! Kronborg Castle: http://kongeligeslotte.dk/en/palaces-and-gardens/kronborg-castle.html Atlas Obscura website (https://www.atlasobscura.com/) and book (https://www.atlasobscura.com/unique-gifts/atlas-obscura-book) The recruitment firm discussed in this episode is Carney Sandoe & Associates: https://www.carneysandoe.com/. Rob Denning and James Fennessy can be reached at workinghistorians@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/FilibusterHist.

Consulting Careers for Historians: Julie Mujic - Owner, Paramount Historical Consulting, and Jason Engle - Historian

Dr. Julie Mujic is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Dennison University and the owner of Paramount Historical Consulting, LLC. Dr. Jason Engle is an adjunct instructor for Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Julie and Jason talk to Rob about their backgrounds, alternative careers for historians, and developing an exhibit for the Columbus Historical Society on “’We Shall Remember Them’: How Columbus Remembered the Great War.” “We Shall Remember Them”: How Columbus Remembered the Great War," exhibit at the Columbus Historical Society, open August 30, 2018 through April 30, 2019, https://www.columbushistory.org/wwi/

Elizabeth Spott - Technical Faculty for Social Sciences, Southern New Hampshire University

Dr. Elizabeth Spott is an archaeologist and is Technical Faculty for Social Sciences at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Dr. Spott discusses her academic and professional background, explains the connections between anthropology, archaeology, and history, and talks about the careers open to students in those fields. This episode’s recommendations: Lina Zeldovich, “14,000-Year-Old Piece of Bread Rewrites the History of Baking and Farming,” National Public Radio, July 24, 2018, https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/07/24/631583427/14-000-year-old-piece-of-bread-rewrites-the-history-of-baking-and-farming (yes, this is a repeat). Nova, “Dawn of Humanity,” directed by Graham Townsley, aired on PBS June 20, 2018: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/dawn-of-humanity.html. Margarita Diaz-Andreu, Sam Lucy, Stasa Babic, and David N. Edwards, eds., Archaeology of Identity: Approaches to Gender, Age, Status, Ethnicity, and Religion (London: Routledge, 2005): https://www.routledge.com/Archaeology-of-Identity/Diaz-Andreu-Lucy/p/book/9780415197465. Urban Coyote Research Project: https://urbancoyoteresearch.com/ Rob Denning and James Fennessy can be reached at workinghistorians@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/FilibusterHist.

Daniel Peters - Research and Facilities Manager, Manchester Historic Association

Daniel Peters is the Research and Facilities Manager for the Manchester Historic Association in Manchester, New Hampshire. In this episode, Rob and James visited the Association’s Research Center to talk to Dan about his background, the Manchester Historic Association’s work, and the importance of such institutions to the preservation and study of local history. This episode’s recommendations: “Manchester and the Great War” exhibit at the Manchester Historic Association: https://www.manchesterhistoric.org/events/214-exhibit-opening-6 Manchester Historic Association: https://www.manchesterhistoric.org/ Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Campaign Cloth at the MHA (picture on Twitter) Rob Denning and James Fennessy can be reached at workinghistorians@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/FilibusterHist.

Heather Mayer - Historian

Dr. Heather Mayer teaches history at Portland Community College and Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Dr. Mayer discusses her new book, Beyond the Rebel Girl: Women and the Industrial Workers of the World in the Pacific Northwest, 1905-1924 and her recent article in the Washington Post. This episode’s recommendations: Heather Mayer, Beyond the Rebel Girl: Women and the Industrial Workers of the World in the Pacific Northwest, 1905-1924 (Corvallis: Oregon State University Press, 2018): http://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/beyond-rebel-girl Heather Mayer, “The Alt-Right Manipulates Free-Speech Rights. We Should Defend Those Rights Anyway,” The Washington Post, August 21, 2018: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2018/08/21/the-alt-right-manipulates-free-speech-rights-we-should-defend-those-rights-anyway/?utm_term=.a296321ab1b9 #Twitterstorians’ Twitter feeds: Kevin Kruse (@kevinmkruse), Heather Ann Thompson (@hthompsn) Project Recover: https://projectrecover.org/blog/2018/08/15/project-recover-discovers-stern-of-world-war-ii-u-s-destroyer-off-remote-alaskan-island-in-noaa-supported-mission/ Laura Alice Watt, The Paradox of Preservation: Wilderness and Working Landscapes at Point Reyes National Seashore (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2017): https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520277083/the-paradox-of-preservation Rob’s review of The Paradox of Preservation: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=51931 Rob Denning and James Fennessy can be reached at workinghistorians@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/FilibusterHist.

Natalie Sweet - Program Coordinator, Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum

Natalie Sweet is the Program Coordinator for the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. In this episode, Natalie talks about her academic and professional background, her experiences researching and writing about Abraham Lincoln, and her role at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum. This episode’s recommendations: John Reeves, The Lost indictment of Robert E. Lee: The Forgotten Case against an American Icon (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018), https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538110393/The-Lost-Indictment-of-Robert-E.-Lee-The-Forgotten-Case-Against-an-American-Icon Lina Zeldovich, “14,000-Year-Old Piece of Bread Rewrites the History of Baking and Farming,” National Public Radio, July 24, 2018, https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/07/24/631583427/14-000-year-old-piece-of-bread-rewrites-the-history-of-baking-and-farming Lakeside Press: http://www.lakesideclassicbooks.com/ Rob Denning and James Fennessy can be reached at workinghistorians@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/FilibusterHist.

Interlude

A musical interlude, with the soothing sounds of political speechifying from Senators Rand Paul, Chris Murphy, Bernie Sanders, Harry Reid, and Rand Paul again. Citations: Senator Rand Paul filibustering John Brennan’s nomination for Director of Central Intelligence, March 6, 2013, https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4383732/senator-rand-paul-filibuster (at 0:12), accessed July 16, 2018. Senator Chris Murphy filibustering to discuss gun control, June 15, 2016, https://www.c-span.org/video/?411209-1/us-senate-holds-15-hour-debate-gun-control&live= (time?), accessed July 16, 2018. And https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-KzNp4TqGY (2:40) Senator Bernie Sanders filibustering legislation to extend tax cuts for upper classes, December 10, 2016, https://www.c-span.org/video/?297021-5/senator-sanders-filibuster (at 1:25), accessed July 16, 2018. Senator Harry Reid lamenting the use of the filibuster, July 11, 2012: https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4023305/reid-defines-filibuster-oxford-english-dictionary (at 0:42), accessed July 16, 2018. Senator Rand Paul wrapping up his filibuster on Brennan’s nomination, March 6, 2013, https://www.c-span.org/video/?311354-7/senator-paul-closing-filibuster-remarks (at 3:36), accessed July 16, 2018. Rob Denning and James Fennessy can be reached at workinghistorians@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/FilibusterHist.

LauriAnn Deaver presents "The Mormon Response to the 1976 Teton Dam Collapse"

LauriAnn Deaver presents "The Mormon Response to the 1976 Teton Dam Collapse"

Gillian Glaes - Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Montana at Missoula

Dr. Gillian Glaes is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Montana at Missoula. In this episode of Filibustering History we talk about her background, her adventures in accessing classified documents in a foreign country, and the book publication process.