October 1, 2022: September 2022 Recap

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

August 29: Fall Semester Previews: 19C African American Lit: For my semester previews I wanted to focus something I’m especially looking forward to in each class, starting with connecting 19C Af Am Lit to contemporary debates.

August 30: Fall Semester Previews: First-Year Writing I: The series continues with linking my First Year Writing class to the First Year Experience seminar all FSUI students now take.

August 31: Fall Semester Previews: Honors Lit Seminar on the Gilded Age: Why I keep coming back to the same subject and same concluding novel for this course, as the series teaches on.

September 1: Fall Semester Previews: American Lit II Online: Why and how I’m finally trying to do at the end of an online Am Lit II survey what I’ve always done in-person.

September 2: Fall Semester Previews: Adult Learning Classes: The semester previews conclude with something I’m trying for the first time in my two adult ed classes.

September 3-4: Other Fall Updates: But that’s not all I’ve got going on this Fall, so here are quick updates on my book in progress and a couple events you can be part of!

September 5: APUSH Studying: Mrs. Frankel: As my older son starts his year of APUSH, a series on contexts for that complicated course, starting with the wonderful teacher from whom I learned it.

September 6: APUSH Studying:  The Evolving Framework: The series continues with two things I’d highlight about the controversial APUSH frameworks.

September 7: APUSH Studying: Flaws and Limits: Two fundamental flaws in APUSH & AP courses, and how the class itself can engage them, as the series studies on.  

September 8: APUSH Studying: The American Pageant: A frustratingly telling textbook controversy, and what it’s not the whole of the story.

September 9: APUSH Studying: High School History Heroes: The series concludes with a quick tribute to just a handful of the many amazing high school history teachers I’ve gotten connected to!

September 10-11: Michael Walters’ Guest Post: Chaos, Order and Progress in the first North American Nation: My latest excellent Guest Post (although watch this space later today!)—share your own ideas for a Guest Post, please!

September 12: War is Hella Funny: Catch-22: In honor of M*A*S*H’s anniversary, a series on wartime humor kicks off with one success and one failure in Joseph Heller’s groundbreaking book.

September 13: War is Hella Funny: Hogan’s Heroes: The series continues with the vital importance of not judging a book by its cover (or a sitcom by its premise).

September 14: War is Hella Funny: Dr. Strangelove: How a satirical film can sometimes offer more historical clarity than history, as the series laughs on.

September 15: War is Hella Funny: Good Morning, Vietnam: Three competing yet ultimately intersecting layers to the hit 80s comedy.

September 16: War is Hella Funny: Tropic Thunder: The series concludes with whether the Hollywood meta-comedy is also a wartime meta-comedy.

September 17-18: War is Hella Funny: M*A*S*H: For the 50^th anniversary of the TV show’s pilot, AmericanStudies takeaways from each of the three iterations of M*A*S*H.

September 19: Southern Storytelling: Fathers and Sons: For Faulkner’s 125^th birthday, a series on Southern storytelling starts with the multi-generational relationship at the heart of the Southern Renaissance.

September 20: Southern Storytelling: Thomas Wolfe: The series concludes with an ironically forgotten author who deserves to be remembered and read.

September 21: Southern Storytelling: Carson McCullers: Three compelling works by a hugely talented author lost far too soon, as the series reads on.

September 22: Southern Storytelling: Representing Katrina: Three exemplary stages in how storytellers in every medium have depicted a 21^st century tragedy.

September 23: Southern Storytelling: Faulkner at the University: The series concludes with one ironic and one inspiring lesson we can take away from the bday boy’s UVA conversations.

September 24-25: Faulkner at 125: Digital Yoknapatawpha: But I can’t celebrate Faulkner’s birthday without a tribute to the best digital project on Faulkner from my favorite digital humanities scholar!

September 26: Asian American Leaders: Pablo Manlapit: A series on Asian American leaders kicks off with an early 20^th century Filipino American labor activist.

September 27: Asian American Leaders: Yuri Kochiyama: The series continues with a few of the many reasons we should remember the influential activist and community leader.

September 28: Asian American Leaders: Patsy Mink: On the 20^th anniversary of her death, three signature achievements in the amazing career of Patsy Mink.

September 29: Asian American Leaders: Lisa Wong: A telling story that reveals much more than just a 21^st century leader’s initiative, as the series leads on.

September 30: Asian American Leaders: Michelle Wu: The series and month conclude with the 21^st century Asian American leader who has inspired my son and me alike!

Guest Post later today,

Ben

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