American Campus Podcast
a social and political history of US higher ed
Episodes
84 episodes
Inventing political science with Emily Hauptmann
References and suggested readings:Emily Hauptmann. 2022. Foundations and American Political Science: The Transformation of a Discipline, 1945-1970. Universi...
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22:10
STRAIGHT at Penn State and anti-gay backlash in the 1990s with Richard S. Price
The straight college strikes back!References and suggested readings:Richard S. Price. October 6, 2025. The straight college strikes back: 1990s backlash against inclusiv...
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40:08
Palm readings, magic, and modern medicine with Alison Bashford
References and suggested readings:Alison Bashford. 2025. Decoding the Hand: A History of Science, Medicine, and Magic. University of Chicago Press. Nao...
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30:10
Higher ed’s rush to adopt AI with Justin Raden
grift, edtech, enshittificationReferences and suggested readings:Justin Raden. October 23, 2025. Higher Ed’s Rush to Adopt AI is ...
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37:25
Campus sexual harassment from Nixon to #MeToo with Celene Reynolds
References and suggested readings:Celene Reynolds. 2025. Unlawful Advances: How Feminists Transformed Title IX. Princeton University Press. “<...
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54:15
Creating the AAUP with Henry Reichman
Brought to us, in part, by the race scientistsReferences mentioned this episode:Henry Reichman. 2025.
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40:34
How to get a job at Harvard in 1860 with prabhdeep kehal
“The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not jus...
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35:17
Squids, subs, and the academic-military-industrial complex with Naomi Oreskes
Oh my!References and suggested readings:Naomi Oreskes. 2025. Science on a Mission: How Military Funding Shaped What We Do and Don’t Know about the Ocean
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15:17
University Keywords with Andy Hines
References and suggested readings:Andy Hines, ed. 2025. University Keywords. Johns Hopkins University Press. Alyssa Battistoni. 2025.
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47:25
Goldwater, King, and the college with Nicholas R. Buccola
As a student, she was a proud "Goldwater girl, right down to my cowgirl outfit and straw cowboy hat emblazoned with the slogan 'AuH20." -Hillary Clinton, Living History, 2003.References and suggested readings:Nichola...
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48:51
Gunnar Myrdal and the white world order with Maribel Morey
The money behind truth.References and suggested readings:Maribel Morey. 2021. White Philanthropy: Carnegie Corporation's An American Dilemma and the Making of a White ...
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29:13
Lab Dog with Brad Bolman
References and suggested readings:Brad Bolman. 2025. Lab Dog: What Global Science Owes American Beagles. University of Chicago Press. Benjamin...
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35:47
How dark money shapes the vernaculars of the culture war with Isaac Kamola
A lesson on dark money influence in campus culture warsReferences and suggested readings:Isaac Kamola. Spring 2025. Under...
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34:08
Scopes and the creationists with John K. Wilson
From a student of Saul Bellow and Barack Obama.References and suggested readings:John K Wilson. August 2025. “100 Y...
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32:47
Beware of FIRE (and institutional neutrality) with Mary Anne Franks
On the rightwing origins of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.References and suggested readings:Mary Anne Franks. 2024. Fearless Speech: Break...
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31:24
Looting, murder, and the evolution of American archaeology with Rachel Morgan
ft. Geronimo, both Roosevelt presidents, Franz Boas, and the phrenologistsReferences and suggested readings:Rachel Morgan. 2024. Sins of the Shovel: Looting, Mu...
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22:14
The university’s creditors with Sofya Aptekar
On hedge funds, private equity, and the financialization of public colleges.References and suggested readings:The Coalition Against Campus Debt. 2024. Lend and Rule: F...
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42:37
How universities created NPR and PBS with Josh Shepperd
How public universities gave rise to public mediaReferences and suggested readings:Josh Shepperd. 2023. Shadow of the New Deal: The Victory of Public Broadcasting...
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28:59
The campus bookstore racket with Katya Schwenk
Does your campus use B&N Education or Follett?References and suggested readings:Katya Schwenk. September 10, 2025. “How Wall Street Broke th...
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18:28
The 1980s anti-apartheid movement with David Busch
On blood money and “the moral costs of an elite education.”References and suggested readings:David S. Busch. 2025. Disciplining Democracy: How the Modern American Univ...
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44:56
Can the university be decolonized? with Sandy Grande
Can US colleges be decolonized?References and suggested readings:Sandy Grande. 2018. “Refusing the University.” Free PDF.Sand...
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28:00
The future of university presses with Clara Totten
And how to approach an acquisitions editorReferences:Association of University Presses and #AskUpSteven L. Herman. 2024.
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29:00
Tuskegee and the Afterlives of the Plantation with Jarvis McInnis
Tuskegee, Alabama, the center of modernity in the Black Global SouthReferences and suggested readings:Jarvis McInnis. 2025. Afterlives of the Plantation: Plotti...
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50:19