American Campus Podcast

Richard T. Greener was the first Black graduate of Harvard College in 1870. Greener went on to be a professor, lawyer, dean of Howard University law school, diplomat, and a celebrated intellectual of the Reconstruction era. Christian K. Anderson takes us through Greener's remarkable career in academia and international politics.

Links to references in the episode:

• Christian Anderson. 2022. The forgotten impact of Harvard’s first Black graduate. Washington Post.
• Christian Anderson. 2020. What should replace Confederate statues? The Conversation.
• Katherine Reynolds Chaddock. 2017. Uncompromising Activist: Richard Greener, First Black Graduate of Harvard College. Johns Hopkins University Press. 
• Robert Greene II and Tyler D. Parry. 2021. Invisible No More: The African American Experience at the University of South Carolina. University of South Carolina Press. 
• Eric Foner. 2014. Reconstruction, Updated Edition: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877. Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
• W. E. B. DuBois. Black Reconstruction in America, 1860-1880. 
• Javier Cercas. 2007. The Speed of Light: A Novel. Bloomsbury. 
• Chip Kidd. 2008. The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters. Harper Perennial.
• Chip Kidd. 2009. The Learners. Harper Perennial.
• The Milgram Experiment
• Richard T. Greener website 
• Christian Anderson’s website: christiankanderson.com
• Christian Anderson on Bluesky: @profgamecock

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Check out my interview with Sasha Lilley for Against the Grain podcast. We talk about Resistance from the Right, which you can grab a copy of here. 

References mentioned this episode:

• Lauren Lassabe Shepherd. 2023. Resistance from the Right: Conservatives and the Campus Wars in Modern America. University of North Carolina Press. 

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We're headed South with Kate Ballantyne to talk about the Old Left! Plus, Kate's tips for conducting archival research.

To join the student activism researchers Google group, send me an email: [email protected].

References mentioned this episode:

• Katherine J. Ballantyne. 2024. Radical Volunteers: Dissent, Desegregation, and Student Power in Tennessee. University of Georgia Press.
• Harriet Constable. 2024. The Instrumentalist. Simon & Schuster.
• Mona Awad. 2020. Bunny: A Novel. Penguin. 
• Bluesky: @kateballantyne.bsky.social

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From the conception of ROTC after the Spanish-American War, colleges and K12 schools have been central to US military recruitment efforts. Scott Harding, Charles Howlett, and Seth Kershner explain the history of school militarism, and how peace groups have tried to break the war habit in American education.

References mentioned this episode:

• Scott Harding, Charles Howlett and Seth Kershner. 2022. Breaking the War Habit: The Debate over Militarism in American Education. University of Georgia Press.
• DoD STARBASE: A Department of Defense Youth Program school map.
• Aditi Lamba. February 10, 2025. “Kansas Starbase STEM program temporarily shut down.” KSN-TV. 

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On today’s episode, we’re covering the history and purposes of the first American research universities, Indian boarding schools, and Historically Black Colleges, all of which emerged at the same time in US history.

References mentioned this episode:

• Eve L. Ewing. 2025. The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism. Penguin Random House.
• Will Guidara. 2022. Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect. Penguin Random House.
• James McBride. 2023. Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. Riverhead Books.
• Build Coffee and Books in Chicago
• Substack @eveewing
• Instagram @eve.ewing
• Bluesky @eveewing.bsky.social
• Exceptional X-men

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Within and beyond the academy, Karl Marx remains a specter who assumes quite different shapes from his friends and enemies. According to Andrew Hartman, Marx himself wouldn't recognize many of the various derivatives or criticisms of his work. Hartman guides us back into the late 20th century classroom to meet Marx's academic friends and enemies. 

References mentioned this episode:

• Andrew Hartman. 2025. Karl Marx in America. University of Chicago Press.
• Andrew Hartman. 2019. A War for the Soul of America: A History of the Culture Wars, second edition. University of Chicago Press.
• Raymond Haberski Jr. and Andrew Hartman, eds. 2018. American Labyrinth: Intellectual History for Complicated Times. Cornell University Press.
• Oliver Burkeman. March 24, 2009. Former Colorado professor defends 9/11 statements. The Guardian.
• Timothy Shenk. 2022. Realigners: Partisan Hacks, Political Visionaries, and the Struggle to Rule American Democracy. MacMillan. 
• Timothy Shenk. 2024. Left Adrift: What Happened to Liberal Politics. Columbia Global Reports.
• Kevin M Schultz. 2025. Why Everyone Hates White Liberals (Including White Liberals): A History. University of Chicago Press.

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It was my great pleasure to join friends of the pod, Moira Donegan and Adrian Daub (who you'll remember from our Cancel Culture Panic episode), for a deep dive into the history of the trustees. Be sure to check out and subscribe to their excellent podcast, In Bed with the Right.

Follow along with IBWTR, Adrian, and Moira:

• Listen and subscribe to In Bed with the Right on Spotify, Apple, Patreon, or wherever you get your podcasts.
• Follow IBWTR podcast on Bluesky @inbedwiththeright.bsky.social
• Follow Moira: @moiradonegan.bsky.social 
• Follow Adrian: @adriandaub.bsky.social

References mentioned this episode:

• William F. Buckley, God and Man at Yale: The Superstitions of 'Academic Freedom' (1951)
• Richard White, Who Killed Jane Stanford? A Gilded Age Tale of Murder, Deceit, Spirits and the Birth of a University (2022)
• Matt Seybold, The Gilded Network (Podcast, 2025)
• Nathan Heller, "Will Harvard Bend or Break" (The New Yorker, 2025)

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Believe it or not, an English degree is still worth pursuing in a capitalist economy, even if one is not independently wealthy! Of this we can be hopeful according to a new book called Major Trade-offs by Corey Moss-Pech.

References mentioned this episode:

• Corey Moss-Pech. 2025. Major Trade-offs: The Surprising Truths about College Majors & Entry-Level Jobs. University of Chicago Press.
• Robert Penn Warren. 1946. All the King’s Men.
• Jesmyn Ward books
• Maya Angelou books
• Harry Crews. 1978. Childhood: The Biography of a Place.
• Library of America Complete Novels of William Faulkner
• Corey Moss’s Pech’s website, Bluesky, and Twitter

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Jennifer Leigh discusses the academy's struggle to accommodate learners and workers with disabilities, mental health challenges, and neurodivergences--especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. We talk about how US ed-tech companies take advantage of disability and mental health accommodations to exploit student and faculty intellectual property.

References mentioned this episode:

• Jennifer Leigh’s faculty page
• Nicole Brown and Jennifer Leigh, eds. 2024. Ableism in Academia: Theorising Experiences of Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses in Higher Education. UCL Press.
• Paul Novosad, Sam Asher, Catriona Farquharson, and Eni Iljazi. October 2024. Access to Opportunity in the Sciences: Evidence from the Nobel Laureates. 
• Torsten Bell. December 7, 2024. “The Science Behind Winning a Nobel Prize? Being a Man from a Wealthy Family.” The Guardian.
• Octavia Butler books

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The college dormitory is an American tradition, though it hasn’t always been necessary for education. Carla Yanni tells us why the dorm has become a feature of campus architecture since the 17th century.

References mentioned this episode:

• Carla Yanni. 2019. Living on Campus: An Architectural History of the American Dormitory. University of Minnesota Press.
• Carla Yanni’s faculty page

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