Research Profile

Sarah Thelen

Biography

Educated at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and American University in Washington, DC, I moved to Ireland in 2010 and received my PhD in US history from American University in 2012.  I have taught at American University, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, and University College Cork and am currently the Lecturer for Teaching and Learning Enhancement (Digital Education) in the Centre for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) at UCC.

Building on over a decade in Instructional Design, I am the programme coordinator for the Certificate in CPD in Digital Education as well as teaching on a variety of CIRTL and UCC programmes.

I have also continued to teach, research, and publish in history with a focus on Twentieth Century US political and cultural history.  My current work explores the ways that President Nixon sought to use patriotic appeals to rally support for his Vietnam War policies.  I have published this research in peer reviewed journals and have contributed to edited collections. 

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journals

 YearPublication
(2017)'Mobilizing the Silent Majority: Nixon’s November 3, 1969 Address on Vietnam'
Sarah J Thelen (2017) 'Mobilizing the Silent Majority: Nixon’s November 3, 1969 Address on Vietnam'. Journal Of American Studies, 51 (3):887-914   [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Helping them Along: Astroturf, Public Opinion, and Nixon’s Vietnam War'
Sarah J. Thelen (2015) 'Helping them Along: Astroturf, Public Opinion, and Nixon’s Vietnam War'. 49th Parallel, (37):14-33   [Full Text] [Details]

Book Chapters

 YearPublication
(2019)'Claiming the Flag: Patriotism and the Nixon White House'
Sarah J Thelen (2019) 'Claiming the Flag: Patriotism and the Nixon White House' In: Geoffrey Jensen and Matthew Stith (eds). Beyond the Quagmire. Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press. [Details]
(2018)'The Importance of Being Popular: Richard Nixon, Hennry Kissinger, and Domestic Support for the Vietnam War'
Sarah J Thelen (2018) 'The Importance of Being Popular: Richard Nixon, Hennry Kissinger, and Domestic Support for the Vietnam War' In: David Ryan, David Fitzgerald, John Thompson (eds). How the United States Ends Wars. Oxford, New York: Berghahn Books. [Details]

Book Reviews

 YearPublication
(2018)Review of When America Liked Ike: How Moderates Won the 1952 Presidential Election and Reshaped American Politics. By Gary Donaldson.
Sarah J Thelen (2018) Review of When America Liked Ike: How Moderates Won the 1952 Presidential Election and Reshaped American Politics. By Gary Donaldson. Book Reviews [DOI] [Full Text] [Details]
(2017)Review of The Great American Speech: Words and Monuments by Stephen Fender.
Sarah J Thelen (2017) Review of The Great American Speech: Words and Monuments by Stephen Fender. Book Reviews [DOI] [Details]
(2014)Review of Shawn Francis Peters, The Catonsville Nine: A Story of Faith and Resistances in the Vietnam Era.
Sarah J Thelen (2014) Review of Shawn Francis Peters, The Catonsville Nine: A Story of Faith and Resistances in the Vietnam Era. Journal of American Studies: Book Reviews [DOI] [Details]

Guest Lectures

 YearPublication
(2012)With Friends Like This: H. Ross Perot and the Nixon White House.
Sarah J Thelen (2012) With Friends Like This: H. Ross Perot and the Nixon White House. Guest Lectures [Details]
(2009)Telling it to Hanoi: The Nixon Administration and Domestic Support for the Vietnam War, 1969-1974.
Sarah J Thelen (2009) Telling it to Hanoi: The Nixon Administration and Domestic Support for the Vietnam War, 1969-1974. Guest Lectures [Details]

Newspaper Articles

 YearPublication
(2013)Nixon's Tale of the Tape.
Sarah J Thelen (2013) Nixon's Tale of the Tape. Newspaper Articles   [Details]

Professional Activities

Education

 YearInstitutionQualificationSubject
2002Bowling Green State University BAHistory/English
2006American University MA20th Century US History
2012American University PhD20th Century US History
2015University College Cork Postgrad Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher EducationTeaching and Learning in Higher Education
2014University College Cork Postgrad Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher EducationTeaching and Learning in Higher Education

Conference Contributions

 YearPublication
(2017)Historians of the Twentieth Century United States Annual Meeting,
Sarah J Thelen (2017) Truth Squads: Lyndon B. Johnson and the Debates Over Vietnam. [Oral Presentation], Historians of the Twentieth Century United States Annual Meeting, University College Dublin . [Details]
(2017)Irish Association of American Studies Annual Meeting,
Sarah J Thelen (2017) Dog Whistles and Fog Horns: The Political Rhetoric of Richard M. Nixon and Donald J. Trump. [Oral Presentation], Irish Association of American Studies Annual Meeting, Ulster University (Belfast) . [Details]
(2017)British International Studies Association, US Foreign Policy Working Group 12th Annual Conference,
Sarah J Thelen (2017) Silent Majorities, Bad Hombres, and Patriotism: The Political Rhetoric of Richard M. Nixon and Donald J. Trump. [Oral Presentation], British International Studies Association, US Foreign Policy Working Group 12th Annual Conference, University of Edinburgh . [Details]
(2016)British Association of American Studies / Irish Association of American Studies Annual Meeting,
Sarah J Thelen (2016) Pragmatic Patriots: Civil Prisoners and Voluntary Service in Vietnam. [Oral Presentation], British Association of American Studies / Irish Association of American Studies Annual Meeting, Queens College Belfast . [Details]
(2015)Legacies of the American 1960s Symposium,
Sarah J Thelen, Daniel Geary, Sandra Scanlon, Diane Kirby (2015) Legacies of 1960s Conservatism Roundtable. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Legacies of the American 1960s Symposium, Trinity College Dublin . [Details]
(2013)Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations Annual Meeting,
Sarah J Thelen (2013) The Right to Speak: Citizenship, Dissent, and Nixon’s Vietnam War. [Oral Presentation], Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations Annual Meeting, Arlington, Virginia . [Details]
(2013)Historians of the Twentieth Century United States Annual Meeting,
Sarah J Thelen (2013) Opposing the Opposition: The Nixon Administration and the 1969 Moratorium and Mobilization Protests. [Oral Presentation], Historians of the Twentieth Century United States Annual Meeting, Newcastle, England . [Details]
(2011)History, Memory, and American Foreign Policy,
Sarah J Thelen (2011) Domestic Support for the Vietnam War: Invoking the Memory of William Allen White and George Creel. [Oral Presentation], History, Memory, and American Foreign Policy, Clinton Institute for American Studies (University College Dublin) . [Details]
(2011)Historians of the Twentieth Century United States Annual Meeting,
Sarah J Thelen (2011) Rallying ‘Round the Flag: Nixon, the ‘Hard Hats,’ and Domestic Support for the Vietnam War. [Oral Presentation], Historians of the Twentieth Century United States Annual Meeting, Oxford, England . [Details]
(2010)American Historical Association Annual Conference,
Sarah J Thelen (2010) Give War a Chance: The Nixon Administration and Domestic Support for the Vietnam War, 1968-1973. [Oral Presentation], American Historical Association Annual Conference, San Diego, California . [Details]
(2009)War and American Identity,
Sarah J Thelen (2009) Silent No Longer: Identity, the Silent Majority and Nixon's Vietnam War. [Oral Presentation], War and American Identity, Clinton Institute for American Studies (University College Dublin) . [Details]
(2008)Annual International Graduate Student Conference on the Cold War,
Sarah J Thelen (2008) “Will you Help our Nation Win the Peace?”: Americans for Winning the Peace and the Nixon Administration, 1969-1971. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Annual International Graduate Student Conference on the Cold War, University of California, Santa Barbara . [Details]
(2005)Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations Annual Meeting,
Sarah J Thelen (2005) Walking in the Shadows of Munich and Vietnam”: An Examination of the Public and Political Rhetoric of the Debate over the Use of Force in the Persian Gulf’ (panel organizer). [Oral Presentation], Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations Annual Meeting, University of Maryland, College Park . [Details]

Employment

 EmployerPositionFrom / To
University College Cork Learning Technologist07-MAY-12 / 20-DEC-13
University College Cork Instructional Designer03-JAN-14 / 30-SEP-21
University College Cork Visiting Lecturer02-SEP-13 /
Trinity College Dublin Research Associate01-SEP-11 / 29-AUG-14
University College Dublin Visiting Lecturer03-SEP-12 / 31-DEC-12
American University Instructor01-JUN-06 / 31-AUG-10

Professional Associations

 AssociationFunctionFrom / To
Irish Association of American Studies history/
American Historical Association history/
British Association of American Studies history/
Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations history/
Historians of the Twentieth Century United States history/

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