Providing a Path for Lifelong Learning
Over the past few weeks, my American Religious History class has been grappling with the question "was America founded as a Christian nation?" We have thought about whether the founders envisioned a Christian country, why people have argued about this question for the past 200 years, and why it matters. The question is fascinating for… Continue reading History, Religion, and the Bladensburg Memorial Cross
Tara quizzes John on his class on medieval and early modern Japanese history, "Age of the Samurai." We discuss how the title relates to the content, the romanticization of the samurai and the historical context of Japanese ritual suicide.
If your Facebook feed looks anything like mine, you have seen A LOT of valentine memes this week. I love this whole genre; the cute, weird, pun-filled images remind me of the popular cards made and bought throughout the Victorian period. Years ago now I remember seeing the dictator card memes like this one: benkling.com… Continue reading Smashing the Patriarchy on Valentine’s Day
John and Tara are coming to the end of a long semester, and with Thanksgiving on the horizon sat down to chat about a subject they both enjoy a great deal: historical fiction! In particular, we talk about why we like this genre of writing in our capacity as historians. When is there too much… Continue reading Centre Trail Podcast 20: Historical Fiction
John and Tara get together to talk about how the public remembers and celebrates veterans of the armed services. Practices differ across the Atlantic despite a shared history in the two largest conflicts of the twentieth century.
Hey, all you Centre students! As registration is approaching I thought I would give y'all a quick roundup on our Spring course offerings: History Survey Classes: These courses have wide chronological and geographical coverage. They are designed to introduce students to major events and ideas but they are also intended to expose students to how… Continue reading History Courses Spring 2019
I know this is hard to believe, but we here at Centre Trail aren't the only student/faculty blogs on campus. In fact, our friend Dr. Young over in the Chemistry program has her students writing really fascinating blog posts that discuss chemistry in our world at large. Ever wondered if we need better, safer batteries?… Continue reading Centre Student Blogs
John and Tara welcome Centre Trail's new intern Payton, and Tara shares her research on a parody of the college catalog produced by Centre College students in 1854. Be ready for hilarious stories of one legged professors and the noble sport of turkey stealing. Off to the wars again!
When I was an undergrad one of the pervasive stories about Americans in the nineteenth century was that doctors used vibrators to cure women of "hysteria." It was an intoxicating historical assertion--those stodgy, chaste Victorians were also secretly using sex to treat women's mental health! Astonishing! Except, it probably isn't true. In a recent peer-reviewed… Continue reading The Victorians Did WHAT?
John and Tara talk about the tragic fire at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. What does it mean to lose these records of human knowledge, and how do historians approach the reality of limitations to the knowledge we have collected? What are archives and how do historians use them? We talk broadly… Continue reading Centre Trail Podcast 17: Archives and Records of Human Knowledge
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