Dr. Mandy Cooper

Photo of a quilt made to look like a sheet of notebook paper with the words: "This is the part of history that makes school kids ask why didn't anyone do anything to stop them?:

Artist statement for "The Part of History" by Karin Rabe.

Quilt by Maritza Soto with the words "Nobody's free until everybody's free".

Maritza Soto's artist statement for the quilt "Nobody's Free Until Everybody's Free."

I went to QuiltCon this weekend, & I'm still thinking about some of the amazing resistance quilts. These two have stuck with me, but there were so many more.

She continued "In the early US, that meant law was inconsistent and rooted in local communities. Federalism was less about perfect balance and more about ongoing tension between national ideals and local control."

Y'ALL. This is a *first year* student.

I'm reading through my students' reflections on our discussion of federalism at the local level in the early US, & WOW.
One said:
"federalism is not just a technical division of powers written in the Constitution. It is a system that allows local variation, negotiation, & sometimes resistance."

Congratulations!!

Of course! Your book teaches SO well. I use it in every class I can!

We looked at enslaved women last week, reading a chapter from @alexfinley.bsky.social's fantastic book alongside a piece from Harriet Jacobs, some runaway ads, etc., and these students just ran with it

With so much going on in the world, reading my students' journals every week gives me hope. One student said this:
"Starting with women’s experiences this week made me appreciate how historical narratives can change when we look to uncover the lives that the archive was never designed to preserve"

It's the 1st day of the spring semester, & for the 1st time in about 10 years, I was able to completely disconnect over the winter break & not check email. Every other year I've been anxiously waiting on emails about various jobs. I didn't realize how badly I needed that true break until I had it

1st day of the semester!

Bottle of champagne and two glasses of champagne

Happy New Year!

Old fashioned cocktail in front of a Christmas tree

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

"And fireball" 😂😂 I love it

A small minority, but yeah, I can guess the gender dynamic

I'm also a bit sensitive to this because I get comments about this from students every semester in my evals, even when I start the course by explaining my approach. (And I read my evals 3 days ago, so it's a fresh annoyance)

I don't, but it looks fantastic! I talk about camp followers and have them look at some primary sources about them

Lol! Well, better than me, anyway

Very true! I cover the war, using my notes from a military history course I took and some extra reading. It just isn't enough for students who expect the majority of the class to be that

I know y'all do! I just don't do as much of the battles/strategy, and some students expect it. I leave it to y'all because y'all know it so much better

My Revolution class at UNC this semester was much more social/cultural/politics focused, & there was a clear subset of students who expected an emphasis on strategy/tactics/battles. But honestly the social/cultural side is so much more interesting! (& my mil history colleagues can teach the other..)

Glass of bourbon and bottle of A Midwinter Nights Dram of bourbon sitting on a table in front of a Christmas tree

Cheers to the holiday season!

This! I study several interrelated families, and I can tell you at a glance who wrote it. (And which ones I can't skim because their writing is so horrible)

When we say "no, everything hasn't been digitized," I need you to understand that we really mean is that virtually nothing has been digitized. This is because the realm of primary sources that historians use is incomprehensibly large.

Final grades submitted, which means my first semester at UNC is at an end! Thankful for a fantastic semester with some wonderful students. (And, now, thankful for a break!)

On the bright side, 1 class is done, and it's my biggest! (240 grades submitted before the toddler woke up this morning. Whew).

Snow/ice day + daycare closure + finals grading season means the toddler gets to watch a lot of @msrachelforlittles.bsky.social while mama grades!

#academicmamalife

😂

Last night while in the car after my department's holiday party, my 2 year old looked around & said, "Gooo Duke!"
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.
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Next year, I'll have her saying it at the party!

I am so sorry

Congratulations!!

I am so sorry, Agnes. Sending you so much love and strength