From the Lawton Constitution By James Finck, Ph.D. As the summer continues to roll on and a few more road trips are behind us, I thought I would continue sharing songs from my ultimate road trip playlist. Last month, I listed my A artists, so it only makes logical sense to share my B’s. The … Continue reading Summer road trip playlist: B Artists
Tag: writing
The Battle of the Little Bighorn: A victory and a turning point
From the Lawton Constitution By James Finck, Ph.D. Jun 25, 2026 Stepping away from celebrating our nation’s anniversary, it is important to recognize the anniversary of one of the most significant battles fought on American soil and arguably the most famous battle of the Indian Wars. It was 150 years ago this week, on June … Continue reading The Battle of the Little Bighorn: A victory and a turning point
My summer playlist – A: bands
From the Lawton Constitution By James Finck, Ph.D. Jun 23, 2026 Finals are done and grades are all turned in. That means just one thing: summer. While there are many things that represent summer, my favorite is the road trip. I love traveling, seeing new things, and especially visiting historical sites. Hopefully I’ll be able … Continue reading My summer playlist – A: bands
Book review: ‘Jedediah Smith: No Ordinary Mountain Man’
From the Lawton Constitution By James Finck, Ph.D. May 12, 2026 This past semester for my reading seminar class, we read several books about mountain men. We read several about famous mountain men like Davy Crockett, Kit Carson, Hugh Glass, and Jim Bridger. While all these men led extraordinary lives, my personal favorite mountain man … Continue reading Book review: ‘Jedediah Smith: No Ordinary Mountain Man’
Disappointed in our Olympic Spirit
From the Lawton Constitution By James Finck, Ph.D. Mar 11, 2026 I have been very disappointed over the past two weeks watching the Olympic Games. I am a huge Olympics fan and watch as much as I possibly can. I can’t explain how I suddenly became a passionate fan of sports I normally never watch, … Continue reading Disappointed in our Olympic Spirit
‘The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge’
From the Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. One of the dumb jokes I often tell in class is that when I grow up, I want to be a mountain man, but if that doesn’t work out, being a pirate would be fun too. You can imagine my surprise and excitement when I discovered a … Continue reading ‘The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge’
Eliminating tenure would impose dire consequences on Oklahoma’s struggling higher education system
From the Lawton Constitution By James Finck, Ph.D. Feb 15, 2026 I began writing this column for Southwest Ledger in 2023 and for The Lawton Constitution just last year. I have genuinely loved this time. Writing has always been an outlet for me, almost a form of therapy. I’ve been blogging since around 2016, when … Continue reading Eliminating tenure would impose dire consequences on Oklahoma’s struggling higher education system
Searching for Offense in a World Desperate to Find It
From the Lawton Constitution Several times recently I have written that being offended is often the price you pay for learning. If you can go through four years of college without ever having your ideas challenged, then you are not really getting an education. What I did not say is that students should not go … Continue reading Searching for Offense in a World Desperate to Find It
The Bible, the Classroom, and the Boundaries of Scholarly Evidence
From the Southwest Ledger As the story of a University of Oklahoma student receiving a zero on an assignment for citing the Bible has become a major national headline, I wanted to weigh in as both a Christian and a professor. Let me say upfront that I have not read the student’s response, seen the … Continue reading The Bible, the Classroom, and the Boundaries of Scholarly Evidence
The Story Behind the Stories: Unlocking Western Literature and History
From Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D.One of my all-time favorite movies, “Hoosiers,” is a perfect example of a David and Goliath movie where a small-town basketball team in Indiana makes it all the way to the 1954 State Championship to take on a big-city team. As the team is getting ready to leave the … Continue reading The Story Behind the Stories: Unlocking Western Literature and History
Historically Speaking 