My friend Tom Hilpert sent me the following thoughts on MOOCs and gave me permission to post them. I'll respond on Thursday. Dr. Mark Cheathem, a friend of mine who happens to be a college professor, often post links to articles critical of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). At various points in my life, I … Continue reading An Outsider Looks at MOOCs
Conservatives’ Criticism of History in the Classroom
There's been quite a bit of discussion recently about the findings of the National Association of Scholars (NAS) regarding history instruction in the college classroom. Historians such as Ann M. Little (Historiann) and Jeremi Suri have rightly taken the NAS to task for its nonsensical methodology and conclusions.* Nevertheless, the American Conservative, which supports the NAS's … Continue reading Conservatives’ Criticism of History in the Classroom
The New New Political History
The Junto posted a roundtable last week on the New New Political History (NNPH). I encourage all early republic historians to read both the posts and the comments, which were very thought provoking. Introduction Gender Political analysis The public sphere Final thoughts As someone who was influenced significantly by the republicanism school, it was useful … Continue reading The New New Political History
The African American Experience during the War of 1812
I've previously lamented (here and here) the lack of attention paid to the War of 1812. A more specific historiographical gap concerns the role of African Americans during the war. At least two scholars (and hopefully more) are addressing that deficiency. Gene Smith, professor of history at TCU, has a new book out on slavery … Continue reading The African American Experience during the War of 1812
Nate Silver Predicts President Obama’s Future Reputation
Nate Silver, who won accolades for his electoral predictions during the 2012 presidential election, has analyzed and predicted where Barack Obama will place in future presidential rankings. Longtime readers may remember my discussion of these rankings here and here, and my students in the American Presidency courses that I've taught hopefully recall that our initial … Continue reading Nate Silver Predicts President Obama’s Future Reputation
Ten Most Important Documents in American History
The History News Network asked readers to identify the ten most important documents in American history, and here's the list: Common Sense (1776) The Federalist Papers (1784-1788) Northwest Ordinance (1787) Seneca Falls "Declaration of Sentiments" (1848) Emancipation Proclamation (1863) Gettysburg Address (1863) Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1868) Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points (1918) George C. … Continue reading Ten Most Important Documents in American History
Americans’ Belief in Conspiracy Theories
Researchers at Fairleigh Dickinson University recently demonstrated what my regular readers already know: Americans believe in conspiracy theories. According to their telephone poll of registered voters across the United States, 63% of those polled believed at least one of the following conspiracy theories: Barack Obama is hiding something about his background George W. Bush had … Continue reading Americans’ Belief in Conspiracy Theories
What Defines the South?
Update: After I scheduled the post yesterday, Karen Cox (@SassyProf) and several others had a lively exchange on Twitter about the topic, especially the place of sweet tea and cornbread. You can find the exchanges in our Twitter streams. I'm teaching the Old South course this semester. This is my second time teaching the course, … Continue reading What Defines the South?
The Evolution of a Book, Pt. 10: The Press and Marketing
(Previous entries in this series: Pts. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.) One of the things I never expected to do was market my books. In my ignorance, I assumed that a team of press staff would make sure the books were in every bookstore from Barnes & Noble to the museum in my home town. I thought they would … Continue reading The Evolution of a Book, Pt. 10: The Press and Marketing
Comprehending the Cattle Call; or, AHA Interviews
This blog post by "Miniver Cheevy" is one of the most honest assessments the AHA in general and of interviewing at the AHA in particular. I enjoy the AHA for its book exhibits and locales, but I have only attended when professionally necessary and probably will only attend for that reason in the future.* I … Continue reading Comprehending the Cattle Call; or, AHA Interviews
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 