August 31-September 1, 2024: August 2024 Recap

[A Recapof the month that was in AmericanStudying.]

July 29:Martin Sheen Studying: Youthful Origin Points: A series for the legend’s 84thbirthday kicks off with three foundational moments that helped make the man.

July30: Martin Sheen Studying: Catholic Activism: The series continues with agreat example of art imitating life.

July31: Martin Sheen Studying: Estévez Legacies: Two important ways that Sheen’sbirth and legal name have carried on, as the series rolls on.

August1: Martin Sheen Studying: The West Wing: The iconic actor was almostPresident Bartlett, and two ways to AmericanStudy the one who was.

August2: Martin Sheen Studying: The series concludes with two ways the sitcompushed our cultural boundaries, and one way it happily did not.

August3-4: A Proudly Tearful Tribute: Before we dropped my older son at college,a tribute to a few of the countless ways the boys have inspired me.

August5-18: Birthday Bests: I won’t link them all individually here, but this wasthe start of my annual series highlighting some favorite posts from each of theblog’s now 14 (!) years.

August19: NashvilleStudying: Three Origin Points: A series on my son’s newhometown kicks off with three communities that together built the city.

August20: NashvilleStudying: Cholera: The series continues with how a devastatingepidemic connected Nashville to the nation and the world.

August21: NashvilleStudying: The Fisk Jubilee Singers: They were from Memphis,but I couldn’t resist dedicating one post in the series to this amazingcultural group.

August22: NashvilleStudying: Altman’s Film: AmericanStudies contexts for three ofthe many character in Robert Altman’s sweeping masterpiece, as the series singson.

August23: NashvilleStudying: Kane Brown: And speaking of singing, a tribute toour favorite new country artist who’s a lot more.

August26: American Catholics: Maryland: In honor of Elizabeth Ann Seton’s 250thbirthday, a series on American Catholics kicks off with ideals and realities ofthe Catholic colony.

August27: American Catholics: Anti-Catholic Prejudice: The series continues withthe frustratingly long reach of conspiracy theories.

August28: American Catholics: Elizabeth Ann Seton: For her 250th,three telling stages in the life of the first American Saint.

August29: American Catholics: The Catholic Worker: Three telling details aboutDorothy Day and Peter Maurin’s groundbreaking newspaper, as the series rollson.

August30: American Catholics: Carlo Acutis: The series concludes with what’s familiar,what’s new, and what’s complicated about the young man likely to be the first21st century Saint.

FallSemester previews start Monday,

Ben

PS. Topicsyou’d like to see covered in this space? Guest Posts you’d like to contribute? Lemme know!