Dr. Gary Girod

Oklahoma Panhandle State University’s College of Arts & Education is proud to host the upcoming Panhandle Teaching & Learning event featuring Dr. Gary Girod, an Assistant Professor in the History Department. On October 16, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM in the Library Reading Room, Dr. Girod will present a lecture titled “The Origins of the All-Seeing State,” based on his book Domestic Surveillance and Social Control in Britain and France during World War I, published by Routledge.

Born and raised in Salem, Oregon, Dr. Girod earned his Bachelor of Arts in History and French from Chapman University in Orange County, California. His academic journey led him to France, where he lived and worked for a year before returning to California to work as a researcher for renowned newsman Joel Kotkin. Their collaborative efforts gained recognition, with their work being featured in Newsweek, Reuters, Forbes, and the Orange County Register, among other prominent publications. Dr. Girod completed his Ph.D. at the University of Houston in 2021, specializing in European history.

Dr. Girod’s upcoming lecture will explore how Western governments, particularly Britain and France, began laying the foundations of modern surveillance states during World War I. “It will essentially be on how Western governments (specifically Britain and France) developed the beginnings of information states, i.e., they had agencies which constantly and consistently monitored people for subversion to control them,” Dr. Girod explained.

Beyond his scholarly contributions, Dr. Girod is a prolific digital historian. He is the founder and host of The French History Podcast, a popular digital and public history project featuring contributions from leading scholars in French history. His latest project, Our Nowhere: Panhandle Histories, seeks to document the rich history of the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle region through podcasting.

Dr. Girod’s expertise extends beyond the classroom and historical research. In his free time, he enjoys literature, traveling, sports, and hiking in nature. He is also an accomplished fiction author, with a dozen short stories published and two novels released by the Canadian press, Brain Lag.

Dr. Charla Lewis, Dean of the College of Arts & Education, expressed her excitement about the upcoming event. “We are honored to host Dr. Girod in our Panhandle Teaching & Learning series. His research is incredibly relevant today, examining how governments began using information systems to monitor and control citizens during wartime. This event reflects the College of Arts & Education’s commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue on historical and contemporary issues. We encourage the community to join us for what promises to be a thought-provoking presentation.”

This event is open to all OPSU students, faculty, and community members. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Dr. Girod’s fascinating insights into the evolution of modern surveillance and state control.