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Join Sam Futrell as she interviews professors Dr. Mark Herlihy and Dr. Elizabeth Matelski about the historical implications of the Salem Witch Trials. Together, we explore the social, cultural, and political causes of the Salem Witch Trials (SWT), discuss the major players in the SWT and seventeenth-century Puritanism. We'll also talk about the significant effects of the SWT, including how the SWT serves as an archetype for mob mentality and the oppression of marginalized groups in both literature and history. And of course, we'll share ideas/strategies for how educators can use/teach the Salem Witch Trials in their classrooms

Dr. Mark Herlihy started at Endicott in 2001 as an Assistant Professor of History. He teaches "Salem Witch Trials," "Boston History," "Public History," and "American Suburbia," among other courses. He has presented papers at meetings of the American Studies Association, the Organization of American Historians, and at the Massachusetts Historical Society's Boston Immigration and Urban History Seminar. He is completing a book on the history of Revere Beach. Dr. Herlihy has been very active in the New England Historical Association and served a term as President of the organization. A native of Winchester, Massachusetts, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English at Tufts University and a Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in American Civilization at Brown University.

Dr. Matelski is a New England transplant from the upper Midwest. Her teaching interests include American multiculturalism, popular culture, and incorporating digital technologies into the history classroom. In addition to teaching American history, she also created the Public History concentration for Endicott`s history majors. She is currently editing a book chapter on global beauty culture and conducting research for a book on Robin Mingo, an enslaved Black man after whom Mingo Beach is named.

Resources: 

UVA: http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/home.html

Margo Burns: http://www.17thc.us/

Peabody Essex Museum: https://www.pem.org/the-salem-witch-trials-1692-past

NEH Summer Seminars: https://www.neh.gov/divisions/education/summer-programs 

Join Dr. Elizabeth Matelski from Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts as she tells the story of one of the most contested topics in American history: the Salem Witch Trials. 

Both comprehensive and cozy, this episode provides a multifaceted retelling of the trials from Matelski's seasoned historical lens. If you're assigning this to your class as a homework assignment(s), we've noted the natural time breaks and topics of the episode below:

In our next episode, Dr. Herlihy joins Dr. Matelski and host, Sam Futrell, to examine the role of gender, race, memory, and religion in the mass hysteria that rocked Massachusetts Bay in 1692.

Today, we are partnering with the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York. As you probably already know Saturday is the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon which resulted in the death of 2,996 people, over 25,000 injuries, and the start of the United States War on Terror.

It also resulted in the War in Afghanistan as well, which has received much attention in the news as of late with the Taliban’s takeover, the bombings of the Kabul airport, and the evacuation of Americans and Europeans from the country.

I was joined on today’s episode to discuss all of this as well as how to best remember 9/11 in our classrooms by the Vice President of Education at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Megan Jones, and the Assistant Director of Education, Jennifer Lagasse.

9/11 Memorial and Museum Resources:

Register for the Anniversary in the Schools webinar, get a preview of the program, access viewing guides, and learn about the live chat here: https://911memorial.org/learn/students-and-teachers/anniversary-schools-webinar

Access the 9/11 Primer here: https://911memorial.org/learn/resources/911-primer

Register for our free downloadable poster exhibition in partnership with the ALA here: https://911memorial.org/learn/resources/digital-exhibitions/september-11-2001-day-changed-world

Access lesson plans divided by grade and theme, including 'Warning Signs of an Attack' here: https://911memorial.org/learn/students-and-teachers/lesson-plans

Explore our archive of past Anniversary in the Schools speakers here: https://911memorial.org/learn/students-and-teachers/webinar-stories

Explore our virtual school programs here: https://911memorial.org/learn/students-and-teachers/virtual-school-programs

If listeners have questions or feedback, Megan and Jen can be reached at [email protected]

In this episode, Tim Hensley, Director of Collections at the Virginia Holocaust Museum, walks us through the causes, key events, and effects of the Genocide Against the Tutsis in Rwanda. Then, Jason Nshimye shares his story. Jason Nshimye was born and raised in Rwanda. He is the Founder and President of the Human Rights and Justice Foundation. He has been an activist for human rights and crime prevention. Jason, at the age of 15, and his wife Francoise, at the age of 8, survived the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Bisesero, Rwanda. As public speakers, they share their experiences as survivors because they believe it is in everyone’s best interest to support victims and strive for forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation.

We invite you to visit the Virginia Holocaust Museum in person or online to hear more about Jason's story and the experience of genocide survivors in Richmond. 

In this two-part episode, Sam interviews Tim Hensley, curator of the Virginia Holocaust Museum, and Jason H. Nshimye, Richmond local & survivor of the genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda. 

Jason Nshimye was born and raised in Rwanda. He is the Founder and President of the Human Rights and Justice Foundation. He has been an activist for human rights and crime prevention. Jason, at the age of 15, and his wife Francoise, at the age of 8, survived the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Bisesero, Rwanda. As public speakers, they share their experiences as survivors because they believe it is in everyone’s best interest to support victims and strive for forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation. Jason is a former President of The Richmond Rwandan Community. He was named as Correspondent of the year by Richmond Times-Dispatch in 2011.

Tim joined the Virginia Holocaust Museum in 2004 as the Director of the Carole Weinstein Holocaust Research Library. He moved to his current position in 2013 where he continues to serve as the modern genocide specialist for the Museum. His graduate work focused on preservation and access to post-custodial primary sources, using the Jewish Parachutists of Mandate Palestine who trained with the British to aid in the Hungarian resistance movement.

His research focuses on the use of oral history in constructing collective memory. His recent papers include Give Sorrow Words: Narrative Voice in Genocide Testimony; We Cannot Destroy Kindred: The Role of Family in the Lives of Holocaust Survivors; I Did Not Interview the Dead: Approaches to Interviewing Survivors of Tragic Events; From Creation to Donation: How Archivists

The first part of this episode introduces Tim & Jason and explores the concept of genocide itself-- what it is, the stages of its development, and how to teach it in the classroom. 

Join us as we discuss content and strategies around teaching The Holocaust in any social studies classroom with The Virginia Holocaust Museum (VHM). Education Director, Megan Ferenczy, walks us through how educators should address trauma in the classroom, what information about The Holocaust to focus on for different age groups, and how to incorporate VHM resources into a Holocaust/WWII unit. Then, Holocaust survivor, Dr. Roger Loria, shares parts of his own story and addresses why educating students about The Holocaust is still important today.

Every third Thursday of the month, the Virginia Council for Social Studies hosts a virtual* meeting called "Scholars' Hour" in which teachers from around the state can gather to discuss social studies content, strategies, and technology.

This month, our topic is teaching social and emotional skills to students in 2021.

2020 brought many unexpected challenges for teachers and students alike. As we enter 2021, VCSS invites you to explore strategies that help teachers and students manage stress and practice mindfulness. Join our panel of experts as they discuss how to help students cope with anxiety and develop organizational skills, respond to traumatic news/events in the classroom, and find joy in difficult times.

Panelists for January

Dr. Patrick Tolan, Director of the Compassion Schools Project & Director Emeritus of Youth-Nex at UVA

Ashley Bullock, Chesapeake County Schools & Doctoral Student at UVA Curry School of Education

Carol Peyton, 3rd Grade Teacher, Fairfax County Public Schools

If you are a teacher in Virginia and want to learn about international relations and the European Union's role as a international government organization, then look no further than Virginia Tech, which has been newly honored as a Jean Monnet Center for Excellence. 

Jean Monnet Centers exist in only eleven colleges and universities throughout the United States. They function as "a focal point of competence and knowledge on European Union subjects, [bringing] together high-level experts to create links between the various disciplines and resources in European studies and to form links with academic institutions in other countries." In their essence, Jean Monnet Centers serve to educate American communities about the European Union and create dialogue around international issues. 

In this episode, Dr. Yannis Stivachtis, chair of VT's Jean Monnet Center, and Colin Baker, the Center's Assistant Director for Education and Outreach join Sam to discuss the history of the European Union, it's current challenges, and it's goals for 2021. 

If you teach anything relating to Europe, government, the modern world, or international relations, you MUST listen to this episode! 

(Plus, you'll love listening to Yannis and Colin's lovely European accents.)

Contact Colin Baker if you have any questions regarding the EU and Virginia Tech's Jean Monnet Center: [email protected] 

Links for the episode:

The EU's Covid/vaccine response: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2081

Lesson plans aimed at middle/high school on the issue of national/European/cultural identity: https://historia-europa.ep.eu/en/educators-teachers/classroom-activities/who-do-you-think-you-are-identity

Re: supranational organization vs inter-governmental organization, with the EU being a hybrid of both, a nice chart of that is on this page: https://carleton.ca/ces/eulearning/introduction/what-is-the-eu/extension-what-are-international-organizations/