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Washington State University
History | History

Robert Franklin


 

 

 

 

 

 

CIC 202H
509-372-7678
robert.franklin@wsu.edu

Current History 105 Issues Taught:Humans and the Environment: Nuclear Energy and Climate ChangeGlobalization: Global PandemicsRoots of Inequality: Racial InequalityDiverse Ways of Thinking: War and TerrorRoots of Contemporary Conflict: The Global Nuclear Order

Other Courses Taught:Hist 110 American History to 1877

Hist 111 American History 1877 to Present

Hist 250 Peoples of the United States

Hist 318 United States, 1914-1945Hist 319 United States, 1945-PresentHist 420 United States, 1980-PresentHist 395 Topics in History: Atomic World

About Robert Franklin:Robert Franklin is a public and academic historian of the Hanford Nuclear Site near Richland, WA, and his research focuses on 20th century US with a particular focus on the Manhattan Project and the Cold War.  He holds a dual appointment as Assistant Director of the Hanford History Project at WSU Tri-Cities where he manages the Department of Energy’s Hanford Collection, an archive, archaeological, and artifact collection that documents the history of the Hanford Site from 1945-1990.  He also directs the Hanford Oral History Project and related projects focused on the Black and Latinx communities of the Mid-Columbia.  He is a frequent collaborator with the National Park Service Manhattan Project National Historical Park (MAPR)  as a docent and subject matter expert, and president of the B Reactor Museum Association, a non-profit group that supports interpretative efforts at MAPR.  For Washington State University he serves as the Tri-Cities representative for the Roots of Contemporary Issues Program and represents the College of Arts and Sciences on the Resident Faculty Organization at WSU Tri-Cities.

He, along with Dr. Robert Bauman, is  a co-editor and co-author of two books in the Hanford Histories series, Nowhere to Remember: Hanford, White Bluffs, and Richland to 1943 and Echoes of Exclusion and Resistance: Voices from the Hanford Region.  His current research projects focus on early waste management decisions at Hanford and the history of the early Cold War.

Robert earned his Master’s in Public History (2014) from Washington State University and a B.A. in History from the University of Hawaii Hilo (2011).

Dr. Franklin and Hanford History Project Awarded Grant

Robert Franklin and the Hanford History Project are thrilled to be awarded a three-year grant from the National Park Service titled “Digital Asset Management and Community Engagement to Enhance Understanding of Park Resources” at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Hanford Unit.   Robert will lead a WSU team to write a digital asset management plan for the entire Manhattan Project National Historical Park and train staff on implementation.  In addition, for the Hanford Unit, the WSU team will host community workshops, conduct archival research and consolidate fundings into a summary report.  These findings and the digital asset management plan will be used to curate 6 digital image galleries; develop one digital walking tour of East Pasco; write 10 articles, create 20 oral history vignettes; and produce one story map.  The project includes funding for undergraduate and graduate student interns.  If anyone has or knows students who might be interested in participating, please contact Robert Franklin directly at robert.franklin@wsu.edu.

Dr. Spohnholz and Dr. Miller Teach Workshops at World History Association

Jesse Spohnholz and Brenna Miller ran a faculty workshop on teaching introductory world history courses at the World History Association’s annual meeting. Each also participated in a second panel and the two ran a booth at the conference to introduce colleagues at the conference to ideas for student-centered, inquiry-driven, active learning lessons in large General Education courses – the heart of the History for the 21st Century project that two are working on.

Dr. Booth to Present at International Symposium on Jesuit Studies

Dr. Ryan Booth will present a paper at the 2023 International Symposium on Jesuit Studies in Lisbon, Portugal in June. The conference brings scholars on Jesuit history from across the world to share their research on a particular theme. This year’s theme is on “Circa Missiones: Jesuit Understandings of Mission Through the Centuries.” The International Symposia on Jesuit Studies offer annual opportunities to cross thematic, chronological, and disciplinary boundaries. Dr. Booth’s paper will address the painful and complicated legacy of the Jesuit-Native American boarding schools in the Pacific Northwest.

Dr. Franklin Awarded Grant

Robert Franklin and Phil Gruen (SDC) were awarded a TCI IDEA Grant for a class they plan to co-teach in spring 2024 tentatively titled “Infrastructural Racism” looking at social justice in the built environment.  They will be examining how infrastructure projects, specifically in the Tri-Cities (the Lewis Street Underpass and the Pasco-Kennewick “Green Bridge”), shape social and economic inequalities.  The grant is to fund important site visits and relationship building with community partners, and to recruit students.