Historical Profession

Seminar Bingo

Seminar Bingo

Confession: I “play” seminar bingo. This is not an official game and no, I don’t print out cards and hand them out to attendees so they can play along. “Seminar Bingo” is really about me having a deep appreciation for my colleagues’ areas of expertise and for my evolution as a scholar of history.

The Science of Sound

The Science of Sound

Essentially, sound is a pressure wave that causes vibrations as it displaces and moves the air around it, which our ear drums pick up and our brains interpret. The human brain gathers and infers a LOT of information through sound because sound waves carry a lot of clues about the physical properties or events that created them. For example, if someone drops an object on the floor, the sound waves that come from the object striking the floor tell our brains about the kind of surface the object hit as well as the physical properties of the object—its approximate size, weight, material, and shape. 

What Comes Next? Thoughts On the Future of Historical Scholarship

What Comes Next? Thoughts On the Future of Historical Scholarship

I define a “native audio history” as a narrative work of scholarly history created and produced in audio. It is a work that considers and presents sounds that evoke the past as well as the sounds that produce history. When I hear this genre, I hear the archives and intellectual production of history as an integral part of the presentation. It’s a genre that answers the whys and hows of history.

The History Job Market and How to Fix It

The History Job Market and How to Fix It

Historians need to stop thinking about the tenure track as the only way and as the only measure of success within the profession. The profession would instantly help improve the job market for historians by improving its ability to help students at all levels of historical training recognize and discuss their unique and valuable skill set outside of the academy. It also needs to stop treating employment within the tenure track as the only “true” job market for historians and as the only measure of success. 

Professional Website, v. 4.0

Professional Website, v. 4.0

A tour of the fourth iteration of my professional website.

Welcome to my new website! 

A website represents your home on the web. It’s where people come to learn more information about you and where you have the opportunity to convey the image and message you want to the world.

I really loved my old website, but I needed a change. It felt dated (it was three and half years old) and as the third iteration of my original website, it no longer conveyed the image and message I want to convey to the world.