February 1-2, 2020: January 2020 Recap

[A Recap of the month that was in AmericanStudying.]

December 30: 2019 in Review: The UAW Strike: The annual series on stories I didn’t get to on the blog kicks off with a radical, influential national strike.

December 31: 2019 in Review: “Old Town Road”: The series continues with three contexts for one of the year’s (and music history’s) most surprising smash hits.

January 1: 2019 in Review: Global Protests: Two ways to think about one of 2019 (and early 2020)’s most important stories, as the series rolls on.

January 2: 2019 in Review: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: What the nostalgic take on a mythical Golden Age gets wrong, and what it gets even wronger.

January 3: 2019 in Review: The Democratic Primary: The series concludes with what’s unquestionably historic about the presidential primary, and why the story can’t end there.

January 4-5: 2020 Predictions: Kicking off 2020 with a few (likely already proven wrong, with how this year is shaping up) predictions for the year ahead.

January 6: AmericanStudying Unbelievable: Sexual Assault: A series on my favorite recent TV show starts with one historic and one ongoing context for its central theme.

January 7: AmericanStudying Unbelievable: The Worst and Best of Police: The series continues with two cop duos who reflect the spectrum of possibilities for this vital civic organization.

January 8: AmericanStudying Unbelievable: Police Dramas: How three ground-breaking shows embody three stages in the genre’s evolution, as the series rolls on.

January 9: AmericanStudying Unbelievable: Three Women: A few of the many layers of characterization present in the show’s wonderful trio of protagonists.

January 10: AmericanStudying Unbelievable: “Inspired by True Events”: Two stages to how the show’s story was uncovered and told, and what they reveal about 21^st century media and society.

January 11-12: Crowd-sourced TV Studying: My latest crowd-sourced post, featuring responses to Unbelievable and other TV nominations and analyses—add yours in comments!

January 13: Spring Semester Previews: Intro to Sci Fi/Fantasy: My Spring semester previews kick off with how I’m finally trying to diversify my class and reading in science fiction and fantasy.

January 14: Spring Semester Previews: First Year Writing II: The series continues with a significant shift in my first-year writing class, and a (still relevant!) request for help with it.

January 15: Spring Semester Previews: The Short Story (Online): A change in readings that highlights the limitations of teaching online, and the possibilities there nevertheless.

January 16: Spring Semester Previews: English Studies Capstone: Why I’m teaching my first-ever text in hardcover, as the series rolls on.

January 17: Spring Semester Previews: Adult Learning Classes: The series concludes with adapting the same topic for two distinct adult learning programs and settings.

January 18-19: Book Talk and Project Updates: A special weekend post sharing the good news about my next book project and the ongoing details of my book talks for We the People!

January 20: The Real King: My annual MLK Day post on the limits to how we remember King, and how to start moving past them.

January 21: Expanding Civil Rights Memories: Women and the Bus Boycott: A weeklong MLK Day series kicks off with the wonderful scholarly text that helps us revise our memories of Montgomery and the Civil Rights Movement.

January 22: Expanding Civil Rights Memories: Bayard Rustin: The series continues with the Civil Rights leader who illustrates the possibilities and challenges of intersectionality.

January 23: Expanding Civil Rights Memories: Lillian E. Smith: Better remembering one of the movement’s most inspiring allies, as the series rolls on.

January 24: Expanding Civil Rights Memories: Gordon Parks: The series concludes with links to five posts where I considered the life, art, and legacy of the great Gordon Parks.

January 25-26: 21^st Century Voices of Civil Rights: A special weekend post on five contemporary figures carrying forward the fight for civil rights in America.

January 27: Sports and Politics: Jack London and Jack Johnson: A Super Bowl series kicks off with the ugly moment when white supremacy took precedence over athletic achievement.

January 28: Sports and Politics: Curt Flood: The series continues with three documents that together trace the story and influence of one of sport’s most ground-breaking figures.

January 29: Sports and Politics: Kaepernick in Context: Two ways the quarterback’s protests and activisms extend historical legacies, as the series plays on.

January 30: Sports and Politics: Curry, LeBron, and Trump: Two NBA superstars and the evolving intersections between sports and politics.

January 31: Sports and Politics: The Nationals at the White House: The series concludes with two distinct ways to AmericanStudy a frustrating recent moment.

Next series starts Monday,

Ben

PS. Topics you’d like to see covered in this space? Guest Posts you’d like to contribute? Lemme know!