CURRICULUM VITAE
JOHN E. SEMONCHE

October 2008

CONTACT INFORMATION

OFFICE: Department of History
CB# 3195, Hamilton Hall
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC 275l5-3195
U.S.A.

Phone: (919) 962-8079
Email: semche@email.unc.edu
Web:  http://ibiblio.org/semche/history/jackweb.html

 

 

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

A. Education:
    Colby College, 1951-52
    Brown University, 1952-54 (A.B., magna cum laude, 1954)
    Northwestern University, 1954-55 (M.A., 1955)
        1958-60 (Ph.D., 1962)
    Duke University, 1962-67 (LL.B., with distinction, 1967)

B. Military Service:
    United States Navy, Lt. (jg.), 1955-58

C. Honors:
    Phi Beta Kappa, 1954
    Order of the Coif, 1967
    EDUCOM/NCRIPTAL Higher Education Distinguished Software
        Award, 1988
    History computer simulations included in 101 Success Stories
        Information Technologies in Higher Education:
        The Joy Wyatt Challenge. Ed. by Judith V.
        Boettcher. New York:
        McGraw-Hill, 1993.
    Senior Fulbright Fellow, 2001.

D. Academic Positions:
    University of Connecticut, 1960-61--instructor in history
    University of North Carolina, 1961-63--instructor in history
    1963-68--assistant professor of history
    1967-78--lecturer in law (concurrent position in School of Law)
    1968-73--associate professor of history
    1973- --professor of history

E. Teaching and Research Specialties:
    American constitutional and legal history
    Law in American society
    American history survey since 1865

F. Grants and Leaves:
    Departmental research leave, Fall, 2000
    Chancellor's Instructional Technology Grants, 1997, 1998
    Departmental leave, Spring, 1992
    Research leave, Spring, 1980
    Faculty research grants (no leave provided)--four received (each
        less than $500 - last received in 1975)
    Research leave, Spring, 1970

G. Institutes:
    Social Science Methods in Legal Education Institute, Summer, 1972

H. Teaching Abroad:
    School of Law, Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary,
       Spring, 2001 as a Senior Fulbright Fellow

I. Additional Information:
    Membership in United States Supreme Court Bar since 1996
    Membership in North Carolina Bar since 1967
    Part-time legal practice since 1967

II. PUBLICATIONS

A. Books:
    Censoring Sex: A Historical Journey Through American Media.
        Lanham, My.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007.

    Keeping the Faith: A Cultural History of the U.S. Supreme Court. Lanham,
        My.: Rowman & Littefield Publishers, Inc., 1998. paperback ed., 2000.
        (Chosen as an Outstanding 1998 book by Choice)

    Religion and Constitutional Government in the United States. Carrboro,
        N.C.: Signal Books, 1986.

    Charting the Future: The Supreme Court Responds to a Changing Society,
        1890-1920. Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 1978.

    Ray Stannard Baker: A Quest for Democracy in Modern America, 1870-
       1918. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1969.

B. Computer Software and Manuals:
    Simulations in American History l. 1865: Should the Southern States Be
        Readmitted to the Union?
San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
        Inc., 1987.

    Simulations in American History 2. June-December 1894: What Action
        Should the President Take Concerning the Pullman Strike and Its
        Aftermath?
San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1987.

    Computer Simulation in United States History Entitled "1912: Can
        You Get Your State To Approve a Woman's Suffrage Amendment?"

        Chapel Hill: S & S History Simulations, 1988.

C. Pamphlets: (edited with introductions)
    Religion and Law in American History. Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of
        North Carolina, 1985. (published in connection with a National
        Endowment for the Humanities grant for a project entitled "Church,
        State and the First Amendment.")

    "What is Law?" "Morality and Law," and "The Political Trial," in
       Problems and Materials for Legal Process. University of North Carolina
        School of Law, 1971, rev. ed., 1972.

D. Articles and Book Entries and Chapters:
   (with Margaret A. Blanchard) "Anthony Comstock and his Adversaries:
       The Mixed Legacy of This Battle For Free Speech,"  Communication Law
       and Policy
, 11 (Summer 2006), 317-66.

    "The Senate and the Nominees,"  News & Observer, 28 September 2005, A17.

    "Civil Rights and Civil Liberties," The Oxford Companion to American Law,
       ed. Kermit L. Hall, 110-14. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

    "American Law in the Nineteenth Century," A Companion to 19th-Century
        America
,ed. William L. Barney, 73-85. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers, 2001.

    "Time Traveling: Historians and Computers," History Microcomputer
        Review
11 (Fall, 1995): 9-14.

    "Joseph Hodges Choate," "Coyle v. Smith," "Frank v. Mangum,"
        "Horace Gray," "Judiciary Act of 1891," "Meyers v. United States,"
        "In re Neagle," "Northern Securities Co. v. United States,"
        "Pacific States Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Oregon,"
        "Selective Draft Law Cases," "Truax v. Corrigan," and "Weems v.
        United States." In The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of
        the United State
s, ed. Kermit L. Hall, 144-145, 205-206, 317,
        345-346, 475-476, 569-570, 582, 600, 616-617, 769, 881, 922-923.
        New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.

    "The Flag as Religious Symbol Versus the First Amendment as Holy
        Writ: A Battle Among the Faithful," North Carolina Humanities
        Review
1 (Fall, 1992): 57-70.

    "Making History Come Alive: Designing and Using Computer Simulations
        in U.S. History Courses," History Microcomputer Review 5
        (Spring, 1989): 5-12.

    "Bunting v. Oregon," "Louis D. Brandeis," and "Ernst Freund" in
        Historical Dictionary of the Progressive Era, 1890-1920,
        New York: Greenwood Press, 1988.

    Review article on Liberty in America: 1600 to the Present, by Oscar &
        Lilian Handlin, Constitutional History of the American Revolution:
        The Authority of Rights, by John Phillip Reid, and Beyond
        Confederation: Origins of the Constitution and American
        National Identity, ed. by Richard Beeman, et. al., in
        Constitutonal Commentary 5 (Summer, 1988): 483-90.

    "Computer Simulations, The Teaching of History, And The Goals of a
        Liberal Education," Academic Computing 2 (September, 1987): 20-23, 46-50.

    "The Tie That Binds: A Bicentennial Appraisal of the U.S. Constitution,
       The North Carolina Bar Quarterly 34 (Summer, 1987): 4-13.

    Review article on Definition of Law by Hermann Kantorowicz, Vanderbilt
        Journal of Transnational Law
14 (Winter, 1981): 239-44.

    "Courts Should Leave Intact Carter's Power to End Treaty," in Durham
        Morning Herald
, November 28, 1979.

    Review article on Government by Judiciary: The Transformation of the
        Fourteenth Amendment by Raoul Berger, North Carolina Law Review
        55 (October, 1978): 189-95.

    "John S. Phillips," in Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement
        Four: 1946-1950, ed. by John A. Garraty & Edward T. James,

    Review article on Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise History of the Supreme
        Court of the United States: I. Antecedents and Beginnings to 18
        by Julius Goebel, Jr., and VI. Reconstruction and Reunion 1864-
        Part One by Charles Fairman, North Carolina Law Review 51 (December
        1972): 375-386.

    Review article on Warren: The Man, The Court, The Era by John D.
        Weaver, and Earl Warren: A Political Biography by Leon Katcher,
       North Carolina Law Review 46 (April, 1968): 299-306.

    "Definitional and Contextual Obscenity: The Supreme Court's New and
        Disturbing Accommodation," UCLA Law Review 12 (August, 1966):
        1173-1213. (widely cited as authority on this subject)

    Review article on This Honorable Court: A History of the United States
        Supreme Court, by Leo Pfeffer, Duke Law Journal, 1966 (Winter):
        299-306.

    "Common-Law Marriage in North Carolina: A Study in Legal History,"
        American Journal of Legal History 9 (October, 1965): 320-349.
        (cited in leading family law text as historical authority)

    "Theodore Roosevelt's 'Muck-rake Speech': A Reassessment," Mid-America,    
        46 (April, 1964): 114-125.

    "The 'American Magazine' of 1906-15: Principle vs. Profit," Journalism
        Quarterly
40 (Winter, 1963): 36-44+.

E. Standard Book Reviews:
    American Historical Review -- seven
    Journal of Southern History -- six
    North Carolina Historical Review -- seven
    Journal of American History -- thirteen
    William and Mary Quarterly -- one
    South Atlantic Quarterly -- one
    New England Quarterly -- one
    American Journal of Legal History--ten
    History: Reviews of New Books--one
    The Historian--two
    Maryland Historical Review--one

III. RECENT TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS

    "How the Media Shapes Life As We Know It," A panel discussion held as
        part of the Virginia Festival of the Book 2008 in Charlottesville,
        Virginia on March 28, 2008 in which each of four participants gave a
        ten-minute presentation followed by questions from the assembled group.
        (The discussion was televised).

    "Supreme Court Appointments: A Historical Perspective," A presentation
        in the UNC School of Law as part of a panel on the Supreme Court
        Confirmation Process on September 19, 2005,as part of the
        University's celebration of Constitution Day.

    "The Debate on the Constitution: Federalists vs. Antifederalists," A videotaped
        lecture on May 9, 2005 for a module in the U.S. Department of Education
        Teaching American History Grant, Learn More - Teach More,
        administered by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.
        (THIS LECTURE AND THOSE THAT FOLLOW ARE AVAILABLE
        FOR VIEWING AT http://www.dlt.ncssm.edu/lmtm)

    "Secession from the Union, 1860-1861: The Causes and Rationale," A videotaped
        lecture on May 9, 2005 for a module in the U.S. Department of Education
        Teaching American History Grant, Learn More - Teach More,
        administered by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.

    "The Internment of the Japanese in World War II and its Aftermath," A
        videotaped lecture on May 9, 2005 for a module in the U.S. Department of
        Education Teaching American History Grant, Learn More - Teach More,
        administered by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.

    "The U.S. Supreme Court and Roosevelt's New Deal," A videotaped lecture on
        March 31, 2004 for a module in the U.S. Department of Education Teaching
        American History Grant, Learn More - Teach More, administered by
        the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.

    "Impeachment and Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton," A videotaped
        lecture on November 14, 2003 for a module in the U.S.
        Department of Education Teaching American History Grant,
        Learn More - Teach More, administered by the North Carolina School of
        Science and Mathematics.

    "The Bill of Rights," A videotaped lecture on May 2, 2003 for a module in the U.S.
        Department of Education Teaching American History Grant,
        Learn More - Teach More, administered by the North Carolina School of
        Science and Mathematics.

    "The Supreme Court and Religion," A videotaped lecture on May 2, 2003 for a
       module in the U.S. Department of Education Teaching American History Grant,
        Learn More - Teach More, administered by the North Carolina School of
        Science and Mathematics.

    "The United States Supreme Court: Its Creation, Evolution and Major Cases
        to 1835," A videotaped lecture on March 21, 2003 for a module
        in the U.S. Department of Education Teaching American History Grant,
        Learn More - Teach More, administered by the North Carolina School of
        Science and Mathematics.

    "Civil Liberties in Time of War: World War I and the Aftermath,"
        Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Society
        for Legal History, San Diego, California, November 8, 2002.

    "Protecting Civil Liberties in Times of Crisis," Presentation at the Annual
        Meeting of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina,
        Chapel Hill, North Carolina, May 18, 2002.

    "Constitutional Rights in Times of National Crisis: An Historical Perspective,"
        A talk prepared for the Constitutional Rights and Responsibilities Section
        Annual Meeting on February 15, 2002, part of a CLE program entitled
       " Freedom and Security in 21st Century America: Are Our Individual
        Liberties at Risk?"

    "The Supreme Court: From Inside Out and Outside In," Presentation
        in The Tenth Annual Festival of Legal Learning Sponsored
        by the School of Law, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
        February 4, 2000.

    "The Holmes Devise," Commentator, American Society for Legal
       History Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada, October 22, 1999.

    "The Supreme Court: Views From Within and Without," Presentation
        in Continuing Legal Education Course Sponsored by the North
        Carolina Department of Justice, the Legislative Services Office of the
        North Carolina General Assembly and the Institute of Government
        entitled Public Law and the Public's Lawyers, Raleigh, NC,
        September 24, 1999.

    "The Supreme Court and the Constitution: Promoting Unity Through Diversity,"
        Law and Business & Finance Divisions, Special Libraries
        Association Convention, Minneapolis, MN, June 9, 1999.

    "The Flag as Religious Symbol vs. The First Amendment as Holy Writ,"
        American Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication Annual
        Convention, Boston, MA, August 12, 1991.

    "The Potential of Computer Simulations to Teach History and the
        Skills Associated with a Liberal Education," Canadian
        Historical Association Annual Meeting, Victoria, B.C., Canada,
        May 27, 1990.

    "Encounters with the Past: Computers as Tools in Teaching History
        as Part of a Liberal Education," 9th International Conference
        on Computers and the Humanities, Toronto, Ont., Canada,
        June 8, 1989.

    "Computer Simulations in American History," IBM Conference on
        Academic Computing, Princeton University, March 18, 1989.

    Demonstration of Computer Simulation Programs, AHA Conference,
        Cincinnati, OH, December 27-29, 1988.

    "Ronald Dworkin's Law's Empire and its Value in Constitutional
        Law," Seminar on Law's Empire, Chapel Hill, NC on September
        24, 1988.

    "Religion and Government in America," a half-hour radio program in the
        "Soundings" series produced by the National Humanities Center,
        RTP, NC and broadcast during the week of July 5, 1987.

    "History of Church-State Relations in American Education," delivered at
        Caldwell Community College, Hudson, NC on April 30, 1987.

    "Constituting America: The Constitutional Convention," delivered as
        part of the Program in the Humanities Weekend Seminar entitled
        "The Founding Fathers" in Chapel Hill, NC on February 21, 1987.

    Demonstration of Computer Simulations in American History, 11th IBM    
        University Study Conference (Academic Information Systems), at
        Fort Lauderdale, FL on November 7-8, 1986.

    "The American Constitution: A Bicentennial Appraisal," delivered at the
        University of Bristol, England on March 10, 1986.

    "The Supreme Court and the Law of Industrial Accidents, 1874-1919,"
        American Society for Legal History Annual Meeting, Philadelphia,
        PA, October 25, 1980.

IV. COMPLETED WORK: AWAITING PUBLICATION

   Articles on Ernst Freund, Joseph McKenna and Isaac C. Parker for the
        Yale Biographical Dictionary of American Law.

V. WORK IN PROGRESS

   Book tentatively titled "It Begins With a Gal and Ends With a Kis(s);
        A Political Biography of Nick Galifianakis."

    "Let No Guilty Man Escape"--a play in three acts based upon the life of
        Judge Isaac G. Parker. (Second revision completed)

    Multimedia Lectures in U.S. history survey course.

VI. SERVICE TO THE UNIVERSITY AND DEPARTMENT

    Committee to Evaluate the Dean of the School of Law, 2003
    University Copyright Committee, 2001-2007
    Participation in History Workshop for High School Teachers, 1992.
        University Hearings Board, 1989-2006
    Participant in various sessions arranged by the Program in the
        Humanities, 1975-89
    University Scholar's Workstation Committee, 1988-90
    Presenter, Carolina Today program, 1988
    Various departmental search and review committees, 1973-90
    UNC-IBM Courseware Development Project, 1984-89
    Graduate Studies Committee, 1988-90 (Director, 1989), 1972-75
    Departmental Advisory Committee, 1989, 1977-79
    Advisor to Carolina Symposium, 1988, 1965-66
    Advisory Board, Media Center, 1985-86
    Convener of the U.S. Field, 1983-84, 1977-80
    Departmental Secretary, 1980-83, 1975-76
    UNC Delegate, Institute for Applied History, 1978-79
    Presentations for the Young Executives Institute, 1971-79
    Dean's Committee on the Undergraduate Curriculum, 1978-79
    Distinguished Professor Search Committee, 1977-80 (Chr., 1980)
    University Committee on Scholarships, Awards & Student Aid, 1971-77
    Chair, Subcommittee on Appeals, 1971-77
    Subcommittee on Athletic Scholarships, 1971-77
    Faculty Council, 1975
    Departmental Self-study Committee, 1972-73
    Faculty Council Ad-hoc Committee on Professional Responsibility, 1971
    Subcommittee on Professional Schools, University Self-study, 1968-69
    Employee Grievance Board, Chair, Appeal of Mrs. Thompson, 1968

VII. SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION

    A. Recent service as project consultant:
        Eduational Broadcasting Corporation d/b/a Thirteen/WNET New York, 2003
        Educational Testing Service--Foreign Service Examination, 1993
        UNC-NEH Project on the Constitution, 1985-87
        National Federation of State Humanities Councils, 1983-87
        Project '87, 1984-88

    B. Recent service as editorial consultant:
        Board of Editors, History Microcomputer Review, 1990-2006
        Journal of American History
        American Historical Review
        Congressional Quarterly
        Stanford University Press
        University of Kansas Press