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Travis Roy is back in the studio to talk about Popular Culture in American History. Last time we chatted, we didn't have nearly enough time to talk about the cultural significance of Comics, especially in light of the recent passing of legendary creator Stan Lee. Here, we discuss how culture is significantly altered by comics and movies and how economic powerhouses such as Disney continue to colonize successful brands. Join us for an insightful conversation, part deux, on American culture.

Some Highlights: 

Reflections on the passing of legendary comic creator Stan Lee

Mickey Mouse at age 90

Why Bill Maher is wrong about comics (among other things)

How popular culture, especially cinema and comics bring people together

Calvin and Hobbes and the co-opting of popular culture

Weekly Suggestions: 

Steven - The Rebus Novels by Ian Rankin

Travis- S.A. Bradley and the Hellbent for Horror Podcast

 

Stan Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://youtu.be/WkfzDOBbZ9Y

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This week Dr. Elizabeth Hayes Alvarez talks about history, religion, teaching and a whole lot more.  Dr. Alvarez studies and teaches American religious history at Temple University. Her first book, The Valiant Woman: The Virgin Mary in Nineteenth-Century American Culture was published in 2016 and considers the broad devotion across Christianity, both Protestant and Catholic, to Mary. Follow her on Twitter @hayesalvarez

Some Highlights: 

The history of the Immaculate Conception

American Christianity and the Virgin Mary

Catholics and Protestants in the United States

Mary as a unifying image

The patron saint of the United States

Teaching religion, gender, and sexuality

Teaching students from all over the world

Weekly Suggestions: 

Steven - Kevin Kruse suggests Historians you should follow on Twitter

Elizabeth - Mormon Stories Podcast; Unerased Podcast; NYT - Caliphate Podcast

Books Mentioned in the Episode:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Murillo's Immaculate Conception

 

https://youtu.be/Hh-m9cnVTAM

 

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You need to get off Facebook now! There are historical reasons for it, too. This week Manna Duah takes us through the reasons that you should not only sign off Facebook for good, but also be more conscious in your consumption of social media, food, and a whole lot more. This episode is both inspiring and enlightening! Enjoy.

Some Highlights: 

Facebook's dirty tactics

Rohingya and he Genocide in Myanmar

The Civil War in Yemen

Doing good in our world

Why you should get of Facebook

Not setting the bar too high

Weekly Suggestions:

Steven - The Social Network; Avatar

Manna - Women Also Know History

Further Reading:

NYT on Facebook

Facebook and Definers

 

https://youtu.be/6v_0qRmsRfE

 

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Significant events call for historical context! This week, I take us on a historical tour of some significant anniversaries and a big statue in a break from the regular interviews. Translated from the banner image, "The secret to salvation is remembering"

Some Highlights: 

Introducing "What in the World?"

80 years since Kristallnacht

100 years since the end of World War I

The largest statue in the world

Nationalism and representation in Flags

Synagogue Destroyed on Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass)

US Marines in a World War I victory parade

Patel, left, and Gandhi - Two men with different ideas of nation and a whole lot of statues

Flag of Montreal

Flag of Pakistan

Flag of India

https://youtu.be/7xWncxw-upo

 Music by Frank Levy, Palo Alto: Musopen.

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How do symbols of hatred fly in our country? What are they and what history do they have? This week Joey Humnicky, a PhD student at Temple University who studies Early American History, and I talk about the Confederate flag and its proliferation in upstate New York.

Some Highlights: 

Civil War history, how the Confederacy created a flag

Remembering the Civil War and the contested past

The Confederate flag, memory, and hatred

Urban rural divide and the growth of the Confederate flag in the Northern United States

Free speech and symbols of hate

Weekly Suggestions:

Steven - Literature of the lost generation

Joey - A visit to the Adirondacks

Discussing the flag:

Confederate flag at Ticonderoga parade

NPR - Why a Confederate flag flies in upstate New York

Mass incarceration in the North Country

The first Confederate flag

 

The Blood-Stained Banner

 

The Rebel Flag - first the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, remembered as the Confederate flag

 

The Hour of History Flag - A symbol of Love

 

 

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This week Josh Stern, a PhD student at Temple University who studies U.S. - Latin America Foreign Relations, and I talk about the migrant caravan on its way to the United States. We contextualize the caravan and talk about the historical relationship between the United States and Central America.

Some Highlights: 

Central American History- Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Mexico

United States and the drug war

American elections and constant talk of immigration

The Migrant Caravan and the Long Walk

Potential outcomes once the migrants arrive in the United States

Weekly Suggestions:

Steven - Coco

Josh - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Discussing the caravan:

More on Asylum and Migration form the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Asylum seekers - people who leave their country, enter another country, and apply for the right to international protection from the country they entered

Refugee - people who leave their country and cannot return home for safety reasons

Displaced person - people who are forced to leave their home for a reason they cannot control

https://youtu.be/gETxIMs74C8

This week Josh Stern, a PhD student at Temple University who studies U.S. - Latin America Foreign Relations, and I talk about the migrant caravan on its way to the United States. We contextualize the caravan and talk about the historical relationship between the United States and Central America.

Some Highlights: 

Central American History- Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Mexico

United States and the drug war

American elections and constant talk of immigration

The Migrant Caravan and the Long Walk

Potential outcomes once the migrants arrive in the United States

Weekly Suggestions:

Steven - Coco

Josh - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Discussing the caravan:

More on Asylum and Migration form the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Asylum seekers - people who leave their country, enter another country, and apply for the right to international protection from the country they entered

Refugee - people who leave their country and cannot return home for safety reasons

Displaced person - people who are forced to leave their home for a reason they cannot control

https://youtu.be/gETxIMs74C8

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This week is the first in a series of Hour of History interviews that will deal with education, teaching abroad, and pedagogy. Ben Gefell is a teacher in Asuncion, Paraguay who has taught on three different continents and a variety of different environments. Whether he was in South Korea, the Bronx, or Latin America, Gefell has introduced new pedagogical approaches centered on a holistic approach to education.

If you have any additional question about teaching abroad or teaching you can reach out to Ben here.

Some Highlights: 

Transition from undergraduate to work abroad

Teaching in a Korean Hagwon

Life in Korea

Hostels in Central America

Learning and Teaching in New York City

Best practices for creating a positive learning environment

Weekly Suggestions: 

Steven: James Kelman - A Disaffection

Ben: Paulo Freire - Pedagogy of the Oppressed and the suggestion that we all need to travel to South America

Outside Sun Yat-Sen Hall, St. John's NYC (2014) Where Steven and Ben earned master's degrees in education.

https://youtu.be/0ap83nJ4GNE

 

 

This week is the first in a series of Hour of History interviews that will deal with education, teaching abroad, and pedagogy. Ben Gefell is a teacher in Asuncion, Paraguay who has taught on three different continents and a variety of different environments. Whether he was in South Korea, the Bronx, or Latin America, Gefell has introduced new pedagogical approaches centered on a holistic approach to education.

If you have any additional question about teaching abroad or teaching you can reach out to Ben here.

Some Highlights: 

Transition from undergraduate to work abroad

Teaching in a Korean Hagwon

Life in Korea

Hostels in Central America

Learning and Teaching in New York City

Best practices for creating a positive learning environment

Weekly Suggestions: 

Steven: James Kelman - A Disaffection

Ben: Paulo Freire - Pedagogy of the Oppressed and the suggestion that we all need to travel to South America

https://youtu.be/0ap83nJ4GNE

 

 

This week, Hour of History features Travis Roy. Our conversation is a discussion about popular culture and history, and will interest anyone who studies modern American history. Popular culture is something that has always been important to Travis, who has recently turned this appealing field into scholarly work. You may remember Travis from an interesting conversation we had about environmental history in July.

Some Highlights:

Minstrel shows and carnivals

Cultural appropriation and cultural exchange

Who makes popular culture

How popular culture is consumed

Marvel vs. DC

Disney's connection to nature

Netflix and the future of popular culture

Why historians of all fields need to take a deeper look at popular culture

Weekly Suggestions:

Steven: Walt Disney nature documentaries

Travis: The Music of Young Jesus

https://youtu.be/h2AnPC3Bm1I