On Top of the World

Ep 48: Buy My Book Sep 20, 2019

Your hosts discuss Dave's new book: World History Through Case Studies: Historical Skills in Practice. Dave tells us about how studying things like the history of veiling, yoga, or the World Cup will engage your students and help them think like a historian. Ditch the textbook and buy Dave's book!

Bloomsbury

Amazon

Ep 47: The New AP World History CED with Eric Beckman Aug 08, 2019

The new AP World History Course and Exam Description (CED) is out and we have to figure out the best and most responsible way to teach it.

In this episode, Matt interviews Eric Beckman, a veteran teacher and winner of the 2018 William H. McNeill World History Association Teacher Scholarship. What exactly has changed? Where and how should we start this new truncated course? Are Texans taking over World History? How can we best create an anti-racist and global course within the parameters of the new standards?

With our goal of helping students do better on the exam, making the course more coherent, and making the course less Eurocentric, this episode will help both novice and experienced teachers grapple with the 2019 standards from College Board.

Links:

Learning, Online by Eric Beckman

Eric's Twitter

The AP World History: Modern CED

Ep 46: How to Hide an Empire Jul 12, 2019

Are mountains of bird sh*t, a doctor giving his patients cancer, and the width of screw threads central to the rise of American imperialism? Yes! Matt and Dave discuss How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr.

This a text that will leave North American readers like Matt and Dave, saying "Oh sh*t! That really happened?" It is also history that weaves together mass politics, insane personal stories, and the twists of fate that shaped the changes and continuities of American history beyond and across the boundaries of "logo map."

Recommendations:

Dave - A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Matt - Seeds of Empire: Cotton, Slavery, and the Transformation of the Texas Borderlands, 1800-1850 by Andrew J. Torget

How English Became the Global Language by David Northrup

Dave's book is available for pre-order right now!

World History through Case Studies: Historical Skills in Practice by Dave Eaton

Ep 45: Against the Grain Mar 07, 2019

Dave and Matt return from a winter break to discuss the future of AP World and review James C. Scott's book Against the Grain.

Recommendations:

Dave: Webb, Humanity's Burden and Klieman, "The Pygmies Were Our Compass"

Matt: Wrangham, Catching Fire

Music

Eric Jones, Angkor

Feist, Let It Die

MIMS, This Is Why I'm Hot

Ep 44: Texting in Class - Panorama Dec 28, 2018

Texting in Class makes a triumphal return! Matt and Dave review Panorama: A World History by Laura J. Mitchell and Ross E. Dunn.

Recommendations:

Dave - Empires of Ancient Eurasia: The First Silk Roads Era, 100 BCE – 250 CE by Craig Benjamin

Matt - The Common Wind: Afro-American Currents in the Age of the Haitian Revolution by Julius S. Scott

Dave - Grand Valley Journal of History for undergraduate students

Music:

Angkor - Eric Jones

I Can See For Miles - The Who

Atomic Bomb - William Onyeabor

Ep 43: Playing with Paradox Games Dec 28, 2018

Matt and Dave are joined by special guests Henrik Lohmander and Peter Nicholson, computer game designers and historians with Paradox Interactive. We discuss their fascinating jobs working on the historical strategy games, how to break into historical game development, and the challenge of balancing history and player fun.

Recommendations:

All - Imperator: Rome

Henrik - A Social History of the Deccan, 1300–1761: Eight Indian Lives, Richard M. Eaton

Dave - Empires of Ancient Eurasia: The First Silk Roads Era, 100 BCE – 250 CE, Craig Benjamin

Matt - Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century, Geoffrey Parker

Music:

Angkor, Eric Jones

Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Tears for Fears

Caesar, Ty Seagull

Personal Jesus, Depeche Mode

BONUS: Document Analysis Practice Dec 17, 2018

New episodes are on the way! In the meantime, you can listen to Matt and Dave talking through some primary source analysis best practices, document analysis, and lesson ideas. We hope that you or your students find this episode helpful!

We originally did this as a video stream for the fine folks over at Fiveable but on the condition that it would be free to the public and that we could share it with our listeners too.

Here is the link to all the documents used in the episode.

BONUS: The Traitor Baru Cormorant Oct 31, 2018

Put on your masks and get out your account books! Matt and Dave are joined by a very special guest, Dungeon Master Rob! They discuss Seth Dickinson's groundbreaking fantasy novel, The Traitor Baru Cormorant. Although it is a work of fiction, the book's approach to race, queerness, and empire can help us as world historians break free from some of the limitations of the archive.

Happy Halloween and happy the Monster Baru Cormorant day!

Links:

Dungeon Master of None, Rob's podcast (Matt also co-hosts)

The Traitor Baru Cormorant

The Monster Baru Cormorant

Recommendations:

Dave - A Man of the People by Chinua Achebe

Dave - Wizard of the Crow by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Dave - Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India Nicholas B. Dirks

Rob - The Divine Cities Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett

Matt - Purchasing Whiteness: Pardos, Mulattos, and the Quest for Social Mobility in the Spanish Indies by Ann Twinam

Music:

Angkor, Eric Jones

Rebel, Rebel, David Bowie

Empire State of Mind, Jay Z. feat. Alicia Key

Mask Off, Future

Ep 42: The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt Oct 16, 2018

Dave and Matt sit down with Michael Vann to talk about his new graphic history, The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt: Empire, Disease, and Modernity in French Colonial Vietnam.

Your hosts discuss the joy of finding unexpected things in the archive, the necessity of writing a colonial urban history as a world history, the importance of cultural history and thick description, and the opportunities that graphic histories give teachers in the classroom.

Also, check out Mike's excellently-titled article in the Journal of World History: Sex and the Colonial City: Mapping Masculinity, Whiteness, and Desire in French Occupied Hanoi

Recommendations:

All - The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt: Empire, Disease, and Modernity in French Colonial Vietnam by Michael G. Vann and Liz Clarke

Micheal - Melancholy Order: Asian Migration and the Globalization of Borders by Adam M. McKeown

Dave - Matatu: A History of Popular Transportation in Nairobi by Kenda Mutongi

Ghana on the Go: African Mobility in the Age of Motor Transportation by Jennifer Anne Hart

Matt - Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States by James C. Scott

Music:

Angkor by Eric Jones

Le Festin by Camille from the Ratatouille soundtrack

Bullet with Butterfly Wings by the Smashing Pumpkins

Godzilla by Blue Öyster Cult

Episode 41 - The Cold World War Sep 19, 2018

Reminder: Free registration for the 2018 Great Lakes History Conference!

What is the Cold War to a World Historian? Dave and Matt use Odd Arne Wested's Bancroft-winning book as a launching pad to examine the longue durée of the 20th-century and a global approach to the US-Soviet conflict that centers decolonization and the "Third World."

Recommendations:

The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Times by Odd Arne Wested

Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq by Stephen Kinzer

Ep 40 - It's Just Me Against the World Jul 20, 2018

Matt and Dave discuss the story of the worst (best?) dinner party in World History! Starting in 1780 in colonial Peru, the rebellion that followed said dinner party was one of the bloodiest of the Age of Revolutions. Led by the charismatic José Gabriel Condorcanqui Túpac Amaru II and the brilliant Micaela Bastidas Puyucahua, the Andean rebellions threatened the 200-year-long order of the república de indios in South America.

Your hosts discuss the unique geography of the Andes, the endurance of Inca and sub-Inca authority and culture, the Bourbon reforms that helped spark the rebellion, and the bloody civil war that nearly toppled Spanish control of Peru.

Matt and Dave argue for the inclusion and importance of Túpac Amaru and Túpac Katari revolts alongside the Atlantic Revolutions. When included in our World History these rebellions challenge the straightforward Enlightenment-to-revolution model and force us to consider both the intensification of economic change in the late 18th-century and resistance to racial hierarchies from below.

“There are no accomplices here but you and I. You the oppressor, and I the liberator. Both of us deserve to die.”

Recommendations:

Matt - The Tupac Amaru Rebellion by Charles F. Walker

Dave - The World of Túpac Amaru: Conflict, Community, and Identity in Colonial Peru by Ward Stavig

Ep 39 - AP WH Revision: College Board Makes It Worse Jul 19, 2018

Lord help us, but College Board is back on its bullshit. All our writing, discussing, and protesting got us a whole 250 years! The new start date is 1200 CE. College Board still doesn't get World History. Matt and Dave discuss.

Recommendations:

Matt - The New World History: A Field Guide for Teachers and Researchers, ed. by Ross Dunn, Laura Mitchell, and Kerry Ward Dave - Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, Robert Tignor et al. Closing Music: "The World Turned Upside Down" by Billy Bragg

Ep 38 - Live from Milwaukee! Jun 27, 2018

Listen in on Dave and Matt's panel and Q&A at the World History Association in Milwaukee, WI! Your hosts talk history podcasting and the history of this podcast. Listen in to hear our plans for the future of the show as well as some great question and suggestions (00:29:54) from our lovely studio audience.

Thanks for coming to our show and see everyone next year in San Juan!

P.S. Sorry that some of the audio quality on the audience questions is not as good as we would like it to be!

Ep 37b – A Solomonic Halving: Rick talks AP Exam Changes, Pt. 2 Jun 10, 2018

Matt and Dave continue their interview with Rick Warner! We discuss the announced halving of the AP World History course and the College Board’s condescending and dismissive attitude to the concerns of teachers and professors. We talk about the CB Open Forum (you can watch the whole thing, here on our Facebook page) and the tone-deaf response from VP Trevor Packer. #saveapworldsaveapworld.org

Recommendations:Dave - Karol Giblin’s comment at the Open Forum (comment starts at 26:00)Rick - Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (RIP)Matt - Squirrel Cage episode of Parts Unknown Matt - Africa is a Country Matt - Barbara Weinstein’s AHA Presidential Address

P.S. If you are attending the WHA in Milwaukee, our panel is at 9am on June 23. Come see us!

Ep 37a – The Helicopter and the Truffle Hunter: An Interview with Rick Warner, Pt. 1 Jun 09, 2018

Matt and Dave sit down with World History veteran Rick Warner to discuss the long arc of the field and the AP exam. The AP exam revision will be discussed in part 2 of the interview. Rick argues for the centrality of World History as a teaching field and that “World History is invented in the classroom.” We celebrate the vibrant community of both university and high school faculty over some High West double rye whiskeys.

Finally, we talk about the multiple narratives in World History, as opposed to the singular narrative often prominent in other fields of the discipline, and the importance of periodization. Our discussion with Rick will continue in the second part of our interview in which we discuss the recent changes to the AP World History exam and the backlash against College Board's halving of the course.

Ep 36 - AP WH Revision Bullsh*t Jun 08, 2018

In a surprise announcement last week, the College Board declared they are cutting out the whole first half of the AP World History curriculum (a.k.a. Periods I, II, & III). The course is now going to be just World History from 1450 CE.

We think this is a truck load of bullshit. Tune in to find out exactly what kind of bullshit this is as well as a few reasonable arguments in favor of this change.

However, we mostly want to hear from you. Please leave us a comment with your thoughts on the change. Or, if you’d like to leave a voicemail that we can play during our next episode send an email to ontopoftheworldhistory@gmail.com, a twitter message to @podhistory, or a message on our facebook page.

Recommendations:

Dave – Manufacturing Confucianism: Chinese Traditions and Universal Civilization by Lionel M. Jensen

Matt – Cotton, Climate, and Camels in Early Islamic Iran: A Moment in World History by Richard W. Bulliet

Ep 35 – The History Manifesto Jun 08, 2018

The original “Bro-dels” Matt and Dave tackle Jo Guldi and David Armitage’s The History Manifesto. How should historians respond to the “crisis of the humanities?” Your hosts discuss Guldi and Armitage’s ideas of “long-termism,” big data, and the need for public-facing scholarship from the perspective of World History. While the book has got some great ideas, it seems like the authors have never met any of the world historians, who have been attempting to answer some of the big questions in the Manifesto for the last few decades! We don’t feel slighted. Totally not mad. Don’t worry! Y ou can read the Manifesto for free (see link below). Take a look and then join Matt & Dave in a wide-ranging discussion of hierarchy in the history academy, dropping enrollment, and Canada’s saddest reactionary, Jordan Peterson.Links:The History Manifesto by Jo Guldi and David Armitage“Rise of the humanities” by Peter Mandler“The CANADALAND Guide to Jordan B. Peterson”Prof. Mike Davis: “There Was Once A Generation of Lions” interview by Mohsen AbdelmoumenRecommendations: (00:40:15)Dave – Debt: The First 5000 Years by David GraeberMatt – Clio Infra (dataset) by the International Institute of Social History

Ep 34 – Black Earth Mar 29, 2018

We’re heading back to the “Blood Lands” of Eastern Europe for a sobering discussion of the uses and abuses of the history of the holocaust from an ecological and global perspective. We discuss Timothy Snyder’s Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning with special guest Andrew Behrendt. A great listen for teachers who are grappling with how to apply the lessons of the 20th-century with their students.Recommendations:Dave – The Logic of Violence in Civil War by Stathis KalyvasAndrew – Modern Hungers: Food and Power in Twentieth-Century Germany by Alice WeinrebMatt – The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Times by Odd Arne Westad

Ep 33 - The Dawn Watchers Jan 31, 2018

Dave and Matt have read Maya Jasanoff’s new book on the life and times of Joseph Conrad, The Dawn Watch. We discuss Conrad’s life, and the limits of his vision in the turbulent world of the late 19th-century. This is a story that has remarkable parallels to our own moment in history: a world of transnational corporations, terrorism, immigration, and disruptive technological change. Plus, why our world is more similar to the lead up to the First World War than you think! For History teachers with students who have read Conrad’s works for a literature course or an English class, we weigh the benefits and drawbacks of using Conrad in a history classroom.Tune in for a tales of Polish nationalism, depression, race, and empire! Stay to find out why old Józef really, really hates those darn steamships. Recommendations:Maya Jasanoff – The Dawn Watch: Joseph Conrad in a Global WorldChinua Achebe – “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness'” and Things Fall ApartAllan B. Calhamer – Diplomacy Greg Grandin – The Empire of Necessity: Slavery, Freedom, and Deception in the New World

Ep 32 – We, Too, Are History Nov 29, 2017

On today’s episode, Matt interviews one of his former students, Valeria Alvarado, an immigrant rights activist and an undergraduate History major. Val co-founded “We, Too, Are America,” an online platform dedicated to fighting the current administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric. The two discuss the undergraduate History experience, navigating the seminar as a woman of color, dealing with tokenism in the classroom, and the importance of understanding colonialism.RecommendationsMatt - Ten Days That Shook the World by John Reed Val - Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond We, Too, Are America: https://www.wetooareamerica.org

Ep 31 – Scientific Racism Oct 27, 2017

How do you teach the evolution of race and racism in world history? From the post-classical era to the Enlightenment and industrial era, Matt and Dave explore the historical construction of race. How did ideas of race evolve in a world-historical context and how was this social construct then used to justify hierarchies? Tune in to find out.St. Maurice’s statue at the Magdeburg CathedralRecommendations:Dave – Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus: A Ghost Story and a Biography by Clifton Crais and Pamela ScullyMatt – The Mismeasure of Man (Revised & Expanded) by Stephen Jay Gould

Ep 30 – Conference Hype! Oct 15, 2017

In today’s episode, I talk Great Lakes History Conference as we reach the one-week-to-go mark! With me is Andrew Peterson, a visiting assistant professor at GVSU, and we talk about his panel on “Rethinking the World History Survey.” We chat about his career arc, how to orient a world history survey around the environment, exchange networks, and energy regimes, how to solve problems related to periodization, and why the X-Files monster episodes are redeemable (they are!). The full presentation is planned for October 21 at 3:15pm, and he will be joined by Craig Benjamin (GVSU), Whitney Dirks-Schuster (GVSU), Leah Gregory (SDSU), and Alex Holowicki (Maui College). For more information on other panels and presentations please visit the conference website. Recommendations are: Andrew – Collingham, A Taste of WarDave – Pauketat, Cahokia (and Homefront + Paradise Lost from Deep Space Nine)

Ep 29 – Herero Heroes Sep 05, 2017

Today, Matt and I talk about the ongoing controversy over the removal of Confederate monuments in the United States and the importance of public history to our discipline. Matt recently made the case for the removal of the statue in Houston named “The Spirit of the Confederacy.” We argue that we make choices in terms of how we remember the past, and that celebrating those who resisted slavery, like Virginia Boyd, is a more appropriate use of public space. Matt’s speech, the letter from Virginia Boyd to her slave master in 1853, the Washington Post call to action for medievalists, Baptist’s The Half Has Never Been Told, an article on the German military myth that they were not involved in the Holocaust, and even links to the book written by Judge Norman G. Kittrell (who gave a speech at the unveiling of the statue) are all available online. Those who wish to contribute to the Gofundme’s for a Houston student injured in Charlottesville, those arrested in Durham, or the family of Heather Heyer can follow the links here. Our next episode will look in more depth at other examples from world history that can help contextualize the current situation in the US. Recommendations are: Matt – Kirk Savage, Standing Soldiers, Kneeling SlavesDave – Atieno-Odhiambo and Lonsdale (eds), Mau Mau and Nationhood

Ep 28 - Remembering Virginia Boyd Aug 18, 2017

Today, Matt and I talk about the ongoing controversy over the removal of Confederate monuments in the United States and the importance of public history to our discipline. Matt recently made the case for the removal of the statue in Houston named “The Spirit of the Confederacy.” We argue that we make choices in terms of how we remember the past, and that celebrating those who resisted slavery, like Virginia Boyd, is a more appropriate use of public space. Matt’s speech, the letter from Virginia Boyd to her slave master in 1853, the Washington Post call to action for medievalists, Baptist’s The Half Has Never Been Told, an article on the German military myth that they were not involved in the Holocaust, and even links to the book written by Judge Norman G. Kittrell (who gave a speech at the unveiling of the statue) are all available online. Those who wish to contribute to the Gofundme’s for a Houston student injured in Charlottesville, those arrested in Durham, or the family of Heather Heyer can follow the links here. Our next episode will look in more depth at other examples from world history that can help contextualize the current situation in the US.

Recommendations are: Matt – Kirk Savage, Standing Soldiers, Kneeling Slaves Dave – Atieno-Odhiambo and Lonsdale (eds), Mau Mau and Nationhood Links: Matt's Op-Ed

Matt's Speech at the Houston City Council

Ep 27 - Absolute 90s Jun 28, 2017

In this episode, Matt and I sit down over some fine 90s music (and a PC Pils from Founders for the Big Pitcher!) to discuss an important article published after the end of the Cold War; Benjamin Barber’s “Jihad vs McWorld.” In it, Barber describes two futures – one marked by the violent forms of ethno-nationalism he terms jihad, and the other by the globalist consumerism of McWorld. The twist is that he argues neither of these futures is good for democracy. We debate the coherence of capitalism, war profiteering, the value of local democracy, and the merits of Terminator 2, Hackers, Jurassic Park, and Independence Day (the celebrations Matt mentions are here). Recommendations are: Dave – Mitchell, Carbon DemocracyMatt – Wright, The World and a Very Small Place in Africa

Ep 26 - Germ Warfare Jun 08, 2017

Matt and I have been together in Utah for the AP World History reading, and today we managed to find some time in the evening to talk about environmental history and its place in the study of the Age of Revolutions. Key sources are Mosquito Empires and Pox Americana as we look at how differential immunity played a crucial role in the fate of the Haitian and American Revolutions respectively. We also discuss ways to give disease an important place in events without giving in to environmental determinism, a discussion that was well lubricated by whiskey from High West Distillery. A source for Kwame Nkrumah’s suggested mosquito statue in Accra can be found here. Recommendations are:Matt – Miller, An Environmental History of Latin AmericaDave – Dubois, Avengers of the New World

Special Mini Ep - Great Lakes History Conference May 18, 2017

For the first time ever, this podcast is part of a conference! And in this special mini episode, my conference co-coordinator (Mike Huner) and I discuss this years Great Lakes History Conference in Grand Rapids, MI. Hosted by the Grand Valley State University History Department, this conference has been going for 40 years, and the theme this year is research in action – specifically, how historical research makes its way into the public sphere, either through teaching, the media, or political engagement. The plan is to include panels of interest to both high school and university instructors, and there will also be a number of workshops focused on pedagogy (including a day-long session on Reacting to the Past!). We are also proud to welcome our keynote speaker, Michelle Moyd from Indiana University – Bloomington. She published Violent Intermediaries: African Soldiers, Conquest, and Everyday Colonialism in German East Africa in 2014, and more recently featured in The Guardian writing about languages of resistance. Her lecture is entitled “Radical Potentials: World War I as Global South War,” and she will also be leading a discussion on the work of filmmaker Raoul Peck. All podcast listeners are welcome to attend, and registration is FREE! The call for papers has detailed info on how to submit a paper/panel (due July 15), and detailed conference info can be found on the podcast website.

Ep 25b – Global Goulash Apr 17, 2017

In our second interview with a professor teaching food history, Matt and Andrew discuss how to teach a World History course through food. Come for the pedagogical insights, stay for the singing canned corn.Recommendations:Rachel Laudan, Cuisine and Empire: Cooking in World History. An essential text for instructors interested in incorporating food history into their courses. Prof. Laudan’s excellent blog on food and food history: http://www.rachellaudan.com/ Andrew Behrendt’s Syllabus and pörkölt recipe:World History through Food History SyllabusBeef stew with spætzle, Hungarian-style recipe

Ep 25a – Food and World History with Lauren Janes Apr 15, 2017

In this episode, Dave sits down with Lauren Janes, an assistant professor at Hope College in Holland, MI. We discuss her recently published book, her new project on using food case studies to illuminate key themes in world history (potatoes = Columbian Exchange, sugar = Trans-Atlantic slave trade, curry = imperialism, maize = US food aid and Green Revolution), the use of food in world history surveys, and her upper level seminar entitled “A Modern History of Global Food.” We discuss maize and GMOs in Zambia, Mann’s writing on potatoes, the history of curry, tete de négre (a French dessert created in the late 19th century that you can read about here), the awesomeness of Sidney Mintz, the Algerian wine industry, refrigeration (using Freidburg’s book) and how to make our classes less depressing as we reach the 19th and 20th century.

Recommendations are: Lauren – Collingham, Curry: A Tale of Cooks and ConquerorsDave – Hamilton, Trucking Country

Ep 24 - Just Tacos Feb 25, 2017

In today’s episode, Matt and I discuss two books that connect food and world history – Planet Taco by Jeffrey Pilcher and Just Food by James McWilliams. Along the way we mention John Wick, Seafall, taco kits, a hilarious new Old El Paso commercial (and check out this older gem!), Primanti sandwiches, life cycle assessments, Bt crops, and lots of restaurants (Tako in Pittsburgh and Donkey Taqueria and Taqueria San Jose in Grand Rapids). Recommendations are:Matt – Rick Bayless, Mexico: One Plate at a Time Dave – Pho Anh Trang in Grand Rapids

Ep 23 - Introducing Food and World History Jan 05, 2017

In this episode, Matt and I start a three-part arc on food and world history. We discuss how to teach sugar (using Sidney Mintz and Eric Williams) and milk (using this article on the Leche Project), before moving on to kumis and nomadic peoples as well as the role of salt and tobacco smuggling in the French Revolution. We conclude by recommending two books on food and world history that we will be discussing in our next episode:Matt – Pilcher, Planet TacoDave – McWilliams, Just Food

Ep 22 - The Politics of World History Nov 16, 2016

This mini-episode was originally recorded in May 2016 with Tammy Shreiner and was intended to be part of a series of “short cuts” discussing world history resources online. My contribution was an article by Michael Lind about the future of American politics, and how some of the divisions he described seemed quite similar to those I have encountered in the field of world history (and history more broadly). One caveat: this is not intended as a polished piece of scholarly work, but as a reflection on some of the “big pitcher” ideas that shape us as world historians!Recommendations:Dave – Bender, A Nation among NationsTammy – Guarneri, America in the World

Ep 21 - Comfy Genes Sep 27, 2016

In this episode, Dave and his favorite certified genetic counselor, Katey Mayberry, take a look at the genetic evidence for the settlement of the Americas. The first article, by Rasmussen et al in Nature, deals with the controversial origins of Kennewick Man/the Ancient One, a skeleton found in Washington State and dating back at least 8400 years. The second article, written by Llamas et al in Science Advances, deals more generally with the early migrations into the Americas. Over a couple Canadian beers, we talk about Y-DNA, mtDNA, haplotypes, TMRCA, single-nucleotide polymorphism, and high posterior density with varying levels of success! Follow along at home as I try to make sense of the charts on p.4 of Llamas et al! This is a highly specialized field, but as Katey makes clear, if used carefully it can be extremely useful to world historians of all types. Recommendations are:Katey – Genetics Home ReferenceDave – Dillehay, The Settlement of the Americas

Ep 20 - #FreeBillStrickland Aug 19, 2016

For our 20th episode we bring in Bill Strickland from East Grand Rapids High School to discuss the upcoming changes to the AP world history exam. The acronyms come fast and furious as we go through the SAQs, DBQs, and LEQs and discuss a variety of teaching strategies. We also discuss the infamous “Western penetration” DBQ, Dungeons and Dragons, mapping the Roman Empire, and AP training videos. Recommendations are: Dave – AHA Digital History Reviews by John RosinbumBill – HistoryHaven.com by John HendersonMatt – The Economic Role of Women in World History, 600-1914 by Linda Black

Ep 19 - Bloodlands: Beyond Thunderdome Aug 02, 2016

In Episode 4, I mentioned I used the book Bloodlands by Timothy (not Zack) Snyder when teaching WWII in my world history survey. Our guest Andrew Behrendt was underwhelmed with that choice. Today, Andrew and I enter the Thunderdome and strap into our bungee harnesses as we debate whether this book is useful for world historians. Needless to say, there is some bad blood as he grabs a chainsaw (claiming Snyder poorly defines his geographical space!), I swing a hammer (suggesting that Snyder’s top-down approach may be a necessary corrective to the historiographical turn towards local understandings of violence!), and Matt frantically tries to blow his bosun’s whistle (Snyder’s synthesis does not contain an explicit argument!). Yeah, this one gets nerdy, so nerdy Stathis Kalyvas gets name checked. There are even two Simpson’s references in here! Recommendations are:Andrew – Prusin, The Lands Between; Collingham, The Taste of WarDave – Gross, Neighbors; Gross, Fear Matt – Von Ryan’s Express (1965); Lazare, “Timothy Snyder’s Lies”

Ep 18 - The WHAppening Jul 15, 2016

No, it’s not an M. Night Shyamalan film, it’s our recap of the World History Association Annual Meeting in Gent, Belgium. We talk Bancroft Prizes (the very nsfw Onion article is here!), podcast stats, a great paper on mapping by Alex Zukas, the Ottoman History Podcast, and why everyone should be a WHA member. After this we do a “Big Pitcher” – Matt is on point with a Belgian Piraat while I lazily grab a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. We discuss my forthcoming course on the history of globalization, and Matt gets theoretical with his suggestions for the syllabus, including Osterhammel, Chase-Dunn and Lerro, and Bayly. My personal favorite book on globalization in the ancient world is by Jennings. Recommendations are:Matt – Cline, 1177 BCDave – Ferguson, Expectations of Modernity

Ep 17 - The New DB-Cool Jun 17, 2016

After a week in Salt Lake City grading the AP World History exams, Matt and I take a quick look at the changes coming to the document-based question (DBQ). Based on the powerpoint released at the PD event there, we discuss the most significant departures from the old DBQ, which include eliminating points for grouping, point-of-view, and expanded core. As the title suggests, we are big fans of the new DBQ! It reduces the number of documents, requires outside knowledge from the AP curriculum, and asks students to contextualize their arguments in a more meaningful way. We also manage to include references to hockey riots (police were on top of this!), running outside Salt Lake City (Dave recommends this trail), and an article by @smoothkobra (found here). Recommendations are:Matt – Revised DBQs (2004 Revised DBQ 2003 Revised DBQ as pdfs, 2004 Revised DBQ 2003 Revised DBQ as word documents)Dave – Frankopan, The Silk Roads

Ep 16 - An Interview with Niklas Frykman May 17, 2016

In this episode, Matt and I chat with Niklas Frykman about the Age of Revolutions! We start by discussing life on an 18th century ship (including a mention of the Diligent by Robert Harms), impressment, cosmopolitan sailors, and why Master and Commander might not qualify as a documentary. We then shift our focus to the Age of Revolutions as a unit in world history, and why it should begin with slave revolts in the Caribbean (like Tacky’s Revolt in Jamaica in 1760) and Pontiac’s War in the American colonies rather than the Enlightenment. Finally, Niklas’ research, including the mutiny on the Hermione and the 1797 Spithead mutinies, takes center stage as we debate what motivates mutineers (for a different perspective, see the Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast on the Batavia), and whether life at sea creates a novel sense of community among sailors. Recommendations are:Dave – McNeill, Mosquito EmpiresNiklas – Serna, “Every Revolution is a War for Independence” from The French Revolution in Global Perspective and Zappia, “Revolutions in the Grass” from Environmental History.Matt – Rediker, The Amistad Rebellion

Ep 15 - The Vikings May 02, 2016

In this episode Matt and I discuss the Vikings with Jack Bouchard, a returning guest and graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh. As we drink three delicious beers, we discuss the question I asked the students in my survey class – were the Vikings unusually violent? We look at how their image changes dramatically after WWII, with less focus on their military talent and more on their meticulous grooming. We also discuss their impact on the English language, their presence in pop culture (Valhalla Rising and The Thirteenth Warrior and Vikings), our favorite Vikings (including GVSU’s Charles Johnson!), the sport of knattleikr, the Reykjavik Police Department Instagram account, and ways to teach Ibn Fadlan. Key sources addressing the Vikings’ violence relative to their contemporaries are Winroth, The Age of the Vikings and Bisson, Tormented Voices. Recommendations are: Matt – Abu-Lughod, Before European HegemonyDave – Somerville and McDonald, The Vikings and Their AgeJack – Fitzhugh and Ward, Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga and Wickham, The Inheritance of Rome

Ep 14 - An Interview with Molly Warsh Apr 25, 2016

In this episode, Matt and I talk to Molly Warsh, an assistant professor in the history department at Pitt and associate director at the World History Center there. We talk about her research on the pearl industry, the future of world history research, pirates (including my personal favorite) and her global piracy class (the syllabus is here), the differences between introductory and upper-level world history courses, and the gendered dynamics of class discussions. Recommendations are: Dave – Robins, Mercury, Mining, and EmpireMatt – Mintz, Sweetness and Power (NOT Richard S. Dunn, Sugar and Slaves)Molly – James, A Brief History of Seven Killings

Ep 13 - “Texting in Class” Review of Strayer Mar 31, 2016

In this episode, Matt and I debut a new segment in this podcast called “Texting in Class.” During this segment we review a popular world history textbook and provide some insights into its strengths and weaknesses. We start with one of Matt’s favorites, Robert Strayer’s Ways of the World. After a brief discussion of the format and its suitability to the new AP world history curriculum, we give glowing praise to its use of visual sources (some dealing with representations of Buddha can be found here) as well as its chapters on nomadic peoples and European imperialism. In the second half of the episode we debate the merits and challenges with narrative-heavy textbooks, before examining his analysis of the origins of the global economy and the Bantu migrations. Recommendations are:Matt – Hamalainen, The Comanche EmpireDave – Vansina, Paths in the Rainforest

Ep 12 - F*ck Niall Ferguson Mar 11, 2016

In this episode, Matt and Dave discuss Niall Ferguson’s controversial bestseller Civilization: The West and the Rest with Matt's grad school colleague Jack Bouchard. It is safe to say that none of us are huge fans of the “six killer apps” that Ferguson believes account for the supremacy of the “West,” particularly due to his heavy reliance on 19th century scholarship like this. Citing more recent work like R. Bin Wong’s China Transformed and Davis’ Late Victorian Holocausts, we suggest ways to challenge Ferguson’s popular narrative and teach a more complex explanation for the “rise of the West.”

Recommendations are: Matt – Rosenthal and Bin Wong, Before and Beyond DivergenceJack – Pomeranz, The Great DivergenceDave – Fallows, China Airborne

Ep 11 - An Interview of Tamara Shreiner Feb 15, 2016

In this episode I interview Tammy Shreiner, an assistant professor of social studies education at Grand Valley State University. She describes her work on the “World History For Us All” project, a collaborative endeavor between K-12 teachers and university professors – the unit on the history of living rooms can be found here. We also discuss her doctoral research on how high school students think about history, the impact of state standards on secondary-level world history, and the importance of data literacy for historians. For those interested my ugly Christmas sweatshirt looked exactly like this. Book recommendations are:Dave – Jerven, Poor NumbersTammy – Maier and Imazeki, The Data Game

Ep 10 - The Transition from High School to University Feb 01, 2016

In this episode Matt and Dave discuss how teachers can prepare students for the transition from high school to university. We are joined by three of our close friends from the AP World History reading to help us with this subject; Eric Jones (associate professor of Southeast Asian studies at Northern Illinois University), Jennifer Sweatman (assistant professor of history at Washington and Jefferson College), and Jennifer Beck (AP World History teacher at Loyalsock Township High School). Together we discuss the AP reading, university-level expectations, possible reading and writing assignments, and our most inspiring history teachers. We also choose one book or album if stranded on a desert island, with Dave and Jenn S opting for classic literature, Jenn B fending off the hunger pains, and Matt and Eric bringing rather divergent musical options. Recommendations are: Eric – Toer, This Earth of MankindJenn S – Feraoun, Journal: 1955-62Dave – Lee, The Ugly RenaissanceMatt – Ferrar, Freedom’s MirrorJenn B – Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me

Ep 9 - An Interview with Eric Jones Jan 20, 2016

In this episode, Matt and Dave discuss the place of Southeast Asia in world history with Eric Jones, an associate professor of history as well as assistant director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University. During our interview, he talks about how he fell in love with the region and key aspects of its history, including the role of women like Sitie in pre-colonial trading organizations, the birth of the Dutch East India Company, colonial forms of exploitation in Java, the spread of Islam into the region, and the local significance of WWII and the Vietnam War. His recently published book Wives, Slaves, and Concubines: A History of the Female Underclass in Dutch Asia is available on Amazon and speaks to several of the examples listed above. He also mentions other teaching resources including Bradley’s Imagining Vietnam and America. Finally, special thanks go out to him for creating the music you hear on this podcast and the special live version of the theme used at the beginning of this podcast – his band is called Buffalo Jump and if you live in the Chicagoland area, you should totally check them out! Book recommendations are as follows:Dave – Keys, CatastropheMatt – Wang, White Lotus RebelsEric – Scott, The Art of Not Being Governed

Ep 8b - An Interview with Craig Benjamin: Part 2 Dec 30, 2015

This episode is the second part (first part is here) of an interview with leading “big-historian” Craig Benjamin. Over a couple of Fosters we discuss big-history critics, first-year courses, world history textbooks (including his own), the AP reading, and the World History Association (WHA). My book recommendation is an edited volume on teaching big history at the Dominican University of California:Dave – Teaching Big History

Ep 8a - An Interview with Craig Benjamin: Part 1 Dec 29, 2015

In this episode Dave speaks with Craig Benjamin on his career as a world historian. He describes his graduate work at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and his fateful meeting with David Christian that led him to become an important proponent of big history. We then discuss how university students respond to the big history “creation-myth” and how to manage the classroom while debating controversial subjects. Episode 8b will be posted shortly, and it includes the second half of this interview. I forgot to ask Craig for a book recommendation during the interview, but I will make amends below;Dave – Christian, Brown, and Benjamin, Big History: Between Nothing and Everything

Ep 7 - A Presentation on African Topics in World History Dec 01, 2015

Due to a busy holiday travel schedule, Matt and I were unable to record a new podcast for early December. Instead, we are offering bonus content! In October I presented at the Great Lakes History Conference in Allendale, MI on five African topics for world history instructors. These topics were designed to link with the Michigan social studies curriculum which divides world history into several main time periods. Elementary social studies instructors deal with the pre-1500 period, and I suggest the Indian Ocean coast as an ideal topic. At the high school level, I use the trans-Atlantic slave trade to explore the First Global Age, the life of Sara Baartman to examine the dark side of Global Revolutions (1700-1914), and the Cold War in the Congo as well as soccer in Africa to explore 20th Century and Contemporary Global Issues. This presentation is also available in its entirety on Youtube courtesy of the Michigan Council for History Education, where you can watch the other presenters on my panel (Dr. Michael Huner and Dr. David Zwart, both from Grand Valley State University) as well as the questions from the audience. While there is no specific recommendation section to this episode, each of the following books explores one of my topics in depth – Mugane, The Story of Swahili; Walvin, The Zong; Crais and Scully, Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus; Nzongola-Ntalaja, Patrice Lumumba; Alegi, African Soccerscapes

Ep 6 - Assessment Nov 17, 2015

In this episode, Matt and Dave discuss how we evaluate our performance in the classroom over a round of Shiner Bock beer. We reminisce about our favorite lectures during our undergrad days, me at a small liberal arts college in central Ontario with sports teams called the Excalibur, and Matt at a small liberal arts college in Houston with an endowment roughly equal to the GDP of Bhutan or Bermuda. We then debate how we can make lectures interesting, use student feedback, and assess our own performance as an instructor. Recommended books are: Dave – Simon, Behmand, and Burke, Teaching Big HistoryMatt – Tovani, Do I Really Have To Teach Reading?

Ep 5 - Easter Island Oct 27, 2015

This episode expands on our Easter Island subject guide, and critiques how most textbooks deal with its history. This remote locale is famous for its mysterious moai, the massive stone heads which have become iconic for the hubris of its inhabitants. Flenley and Bahn, along with Jared Diamond, suggest the island was deforested in order to build these statues, leading to starvation and cannibalism. However, Hunt and Lipo argue that the island was deforested by a far less intimidating creature, and present a much more hopeful narrative from Easter Island’s past. Recommended books are: Dave – Kirch, On the Road of the WindsMatt – Matsuda, Pacific Worlds

Ep 4 - An Interview with Andrew Behrendt Oct 16, 2015

In this episode Matt and I do our first-ever interview with Andrew Behrendt, a University of Pittsburgh grad student and soon-to-be-minted PhD in Eastern European history. We discuss the transition from area studies to world history, the Fordham University History Sourcebooks including the response of Pope Nicholas I to the Bulgar Khan, possible world history topics drawn from Eastern Europe, the refugee crisis in Hungary (including a summary video and the Hungarian Spectrum blog) and how the edge of the steppes is a little like New Jersey. Our recommendations include two (well, maybe just one!) classics of Eastern European cinema.Andrew – Wajda, Ashes and Diamonds (1958)Dave – Appelbaum, Iron CurtainMatt – Annaud, Enemy at the Gates (2001) – link goes to scene discussed in podcast

Ep 3 - Content vs Skills in World History Oct 01, 2015

In this episode Matt and I debate whether to prioritize content or skills in the world history classroom. We also reference Lendol Calder’s famous “Uncoverage” article from 2006 while discussing a possible ‘signature pedagogy’ for world historians. Book recommendations are:Dave – Levesque, Thinking HistoricallyMatt – MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects

Ep 2 - A Review of Guns, Germs, and Steel Sep 15, 2015

In this episode Matt and I discuss Jared Diamond’s extremely popular book Guns, Germs, and Steel. We examine criticisms of Diamond’s research, and offer suggestions as to how it can be used in the classroom. Recommended books are:Dave – Restall, Seven Myths of the Spanish ConquestMatt – Mann, 1491; Rushforth, Bonds of Alliance

Ep 1 - Designing a World History Survey Aug 29, 2015

In this episode Matt and Dave discuss our first experiences teaching world history, focusing on the mistakes we made and what we do differently now. Recommended books are:Dave – Burton, A Primer for Teaching World HistoryMatt – McNeill and McNeill, The Human Web

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