In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham ventures to the University of Ottawa’s Digital History Open House. He talks with the Open House’s organizer, Jo McCutcheon, about her digital history class, teaching students to use digital tools, and the challenges associated with non-traditional projects. He then speaks with two of the presenting students, Chris Pihlak and Chloe Madigan, about their respective projects. The episode finishes with his conversation with Carleton University’s Shawn Graham, the Open House’s keynote speaker. They chat about failing in public, creating spaces where it’s ok to productively fail, and how to assess non-traditional history work.

https://media.blubrry.com/activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/History-Slam-Episode-99-Digital-History-Open-House.mp3

In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with high school teacher (and friend of the show) Ashley Baine. They talk about preparing students for international travel, incorporating experiential learning into the trips, and getting back into the classroom upon their return to Canada. They also talk about memorable teachers and incorporating new strategies into our own courses.

https://media.blubrry.com/activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/History-Slam-Episode-98.mp3

In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Jeremy Schmidt about his new book, Water: Abundance, Scarcity, and Security in the Age of Humanity. They talk about the origins of western water management, the exportation of that structure around the world, and the ways in which water has become a commodity. They also talk about individual efforts to challenge that structure and ensuring access to clean water for everyone.

https://media.blubrry.com/activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Water.mp3

Back in the fall of 2014, we had an idea for a podcast episode. The premise was that you were at a party, somebody finds out that you study history and asks a question to which you don’t know the answer. Normally, you might say that you weren’t sure, but in this setting you decide to have fun and make up an answer that sounds plausible. Perhaps not the most inspired idea we ever had, but we thought it was fun and recorded the show on November 27, 2014.

https://media.blubrry.com/activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/History-Slam-Episode-96-Fake-History.mp3

In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Sylvia Smith, one of Project of Heart’s coordinators. They talk about the project’s origins, the learning process, and the different steps classes go through. They also talk about reconciliation in the classroom and the challenges of presenting difficult material to students.

https://media.blubrry.com/activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/History-Slam-Episode-95-Project-of-Heart.mp3

In this episode of the History Slam, Aaron Boyes and Sean Graham count down the 10 most shocking deaths from the 20th century. They give their rationale for what constitutes ‘shocking,’ describe the events that made the list, and round out the episode by pointing out some that could have qualified.

https://media.blubrry.com/activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/History-Slam-Episode-94-Shocking-Deaths.mp3

In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Trevor Herriot about his book Towards a Prairie Atonement. They talk about the Prairie landscape, the challenges in telling the story of displacement, and his relationship with Norman Fleury. A self-described Prairie naturalist, Trevor also writes about these issues at his Grass Notes blog.

https://media.blubrry.com/activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/History-Slam-Episode-93-Towards-a-Prairie-Atonement.mp3

In this episode of the History Slam I talk with Gregory Klages about his book The Many Deaths of Tom Thomson. They talk about Tom Thomson’s life, the various conspiracies, and the research method for exploring such divergent theories.

https://media.blubrry.com/activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/History-Slam-Episode-92-The-Many-Deaths-of-Tom-Thompson.mp3