Mailing Address:
PENN STATE BEHREND
GLENHILL FARMHOUSE
ERIE PA 16563
Biography
Richard Aquila is a professor of history and American Studies at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. He received his Ph.D. in history from Ohio State University, and he specializes in U.S. social and cultural history, the American West, American Indian history, and popular culture.
His publications include Home Front Soldier: The Story of a G.I. and His Italian American Family During World War II (1999); Wanted Dead or Alive: The American West in Popular Culture (1996); That Old Time Rock and Roll: A Chronicle of An Era, 1954-63 (1989); and The Iroquois Restoration: Iroquois Diplomacy on the Colonial Frontier, 1701-1754 (1983, 1997).
Aquila has also written, produced, and hosted numerous documentaries for NPR. From 1998 to 2000, his weekly public history series, “Rock & Roll America,” was syndicated on NPR and NPR Worldwide.
Courses Taught
- AMT 105 - American Popular Culture and Folklife
- HIST 153 - The Indian in North America
- PSU 007 - First-Year Seminar Behrend
Research Interests
U.S. Social and Cultural HistoryThe American WestAmerican Indian EthnohistoryPopular Culture
Publications
Review of Paul Lee Johnson's book, The McLaurys in Tombstone Arizona , New Mexico Historical Review - October (4th Quarter/Autumn), 2013
Bo Diddley, Music in American LIfe: The Encyclopedia of Music and American Culture - September, 2013
Buddy Holly, Music in American Life: The Encyclopedia of Music and American Culture - September, 2013
Rick Nelson, The Encyclopedia of Music and American Culture - September, 2013
Cheyenne Autumn, Multicultural America - September, 2013
The Cisco Kid, Multicultural America - September, 2013
Review of Beth Levy’s Frontier Figures: American Music and the Mythology of the American West, Western Historical Quarterly - April (2nd Quarter/Spring), 2013
Cowboys, Aliens, and Other Folks: Teaching the American West in Popular Culture., Western Historical Quarterly Newsletter - April (2nd Quarter/Spring), 2012
Alan Freed, American National Biography - 1999
Chief Hendrick of the Mohawks, American National Biography - 1999
Wanted Dead or Alive: The American West in Popular Culture - 1996
That Old-Time Rock & Roll: A Chronicle of an Era, 1954–63 - 1989
The Iroquois Restoration: Iroquois Diplomacy on the Colonial Frontier, 1701–1754 - 1983