On this episode, Mark sits down with Thad Westbrook, Chairman of the University of South Carolina's Board of Trustees. They discuss his responsibilities as chairman of the university, his future plans for the school, and how his undergraduate experience at USC, particularly in Southern Studies, shaped the way he serves his communities.Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatusc#podcast #southcarolina #university #history #gamecocks #chairman #civilwar #inflation #AI #chatgpt

Mark sits down with author Benjamin L. Cwayna for an engaging conversation about his highly anticipated new book, The Invincible Twelfth: The 12th South Carolina Infantry of the Gregg-McGowan Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia—available July 10th. Together, they explore Cwayna’s background, his deep passion for Civil War history, and the remarkable bravery of the regiments that helped shape the course of the war.Find Benjamin's book here!: https://www.amazon.com/Invincible-Twelfth-Carolina-Infantry-Gregg-McGowan/dp/1611217369Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatusc#podcast #southcarolina #university #history #gamecocks #civilwar #author #book #inflation #AI #chatgpt

In this episode, host Emily Allen interviews Chloe H. Smith, a PhD candidate in Music History at Yale University. Smith's work examines American folk and popular music traditions to explore social and cultural histories of the region she calls home—the U.S. South. Her dissertation argues that minstrel tunes and Confederate anthems function as vessels of sonic Civil War memory—from late 19th-century popular stages to contemporary Neo-Confederate protests.

Mark sits down with acclaimed author Katherine Scott Crawford to talk about her Greenville upbringing, the writing process behind her new book The Miniaturist's Assistant (releasing May 15), and her thoughts on AI stealing authors' work to train AI models.Check out Katherine's Website!: https://www.katherinescottcrawford.com/Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatusc#podcast #southcarolina #university #history #gamecocks #tarif #author #book #inflation #AI #chatgpt

Mark sits down with F. Evan Nooe, Assistant Professor of History and historian for the Native American Studies Center at the University of South Carolina Lancaster, to talk about his Floridian upbringing, his book Aggression and Sufferings: Settler Violence, Native Resistance, and the Coalescence of the Old South, and the false narratives white southerners weaponized to incite voilence against Southern Native Americans.Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatusc

Mark sits down with Michael Stipe, the lead singer of R.E.M. and 2025 McNair Honoree, to talk about his early career days and how growing up in the South influenced his journey as a musician.Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatusc#rem #r.e.m #music #podcast #gamecocknation #southernculture #spotify #spotifyplaylist #rock #countrymusic #lgbt

In this episode, Dr. Emily Allen sits down with fellow host Professor Mark Smith to discuss the history of firing squad executions in relation to South Carolina's first execution by firing squad in over 15 years, scheduled to take place on March 8. Mark provides his insight on how this practice dates back to the Civil War, when it was considered a controversial practice even then.Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatusc#usc #southcarolina #gamecocks #firingsquad #podcast #history

Host Dr. Emily Allen interviews Dr. Sarah Waheed, Assistant Professor of History at USC. Her scholarly expertise is on the history of South Asian Islam and the shaping of Muslim communities across the India-Pakistan divide, and her academic work focuses on gender and memory as well as transregional global histories. Dr. Sarah Waheed is also one of the lead directors of The Muslim South, a USC Humanities Collaborative sponsored Research and Creative Group. The Muslim South is an initiative that highlights the deep roots of Islam in the US South while also documenting the pasts and presents of growing Muslim immigrant communities in the region, by recording oral histories as well as organizing events in South Carolina and beyond.Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatusc

On this caffeinated episode, Mark sits down with USC Public History Master's student Anna Thompson to talk coffee. You heard that right... They discuss the origins of coffee, the British's historical disdain for it, and how the Union used coffee to turn the tides of the civil war. This is a good one that you don't want to miss.Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatuscFollow Anna on Instagram!@aghomeslice#podcast #southernculture #university #uofsc #history #gamecocknation #coffee #starbucks #barista

In this episode, Mark sits down with Dr. Evan Faulkenbury, the newly appointed official USC historian. They explore the competitive nature of a historian’s career, Dr. Faulkenbury’s North Carolina roots, his culture shock up North, and his future book-writing endeavors.

Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatusc#podcast #southernculture #university #uofsc #history #gamecocknation