Talking History Update

Bryan Le Beau

We have received several inquiries about using Talking History in the classroom. Not only is this fine with us, but many secondary and college level teachers are already doing it. Some use the entire thirty-minute program. Others focus on their favorite sections including: “This Week in History,” “History in the News,” “Interview,” “Commentary,” “Site of the Week,” or “Coming Attractions.” Each segment is brief—not exceeding three minutes—except for the interview which lasts about fifteen minutes. For a schedule of upcoming programs visit the Talking History website at <http://talkinghistory.oah.org/>.

Talking History offers teachers the opportunity to bring the voices of the world’s best historians into the classroom. Oftentimes, these scholars discuss their latest research or provide valuable historical perspectives on recent news events. The content of the show—in terms of the degree of difficulty—is most appropriate for good high school students and above. In order to help teachers make use of Talking History, the OAH Magazine of History will initiate a column this fall on how to incorporate the show in the classroom.

Of course, we would like to see Talking History aired on your local public radio stations, and we hope you will encourage those stations to pick us up. Local programming provides the opportunity to use Talking History as soon as it airs, often on anniversary dates, following quickly on the publication of new books, or in response to world or national events. An alternative is to go to the Talking History website and use the streaming audio opportunities available at member stations. A third possibility is to use any of the four-years of programs already archived on the website. Whichever method you choose, you and your students will find Talking History a valuable and effective teaching tool.

Upcoming shows will focus on histories of the Hatfields and the McCoys, air conditioning, Mother Jones, caffeine, the West in advertising, the West in film, and sex in the heartland. We welcome your comments and questions anytime. Just send them to: Talking History, c/o Department of History, University of Missouri–Kansas City, 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, <talkinghistory@umkc.edu>.

Bryan Le Beau is the host of Talking History and is the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.