Story in the Public Square
309 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago - ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsStory in the Public Square is a weekly, 30-minute series that brings audiences to the intersection of storytelling and public affairs. Hosted by Jim Ludes and G. Wayne Miller, Story in the Public Square offers a spirited but respectful dialogue. Often funny, always provocative, each episode of Story in the Public Square
moves beyond traditional public affairs programming to consider the impact of narrative and storytelling on public life today.
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Episodes
MLK/FBI with Sam Pollard and Benjamin Hedin
March 02, 2021 15:09 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBThis episode was made possible with the gracious collaboration of Newport Film and the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities’ “Culture is Key” Project. In the 1960s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation spied on civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sam Pollard and Benjamin Hedin tell that story in a powerful documentary that shines a light on race, power, and the politics of personal destruction. Sam Pollard’s career as a feature film and television video editor and...
Life with the Afterlife with Amy Bruni
February 24, 2021 21:44 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBEveryone has a ghost story—a personal family experience, something that happened to a friend, an uncle, or even ourselves. Amy Bruni tells us that sometimes these stories are comforting and sometimes they are not, but there is a lot we can learn from them. Bruni is a paranormal investigator and co-star of the Travel Channel’s hit show, “Kindred Spirits,” and previously appeared on “Ghost Hunters.” She is the author of “Life with the Afterlife: 13 Truths I learned about Ghosts,” which has ...
First Principles with Tom Ricks
February 16, 2021 17:49 - 28 minutes - 26 MBPolitical divisions are as old as the republic, itself. But Tom Ricks says that if we’re serious about preserving the union, there is much we can learn from the founders study of the ancient republics in Rome and Greece. Ricks is an adviser on national security at the New America Foundation, where he participates in its “Future of War” project. He was previously a fellow at the Center for a New American Security and is a contributing editor of Foreign Policy magazine, for which he writes ...
Exploring a Future Tech Dystopia with Kashmir Hill
February 09, 2021 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MBWe live in an age increasingly defined by the intrusion of technology in our lives. Kashmir Hill is a technology journalist whose work explores the looming tech-dystopia—and how we can avoid it. Kashmir Hill is a New York-based technology reporter who writes about the unexpected and sometimes ominous ways technology is changing our lives, particularly when it comes to our privacy. She joined The New York Times in 2019 after working as an investigative reporter at Gizmodo Media Group and as...
Remain in Love with the Talking Heads' Chris Frantz
February 03, 2021 21:54 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBThe music scene in the 1970s and 1980s is now the stuff of legend—from disco to the rise of hip hop, punk, and new wave, innovation and artistry dominated pop music. Chris Frantz was in the middle of it all as a founding member of Talking Heads. Frantz is one of the Talking Heads band’s founding members. As the drummer, he provided the backbeat for all of the group’s recordings and performances. Frantz formed the Talking Heads with David Byrne, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison in New Yor...
American Crossroads: What's Next with Norman Ornstein
January 26, 2021 05:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBA lot of people believe our politics are broken. Dr. Norman Ornstein says the fault lies squarely with one political party—and will likely shape the course of the Biden administration. Ornstein is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies politics, elections, and the U.S. Congress. He is a cohost of AEI’s “Election Watch” series, a contributing editor and columnist for National Journal and The Atlantic, a BBC News election analyst, and the chairman of...
Examining Animal Rights in Industrial America with Ernest Freeberg
January 19, 2021 19:06 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBThe end of the 19th Century in America, is often associated with the rise of profound social movements like the temperance movement; the women’s suffrage movement, and—more darkly—even the eugenics movement. Ernest Freeberg tells the story of the birth of the animal rights movement. Freeberg is a Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the University of Tennessee and is the award-winning author of “A Traitor to His Species: Henry Bergh and the Birth of the Animal Rights Movement,” which e...
Grappling with Mental Illness in 20th-Century America with Robert Kolker
January 12, 2021 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBEvery family has its secrets. Robert Kolker tells the story of an all-American family in the middle of the 20th century forced to grapple with that era’s stigma and tragic consequences of serious mental illness. Kolker is the New York Times bestselling author of “Lost Girls,” named one of the New York Times' 100 Notable Books and one of Publisher's Weekly's Top Ten Books of 2013. His most-recent book, “Hidden Valley Road,” a number-one New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club select...
Navigating our Future with Big Tech with Alexis Wichowski
January 05, 2021 05:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBOur nationality has long been a part of how we identify ourselves. But Alexis Wichowski surveys the rise of “net states,” big tech companies that are, increasingly, taking on roles traditionally played by nation-states. Wichowski is a public servant, teacher, and writer. She serves as Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Innovation and Acting Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Broadband for the City of New York. She also serves as an adjunct associate professor in Columbia University’s S...
Adapting to a Changing World with Jen Schwartz
December 29, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBChange may be an essential part of human existence, but Jen Schwartz explores the dislocations in human society caused by the speed with which the world is changing around us. Schwartz is a senior features editor at Scientific American who produces stories on the intersection of technology and the human condition. She specializes in writing about how society is adapting—or not—to a rapidly changing world, with a focus on climate change and digital disinformation. During the coronavirus pan...
2020 Story of the Year: The Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on American Life
December 22, 2020 19:19 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MB2020 is a year we won’t forget any time soon—though many of us might want to. From the impeachment trial of the president, through the pandemic, and the 2020 election, this year has seen more than it’s fair share of important narratives. Dr. Evelyn Farkas helps us make sense of them all and name our 2020 Story of the Year. Farkas is one of the nation’s premier voices on American foreign policy and geopolitics, and one of the nation’s most-trusted experts on U.S.-Russia relations. As Depu...
Artistic Resilience with Gayle Kabaker
December 16, 2020 16:56 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBThe uncertainty of a creative career—waiting for acceptance and dealing with rejection—can be an isolating experience. Gayle Kabaker turned artistic resilience into advice for coping through the pandemic. Kabaker is a graduate of the Academy of Art in San Francisco and has illustrated for various markets worldwide for over 35 years. She illustrated her first New Yorker magazine cover, “June Brides,” in 2012, which celebrated gay marriage, and has subsequently illustrated five other covers ...
Harnessing the Power of Laughter with Gina Brillon
December 09, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBThere hasn’t been a lot to laugh about in 2020, but Gina Brillon reminds us of the power of laughter and good humor even amidst so much tragedy. Brillon is a standup comic, singer, published writer, and poet. Her newest one-hour comedy special, “Gina Brillon: The Floor is Lava,” is now available on Amazon Prime Video, along with her first one-hour special, “Pacifically Speaking.” She also performs in the HA Festival: The Art of Comedy on HBO Max. Her half-hour comedy special, “Easily Off...
Making the Case for a Multiparty Democracy with Lee Drutman
December 02, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26 MBAmerica’s founders feared the rise of political factions that would pit Americans against Americans. Lee Drutman warns that the founders’ greatest nightmares have come true and threaten the health and welfare of our republic. Dr. Lee Drutman is a senior fellow in the Political Reform program at New America. He is the author of “Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America” and “The Business of America is Lobbying,” winner of the 2016 American Political Sc...
Extraterrestrial Exploration with Andrew Siemion
November 25, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBScience fiction is full of stories about communication and contact with civilizations beyond the stars. Andrew Siemion leads a multi-national effort to scan the heavens for indications of intelligent life. Dr. Andrew Siemion is an astrophysicist and director of the Berkeley Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Research Center. His research interests include high-energy time-variable celestial phenomena, astronomical instrumentation and the search for extraterrestrial intelligenc...
Exploring Loss, Creativity, and Change with Maggie Smith
November 18, 2020 17:44 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBIt is one of the cruel realities of life for every nation and every individual: we all suffer loss and disappointment. Maggie Smith is a poet whose new book offers wisdom—and hope—for anyone who knows that pain. Smith is the author of four books of poetry, including “Good Bones,” “The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison” and “Lamp of the Body.” Her latest book, “Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change,” a collection of essays and quotes, was released in October. She is also the auth...
The Coronavirus and the Entertainment Industry
November 11, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBThe pandemic has changed a lot of habits—including the ways in which people around the world spend their leisure time and resources. Kate Aurthur tells us that the entertainment industry—literally built on storytelling—has been among the most effected. Aurthur is a veteran entertainment journalist and is editor-at-large at Variety. She has worked as a top reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times. She writes high-impact cover and feature stories a...
Principled Leadership with Susan Eisenhower
November 04, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBIn the pantheon of American presidents, perhaps none was better prepared for the job than Dwight D. Eisenhower. Susan Eisenhower shares with us the principles that guided Ike in war and in peace. Eisenhower is the CEO and Chairman of The Eisenhower Group, Inc., a Washington D.C. based consulting company founded in 1986, which has provided strategic counsel on business development, public affairs and communications projects for more than twenty-five years. She is the Chairman Emeritus at t...
Fighting Misinformation and the Pandemic with Ashish Jha
October 28, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBWhatever the final count of fatalities is in the United States from the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost is already far too high. Dr. Ashish Jha reminds us that there are still simple things that Americans can do to stay safe, to stay healthy, and to help fight the pandemic. Jha is a practicing physician and is the Dean of the Brown School of Public Health and professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice after serving as the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute and teaching at ...
Russia's History of Covert Electoral Influence with David Shimer
October 21, 2020 19:50 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBOver the last four years, Americans have heard a lot about Russian interference in our elections. David Shimer says we haven’t heard the whole story about the Cold War, 2016, or 2020. Shimer is an expert on election security, U.S.-Russian relations, and covert action. He is the author of “Rigged: America, Russia, and One Hundred Years of Covert Electoral Interference,” a New York Times Editors’ Choice book. His reporting and analysis have been published in the New York Times, the New York...
Child and Adolescent Mental Health in the COVID-19 Era with Gayani DeSilva
October 14, 2020 04:00 - 29 minutes - 26.6 MBPandemic, social unrest–Americans of every age are coping with the mental health consequences of this era. Dr. Gayani DeSilva cautions that the challenges of being a child or adolescent currently poses special health risks. DeSilva has been a psychiatrist for 15 years and focusses on enhancing the mental health of children and adolescents and their families. Much of her work addresses the complex array of needs with adolescent and young adult criminal and violent offenders to understand t...
A Public Health Perspective on COVID-19 with Megan Ranney
October 07, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBCOVID-19 has put America’s top doctors on the frontlines of a battle to save lives. Dr. Megan Ranney spends her days at the front, working in an urban emergency room where her training in public health and emergency medicine give her unique insights about the pandemic and the nation’s response. Ranney is a practicing emergency physician and researcher, focusing on the intersection between digital health, violence prevention, and public health. She is the current Warren Alpert Endowed Asso...
Examining the Broad Reaches of Systemic Racism with Tricia Rose
September 30, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 26 MBAmericans took to the streets after the murder of George Floyd, rejecting racism in all its forms. Tricia Rose explains that structural racism has a long history in the United States—and so do the efforts to combat it. Rose is Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown University. She also holds the Chancellor’s Professorship of Africana Studies and serves as the Associate Dean of the Faculty for Special Initiatives. A graduate of Yale and Brown Universit...
Tackling Social Inequality with Eve Ewing
September 23, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 26 MBThe artist’s role in society is to challenge us, to shine a mirror on our strengths and to expose our weaknesses. Through a remarkable body of work—poetry, visual arts, rigorous scholarship on race and society, as well as ground breaking work in comic books, Eve Ewing does just that. Ewing is an Assistant Professor in the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. She is a qualitative sociologist of education whose work is centered around two primary issues. First, ho...
"Quick Hits" News with David Shuster
September 17, 2020 21:01 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBJournalists often have a front row seat as history unfolds. Over the last 30 years, David Shuster has witnessed a scandal in Arkansas that reverberated in Washington, the attacks of 911, America’s Wars and every presidential campaign in between. Shuster is an Emmy award winning broadcast journalist who is best known for his work at NBC News and MSNBC where he hosted his own news shows and served as the primary backup host for “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” and “Hardball with Chris Matthew...
Reporting on the Portland Protests with Noelle Crombie
September 09, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBWhile national media coverage often swoops in to cover local stories with national significance, local reporters are typically there from the beginning. They know the details. They know the sequence of events. And they know the community in which they are reporting. Noelle Crombie knows Portland as well as anyone and she’s been reporting on the protests and violence in that beautiful city. Crombie is a senior staff writer at The Oregonian. She writes extensively about criminal justice i...
Crafting Stories of Empathy with Paul Tremblay
September 02, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBEmpathy is a recurring theme on “Story in the Public Square,” because it is central to the crafting of compelling stories—whether set in fiction or non-fiction. Paul Tremblay uses empathy to draw readers in to the strange and often terrifying worlds that he imagines. Tremblay is one of the best writers of horror and psychological thrillers today. He is the author of “The Cabin at the End of the World,” “Disappearance at Devil’s Rock,” “A Head Full of Ghosts,” the crime novels “The Little...
Re-envisioning American Heroes with Candace Fleming
August 26, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 26 MBIf you grew up in a household that prized reading, you probably recall a book from childhood that shaped your view of the world. Candace Fleming writes those books with an unflinching honesty about the subjects she presents. Candace Fleming is an educator, and speaker and author, who writes both fiction and non-fiction. She has written more than twenty books for children and young adults, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize honored “Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall ...
From Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump: Exploring the Modern Presidency with Robert Dallek
August 19, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBThe history of the American presidency is full of accomplishments and compromises, successes and failures. Robert Dallek argues that the giants from both parties in the last 120 years draw a sharp contrast with the characteristics of the Trump presidency. Robert Dallek is the author of several bestselling presidential histories, including “Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power; An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917–1963,” and the classic two-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson, “Lone ...
The Reign of Beauty Pageants in America with Hilary Levey Friedman
August 12, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBWhether you love them or hate them, beauty pageants continue to play a significant role in American popular culture. Hillary Levey Friedman argues that their evolution is wrapped up in the history of feminism in the United States. Hilary Levey Friedman is a sociologist and expert on beauty pageants, childhood and parenting, competitive afterschool activities, and popular culture. She is Visiting Assistant Professor of Education at Brown University. Her new book, “Here She Is: The Compli...
Appreciating the Obituary with Mo Rocca
August 05, 2020 04:00 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBThere are some really great dead people. Mo Rocca helps us remember them in part through his own appreciation of the obituary. Humorist, journalist and actor Mo Rocca is best known for his off-beat news reports and satirical commentary. He is a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning, Rocca and the host of CBS’s series The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation. The show features stories about some of the world’s greatest inventions—past and present—and the effort it took to create them, educating...
Public Health and Native Populations
July 29, 2020 16:21 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBThe coronavirus pandemic has affected some communities worse than others—drawing into specific relief decades of data on health disparities. Dr. Donald Warne warns that the impact has been particularly grave for Native Americans. Donald Warne, MD, MPH is the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as well as the Director of the Indians Into Medicine (INMED) and Master of Public Health Programs, and Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the School of Medicine and Health S...
Capturing Images of the Era with Maddie McGarvey
July 22, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBA lot of Americans feel like the 2020s have already been a grueling decade—and we’re barely half-way through the first year of it. While the narrative of this experience will take some time to be written, Maddie McGarvey is among the photo journalists already capturing the images of this era and beginning to tell those stories. McGarvey is a freelance photographer based in Columbus, Ohio. She worked as a staff photographer at the Burlington Free Press in Vermont before returning to the Mid...
Race and the NFL with Ken Belson
July 15, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBSports play a giant role in American public life—and their absence has been a much-discussed part of the pandemic. Ken Belson covers the National Football League for The New York Times. Belson writes about teams, stadiums, medical issues, lawsuits and more in his coverage of the National Football League (NFL) for The Times. Mr. Belson joined the Sports section in 2009 after spending three years writing for the Metro and Business sections. From 2001 to 2004, he wrote about business in Ja...
The Future of Defense and Technology with P. W. Singer and August Cole
July 08, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBA treatise on the future of technology and security usually is thick and often inaccessible, but P.W. Singer and August Cole turn their expertise on emerging technology and national security into a page-turning techno-thriller set in the not-too-distant future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Modern Fables with Karey Kirkpatrick
July 01, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBFables are ancient tools for delivering big lessons to human audiences. In his work, Karey Kirkpatrick applies modern story-telling technology to this ancient tradition. Kirkpatrick is a writer, director, composer and lyricist whose films include “Chicken Run,” “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” “James and the Giant Peach,” “Over the Hedge” “Charlotte’s Web,” and the 2018 animated musical “Smallfoot” among others. He and his brother, Wayne Kirkpatrick, were nominated for a 2015 Tony Award ...
Stories with Social Impact with Mary Rohlich
June 24, 2020 19:02 - 27 minutes - 24.8 MBThis show is built on the power of storytelling to change the world. Mary Rohlich has built her career telling stories that matter, whether in documentaries, feature films, or on television. Rohlich is an independent film, television and documentary producer. She is currently an executive producer on the Netflix series “Atypical,” which was renewed for a fourth and final season this year. She has produced several television pilots and series including “The Good Doctor” as co-executive prod...
Coronavirus: On the Front Lines with Daniela Lamas
June 17, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBTwo months ago, production of Story in the Public Square was stopped when our state governor issued a stay at home order. Like most of the rest of the country, we’ve watched the days pass. While we stayed home, Dr. Daniela Lamas kept going to work as a pulmonary specialist on the front lines of the pandemic. Lamas is a pulmonary and critical-care doctor at Boston’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. Following graduation from Harvard College, she we...
Celebrating the Centennial of Women's Suffrage with Susan Ware
April 15, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBThe history of the American women’s suffrage movement is the history of determined community organizing, fierce protest, and the power of ideals. Susan Ware, however, tells us the history we know fails to reflect the diversity of the movement that won women the right to vote 100 years ago. She’s Susan Ware, this week on Story in the Public Square. A pioneer in the field of women’s history and a leading feminist biographer, Ware is the author and editor of numerous books on twentieth-century ...
Inspiring the Next Generation Through Story with Chelsea Clinton
April 01, 2020 04:00 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBPresident John F. Kennedy once said, “[one person] can make a difference. And everyone should try.” Chelsea Clinton is the author of a series of books for young readers inspired by that same sense of idealism. Chelsea Clinton is the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation and works alongside her parents, President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, to drive the vision and work of the Clinton Foundation. Over the past 13 years, the Foundation has built partnerships with great ...
Defense and Climate Change: Adapting to a Changing Physical Landscape with Michael Klare
March 25, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBThe partisan split on climate change is unmistakable. Democrats view the climate as one of their top-two national issues. Republicans tend to worry more about the economic disruption that may result from efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Dr. Michael Klare argues that for the a-political men and women who lead the U.S. military, the challenge of defending the nation and its interests in an age of climate change is daunting. Klare is the Five College Professor Emeritus of Peace and World...
The Makings of Mass Incarceration in the United States with Elizabeth Hinton
March 18, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBWhile the United States contains less than five percent of the planet’s population, it has nearly one-quarter of the world’s prison population. Elizabeth Hinton traces the politics and policy decisions since President Lyndon’s Johnson’s War on Poverty that created the nation’s reliance on mass incarceration. Elizabeth Hinton is Professor in the Departments of History and African and African American Studies at Harvard University. Hinton’s research focuses on the persistence of poverty and ...
Telling the Stories of the Voiceless with Sara Jordenö
March 11, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBIn the course of producing “Story in the Public Square” each week, co-hosts Jim Ludes and G. Wayne Miller revel in the chance to sit down with incredibly gifted story-tellers and artists, to hear them describe their craft, and to benefit from their unique perspectives on the world. Sara Jordenö is all of those things and more. Jordenö is a filmmaker, visual artist and researcher whose work intersects art, activism, visual ethnography and cinema. Born in Sweden, Jordenö is active in Europe...
Experiencing Climate Change Through Story with Elizabeth Rush
March 04, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBClimate change is reshaping America’s coast-line—from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico; from Staten Island New York to California. For most of us, the change is invisible, but Elizabeth Rush tells us that is, in part, because we don’t know what we’re seeing. Rush is the author of “Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore,” a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction, and “Still Lifes from a Vanishing City: Essays and Photographs from Yangon, Myanmar.” Her work explores how hu...
The Expanding News Desert with Penny Abernathy
February 26, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBIt wasn’t so long ago that small and mid-sized American communities were served by multiple news outlets. Penny Abernathy warns of the expansion of “news deserts,” or areas without dedicated local coverage because of shifting technology and consumer behavior. Penelope (Penny) Abernathy is the Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics at the University of North Carolina and former executive at The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. A journalism professional with more t...
Telling the Stories of War with Marc Jacobson
February 19, 2020 15:26 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBWar stories—whether the stuff of memoir or fictional portrayals of people at war—are mainstays of literature across human history, and today, that extends to film. Mark Jacobson is both a historian and a veteran who seizes on the power of modern storytelling in film to educate the next generation about the realities of war. Dr. Jacobson is the John J. McCloy ’16 Professor of American Institutions and International Diplomacy at Amherst College and is a non-resident Senior Fellow at Salve Reg...
What it Means to be an American with Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen
February 12, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBHistory, as a subject of study, is more than a linear progression of events—it’s ideas, currents of thought, institutions of learning, social movements, moral awakenings and more. In a brief, new book, Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen traces the history of ideas that shaped the United States from its beginnings. Ratner-Rosenhagen is the Merle Curti Associate Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison). She specializes in U.S. intellectual and cultural history and fo...
Bridging the Gap with Linda Tropp
February 05, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBMany people today can mock appeals for understanding between partisans with the phrase, “can’t we all just get along?” For Dr. Linda Tropp however, understanding the dynamics of inter-group conflict and facilitating positive dialogue has become her life’s work. Tropp is a professor of social psychology at the University of Massachusetts and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social...
The Death of Expertise with Tom Nichols
January 29, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBIn a meeting on Capitol Hill 15 years ago, a respected foreign policy analyst said that most national security assessments out of Washington ignored the elephant in the room: the United States and the impact of our domestic politics on the state of the world. While Tom Nichols wasn’t in the room that day, he brings a rigorous analytical mind steeped in national security to his analysis of the world around us. Nichols is a U.S. Naval War College University Professor, and an adjunct professo...
How to be a Happier Parent with KJ Dell'Antonia
January 22, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26 MBThere are some people who believe that they are prepared to critique teachers’ performances because they went to elementary school themselves. The confidence of what seemed to work for us as individuals fuels a lot of stress for teachers. The same can be said about parenting. Nothing saps the confidence of the uninitiated quite like the reality of actually becoming a parent. KJ Dell’ Antonia however, tells parents to cut themselves some slack. Dell’Antonia is a former New York Times rep...