Yes, the sad state of people in America. Back in December I posted a piece entitled The Confederate Flag: Symbol of  Culture or Racism. I did not write it to offend but to create some discussion about its state and place in society; I have received more hits on this post than any other post published. Visit the post and be sure to read the comments. I have deleted some, but kept many. Some of them are pretty sad.

Here is an example of a comment left. This guy must be a rocket scientist:

Hello i’m a proud southerner.  If you disagree or make fun of my flag I will retaliate.  I think that the south was a special place.  It was full of slaves and plantations.  Without slaves, there would be no America or clothes, or food.  Slaves built the pyramids, slaves built the taj mahal and also, slaves built the WHITE House.  The confederacy is a great thing for America, I am racist and I hate Bush but one day I have a dream, that one day, all southerners and other people will UNITE AND ENSLAVE all again and the SOUTH shall be back! AMEN!

WHITE POOOOOWERRRRRR!!

Below is a piece written by Josh Farris, a recent graduate of Houston Christian High School. Because of my interest in students/teachers of color and independent schools, I wanted to get the point of view of a minority student after three years of HC. Josh was a student in my world history course during his sophomore year, and was a leader in my mentor group; I have never seen a student grow and mature as much as Josh did.

Where to begin? Well coming from a public school that was very diverse, then going to a private school that only had two blacks in a class of over one hundred people, I knew some things would be different. Growing up I had never thought about going to a private school. I thought I was going to start and finish high school in Cy-Fair’s public school system. But, one day after church, I received a phone call from my dad asking me if I wanted to go to Houston Christian High School…for free! The scholarship came from an outside organization willing to pay for everything as long as I maintained high grades. Neither one of us had ever heard of the school, we just knew it was a private school that just won state. So I thought about it for a while and ditched the dream of going to the University of Texas because of the top 10% rule that Texas has and said I would go to Houston Christian High School. After some interviews, essays, and other screenings to make sure I was able to keep up with the school work, I was able to go to Houston Christian High School. My First year at Houston Christian High School was a big transition. I would often fall asleep in my classes because I was use to 30-45 minute classes. But at HC, classes were over an hour long. It was also a big culture shock. Being able to count all of the people like me on one hand was somewhat different. But, nevertheless, by the time my senior year rolled around, classes that once seemed too long were not long enough, and my relationship with other students pulled us together to the point that we were all alike. I matured a lot academically and as a person due to the rigorous college prep environment. I matured because of the expectations that were set and because of what was demanded. It makes you grow up to the point that you must get your work done, and done well; if you don’t you won’t succeed at HC. Playing a sport, especially baseball and going to HC is not an easy task. Both academics and baseball are very demanding and take up a lot of time.

I did well academically, taking Advanced Placement classes in the fields of science and math, but also took AP English too, which is why I am majoring in mechanical engineering. Attending HC gave me time to adjust to how a college schedule and workload will be presented to me once at Baylor University. I would much rather have gone through what I did at HC than to have experienced it first in college. Being in a different environment has been one of the best things that have happened to me. The scholarship people were right in the potential they saw in me. It was wonderful experiencing the things I did and some of the opportunities I received while going to HC. I never even thought I would rub elbows with the children of CEO’s, lawyers, millionaires, and other high socioeconomic status families. It was quite an experience. But I learned that branching out and putting yourself in a new environment can only be a good thing, because in that time you learn so much about yourself and other people. Not everything will be good, but you will still learn a lot. I learned no matter how much money someone has, they are a human.

Edward Hussein Carson pontificating in the Amon Carter Lecture Hall

Day one at the Texas Christian University AP European History Institute I am leading went well. As always, I have a great group of people who ask tough questions - - which I love. I have a few guest speakers coming in over the next few days as well, so that should be cool. Here is my agenda for the week:

Monday

*Introductions and Overview
*Break
*DBQ Review and Writing
*Lunch
*Mapping the FRQ
*Break
*Teaching Social and Reformation History Through Wills

Tuesday

*Introducing and Exploring Historiography
*Break
*Global Marxism and Darwinism in the Course
*Lunch
*Guest Speaker: Claire Sanders
*Break
*Women and Gender and European History

Wednesday

*Guest Speaker: John Irish on Teaching the Seminar
*Break
*Sharing Session: Dealing with the Issues of European History - - What is your Favorite
Lesson?
*Lunch
* Guest Speaker: Jodi Campbell
* Race and the Enlightenment

Thursday

* Changes and Recent Developments in the Course from the Test Development
Committee
* Computer Lab
*Break
* Nationalism: French Revolution, Nationalism, Religion, and Identity
* Lunch
* Guest Speaker: Claire Sanders
* Break
* Teaching Demography and Social History via Sexuality

Friday

*Art and European History
*Break
*Wrap up and Conclude

I am a big fan of independent schools — especially boarding schools; I realize I teach in what many might call just a religious school, but by nature we are independent of any denominational group, doctrine, and finances. We have no connections to a church body nor do we receive any financial support from religious organizations. I fear bodies and schools that receive such support from doctrinally driven organizations are influenced too much in shaping a school’s culture and the autonomy of private schools. My campus does not ask that its members belong to a particular religious faith or church; I have long found such a demand by schools to be anti-academic; how can teachers challenge students to think beyond the confines of their religious construct if they are tied to a a denominational curriculum (Baptist, church of Christ, etc)? Now, that is not to say that religion does not influence my campus; in the end, it is a Christian school. We are at a disadvantage due to the lack of Jewish and Muslim colleagues and students — though we have a few Muslim students who enjoy being on our campus.

Last summer I made a few research trips across the country to explore the nature of race and historical factors on independent schools. I will continue much of that work this summer. One of the questions I was asked by the head of a Virginia boarding school is whether I thought private day schools really challenged students? His point, which is an interesting one, states that students who are not surrounded by those who seek academic advancement will falter and never reach their true potential at an earlier stage. Thus he went on to address the academic rigor and culture of boarding schools in relation to day schools. According to this particular head of school, day students lack the collective nature of academics that only a residential school can offer. Moreover, he went on to say that residential schools promote the greatest sense of equity among various different racial groups.

As you can see from the above charts, boarding schools tend to offer the most academic opportunities for students, according to the Truth About Boarding Schools. There are two myths about boarding schools: 1.) Students who attend them are there because of behavior problems. While this is true for those schools designed with this purpose in mind, many of the boarding schools on my radar are thought to have the best students and offer excellent academics, too. In comparison to independent day schools, there is a myth that only highly religious students with very protective parents attend, or students with behavior issues who also struggled in their public schools academically attend day schools. While this is true for a lot of lower tier private schools, this is not wholly true for many. 2.) The second myth about boarding schools surrounds the Dead Poets Society image. They are stuffy, too academic with little social opportunities, and promote conformity. Below is Yujhan, a student at the Exeter School offers a different point of view, as found on Exeter’s webpage.

Yujhan, senior

“Academically, Exeter can’t compare to school at home. I was drawn to Exeter from the beginning because of the Harkness method. Reading about it, it just clicked. I was so drawn to it, and it made so much sense. All my friends go to public school, and it’s a huge stretch from that. The people here are much more engaged academically than the people at home. The system at Exeter really forces you to grow to love learning.

Read his full answer…

Below is a blog post Ralph E. Luker wrote at Cliopatria, an academic news and history blog. I have been reading Cliopatria now for two years, but finally met Professor Luker this past January at the American Historical Association meeting in Washington D.C. You will find the Proletarian listed in alphabetical order below.

Cliopatria’s History Blogroll now includes over 1000 blogs. Some of them are of exceptional merit. We’ve honored two blogs that are no longer current, Invisible Adjunct and Mode for Caleb, by entering them in the Hall of Fame. IA’s archives are, alas, apparently now lost in the ether. More recently, two other excellent blogs that are candidates for the Hall of Fame, Giornale Nuovo and The Proceedings of the Athansius Kircher Society, have become inactive. Like IA, the Athansius Kircher Society now exists on the net only in references by its admirers.

With that reminder that life on the internet is fleeting, there is a group of history blogs that seem to me to be central to history blogging on the net. I don’t presume to say that they are The Top 100 Liberal Arts Professor Blogs. Nor do I even suggest that they are better than other history blogs that are not on the list. I do mean to say that, without them, history education on the internet would be seriously impoverished. Below the fold are 80 history blogs that I recommend. You’ll recognize some of them. Others, you may not yet have discovered:

It has been a pretty sociable week thus far; I met with Casey Bourland yesterday; she is one of my department colleagues. I believe we talked for almost two hours on on a range of topics at my favorite bar/coffee house: The Onion Creek. This place is one of the more Bohemian hangout places in the city. I have met and have had a number of great visits with complete strangers there. I say Bohemian because it is a hot spot for academics, writers, businessmen, blacks, whites, interracial couples, and your average Joe. It is also a very gay/lesbian friendly place, too.

Katrina Ong with Carson’s new puppy Abbey at Starbucks

On Wednesday it was an almost 4 hour visit with Katrina Ong. If you are ever in Houston and would like to have a conversation with one of the most passionate students I have ever met, I highly recommend you have a conversation with Ms. Ong. Not only is she well read and versed, but her knowledge and understanding of philosophy and the arts are outstanding. For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know I like to highlight my best and brightest students. Better yet, those who work hard for me. Katrina took my AP United States History course last year and will be in my AP European History course during the ‘08 - ‘09 academic year; she was elected student council president by her peers and was very active in our theatre program too. She will have her pick of colleges to attend.

Mark Elrod is currently a professor of political science at Harding University. Mark, one of the more popular teachers on campus, has recently decided to make his blog private. Though he was not asked to do this by the school, most people around the state of Arkansas have concluded that there was probably some pressure placed on him due to his politics and support for Obama. I heard of the great Mark Elrod when I arrived on Harding’s campus as an undergraduate in the early ’90s. My experiences in his classes were always positive, as he challenged students to think in an intelligent way. Bad students or apathetic students could not stand Elrod. They often cited terms such as arrogance or cocky; I never saw that. I recall thinking how lucky Harding was to have him and that he seemed too enlightened for the narrow conservative views of the school. Although it will not happen, I hope the school’s president comes across this blog piece. I have decided to completely distance myself from Harding and any other school that violates my academic standards. I do not give a lot of money to the school, but what I do give is no longer going to Harding.

In part, I feel that Harding and many other religious affiliate schools are anti-intellectual in that they do not value free thought. Moreover, a school that only hires those of its own religious faith should question its mission to the greater academic community. This is true of secondary independent schools too; I can think of a few church of Christ private schools that only hire members who are church of Christ. In doing so, they usually do not conduct national searches for candidates. They visit the same old church of Christ schools for faculty members. In essence they commit the same crime Harding has been committing for ages: they practice academic incest thus permit inbreeding to take place (see below). On a sad note, you find few to no minority instructors on such campuses. I will admit that I am to a point in my profession that it would be a step down to work at a school that teaches and embraces one perspective.

Furthermore, Harding does not have a tenure system. I suspect faculty members are not permitted to have a faculty senate either. Without this voice or the support of the American Association of University Professors that protects intellectual freedom and assures academic standards, schools such as Harding can preach the idea and concept of the liberal arts, but profess conformity. The greatest benefit of having tenure is that it protects one’s political and intellectual freedom. The process is designed to encourage teachers to challenge students’ intellectual prowess via tough issues and questions without fear of being terminated. This model is very different from that of most jobs. But, with that in mind, jobs outside of academic circles are designed to generate profits; and, although schools are designed to encourage discourse, they too can be motivated by economic factors. It is not unusual for lesser-established private schools to be driven by economic forces. For example, it is more important to put bodies in empty chairs than it is to promote discourse of intellectual matters that might not meet the approval of a few of the school’s clientele. At this point, an institution must have confidence in itself as an academic center.

I can no longer support Harding; I can no longer encourage students to attend a school that operates by a code that goes against my beliefs. Although I once taught at a church of Christ private school, I can say that I no longer support such schools, their beliefs, or values. As for the title of this post, Jeff Baker, a Harding graduate and Vanderbilt Law graduate who now teaches at Jones School of Law, sent a number of us history/poli sci majors a facebook asking that we post our status as “______’s name is Elrod too. I like the show of support for Mark Elrod. But, I believe this matter is far bigger than Mark. This is about academics having the right to support their ideological beliefs and political candidates.

Blogs and other outlets addressing this matter:

• Odgie
• Arkansas Times
• Political Cartel
• John Brummett

In Lions for Lambs, a movie many conservative pundits call anti-American and typical liberal Hollywood propaganda, links the complexities of class and status to democracy and an ill fought war on terrorism. I am sure many of you who know me will not be surprised to hear how much I enjoyed this movie. Stephen Malley (played by Robert Redford), a political science instructor at a public research university in California, is portrayed as a liberal idealist who, much like myself, supports the American troops fighting but not the war. For one, it portrays liberal academics as compassionate leftist who are guarding the minds of the young from right wing political elitist looking to inculcate democratic injustices on the American people.

The most telling part of the movie comes when Redford’s character Malley is visiting with a privilege white upper-class student who has made little of his middle-class privileges. This student who contends that nothing ever changes and politicians are all the same, plays a pejorative role as a bright but spoiled frat boy who is too busy with his social life to care about political, social, and economic matters; it might be an age thing; I deal with a great deal of political, social, and global apathy on my campus.

In an indirect way, this film does more than address the paradoxical nature of democracy; it touches on matters of race and class. Below is a clip from the movie in which two of Malley’s students are giving a class presentation on the topic of diplomacy and engagement. They address the farce of democracy as it relates to the urban problem of crime and ghettoization. Arian Finch and Michael Pena (Malley’s students) address how much money is being spent engaging in global wars but how little the American government is addressing the problem of social inequalities and education.

Watch the clip below as Finch and Pena present their argument about the farce of democracy. At the end of their presentation, their classmates ridicule them for talking the talk but not walking the walk. What you will not see in this clip is that both of them place a transparency of their orders to report to military duty. Malley is shocked and disappointed that two of his hardworking students elected to skip graduate school and the econonimc opportunities that come with it for an unjust war.

Here is a brief movie review (see rest of review here):

And in the final path, two of Malley’s former students, Ernest Rodriguez (Michael Pena) and Arian Finch (Derek Luke) are in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban in Irving’s masterminded offensive. Things aren’t going well for them – the intelligence reports are once again fouled – and both solders find themselves stranded in very hostile territory. Their commander Lt. Col. Falco (Peter Berg) is deeply troubled by the situation and tries everything in his power to rescue them. The abandoned men, while waiting for help, take the time to remember how they got in this situation and ultimately realize that they’ve got to rely on their own abilities if they are to survive. You can’t count on the government for anything. And while this was meant as a way to tie together the pieces of the movie into a nice bundle, it all seemed strangely staged. More displeasing to me was the use of this segment as a launching pad to find fault with our military.

Obviously, from a conservative standpoint, I would have liked to see more equal representation for the right. Irving tries to make his case, but writer Matthew Michael Carnahan, ends up making him into a war monger. I especially liked the added touch of having a plaque on his wall that read: If I must choose between righteousness and peace, I choose righteousness. However, Lions for Lambs does raise a few thought provoking questions while reiterating the tried and true Bush bashing that we’ve been privy to for the past few years. No matter the agenda, it’s worth a view and a subsequent talk around the water cooler at the job. I’m sure that’s music to the ears of the political forces that helped shape and release this movie.

I got an email from a student who would like to take my AP US History course this fall but is a bit nervous about my course, though she contends that she would really like to try the Carson experience. So, I got to thinking about that “whole” Carson experience and re-pulled this post. After reading years of old letters, notes, e-mails, and teaching evaluations from various HCHS and CAC students, I noticed a pattern. Below are the 12 most commented things from students through my first 8years of teaching. I decided to omit the wonderful things such as student autonomy, great class topics,teaching,annual cookouts, etc.

Top 12

Dear student, according to students you get to…

12. listen to the same bad jokes all year — all four of them.
11. hear about his Atlantic Market research and work on race and independent schools.
10. hear Carson say “moreover, furthermore, case in point, and thus” throughout a class discussion.
9. ask Carson how Karl Marx fits into every equation, discussion, and assignment.
8. learn about Carson’s children: Sam and Denver (his cats).
7. follow all of his arrows from alphabet A to alphabet B.
6. take an exam or a quiz in which he scored a 100% on; Carson of course wrote the thing.
5. use terms such as nation state, actor or actors, polity, and idiot frequently.
4. make up words such as commonsensical and historiography (which is a word).
3. study the French Revolution six months before (and after)it is scheduled to be taught.
2. hear him say, “according to Carson” or “give your soul to Carson”
1. ask him about his cool ties.

Funny, and I am not sure how to take this email I got from a student who has made it clear that my class scares him to death, but he wrote this after I served as a guest lecturer in an Economics course a week ago. My classes are not that difficult, you just have to open the book and read. I do like it when a student takes the time to send an email such as this.

I just wanted to personally thank you for coming and talking with our class. I don’t necessarily agree with all of your viewpoints, but it was very interesting to hear everything you had to say. I know I used to always tell you that I take summer school so I don’t have to have you as a teacher, but being able to hear you lecture our class was very awesome. Thank you so much for taking time to do that. I appreciate what you do here at this school Mr. Carson, and I hope you realize how much people appreciate you even if they don’t always show it.

In Christian love,

Lerin Rutherford & Carson on HCHS campus

I was on campus today for the sole purpose of visiting with one of my prized students: Lerin Rutherford. My first encounter with Lerin came at the end of her sophomore year. We were on the bottom academic hall outside of the choral room discussing books. I could not help but recommend to her Howard Zinn’s A Peoples History of the United States. Lerin represents a number of great students I have taught over the past 8 years. I will rank her up there with such students as: the Katherine Driver, Alejandro Penafiel, Eric Solomon, Stephen Shewmake, Dorian Ojeman, Charlie Hasenbank, and Sam Thompson - - all past students of Houston Christian.

I taught Lerin in both my AP United States History course and this past year in my AP European History course; she was easily the star of the show. Like many of the students I listed above, she always did her reading, participated in class discussions, challenged my conclusions and historical assumptions, while earning top marks. What I enjoyed most about Lerin and those students mentioned above was their willingness to visit me outside of class. There is nothing better than having a cup of coffee with a student while discussing their future. Lerin will be attending Davidson College this fall to study in the fields of science and history with hopes of attending medical school. Lerin’s Valedictorian speech a few weeks ago was one of the best; I will see if she will let me post it one day; I took a second to re-read it after our meeting. Lucky for me, I have a great group of students entering my European history class this fall.

You can read two of her contributions to this blog here:

On Davidson College by Lerin Rutherford

Happy Feet my Foot/ Political Penguins by Lerin Rutherford

The following books are works that take a much more narrow path towards collective historical analysis vis-à-vis European studies; however, they can be extrapolated to address political, social, and economic matters during a particular periodization. Students tend to find the following works enjoyable to read. The following works at one point have been a part of my course syllabus. I originally wrote this blog post as a guest author for the Second Baptist School’s AP European history blog by Phil Sinitiere.

1. The Burgermeister’s Daughterby Steve Ozment addresses a scandal of a rebellious teenage girl in 16th century Germany (of the German States). This is a work of both social and intellectual history as Ozment indirectly uses a popular narrative style of writing to address Reformation history.

2. The Cheese and the Wormsby Carlo Ginzburg looks at elite and popular culture from the point of view of Menocchio, a miller who is fairly educated. Menocchio’s trial records illustrate the confusion by those of popular culture who struggled to understand the religious and social questions of the 16th centuries inquisition.

3. The Thirty Years Warby Ronald Asch looks beyond the political game. This particular epoch was transformative in the early process of state building. Asch looks at the significance this conflict had on the feudal regions of Germany and the continual enforcement of the Augsburg Treaty (circa 1555).

4. A Daily Life in Rembrandt’s Hollandby Paul Zumthor is an excellent read; it is true that it reads more like a travel guide than a dense work of historical topicality; it is Zumthor’s use of adjectives that paints a region enriched by trade and advanced by liberal values (constitutionalism). Moreover, Zumthor’s work covers much of the more tested content elements in a fairly entertaining way; it is required reading at Houston Christian High School. I suggest reading it before or after you have read [or watched] The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.

5. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and King Leopold’s Ghostby Adam Hochschild address the evils of western modernity and imperialism, which is associated with the Berlin Conference. Both works are classics and highly entertaining. Furthermore, they raise a number of questions about fate and humanity, as well as matters of race and superiority. Conrad’s work is by far the more complex as he injects an emotional element into the structural make up of literary analysis.

I wanted to tell my friend Kelly congratulations on her marriage to Wendell. I first met Kelly while living in Limestone, Maine in 1986. Kelly and I met playing little league basketball. Her brother Travis was my brother’s best friend. The cool thing about my friendship with kelly has been that of years. When my family moved from Maine back to Montgomery, Alabama, Kelly was the only person I stayed in touch with. Since then Kelly has been a trusted confidant and a true friend. We have managed to remain friends and stay in touch since 1987. For those of you who are like me and cannot count, that is 21 years. The unique thing about my friendship with Kel is that I have not seen her since the summer of 1987. We all need freinds like Kelly.

The gods have not been with us on finally getting together. My ego got the best of me last year when I was 100% sure a paper of mine would be accepted at a conference in her home state of California; it was rejected and I never made it out there. She was in Houston last summer on the exact days I was traveling for academic reasons. I hope the Greek gods will side with us so that our 21 year drought will come to an end. I am looking forward to meeting Mr. Smith.

The idea that all education is equal is one of the biggest democratic farces conceived by the falsities of egalitarianism. In principle, this is a notion that should hold true to the concepts of idealism and social progress. Though this contention seems pessimistic, it is one of truth - though others might contend that the democratization of education works and is the greatest source of democracy. The idea that all people have a chance to prosper and advance under the Gilded Age notion that poor boy does well thanks to hard work is not wholly true. The conservative belief that all people can achieve a life of success due to individual achievement and work effort is true, but not to the same extent as the opportunities upper middle class students enjoy.

I find it interesting that states and the federal government attempt to create a system of educational egalitarianism, but fail to realize the improbability of such a construct in a society of such class differentiation. I think about the day school I teach at: it is a campus of great beauty; we have top notch facilities - - recently spending a great deal of money on newly erected buildings, relatively small classes, a dynamic faculty, and status that comes with independent school teaching. But, I cannot help but think about the advantages my students have in comparison to those who live in urban or rural areas that fail or simply cannot attract elite caliber teachers.  This point holds true for property tax rich public schools that do not have a difficult time attracting top notch teachers and who also have the means and resources to help students get to the next level. Moreover, I often wonder if students of wealth on my campus or on the campuses of other fairly affluent campuses realize the academic opportunities they have compared to others who lack the wealth.

If we are really to discuss the myth of educational egalitarism, we must begin in a historical fashion. As a defender of affirmative action, I have long sought to explain why systems and checks against de facto elements prevent people of lower classes and various racial backgrounds from getting a start. For example, people often assume that lower socioeconomic blacks are in a great position to advance their plight here in the 21st century. But, if one were to count the decades, there is still a lingering impact on the educational processes of people. Let us take Jamal, who is a black kid that grew up in urban New Haven, Connecticut. Jamal’s parents speak broken English because they grew up in a home that was occupied by their parents who obtained a Jim Crow education. Jamal’s great grandparents were former slaves. Thus, with all of Jamal’s efforts to improve his plight and social condition, he is already years behind many of his affluent private school white counterparts.

With the exception of a number of national liberal arts colleges, most American schools require the use of the SAT for admissions. This College Board administered exam operates on a scale up to 2400. The best and brightest score high, while those victim to poor conditions and an inferior primary and secondary education fall victim to a system that professes to be egalitarian but is not. Why is it that my students have an advantage in getting into college and obtaining the careers they desire because their parents benefited from a system that rewards class differentiation? Richard Hofstadter points to the matter of class and economc elitism in the construction of the Constitution in his classic work The American Political Tradition:

It is ironical that the Constitution, which Americans venerate so deeply, is based upon a political theory that at one crucial point stands in direct antithesis to the mainstream of American democratic faith. Modern American folklore assumes that democracy and liberty are all but identical, and when democratic writers take the trouble to make distinction, they usually assume that democracy is necessary to liberty. But the Founding Fathers thought that the liberty with which they were most concerned was menaced by democracy. In their minds liberty was linked not to democracy but to property.

I spent a large part of the day reading and writing a paper for the National Conference of Social Studies meeting here in Houston come fall. I am excited about the paper session I will present during the European breakfast session. I am not a member of NCSS, but I am looking forward to this breakfast lecture. If you are in Houston and have some interest in my session (see below), feel free to fix a hot breakfast plate and take plenty of notes. Thanks to my awesome friend Sarah for her advice. It is warm in Houston come November. Better yet, my lawn is still very green.

Program Guide Description (or what I sent them):

Paper Title:

The Transatlantic and Its Impact on the European History Course: A Look at Geo Politics, Race, Class, and Gender

Description:

With the use of visual aids, thematic mapping, instructional tips, and primary sources, this paper presentation will explore the early colonial stages of geo politics and how formative states struggled to maintain stability amidst colonial expansion and state building. Moreover, a look at the role of modernity as Europeans and North American colonies used religious constructs and philosophical arguments to address racial categorizations and gender division among the Atlantic market.

Mark Elrod wrote a post on his blog addressing the Bible and how it defines marriage. Elrod, a professor of political science at Harding university responds to a few questions about an interview given here. I was lucky enough to have Elrod for 4 courses while an undergraduate. Check out what he wrote and visit his blog for the rest of an interesting read. For the record, Mark Elrod is a Christian who teaches at a very conservative Harding University campus.

In response to a question about gay marriage during my interview posted at Downattheblog, I said that the Bible recognizes/authorizes seven different types of marriage.

I misspoke; the Bible actually recognizes at least eight different forms of marriage. I was thinking there are seven forms of marriages recognized by scripture apart from the standard nuclear family. None of these are given precedent over another.

You can view his biblical list of eight here.

I am devoting hree post to exploring the topic of democracy and its legitimacy among all people — blacks, whites, gays, and straights. West talks about the role of the state and the functionality of religion vis-a’-vis mass society. Click and hear what Cornel west and Toni Morrison have to say.

For those of you who read this blog for the discussions on teaching, race, and education… I think you might find the following two blogs of great interest. First, there is Nathan Barber’s blog. Nathan, who was the dean of students at the Second Baptist School, has accepted a position as the head of the upper school at Parkview Baptist School in Baton Rouge; Nathan, a very active teacher and writer of topics related to the teaching of European history, recently created the Next Generation of Leaders Blog. I think many of you academic types will find the discussions here to be very good. Nathan is a leader in private school teaching.

Next, there is Fast Times at Concord Academy; I will not mention the author of this blog, but we have much in common as it relates to my research on race and independent schools. If you are not familiar with Concord Academy, it is thought by many in my circle to be among the more elite schools in the nation. The author of this piece introduces his readers to his experience on the faculty there, and how matters of race and class shaped his view of race at this particular independent school. The author and I spoke for an hour last week on his goals for the blog and his new academic work; I hope to have him post here.

It has been an excellent 11 days at Colorado State University in Fort Collins - - site of the 2008 European history read. We spent the day reading essays while attending seminars, lectures, and forums at night; I will admit that I played more at this read than I have in recent memory. I found myself dinning most nights with bright scholars, ambitious teachers, learners, and colleagues. Honestly, to call them just a colleague is an injustice. I see some of them every year at the reading, at the national conference, or other venues that requires both work and play. This was my first year to serve as Table Leader for the read; it was made easy by those I was leading through the reading process at my table.

Above: My friend and colleague Jim Brown relaxing with me while catching game 4 of the NBA finals at a college avenue resturant. Jim who has written a couple of pieces here at the Proletarian as a guest blogger, will start his first private school appointment this fall at the Second Baptist School of Houston. Jim will work with two people I respect alot: Philip Sinitiere, history department head at SBS and Nathan Barber, dean of students. I wish Jim my best as he takes on his first private school appointment. His wife Stacie was offered a teaching post on my campus in the math department.

Above: Great colleagues and dear friends invited me to join them for a last dinner after a long day of reading. Our dinner was good, but our conversation was better! I love spending time with such knowledgeable people.

After the reading Saturday, a group of us took a drive to Cheyenne, Wyoming for the band festival and dinner. Above is my friend Sarah and I after Cheyenne and a day of reading.

Regardless of type - - it has been a while since I won any TYPE of award; I have been nominated for a few academic awards over my nine year tenure, but I humbly accept this blogging with a purpose award from Frumteacher; I suspect I blog because of my interest in not only teaching, research, and writing… but I do so because I love the exchange of thought. More than that, I have met some really great people who share my passion for social justice, teaching, and the liberalism that comes with working in schools.

I like what Frumteacher had to say about this award: “The beautiful thing about the Blogging with a purpose award is that it is an honor that needs to be paid forward.”

According to the blogging with a purpose rules, I must:

1. Nominate 5 blogs which haven’t had this award before.
2. Each of the blogs must have a purpose (even if it’s a nebulous one).
3. The nominated blogs must make a link back to this page.
4. The logo from the award must be put on the nominee’s blog and it must link back to this blog.

Here are the five blogs I would hereby like to nominate:

• Mrs. Chili - Her Teacher’s Education blog is making me a better teacher; I have learned much from her dealings with students, to her innate understanding of the complex relationship that exists in preparing for classes, executing that preparation, college teaching challenges, and her awesome grammar Wednesday posts. Oh, and I hope to have a glass of wine with her on one of my research trips this summer — which continues to keep getting pushed back.
• Jim Kelley - A very good friend and honest colleague; his blog always make me think.
• Miss Profe - A fellow teacher of color who too teaches in an independent school. Her blog addresses matters about independent schools, balance, and race that are wise and informative; like Mrs. Chili, I too hope to one day visit this Spanish professor.
• Saij’s Good Tithings - A diverse blog with great intellectual appeal, Saij writes great pieces in a Bohemian fashion; I am always learning something new.
• Pax Fellaship - Jeff and I studied together while at Harding; he is now a law school professor in my home city of Montgomery, Alabama; Jeff touches on a number of topics that always inspire me to think more.

NBC’s Tim Russert dies at only 58.

Yes, he was a favorite of mine. If you have not kept up with his work, you missed out.