American Campus Podcast
a social and political history of US higher ed
Episodes
88 episodes
The best representatives of youth dissent? High school activists! with Aaron Fountain
High school organizers have much to teach us about young peoples' political priorities.Make a request for future epi...
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29:37
Liberal anticommunists and the prelude to McCarthyism with Andrew Feffer
ft. John Dewey.Make a request for future episodes here!We're prepping for an upcoming mailbag episode,
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48:53
School Yearbook: A Cringey Tradition and Its Digital Afterlife with Kate Eichhorn
Remember your old school yearbook photos? Where are they now?Make a request for future episodes here!We'r...
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27:17
Conservatives and Classical education with Catherine Tebaldi
Trad wives make great teachers.Make a request for future episodes here!We're prepping for an upcoming mai...
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27:00
Inventing political science with Emily Hauptmann
On (corporate) foundation investments in knowledge production.Make a request for future episodes here!We'...
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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