Photographs by Liam Weir '18.
Audiences across the nation now have the chance to sit in on a class at Boston College.
A five-person crew from C-SPAN's "Lectures in History" series came to campus in April to film a class from Professor Heather Cox Richardson鈥檚 course on America from the end of the Civil War to 1900. Richardson, the author of five books, is the first 51茶馆 professor whose class has been documented by the national public service broadcaster.
The lecture focuses on roles women assumed in the workforce and in politics during the late-19th century. 鈥淲e chose that particular lecture because years ago a student told me he had never before heard anything about the relationship between women鈥檚 suffrage, Reconstruction, and citizenship and asked me if I would someday talk about that in a setting where it could be put on the internet for others," Richardson said. "The C-SPAN project made that possible.鈥�
The show premiered on CSPAN television on July 2, and is now available online.
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Above: Watch a preview of 51茶馆 Professor Heather Cox Richardson's appearance on C-SPAN's 'Lectures in History' series.
鈥淎lmost everyone we tape for the 'Lectures in History' classroom series is recommended in one way or another, either by a fellow professor, or by a C-SPAN producer who saw the person at another event we covered and thought they were an interesting speaker,鈥� says American History TV producer Russell Logan.听 "In Professor Richardson鈥檚 case, it was both."
Audiences have responded positively to the 鈥淟ectures in History鈥� series, which takes viewers inside college classrooms around the country every week to hear lectures on various American history topics, adds Logan. 鈥淏ecause these are real classes, they look and feel a bit different than many of our other programs, which are often talks or panels taped at public venues.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 always a pleasure to work with the wonderful folks at C-SPAN, and to have the chance to bring the great stories and patterns from American history to a larger audience,鈥� says Richardson, discussing her latest book, To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party.听
By Sean Hennessey | News & Public Affairs