About

Steve Ross

Professor of History

Contact Information
E-mail: sjross@usc.edu
Phone: (213) 821-1062
Office: SOS 254

LINKS
Curriculum Vitae
Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities
 

Biographical Sketch
Steven J. Ross is Professor of History and chairman of the History Department at USC. The first person in his family to go to college, Steve received his B.A. from Columbia University, a Bachelor of Philosophy from Oxford University, and a PhD from Princeton University, where he worked with famed historians Arthur Link and James McPherson. Professor Ross has written extensively in the areas of working-class history, social history, and film history. His first book, Workers On the Edge: Work, Leisure, and Politics in Industrializing Cincinnati, 1788-1890 (1985) was adapted for the screen by Cincinnati unionists and made into an educational video entitled "They Build the City: The Working People of Cincinnati.” His second book, Working-Class Hollywood: Silent Film and the Shaping of Class in America (1998), received the prestigious Theater Library Association Book Award for 1999. It was also named by the Los Angeles Times as one of the “Best Books of 1998” and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award in History. His Op-Ed pieces have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, International Herald-Tribune, Newark Star Ledger, Tallahassee Democrat, Washington Independent, and HuffintonPost. Steve’s work on movie stars and politics has led to appearances on "The Today Show," “ABC Evening News with Peter Jennings,” “Nightline with Ted Koppel,” CNN's "American Morning" and "The Situation Room," Fox News, NBC News,and programs broadcast on Canadian, British, and French television—as well as numerous documentaries about Hollywood. He has also lectured at universities throughout the United States and England. In addition to his academic day job, Ross is co-founder and co-director of the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities at USC—now in its 10th year. Professor Ross's current book, Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics, received a Film Scholars Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the academic equivalent of an “Oscar.”
 

Education
B.A. History/Political Theory, Columbia University, 5/1971
M.A. History, Oxford University, 6/1973
M.A. History, Princeton University, 5/1975
Ph.D. History, Princeton University, 5/1980
 

Academic Appointment, Affiliation, and Employment History

Tenure Track Appointments
Professor, University of Southern California, 09/01/1994-  
Associate Professor, University of Southern California, 09/01/1984-08/01/1994  
Assistant Professor, University of Southern California, 09/01/1978-08/01/1984  
Instructor, Princeton University, 09/01/1977-06/01/1978  
Preceptor, Princeton University, 01/01/1977-06/01/1977  
 

Other Employment
Consultant, Fund for the City of New York (Ford Foundation), 06/01/1972-09/14/1972  
Case Study Author (Welfare Hotels in NYC), Kennedy School for Gov't (Harvard University), 01/15/1971-09/15/1971  
 

Description of Research

Summary Statement of Research Interests
Professor Ross studies the changing nature of power in American society. His initial research focused on industrialization and class development in 19th century America. During the past 15 years, his work has shifted to examine the ways in which film has been used to shape ideas about class and power in the 20th century, especially what it means to be working class or middle class in America. His current project, Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics, examines the emergence of Hollywood as a major center of American politics and the role that movie stars have played in the political life of the nation from the beginning of the 20th century to the present.
 

Research Keywords
American society, labor, film, popular culture, and politics.
 

Research Specialties
(Ph.D., Princeton University, 1980) Professor of History: US social, labor, popular culture, film history, politics.
 

Affiliations with Research Centers, Labs, and Other Institutions
Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, Co-Director and Co-Founder,http://www.usc.edu/isd/libraries/partners/laih/
 

Conferences and Other Presentations

Conference Presentations
""Pre-Mature Anti-Fascism in 1930s Hollywood," ", American Studies Convention, Talk/Oral Presentation, , Albuquerque, New Mexico, American Studies Association, Invited, Fall 2008   
""Methodology, Language and the Future of Film History,"", American Historical Association Convention, Talk/Oral Presentation, , Washington, D.C., American Historical Association, Invited, Spring 2008   
""The Labor Problem and the Origins of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences" ", "Moguls, Millionaires & Movie Stars: Hollywood Between the Wars, 1920-1940,, Roundtable/Panel, , San Marino, Ca., Huntington Library , Invited, Spring 2008   
""When Push Comes to Shove: Politics, Jewish Identity, and the Business of Hollywood in the 1930s"", Jewish Los Angeles—Then and Now, Talk/Oral Presentation, , UCLA , UCLA Jewish Studies Center, Invited, 11/14/2005  
""The First Political Movie Star: Charlie Chaplin and the Rise of Visual Politics"", The Charles Chaplin Conference, Talk/Oral Presentation, Refereed , London, British Film Institute, 07/21/2005-07/24/2005  
""The Politicization of Hollywood: Anti-Fascism, Anti-Communism, and Anti-Semitism" ", The History of Jews in Los Angeles , Talk/Oral Presentation, , Autry Museum, Los Angeles , The Autry National Center, UCLA Center for Jewish , Invited, 04/11/2005  
""When Stars Speak Out: Movie Stars, Politics, and the Power of Audience Response"", Conference on American Cinema and Everyday Life, Talk/Oral Presentation, Refereed , London, University College, London & Commonwealth Fund, 06/26/2003-06/28/2003  
 

Other Presentations
""Hollywood and the Presidential Campaign"", The Presidential Campaign of 2008 , USC College: Parents Weekend, USC, Fall 2008   
""Hollywood’s Impact on the Presidential Campaign" ", Presidential Election Forum, USC Trojan League , USC, Fall 2008   
""Hollywood and the Jewish Community"", Consular Corps in Los Angeles Seminar Series, American Jewish Committee, Culver City, Ca., Spring 2008   
""The Social and Political Impact of American Film" ", American Studies Lecture Series, Bir Zeit University (Ramallah) and Al-Quds University (West Bank) Jerusalem, , U.S. State Department, LA and West Bank, Spring 2008   
""What Does It Mean to be an American?" ", Teaching American History, Teaching American History K-12 Program, Los Angeles , 10/10/2007  
""Political Filmmaking and the Films of Costas-Gavras"", Panelist at Eisenstein Film Award , USC Cinematic Arts, Los Angeles, 09/29/2007  
""Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics"", Hart Institute Distinguished Lecture, Pomona College , Claremont, CA, 09/27/2007  
""The Politicization of Hollywood Before World War II: Anti-Fascism, Anti-Communism, and Anti-Semitism" ", Public Lecture , Villa Aurora, Los Angeles , 05/30/2007  
""Hollywood Left and Right: Anti-Fascism, Anti-Communism, and Anti-Semitism Before World War II" ", Dr. Harold Lee Endowed Lecture, Casden Institute for the Study of Jewish Life in America, Los Angeles , 03/21/2007  
""Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics" ", Invited Lecture , L.A. Institute for the Humanities, Los Angeles, 02/16/2007  
""American Politics in Historical Context" ", Talk and Panelist, Visions and Voices Series , USC Cinematic Arts, Los Angeles , 10/22/2006  
", "Little Caesar and the HUAC Mob: Edward G. Robinson, the Red Scare, and the Decline of Liberal Hollywood" ", Invited Paper Presentation, Center for the Study of the Cold War, New York University, New York, 10/17/2006  
""Little Caesar and the HUAC Mob: Edward G. Robinson, the Red Scare, and the Decline of Liberal Hollywood" ", Invited Paper Presentation, American History Seminar, Columbia University, New York, 10/16/2006  
""Movies and Politics in the ‘Golden Age’ of Hollywood"", Invited Talk and Panelist, Parent’s Weekend, USC, Los Angeles, 10/06/2006  
""Understanding HUAC" ", Invited Talk, USC Scene Dock Theater, Visions and Voices , Los Angeles, 09/13/2006  
""Teaching Celebrity, Politics & Public Life: A Multidisciplinary Faculty Workshop"", Invited Panelist, Norman Lear Entertainment Studies Center, Annenberg , Los Angeles, 04/28/2006  
""Undergraduate Education at USC" ", Keynote Address , USC Explore, Los Angeles , 04/03/2006  
""Working-Class Hollywood: Silent Film and the Battle for the American Mind"", Henry A. Salvatori Distinguished Lecture, Chapman University, Orange, CA, 03/27/2006  
""Elia Kazan: A Conversation" (with Richard Schickel and Leo Braudy)", Moderator , ALOUD series, Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles , 01/12/2006  
"Working at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach: Infrastructure as a Choreography of Machinery, People, and Goods", Commentator on Photo Exhibit, USC Planning and Development Workshop Seminar Series, Los Angeles, 11/02/2005  
"Thomas Goodnight, "Studies in Celebrity Advocacy: The Passion of the Christ meets Fahrenheit 9/11" ", Commentator, Celebrity, Politics, and Public Life Faculty Seminar, USC, Los Angeles, 03/11/2005  
""Little Caesar and the HUAC Mob: Edward G. Robinson" ", Invited Talk , UCLA American History Colloquium Series, Los Angeles, 11/22/2004  
 

Publications

Book
Ross, S. J. American Nazis: Democracy, Anti-Fascism, and Hollywood.
Ross, S. J. (2005). Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics. New York: Oxford University Press.
Ross, S. J. (2003). Workers On the Edge: Work, Leisure, and Politics in Industrializing Cincinnati, 1788-1890. Los Angeles CA: Figueroa Press.
Ross, S. J. (2002). Movies and American Society. Malden, MA and Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
Ross, S. J. (1998). Working-Class Hollywood: Silent Film and the Shaping of Class in America, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998, Paperback edition, December 1999. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Ross, S. J. (1985). Workers On the Edge: Work, Leisure, and Politics in Industrializing Cincinnati, 1788-1890, New York: Columbia University Press, 1985 Paperback edition, June 1987; second printing June 1989. New York: Columbia University Press.
 

Book Chapter
Ross, S. J. (2004). "Confessions of a Nazi Spy: Warner Brothers, Anti-Fascism, and the Politicization of Hollywood," in Warners' War: Politics, Pop Culture & Propaganda in Wartime Hollywood. pp. 48-59. Los Angeles CA: Norman Lear Center Press.
Ross, S. J. (2001). How Hollywood Became Hollywood: Money, Politics, and Movies," in William Deverell and Tom Sitton, eds., Metropolis in the Making: Los Angeles in the 1920s. Berkeley CA: University of California Press.
 

Book Review
Ross, S. J., Buhle, P. (2005). Hide In Plain Sight: The Hollywood Blacklistees in Film and Television, 1950-2002. American Historical Review. pp. 1557-1558.
Ross, S. J., Cohen, L. (2004). A Consumers’ Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America. Urban History.
 

Encyclopedia Article
Ross, S. J. (2008). "Politics in American Film," in The Princeton Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History. (Michael Kazin, Ed.). Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
 

Journal Article
Ross, S. J. (2007). "The Politicization of Hollywood Before World War II: Anti-Fascism, Anti-Communism, and Anti-Semitism". The Jewish Role in American Life: An Annual Review. Vol. Volume 5 (2007), pp. 1-28.
Ross, S. J. (2004). "Jargon and the Crisis of Readability: Methodology, Language, and the Future of Film History". Cinema Journal/University of Texas Press. Vol. vol 44 (Fall 2004), pp. 130-133..
Ross, S. J. (2003). "The Visual Politics of Class: Silent Film and the Public Sphere. Film International. Vol. 2, pp. 44-50.
Ross, S. J. (2002). "Hollywood, Jews, and America,". Reviews in American History. Vol. 30, pp. 622-630.
Ross, S. J. (2001). "American Workers, American Movies: Historiography and Methodology,". International Labor and Working-Class History. Vol. 59, pp. 81-105.
 

Newspaper
Ross, S. J. (2004). "21st Century Book Burning" Op-Ed. Los Angeles Times. pp. 2004.
 

Regular Column in Journal or Newspaper
Ross, S. J. (2008). "The Next Agnew". The Washington Independent.
Ross, S. J. (2008). "A New Democratic Coalition". The Washington Independent.
Ross, S. J. (2008). "Charlton Heston and Image Politic,". The Huffington Post.
 

Multimedia Scholarship and Creative Works
Commentary for DVD, Commentary and analysis of two silent films that appear in the National Film Preservation Foundation, Treasures from American Film Archives 3: Social Issues in American Film, 1900-1934 , Fall 2006   
Commentary Documentary, Expert Commentator, "You Must Remember This: The Warner Brothers," Richard Schickel's 5-part series and DVD)on PBS' American Masters Series f Warner Brothers Studios, Richard Schickel, for Turner Broadcast System, 09/22/2008-09/24/2008  
Commentary, Documentary, Expert Commentator, "The Brothers Warner," Cass Warner documentary, PBS' American Master’s Series (and DVD), 09/29/2008  
Commentator, DVD, Commentator on HUAC, John Garfield, and Hollywood politics in the 1940s-50s for inclusion in Special Features section "Racing With Fate: John Garfield Under My Skin" in 20th century Fox DVD release, The Ernest Hemingway Film Collection (produced by Cloverland Productions), 09/16/2006  
Commentaor, TV Show, Commentator, "Union Made," TV Ontario, aired winter 2005., 09/01/2005  
Commentator, DVD series, Commentary and analysis of three silent films that appear in the National Film Preservation Foundation, More Treasures from American Film Archives: 50 films, 1894-1931 , 09/02/2004  
Interactive Website, Visualizing Ideology: Labor vs Capital in the Age of Silent Film. www.usc.edu/schools/college/history/hist225g/ , Spring 1997   
Documentary Video, Workers On the Edge adapted to the screen in an educational video entitled They Build the City: The Working People of Cincinnati, produced by the Sylvis Society (Cincinnati) and funded by the Ohio Humanities Council., 1988-1989   
Commentator for American Movie Channel , Commentator for American Movie Channel (AMC) Series "Movies That Shook the World," Episodes for Birth of a Nation, Do The Right Thing, The Graduate, Fatal Attraction, Spring 2005   
Commentator on DVD, Capricorn One re-release , Spring 2008   
Commentator on DVD , Planet of the Apes, re-release, Spring 2008   
 

New Courses Developed
The Cinematic Century, History 498, This was a new seminar offered as History 498 that will become part of the department's offerings in Visual and Popular Culture. The course was team-taught with Vanessa Schwartz and Steve Ross. Here is part of the coruse description: "This seminar narrates the history of the 20th century using film and mass culture as its organizing principle. It examines many of the usual problems of the 20th century through the prism of mass culture. We ask, what does the 20th century—its people and its history—look like when instead of focusing on national boundaries we use film, visual culture, and mass culture as ways of seeing and understanding contemporaneous life? Our goal is not to simply repeat the historical issues we know about and add film (social movements and film) but rather to ask what are the big issues that emerge when you think about media and the world they have created.", Fall 2005   
Movies, Movie Stars, and Politics, History 498, This is a senior research seminar that explores the relationship of movies, movies stars and politics from the beginning of the film industry to the present. Weekly readings introduce you to a broad history of Hollywood politics—on and off the screen. Students are expected to begin working immediately on finding a topic for your research paper. It can be on the politics of a particular star or Hollywood figure (i.e. writer, producer, director); on the politics of a particular studio or genre of films (anti-fascist films, anti-Vietnam war films; feminist films, etc.); on the politics of censorship; or on any other aspect of the political history of Hollywood. By the end of the semester every student will be expected to hand in a 20 page original research paper on some topic related to the themes of the class. In addition to common readings, we will also look at a number of films (or at least parts of them)., Fall 2004   
 

Honors and Awards
Faculty Appreciation Award, Alpha Lamba Delta (USC), , Fall 2006   
USC or School/Dept Award for Teaching, USC General Education Teaching Award, Fall 2005   
Nominated for Wayward Press Award for Op-Ed Piece, 2004  
USC Innovative Teaching Award, for Undergraduate Teaching, 2001-2002  
Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, Film Scholars Award, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 2001  
Nominee for Pulitzer and National Book Award, 1999  
Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, Theater Library Association Book Award, 1999  
USC Phi Kappa Phi Faculty Recognition Award, for "Working-Class Hollywood", 1999  
USC Raubenheimer Outstanding Senior Faculty Award, for Distinguished Research, Teaching, and Service, 1998  
USC Associates Award For Excellence In Teaching, 1992  
USC Innovative Teaching Award, 1991  
Arnold and Lois Graves Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Teaching in the Humanities, 1989  
USC Zumberge Research and Innovation Fund Award, USC Faculty Research and Innovation Fund Award, 1987  
 

Service to the University

Committees
Chair, Co-Director and Co-Founder, Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, 09/01/1998-  
Chair, History Department Chair, 2008-2009   
Member, Academic Advisory Board, Shoah Institute for Visual History, 2008-2009   
Chair, History Department, 2007-2008   
Member, Academic Advisory Board, Shoah Institute for Visual History, 2007-2008   
Chair, History Department, 08/16/2003-08/15/2006  
Chair, Co-Director, Celebrity, Culture and Politics Faculty Seminar, Norman Lear Center, Annenberg, USC., 09/1999-06/2006  
Member, College General Education Revision Committee, 2004-2005   
 

Media, Alumni, and Community Relations
On Air Interview, "Celebrities and Politics," CTV (Canadian Television) Special, Toronto, Canada, Sept. 26, 2008 [airdate Oct. 9, 2008], Fall 2008   
On Air Interview, "Estimating Likely Audience Responses to Oliver Stone’s "W"," CNN, American Morning, Oct. 13, 2008, Fall 2008   
Interview for article on "The Impact of Celebrity Endorsements on Presidential Campaigns," TODAY Show Web, Oct. 15, 2008, Fall 2008   
On Camera Interview, "Obama, Vibe and X-Box: The Impact," CNN, American Morning, Oct. 23, 2008, Fall 2008   
In Studio Expert, Commenting on Presidential Elections, Evening News, KNBC, Burbank, Nov. 4, 2008, Fall 2008   
Interview, "Obama’s Victory," [French] Elle, Nov. 4, 2008, Fall 2008   
Interview, GMTV (Good Morning TV is UK's main morning news show) segment for Super Tuesday on the impact that celebrity endorsements can have on an election. Jan. 31, 2008, Spring 2008   
Interview with [London] Financial Times on assessing the results of Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008, Spring 2008   
Interview, New York Times, "A Few Tremors in Oprahland," on impact of endorsement of Obama, May 26, 2008., Spring 2008   
Interview, [London} Independent, story on Oprha’s declining TV fortunes, May 27, 2008, Spring 2008   
Host, "The Politics of Culture," KCRW, interview with Robert Scheer on The Pornography of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America, May 27, 2008, Spring 2008   
Interview, "American Morning," CNN, featured segment about Oprah’s declining popularity after Barack Obama endorsement, May 28, 2008., Spring 2008   
Interview, The Impact of Celebrity Endorsements on the Presidential Campaign. Newsmax magazine, June 24,2008, Spring 2008   
Interview, Segment on release of Obama and McCain Biographical Comic Books, for "The Situation Room," CNN, July 31, 2008, Spring 2008   
Interview, for article on Hollywood Celebrities and the Democratic Convention, Elle (Paris edition), Aug. 22, 2008, Spring 2008   
Interview, Celebrities and Politics, Dallas Morning News, Aug. 24, 2008, Spring 2008   
Interview with Jacquelien Nienhuis, Correspondent USA, Algemeen Dagblad. Daily Newspaper The Netherlands on Hollywood and the Presidnetial Election, Oct. 2007, Fall 2007   
Segment interview on Celebrity Impact on Voting, KCBS Radio San Francisco, Sept. 18, 2007, Fall 2007   
Interviewed by Joel Budd for article in The Economist on "Hollywood and Politics," Sept. 11, 2007., Fall 2007   
One-hour segment and listener call in about Celebrities and Politics, Kathleen Dunn Show, Wisconsin Public Radio, Sept. 11, 2007., Fall 2007   
Segment on Oprah Endorsement of Barack Obama, NPR’s "On the Media," September 6, 2007. , Fall 2007   
Celebrities and Politics Segment, NPR’s "Day to Day" with Alex Smith, KPPC FM, Sept. 5, 2007, Fall 2007   
Interview, [Poland] Daily News, the role of celebrity endorsements in the 2008 presidential campaign, Dec. 5, 2007, Fall 2007   
Interview, "The Race" radio show on XM Satellite Radio, talking about the impact of celebrity endorsements, Dec. 6, 2007, Fall 2007   
Interview, Agence France-Presse, Celebrity endorsement and the 2008 presidential campaign, Dec. 7, 2007, Fall 2007   
Interview, "Marketplace" the impact of celebrity endorsement, airs Dec. 7, 2007, Los Angeles, Fall 2007   
On Air Expert Commentator, The Today Show, the impact of Oprha’s endorsement of Barak Obama, Dec. 8, 2007. New York , Fall 2007   
On Air Commentator, KCBS News Radio, San Francisco, Impact of Oprah on Obama, Dec. 10, 2007, Fall 2007   
Expert Commentator for documentary feature film, "The Brothers Warner," Cass Sperling producer, April 5, 2007, Spring 2007   
Expert Commentator, 10-hour history of Warner Brothers Studios, Richard Schickel, for TBS, Jan. 3, 2007., Spring 2007   
Interviewed by BBC Radio for story on Governor Arnold, Celebrity Politics and California Referendum Elections, Oct. 20, 2005, Fall 2005   
Quoted in "California Vote: Arnold Says. Warren Says No," New York Times, Oct. 14, 2005, Fall 2005   
Radio Commentator, "Progressive Hollywood," on "The Lawyer’s Guild Show," KPFK, 07/14/2005  
Commentator for BBC TV News Feature on Celebrities and Politics in 2004 Elections, 09/14/2004  
Commentator, A & E Biography Series, "Louis B. Mayer", 08/26/2004  
 

Other Service to the University
Speaker to USC Presidential Scholars Admittees, 03/03/2005-03/03/2205  
Co-Director, Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities. Responsibilities include planning a bi-monthly luncheon speakers series for our nearly 100 Fellows, running several subcommittees, and planning annual conferences., 09/01/1998-  
Historical Advisor, Academy Museum of the Motion Picture, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, summer 2006 through present Commentator, “Birth of a Nation” in Movies That Shook the World series on American Movie Channel, fall 2005. Interviewed by BBC Radio for story on Governor Arnold, Celebrity Politics and California Referendum Elections, Oct. 20, 2005 Interviewed and quoted in “California Vote: Arnold Says. Warren Says No,” New York Times, Oct. 14, 2005 Interviewed and quoted in “Where There’s Smoke, There’s a Star,” NY Times, Sept. 18, 2005 , 2005-2006   
Speaker at Freshman Orientation, 08/20/2004  
 

Service to the Profession

Conferences Organized
Organizer , Hip Hop America, USC Visions and Voices , Dialogues Series, "Hip Hop America" (featuring Ann Powers, Josh Kun and Todd Boyd)sponsored by LA Institute for the Humanities, Fall 2007   
Organizer , "The Moral Morass of Contemporary Life" , USC Vision and Voices , Dialogues Series, "The Moral Morass of Contemporary Life" (featuring Jack Miles, Rabbi Leonard Beerman, Rev. George Regas) sponsored by LA Institute for the Humanities, Spring 2007   
Organizer , "Pop, Politics, and Propaganda" , USC Visions and Voices , Dialogues Series, "Pop, Politics, and Propaganda" (featuring Robbie, Marc Cooper, Marty Kaplan, and Carole Wells)sponsored by LA Institute for the Humanities, Fall 2006   
Organizer, "Have Blogs Replaced Newspapers and Should We Care?", , USC , Dialogues Series (featuring Ana Marie Cox, Kevin Drum, Kevin Roderick, and Martin Kaplan)sponsored by LA Institute for the Humanities, Spring 2006   
Organizer , "The Big Lie? News, Media, and the Fiction of Non-Fiction," , Citywide Conference at USC , "The Big Lie? News, Media, and the Fiction of Non-Fiction," citywide conference sponsored by the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, Spring 2005   
Organizer, "Writing L.A.: Urban Noir, Postmodern Malaise, and Suburban Angst in the Capital of the 21st Century." , citywide conference at USC, 2 day citywide conference sponsored by the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, Spring 2004   
Organizer , From Sunset Boulevard to Mulholland Drive: Los Angeles in the Cinematic Imagination", citywide conference at USC, 2 day citywide conference sponsored by the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, Spring 2003   
Organizer and Moderator, USC Teach In on the War in Iraq, USC, 2 hour teach in on the war, Spring 2003   
Organizer , "Los Angeles At the Millennium: Identity and Community in the 21st Century , citywide conference at USC, citywide conference sponsored by the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, Spring 2002   
Organizer and Speaker, "Teach In on the Current Crisis", USC, 2 hour teach in organized after 9/11, Fall 2001   
 

Editorships and Editorial Boards
Editorial Board, "Class and Culture" series, University of Michigan Press, 09/01/2005-  
Media Editor, American Communist History, 09/01/2001-  
Editorial Board Member, Ohio Valley History, 04/01/2000-06/30/2006  
Editorial Board Member, Queen City Heritage, 1985-2000  
Editorial Board Member, Journal of the Early Republic, 1988-1993  
Editorial Board Member, International Labor and Working Class History, 1979-1990  
 

Professional Memberships
Society for Cinema Studies, 09/01/1990-  
American Studies Association, 09/01/1984-  
American Historical Association, 09/01/1978-  
Organization of American Historians, 09/01/1978-  
 
 
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