Working Historians

In this History Speaker Series event, public historian Beth Van Duzer, a recent graduate of SNHU’s graduate program in History, discusses her career as a historian and her work with local government in preparation for the America250 celebration.

In this History Speaker Series event, public historian Karen Sieber discusses her career as a public historian and historical consultant, focusing on her recent research on Moses Dickson and the Underground Railroad in Minnesota. Karen received her master's degree in public history from Loyola University Chicago. She is best known as the creator of Visualizing the Red Summer, which is part of the AP African American Studies curriculum nationwide. Her work has been featured by the Library of Congress, National Archives, American Historical Association, Smithsonian and others. She also appears as an expert on Black history in documentaries like the CBS, Smithsonian, and BET collaboration, Tulsa 1921: An American Tragedy. Last year she led the scholarly team for the NEH award winning series, “Examining Military History from the Margins.” In 2025 she will be developing a series of documentary shorts funded by PBS related to America’s 250th anniversary. She will also be leading preservation, exhibit design, and ou

In this History Speaker Series event, José Ernesto Peláez discusses his research and his experience transitioning from the online Master of Arts degree program in History at Southern New Hampshire University to an in-person doctoral program in History at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. Additional topics for discussion include the decision to pursue a doctoral degree, applying to programs, expectations of students in doctoral programs, and strategies for researching and writing history.

In this History Speaker Series event, Dr. David Valladares discusses his career and his new book, England’s Response to Hitler in the 1930s: Empire, Appeasement, and the Cliveden Set, which discusses political and strategic efforts by British aristocrats to support Nazi Germany’s rearmament efforts and the annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia. More information about the book can be found on the publisher's website. Dr. Valladares received his doctoral degree in history from Florida State University and teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University.

In this History Speaker Series event, Dr. Margaret MacDonald discusses her professional and academic career, her advocacy work as a public historian, and her research on Carolyn Beatrice Parker, the first Black woman known to receive an advanced degree in physics and worked on the Dayton Project, part of the Manhattan Project, during World War II.  Dr. Peggy Macdonald is a public historian and adjunct professor. She has taught at Southern New Hampshire University, Stetson University, Indian River State College and the University of Florida, where she received a Ph.D. in history. A native Floridian, Dr. Macdonald has written about local and Florida history for FORUM Magazine, Gainesville Magazine, Our Town Magazine, and Senior Times. In 2014, the University Press of Florida published her book, Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment.    Recommendations:  Jack Davis, The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea (W. W. Norton, 2017) Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An A

At this event, Dr. Matt Schandler discusses the effects of artificial intelligence on the study, research, and writing of history. Topics of discussions include the origins of Generative AI; emerging historical applications beyond text, image, and video; working with bots; AI in academic settings; AI output as source material; academic integrity and AI use; best practices and dangerous practices; and future-proofing one's skillset. Matt Schandler is a historian of technology, data scientist, and political scientist who studies the histories of domestic digital technologies, environmental technological systems. artificial intelligence, digital gaming, and information technologies. In addition to teaching the undergraduate capstone course at SNHU, he teaches courses on The History of Everything; Data Science for the Social Good; World History and Technology; and Technology, Society, and Public Policy at Chestnut Hill College.

In this episode, Will McLean Greeley discusses his recent book, a Connecticut Yankee Goes to Washington: Senator George P. McLean, Birdman of the Senate, a biography of politician George MacLean, a Gilded Age and Progressive Era reformer and conservationist whose best known accomplishment was the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Will Greeley holds degrees in political science and archive administration and worked in government and corporate market research before his recent retirement.

In this episode, Kristen Engel discusses her experiences in a graduate program at the University of Connecticut and her dissertation research, which uses courtly spectacle to examine the portrayals of political and cultural ideals in the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII, which led to political and cultural transformations in early Tudor England. She teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University and is the editor-in-chief of “The Court Observer” for the Society for Court Studies.

In this episode, Dr. Jamie Goodall discusses her new book, The Daring Exploits of Pirate Black Sam Bellamy: From Cape Cod to the Caribbean, which describes the political, cultural, legal, and economic relationships between pirates and the coast of colonial New England. Dr. Goodall teaches American history at Southern New Hampshire University and is a historian with the U.S. Army Center of Military History in Washington, D.C.

In this episode, Dr. Allen York discusses his new book, Our People Are Warlike: Civil War Pittsburgh and Home-Front Mobilization, which connects the wartime experience of Pittsburgh into the larger narrative of the war revealing how the mobilization of the community was shaped by both prewar and frontline events and forces. Dr. York teaches military history at Southern New Hampshire University and Liberty University. Recommendations: Ana Maria Spagna, Pushed: Miners, a Merchant, and (Maybe) a Massacre (Salt Lake City: Torrey House Press, 2023). 

Dr. Luke Peterson teaches Arabic and Middle Eastern history at Southern New Hampshire University and Duquesne University. In this episode, Dr. Peterson discusses his new book, The U.S. Military in the Print News Media: Service and Sacrifice in Contemporary Discourse, which “analyzes the history of the popular discourse in the United States concerned with the U.S. military and its engagement in foreign wars from the Spanish-American War through to the U.S. invasions of Iraq and the War on Terror.”

Jazlyn Sanderson is the Director of the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville, Arkansas. In this episode, Jazlyn talks to Southern New Hampshire University’s David Buresh about the benefits of having a history degree and how to get into the museum field. David and Jazlyn go into different types of internships within the Museum of Native American History, as well as how to make yourself stand out in the industry overall. This episode was originally broadcast on Southern New Hampshire University’s Passion and Practicality podcast feed.

Get out your parchment and quill, it’s Constitution Day! In this episode, Rob will discuss the historical origins of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, how legal and popular conceptions of the Amendment have changed over the decades, and how the Amendment is relevant to our present political sphere. Dr. Denning is the Associate Dean for Southern New Hampshire University’s online graduate and undergraduate history programs, the host of the Working Historians podcast series, and producer of the Passion and Practicality podcast series.

Karen Kincaid Brady is the Programming Director for the Neill-Cochran House Museum in Austin, Texas. In this episode, Karen talks to Southern New Hampshire University’s Callie Cook about the value of building your network, career opportunities in history, and creative ways to connect and build experiences with colleagues. This episode was originally broadcast on Southern New Hampshire University’s Passion and Practicality podcast feed.

Karl McKinnon is the Assistant Director of Operations and Chief Financial Officer at the Schiele Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Gastonia, North Carolina. Today Karl speaks with Southern New Hampshire University’s Peter Bartel about how to make yourself stand out when applying for careers in the museum world, the importance of exuding passion in your work, and the value of having experience outside of the classroom. This episode was originally broadcast on Southern New Hampshire University’s Passion and Practicality podcast feed.

Buster Ratliff is the Director of Operations for the Cultural Foundation of the Texas Panhandle & Panhandle-Plains Museum on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. In this episode, Buster talks with Southern New Hampshire University’s Callie Cook about the value of building your network and understanding company values. This episode was originally broadcast on Southern New Hampshire University’s Passion and Practicality podcast feed.

Bonnie Barnes is the Executive Director for Keys History and Discovery Center in Florida. In this episode, Bonnie talks to Southern New Hampshire University’s Callie Cook about informational interviewing, company research, and the different career paths one can explore with a history degree. This episode was originally broadcast on Southern New Hampshire University’s Passion and Practicality podcast feed.

Tim Garrity has served as a hospital administrator and the director of the Mount Desert Island Historical Society, from which he recently retired. We have talked to Tim before about his organization, but this time we discuss his view of the liberal arts in general, what liberal arts degree holders bring to various industries, and what liberal arts students should learn to market themselves better for different career paths. For more information on Tim and the Mount Desert Island Historical Society, listen to our earlier conversation here and learn more about the Society here.   This episode was originally broadcast on Southern New Hampshire University’s Passion and Practicality podcast feed.

Rob keeps the gang together to answer the question often posed by history majors: Should I go to graduate school in history? Eric Greisinger, Allison Millward, CB Repass, Matt Schandler, Ryan Tripp, and Rob discuss the magnitude and consequences of the decision to pursue master’s or doctoral degrees in history, share some of their grad school experiences, and muse about whether or not their degrees were worth the time and energy.   Speaker timeline: 01:16 - Matt Schandler 12:21 - Rob Denning 29:49 - CB Repass 31:21 - Ryan Tripp 33:36 - Allison Millward 36:02 - Eric Greisinger 37:26 - Allison Millward 39:49 - Eric Greisinger 40:12 - Rob Denning 41:10 - CB Repass 42:16 - Ryan Tripp 44:11 - Rob Denning 47:00 - Allison Millward 47:41 - Eric Greisinger 48:39 - Allison Millward 49:30 - Ryan Tripp 49:53 - Rob Denning 50:42 - Eric Greisinger 51:08 - Ryan Tripp 51:53 - Allison Millward 52:27 - Rob Denning

In this final episode of our series on how historians research and write on historical topics, the panel tackles the writing process: How do you organize your thoughts and get past that dreaded blank page?   Speaker timeline: 00:54 - Matt Schandler  06:36 - CB Repass 07:55 - Ryan Tripp 10:03 - Allison Millward 12:42 - Eric Greisinger 14:22 - Rob Denning 17:49 - Ryan Tripp 18:59 - CB Repass 20:14 - Matt Schandler 21:43 - Rob Denning