University of Mary Washington faculty members were featured on C-SPAN from Friday, Sept. 20 to Sunday, Sept. 22 as part of the cable network’s Fredericksburg Weekend.
Tim O’Donnell, professor of English, discussed the accomplishments of American civil rights leader James Farmer and the impact he had on the movement in a segment about the James Farmer Collection that will air on Book TV. Farmer taught the history of the civil rights movement to Mary Washington students for about a dozen years before his retirement in 1998. That year, President Bill Clinton awarded Farmer the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Also on Book TV, Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of UMW’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, delved into his book, “The Nightly News Nightmare: Media Coverage of the U.S. Presidential Elections, 1988-2008.” The book examines news coverage of presidential nominations and election campaigns from 1988 to 2008, focusing on changes in the amount, tone and focus of news coverage in these different electoral contests.
Author and Professor of History Jeff McClurken discussed the difficulties families faced once their loved ones returned from the Civil War. McClurken, author of “Take Care of the Living: Reconstruction of Confederate Veteran Families in Virginia,” explored the consequences of the war for more than 3,000 Confederate soldiers and their families in Virginia during a segment of the same name.
During a segment on American History TV, Scott Harris, director of the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library, discussed James Monroe’s life from his time as a student at William and Mary, to his role as Secretary of War during the War of 1812, and his time as president of the U.S. Editor of the Papers of James Monroe Dan Preston presented an inside look at the fifth president, including at Monroe’s collection of books and personal letters.
The interviews were recorded during visits to Fredericksburg in August. For a full schedule of air times, visit http://www.booktv.org/schedule.aspx or http://www.c-span.org/History/schedule_print.aspx?Network=AHTV&Offset=0.
