Working Historians is a podcast series that showcases the work and careers of historians in a wide variety of career fields. We hope to introduce history students and the general public to the career paths available to people who study history, introduce and promote historians to students and the public, and showcase the work that historians do on a regular basis. Hosts Rob Denning and Jimmy Fennessy can be reached at workinghistorians@gmail.com.
Episodes
Thursday Oct 03, 2024
History Speaker Series with Will McLean Greeley and the Birdman of the Senate
Thursday Oct 03, 2024
Thursday Oct 03, 2024
In this episode, Will McLean Greeley discusses his recent book, a Connecticut Yankee Goes to Washington: Senator George P. McLean, Birdman of the Senate, a biography of politician George MacLean, a Gilded Age and Progressive Era reformer and conservationist whose best known accomplishment was the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Will Greeley holds degrees in political science and archive administration and worked in government and corporate market research before his recent retirement.
Friday Apr 14, 2023
How Do I Develop a Thesis Statement?
Friday Apr 14, 2023
Friday Apr 14, 2023
In this fifth episode of our series on how historians research and write on historical topics, the panel tackles thesis statements: What are they, why they are important, and how do you develop them?
Speaker timeline:
00:51 - Matt Schandler
04:56 - Eric Greisinger
05:17 - Rob Denning
06:05 - CB Repass
06:15 - Rob Denning
06:38 - Eric Greisinger
06:44 - Rob Denning
07:26 - Ryan Tripp
08:15 - CB Repass
08:49 - Allison Millward
09:46 - Rob Denning
11:07 - Eric Greisinger
11:39 - Rob Denning
Friday Mar 31, 2023
How Do I Find Primary Sources for a History Research Project?
Friday Mar 31, 2023
Friday Mar 31, 2023
In this fourth episode of our series on how historians research and write on historical topics, the panel explains how they identify relevant primary sources that will help them go beyond the existing secondary source literature. We will discuss different ways to search for relevant and useful primary sources, how to determine which primary sources might be more useful or important than others, and the historian’s ethical responsibility to be familiar with as much of the primary source base as possible.
Speaker timeline:
02:15 - CB Repass
04:14 - Eric Greisinger
05:11 - Ryan Tripp
06:00 - Matt Schandler
10:40 - Rob Denning
13:23 - Matt Schandler
15:20 - Allison Millward
17:18 - Eric Greisinger
17:32 - Rob Denning
19:08 - CB Repass
21:11 - Ryan Tripp
21:34 - Rob Denning
22:28 - Eric Greisinger
Friday Mar 17, 2023
How Do I Find Secondary Sources for a History Research Project?
Friday Mar 17, 2023
Friday Mar 17, 2023
In this third episode of our series on how historians research and write on historical topics, the panel explains how they tackle the potentially vast body of existing secondary sources that will help them provide context on the research project. We discuss different ways to search for secondary sources, how to determine which secondary sources might be more useful or important than others, and the historian’s ethical responsibility to be familiar with the entire existing literature on the topic.
Speaker timeline:
02:42 - CB Repass
03:20 - Matt Schandler
07:31 - Allison Millward
08:14 - Eric Greisinger
09:11 - Matt Schandler
11:08 - Allison Millward
11:45 - CB Repass
13:07 - Allison Millward
14:14 - Ryan Tripp
15:02 - Eric Greisinger
15:21 - CB Repass
15:34 - Rob Denning
18:13 - Matt Schandler
20:27 - Ryan Tripp
21:35 - Rob Denning
Thursday Nov 19, 2020
Thursday Nov 19, 2020
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.
Saturday Sep 23, 2017
Saturday Sep 23, 2017
Patrick O'Hara is an instructor at Southern New Hampshire University and a middle-school teacher in history and social studies for the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. Here he discusses his educational background, his research into the Palmer Raids and other historical topics, and the process and the requirements of becoming a K-12 teacher.