IDEAS IN ACTION | USC's Podcast Series
67 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago - ★★★★ - 10 ratingsIDEAS IN ACTION is a podcast series produced by the University of Southern California. Aligned with the university mission dedicated to “the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit,” the series brings you thought-provoking conversations across various disciplines, happening at USC's University Park and Health Sciences campuses today. Recordings are available on this website, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music and Spotify.
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Episodes
Mending America: Overcoming Our Political and Cultural Divides
February 26, 2024 20:10 - 54 minutes - 74.4 MBIn light of the growing divisions among Americans, this panel will address the intersection of culture and politics in society, how we can better understand divisiveness, and find common ground. Geoffrey Cowan is an award-winning writer, television producer, and University Professor and Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He is the author of several books, including Let the People Rule: Theodore Roosevelt and the B...
Laughing Matters: The History and Power of Comedy
January 31, 2024 20:21 - 1 hour - 82.8 MBComedy can be seen and experienced in many forms—onstage, on screens, and even in hospitals. Like laughter, its effects are contagious and its power spills over onto all of us. This panel of experts, comedians, and expert comedians will talk about the history of comedy and its potential to create change. Wayne Federman is a stand-up comic, actor, author, comedy writer, professor, and Emmy-winning producer. He has appeared multiple times on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon and has his ...
Net Zero: California Climate Policy and The Future of Energy
December 07, 2023 19:40 - 1 hour - 82.8 MBCalifornia, the nation’s leader in clean energy and climate policies, has set an ambitious goal to achieve net zero carbon pollution by 2045. But what will it take? How might the policies affect the availability, reliability, and price of power consumption? This panel will address the political, technological, economic, as well as human and societal factors that play into our energy system and explore what must do to achieve our energy goals. Moderator: Genevieve Giuliano is a Distinguished...
Confronting L.A.’s Housing Crisis
November 15, 2023 20:17 - 1 hour - 82.8 MBIncreasing rents and home prices, gentrification, and historic inequities have contributed to a major housing crisis in Los Angeles. Yet, L.A. has a rich residential legacy that includes innovative housing design, successful housing developments, and leadership in historical preservation. Panelists will draw upon their interrelated recent books on housing, architecture, and preservation to offer compelling approaches to help address L.A.’s housing crisis. Frances Anderton covers Los Angeles...
BONUS EPISODE: Queer Bodies: Gender and Power in Art and Society
October 18, 2023 20:47 - 1 hour - 82.8 MBAcademics, artists, and authors will have a wide-ranging conversation exploring gender, sexuality, queerness, and the body in art, culture, fashion, and society. Topics will include, but not be limited to, an inside look at being a professional dominatrix, queer performance art and theory, and fabulousness as resistance. Chris Belcher is a writer, professor, book coach, and assistant professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies and Writing at USC. Under her working name, Natalie West, she edit...
Supporting Mental Health and Developing Resilience for Youth Today
October 06, 2023 02:00 - 59 minutes - 82.1 MBGrowing up has never been easy, and today’s children and young adults must also face modern anxieties stemming from the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, threat of mass shootings, pressures of social media, and looming specter of climate change. Experts will discuss factors that are exacerbating the mental-health struggles of youth today and how we can better support their wellness and resilience. Broderick Leaks is the Vice Chair for Student Mental Health, director of Counseling an...
Crossing Borders: Stories of Struggle, Survival, and Community
September 20, 2023 19:48 - 59 minutes - 82.1 MBThis discussion will explore a wide range of immigrant stories and experiences, including Vietnamese refugee girlhood, community-building for Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles, and the role of Black migrant women’s labor in the construction of the Panama Canal. Lan Duong is associate professor in Cinema and Media Studies at USC. She is the author of Treacherous Subjects: Gender, Culture, and Trans-Vietnamese Feminism and co-writer of Departures: An Introduction to Critical Refugee Studies. ...
Neurodiversity: Lived Experience, Advocacy and Allyship
August 09, 2023 18:02 - 56 minutes - 77.6 MBThis panel will include a variety of perspectives on neurodiversity and developmental disabilities, from autism to schizophrenia. Experts will share their research as well as personal experiences and discuss how to support neurodiverse children and adults and create a more equitable and inclusive society. Sneha Kohli Mathur is the author of Understanding the Lived Experiences of Autistic Adults and a lecturer of Applied Behavior Analysis and Psychology at USC. Considering herself an ally to...
Why extreme weather, not climate change, drives concerns about water safety
July 06, 2023 20:58 - 8 minutes - 11.1 MBAccess to safe drinking water is a pressing global issue, with approximately 2 billion people currently lacking consistent access to this fundamental resource — a sobering statistic that is projected to soar to 5 billion by 2050. We caught up with researchers Wändi Bruine de Bruin, a Provost Professor of public policy, psychology and behavioral science at the USC Price School of Public Policy and the Department of Psychology at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Josh...
Latinos and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Look at Increasing Participation Into Alzheimer’s Research
June 15, 2023 16:57 - 30 minutes - 42.1 MBMaría P. Aranda is a professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, the executive director of the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging and the director of the outreach, recruitment and engagement core of the USC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. She holds a joint appointment with the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and is a psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience providing mental health services to middle-aged and older adults and their families.
Crisis on the Colorado River
May 04, 2023 18:03 - 44 minutes - 61 MBThe Colorado River is in crisis. Once hailed the "American Nile," the river stretches 1,450 miles and provides drinking water, irrigation, and hydroelectric power to nearly 40 million people across seven states and northern Mexico. But after decades of prolonged drought and overuse, vital reservoirs along the river are drying up. USC experts Robin Craig and Shon Hiatt discuss the far-reaching impacts of Colorado River water shortages on the region's agriculture and energy industries. Read th...
Eat, Lead, Love: Celebrating BIPOC Communities through Food, Art, and Activism
February 13, 2023 22:12 - 52 minutes - 36.5 MBAs we work to create a more equitable world, marginalized and underrepresented communities must be able to tell their own stories. Learn and find inspiration from BIPOC authors whose books uplift, celebrate, and amplify their communities through art, cooking, journalism, history, storytelling, and more. Panelists Jamal Jordan is a multimedia documentarian, professor, and Civic Media Fellow at the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab. Last year, he published his first book, Queer Love in Color, a c...
Transformative Learning: Innovation, Inclusion, and the Future of Education
December 07, 2022 23:06 - 1 hour - 14.7 MBWhile education is weathering attacks on Critical Race Theory, outlawed instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity, and issues of inclusion, educators are working to create a more equitable educational system. Several renowned authors and educators will discuss what’s at stake, offer innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and share their visions for the future of education. Christopher Emdin is the Robert A. Naslund Endowed Chair in Curriculum and Teaching and profess...
Confronting Climate Change: Solutions for a Sustainable World
October 05, 2022 18:21 - 1 hour - 22.3 MBWrapping up #USCEarthWeek, experts from a variety of fields will look at the impacts of the climate crisis and discuss ways to create a more sustainable world, including ecological design, sustainable consumption, and production, and implementing institutional change. Jennifer Bernstein is a lecturer at the Spatial Sciences Institute at USC. She studies contemporary environmentalism with a focus on inclusiveness and collaboration, and has been published in the Washington Post, the San Franc...
LAtinx LA Style
August 17, 2022 18:00 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBNoted USC professors provide insight into three different neighborhoods of Los Angeles, mobilizing Latinx pasts to better understand the future and rethink our understanding of democracy, community, and political power. Panelists Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo is the Florence Everline Professor of Sociology at USC. She is a co-author of South Central Dreams: Finding Home and Building Community in South L.A., which takes a deep dive into the lives of first- and second-generation Latinx immigra...
The Invasion of Ukraine
April 20, 2022 21:19 - 58 minutes - 79.6 MBTwo of the foremost experts on national security will participate in an insightful discussion about the war in Ukraine. Join the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future for a conversation with retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and former Congresswoman Jane Harman. The conversation is moderated by Mike Murphy.
A Conversation with Dr. Nicole Mitchell
March 31, 2022 16:00 - 30 minutes - 42.5 MBTune into a conversation with Dr. Nicole Mitchell, faculty director of the OB/GYN Diversity & Inclusion Program, exploring topics of reproductive justice, providing quality care for underrepresented patients, and the healthcare disparities that exist among Ob/Gyn, including among African American, LatinX, and the transgender patient population.
Celebrating Women's History Month 2022
March 28, 2022 22:50 - 43 minutes - 59.1 MBJoin USC President Carol L. Folt along with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members as we celebrate and honor women while exploring the theme "Providing Healing, Promoting Hope."
Crisis Briefing: The Russian Invasion of Ukraine
March 23, 2022 22:44 - 1 hour - 100 MBThe USC Global Policy Institute, Department of Political Science and International Relations, the Max Kade Institute for Austrian-German-Swiss Studies and the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures present a crisis briefing on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Listen to a distinguished panel of six experts discuss the ongoing conflict, what it means for the world and what may happen next. With Russia's invasion, negotiation talks in Belarus, the EU and NATO on standby, the U.S. on h...
Reflecting on MLK, Equity and Inclusion in Today's America
January 13, 2022 23:34 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MBUSC professors Dr. Shaun R. Harper and Dr. Camille Gear Rich discuss the impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the challenges we still face today. Panelists Dr. Shaun Harper studies racial, gender, and LGBT issues in corporations, law firms, Hollywood production companies, K-12 schools, and universities. He is a Provost Professor in the USC Marshall School of Business and USC Rossier School of Education and the USC Race and Equity Center Executive Director. Dr. Camille Gear Rich's ...
Rethinking Alzheimer's Care
November 30, 2021 19:44 - 30 minutes - 21.8 MBMost Americans have an aging family member, friend, neighbor, or colleague who will someday be living with memory loss — and needing help. Join experts from USC and the Alzheimer's Association for a conversation about the increasingly important role of caregivers in comprehensive Alzheimer's care for #AlzheimersAwarenessMonth. Panelists Laura Mosqueda, MD, FAAFP, AGSF, is a professor (with tenure) of Family Medicine and Geriatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She is a widely re...
Learning From Veterans
November 11, 2021 21:44 - 29 minutes - 21.1 MBUSC researchers are exploring a unique group: veterans outside the VA struggling with isolation, depression, PTSD and substance use. Eric Pedersen of Keck School of Medicine of USC and Jordan Davis of USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work talk about what they’ve learned over the past years and how to better reach veterans grappling with these issues.
Shake It Out: The Science and Safety of Earthquake Prep
October 13, 2021 18:08Experts John Vidale, former Director of Southern California Earthquake Center and USC Dornsife Professor, and Steve Goldfarb, USC Fire Safety and Emergency Planning Specialist, speak on earthquakes—the research behind them and how we might better prepare!
Shake It Out: The Science and Safety of Earthquake Prep
October 13, 2021 18:08Experts John Vidale, former Director of Southern California Earthquake Center and USC Dornsife Professor, and Steve Goldfarb, USC Fire Safety and Emergency Planning Specialist, speak on earthquakes—the research behind them and how we might better prepare!
Shake It Out: The Science and Safety of Earthquake Prep
October 13, 2021 18:07Experts John Vidale, former Director of Southern California Earthquake Center and USC Dornsife Professor, and Steve Goldfarb, USC Fire Safety and Emergency Planning Specialist, speak on earthquakes—the research behind them and how we might better prepare!
You’ve dropped off your college student—now what?
September 29, 2021 20:04 - 33 minutes - 23.4 MBUSC experts discuss how parents and guardians can maintain open communication with and support their students as they begin to navigate the college experience! Dr. Tracy Poon Tambascia is a Professor of Clinical Education in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Her areas of interest include international higher education, higher education policy, issues that affect the practice of student affairs, and minoritized student access and success in higher edu...
Latinx Stories of Los Angeles
September 24, 2021 18:28 - 32 minutes - 22.8 MBUSC experts discuss their work and recent books, each highlighting a different neighborhood in L.A. and the Latinx contributions to the city’s history. These three books are changing and challenging some of the historical ways Latinx L.A. has been written about. What does talking about Latinx historiography or “Latinidad” in Boyle Heights, Echo Park, and South Central LA mean? How have these communities transformed over time and how can we expect them to change in the future? And what does i...
Olympic training during a pandemic – and how the games have changed since 776 B.C.
August 01, 2021 16:57 - 1 hour - 42 MBUSC has produced more Olympians, overall medalists, and gold medalists than any other U.S. university. But what has it been like to train during the pandemic for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics? What are some of the surprising ways in which the games of ancient Greece were different from the modern Olympics? What are a few of the nearly 3,000-year-old traditions that haven’t changed? Listen in on this lively discussion with political science major and Olympian Tina Graudina of USC’s beach volleyba...
A Juneteenth Conversation on Race
June 18, 2021 15:15 - 38 minutes - 35.7 MBJuneteenth is the oldest celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. But the fight against institutionalized racism continues today. Join USC experts as they discuss critical race theory, voting rights, criminal justice reform, and the ongoing struggle for liberty and justice for all. Panelists Jody Armour is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at USC. Armour's expertise ranges from personal injury claims to claims about the relationship between racial justice, cri...
L.A.’s fossil fuel-free future
April 23, 2021 21:23 - 1 hour - 42.2 MBWorking with the federal government and the city of Los Angeles, USC researchers have identified pathways to a zero-emissions future for the megalopolis in 25 years, a new report shows. But how do you get there from here? What are the challenges and benefits? And can L.A. become a clean-energy model for other cities? Join Sammy Roth, energy reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Lauren Faber O'Connor, city of Los Angeles' chief sustainability officer, Adam Rose, professor at the USC Price Schoo...
Coping with COVID: Mental health and young adults, a conversation with Dr. Vivek Murthy and and Jim Steyer
April 15, 2021 17:49 - 1 hour - 31.7 MBMarch 2021 marks the one-year anniversary of the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Illness, distance learning, and social isolation have turned our lives upside down. Depression rates are up among teens and young adults. How have young people fared after a year of lockdowns, remote schooling, and the disruption of social norms? Join Dean Willow Bay, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, and Common Sense CEO Jim Steyer for a conversation on how young people use digital devices and media t...
A Conversation with Channing Godfrey Peoples
March 19, 2021 23:56 - 45 minutes - 32.2 MBAs part of USC’s International Women’s Day 2021 celebration, USC President Carol L. Folt sits down with rising filmmaker and USC alumna Channing Godfrey Peoples for an inspiring conversation about Peoples’ career and her critically acclaimed, award-winning film, “Miss Juneteenth.” USC Cinema Dean Elizabeth Daley provides introductions.
How to Encourage Vaccine Adoption
January 20, 2021 20:09 - 42 minutes - 39.4 MBScientific innovation was put to the test in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, and it resulted in two vaccines in record time that are at least 94% effective in clinical trials. Now the task of vaccinating the population has begun with many skeptics fearing side effects, rushed science in its development, and political involvement. There is also a segment of the population who are generally vaccine skeptics. Join the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy and the USC B...
Five lessons we’ve learned about COVID-19 since the pandemic began
November 21, 2020 00:01 - 44 minutes - 31.2 MBWhen COVID-19 emerged, it was a new coronavirus we knew little about. Over the past year, experts from across the globe have worked together to better fight the pandemic. Listen in as faculty experts from the Keck School of Medicine of USC discuss what we’ve learned so far about COVID-19: Paula Cannon, a microbiologist who is an expert in all the ways COVID can, and cannot, be transmitted. Susan Butler-Wu, also a microbiologist, is an expert on COVID testing. Ali Gholamrezanezhad, a r...
Should Halloween be canceled because of COVID-19?
October 28, 2020 20:17 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBHolidays represent normalcy for children during uncertain times. With Halloween around the corner, as well as other fall celebrations, USC's Rita V. Burke, Assistant Professor of Clinical Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, offers tips for having fun without spreading or catching COVID-19.
Alzheimer’s, inflammation and COVID-19
September 21, 2020 23:22 - 31 minutes - 30 MBListen in as Caleb Finch and Axel Montagne (in conversation with Leigh Hopper from USC’s University Communications), discuss their respective research on Alzheimer’s disease, including how pollution may cause inflammation in the human body, contributing to the acceleration of dementia. Axel Montagne is an Associate Professor of Research Physiology & Neuroscience at Keck School of Medicine at USC and Assistant Director of the USC Functional Biological Imaging Core. Caleb Finch is Universi...
The Unexpected Spy
August 13, 2020 23:20 - 35 minutes - 25.1 MBAs an undergraduate majoring in history at USC Dornsife, Tracy Walder had planned to become a teacher. Until the CIA recruited her. Not long after graduating, the former sorority sister known for dressing in pink was wearing camouflage fatigues, toting an assault rifle and hunting down Al-Qaeda as a counterterrorism field agent in the aftermath of 9/11. Returning to the U.S., she made the almost-unheard-of-transition to the FBI, where she continued to take down bad guys out of the L.A. field...
Countdown to Mars 2020 Perseverance Launch
July 29, 2020 18:41 - 1 hour - 42.1 MBListen in on the conversation with experts from USC Dornsife, USC Viterbi and the California Science Center about the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launch. Kenneth Phillips is Curator for Aerospace Science at the California Science Center and an adjunct professor of the practice of physics and astronomy at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He’s an expert in aeronautics, space exploration and science education. Anita Sengupta is an associate professor of astronau...
Stronger Than Hate
June 04, 2020 21:38 - 1 hour - 66 MBResources and Solutions at USC The novel coronavirus pandemic has Americans across the country fearful for their personal health and well-being, but for Asian Americans, the virus has stirred up another threat: a wave of verbal and physical attacks. While we employ social distancing to keep us safe from COV19, how do we prepare our USC community for widespread acts of individual bigotry when we reenter the world? Stronger than Hate: Resources and Solutions harnesses the power of USC’s re...
Dornsife Dialogues: “Pandemic Preparedness: What Went Wrong and What Have We Learned?”
May 26, 2020 16:54 - 29 minutes - 20.9 MBWhy weren’t we better prepared for the COVID-19 outbreak and what can we learn from our current ordeal to be better prepared for the next pandemic? USC Dornsife’s Andrew Lakoff and Nils Gilman, Vice President of Programs at the Berggruen Institute, talks with journalist and author Mark Perry about how the U.S. did and didn’t prepare for COVID-19. Lakoff, Professor of Sociology and Divisional Dean of Social Sciences, is the author of Unprepared: Global Health in a Time of Emergency, in which ...
Dornsife Dialogues: Kids and Quarantine – Managing Family Life
April 30, 2020 22:16 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBHelping your kids cope with the stress of quarantine while protecting your own mental health is a growing challenge for many, particularly for families hit hardest by the pandemic. Experts with the USC Center for the Changing Family discuss the impact of the pandemic on kids and families as well as solutions and strategies that parents, clinicians, and communities can use to boost family mental health. The experts are clinical psychologists Amy West and Marian Williams, law professor Clar...
Earth Day #50: What's the Earth Telling Us?
April 23, 2020 00:19 - 41 minutes - 29 MBIt's the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. Amid COVID-19 and climate crises, USC experts discuss causes and solutions to disruption and the USC sustainability response. USC President Carol L. Folt provides an introduction, speakers include: Wändi Bruine de Bruin, Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology and Behavioral Science, USC Price School of Public Policy Dan Mazmanian, Professor of Public Policy, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and Chairman of the USC Presidential Working ...
Dornsife Dialogues: The Pandemic Election
April 20, 2020 22:25 - 58 minutes - 40.5 MBTwo of the nation’s most experienced and respected political experts and the leaders of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the presidential election. Bob Shrum, the former senior strategist for Al Gore, John Kerry, and a host of Democratic senators and governors, and Mike Murphy, the former senior strategist for John McCain and Mitt Romney and a political analyst for NBC News, discuss the latest on changing voter attitudes toward the Trump admi...
Monetary Resources Available to Small Businesses in Today's Environment
April 06, 2020 20:43 - 54 minutes - 37.5 MBHow will the coronavirus pandemic impact small business owners? Listen in to this previously recorded webinar (April 4, 2020) as faculty experts from the USC Marshall School of Business and guests break down available SBA funding, recent tax law changes affecting small businesses and tips for small business owners in a post-COVID-19 economy. Also provided are information and insights on the latest updates from the Small Business Administration's resources and programs to help small businesse...
COVID-19: Monetary Resources Available to Small Businesses in Today's Environment
April 06, 2020 20:43 - 54 minutes - 37.5 MBHow will the coronavirus pandemic impact small business owners? Listen in to this previously recorded webinar (April 4, 2020) as faculty experts from the USC Marshall School of Business and guests break down available SBA funding, recent tax law changes affecting small businesses and tips for small business owners in a post-COVID-19 economy. Also provided are information and insights on the latest updates from the Small Business Administration's resources and programs to help small businesse...
COVID-19: How to Speak With Your Parents About the Pandemic
April 01, 2020 23:39 - 26 minutes - 18.7 MBDr. Laura Mosqueda, Dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Dr. Bonnie Olsen, Professor of Clinical Family Medicine and Vice-Chair for Research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, hold a candid conversation about how adult children can speak with their parents about COVID-19 and social distancing. Laura Mosqueda, MD, is Dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Prior to her appointment as Dean, Dr. Mosqueda, a Professor of Family Medicine and Geriatrics and a Professor at the U...
How to Speak With Your Parents About the Pandemic
April 01, 2020 23:39 - 26 minutes - 18.7 MBDr. Laura Mosqueda, Dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Dr. Bonnie Olsen, Professor of Clinical Family Medicine and Vice-Chair for Research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, hold a candid conversation about how adult children can speak with their parents about COVID-19 and social distancing. Laura Mosqueda, MD, is Dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Prior to her appointment as Dean, Dr. Mosqueda, a Professor of Family Medicine and Geriatrics and a Professor at the U...
Black History Month: Discussions on Race, Media and the Law
February 11, 2020 19:25 - 32 minutes - 30.6 MBUSC experts come together to discuss the intersections of journalism and justice regarding race in America. Jody David Armour studies the intersection of race and legal decision making as well as torts and tort reform movements. Allissa Richardson researches how African Americans use mobile and social media to produce innovative forms of journalism — especially in times of crisis. About Allissa Richardson Dr. Allissa V. Richardson is an Assistant Professor of Communication and Journa...
Print Journalism: Where Do We Go from Here?
January 09, 2020 22:54 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBIn today’s digital world, newspapers and weeklies are thinner than ever, with content and advertising catering more to online consumption and distribution by the day. But the complexity of today’s news and information demands long-form journalism more than ever. Several leading editors, publishers, and journalists will discuss the present and future of print journalism, revealing that print is very much alive. PANELISTS William R. Hearst III is the editor and publisher of Alta Magazi...
Feast! Holiday Food Facts & Myths
December 12, 2019 19:32 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBJoin USC's Linda Hagen and Karen Tongson as they break down the facts and myths on why we celebrate the Holidays with banquets of food. Karen Tongson is an Associate Professor of English, American Studies and Ethnicity and Gender and Sexuality Studies at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Linda Hagen is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the USC Marshall School of Business.