AUDIO LIBRARY

America and Spirituality
America is considered a religious nation, but there exists a tradition of American spirituality: like healing with crystals, or talking to the dead. Whatever its forms, spirituality carries social and political meanings.
Guests:
Leigh Schmidt — Department of Religion at Princeton University
Robert Cox — Scholar at the American Philosophical Society

Juries
In the 90’s it was the Rodney King verdict. Now it’s huge damage awards. In both criminal and civil trials, controversial verdicts have American juries under fire. Is it time to rethink our Jury System?
Guests:
Albert Alschuler — University of Chicago Law School
Stephan Landsman — Depaul University College of Law

Security and Nation-Building in Iraq
Security remains the priority, and absent security, nation building is even more difficult. How will prolonged conflict affect America's long term goals in Iraq?
Guests:
Charles Glaser — Political scientist at the University of Chicago
Marina Ottaway — Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Partisanship and Institutions
The California Recall Election! Texas Democrats on the lam! Police called in to break up a scuffle in the House Ways and Means Committee. Partisan politics dominates the headlines lately. Is partisanship out of control?
Guests:
Gerald Gamm - Political scientist at the University of Rochester
Jeffrey Jenkins - Political scientist at Northwestern University

Blockbuster Economics
Just when you thought it was safe to back to the Cineplex…the summer blockbuster is back! In the 1970’s, the success of big budget action movies transformed the way the film industry did business. From merchandise tie-ins to endless sequels, how do economic forces shape the films we see?
Guests:
Hank Sartin — Film critic for the Chicago Free Press
Douglas Gomery — Media scholar at the University of Maryland

Higher Education
Tuition hikes, hiring freezes, cutbacks in federal grants. Public funding for higher education is under stress. A highly educated populace was once deemed essential to a variety of economic, political and social goals. Does higher education remain a public priority?
Guests:
Derek Price - Lumina Foundation for Education in Indianapolis
Julie Reuben - Historian at Harvard Graduate School of Education

Piracy
Writers, artists, and musicians have always faced the threat of piracy. The advent of digital technology has only created new opportunities for piracy. What do anxieties over piracy reveal about ideas of ownership, authorship, and creativity?
Guests:
David Koepsell — Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buffalo
Adrian Johns — Historian at the University of Chicago

Anglo-American Relations
Great Britain and the United States enjoy what has been called a special relationship. But The U.S. and U.K. also have a history of conflict and tension with one another. Despite their differences, why does the relationship between the British and Americans persist?
Guests:
Taylor Fain — Historian in the Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia
Dror Wahrman — Historian at Indiana University

The Founding Fathers
The Founding Fathers are experiencing yet another intellectual revival. Why do we keep returning to them? Gretchen Helfrich and guests revist the Founding Fathers.
Guests:
Woody Holton — Historian at the University of Richmond
Eric Foner — Historian at Columbia University
Jack Rakove — Historian at Stanford University
rebroadcast

The Critic
Whether in music, books, or art, we are inundated by the opinions of critics. The critic is always there to help us discern the good from the bad, but criticism takes many different forms, and who gets to be a critic has changed over time. What is the cultural role of the critic?
Guests:
Edward Rothstein — Critic-at-Large at the New York Times
Morris Dickstein — City University of New York
Joan Rubin — Historian at the University of Rochester

Truth Commissions
Truth and Reconciliation Commissions are an increasingly common tool for addressing atrocities. They’re used in the transition to democratic regimes, and in the United States, truth commissions are examining race crimes from the past. What kind of justice do truth commissions seek?
Guests:
Sanford Levinson — Constitutional Scholar at the University of Texas School of Law
Elizabeth Kiss — Political Philosopher, and Director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University

The South
The South has played a distinct and complicated role in our nation’s history. On issues of race, religion and politics, the South has often been at odds with the rest of the country, lending it an identity all its own. But does this image of the South reflect reality? Is the South as much an idea as a place?
Guests:
David Goldfield — Historian at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Tara McPherson — Media Studies Scholar at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles

Labor and Globalization
Organized labor is responding to new economic conditions in the global economy. In this new climate, trade unions in Europe are losing membership and political power, and in the United States, labor is conceding on wages and benefits. What is happening to the power of labor under globalization?
Guests:
Ian Robinson — University of Michigan
Michael Wallersteen — Northwestern University

Revisiting the French and American Revolutions
The French and American revolutions shared similar ideals. Yet, while the United States established a constitutional order, France degenerated into violence and bloodshed. Why did the French and American revolutions turn out so differently?
Guests:
James Ceaser — Political Scientist at the University of Virginia
Susan Dunn — Professor of the Humanities at Williams College

Nostalgia and Hollywood
The death of Katherine Hepburn prompted many critics to revisit her career, and the era of Classic Hollywood. Hepburn was remembered for her independent spirit and her feminism. But is this the way Hepburn appeared at the time? Or just the way we see her now? How is our picture of classic Hollywood shaped by nostalgia?
Guests:
Tom Gunning — Member of the Committee on Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago
Mary Desjardins — Film and Television Studies at Dartmouth College

Language, Thought and Politics
Newspeak, thought control, double think. In George Orwell’s 1984, language is manipulated to control thought. What does Orwell tell us about the power of language?
Guests:
John Searle — Philosopher of Language at the University of California, Berkeley
Michael Silverstein — Linguistic anthropologist at the University of Chicago

Environmentalism and Religion
Environmentalists rely on science to make arguments about global warming or pollution. But some environmental ideas aren’t grounded solely in science, they resonate more with religious principles. What do religion and environmentalism have in common?
Guests:
Jack Hitt — Contributing editor of Harper’s Magazine
Randall Roorda — University of Kentucky in Lexington

Race and the Law
The Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action has once again placed race in the legal spotlight. Political decisions about race have often ended up in court, and legal responses to racial inequality have changed considerably over time. How does the law conceptualize race?
Guests:
Lani Guinier — Harvard Law School
John McGinnis — Northwestern University School of Law
Rick Pildes — New York University Law School

Gay Politics
In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on sodomy law, Republicans and Democrats alike are contending with gay issues. The Bush Administration is quiet on same-sex marriage, and Democratic presidential contenders vary in their positions on gay rights. What role are gay issues playing in current politics?
Guests:
Craig Rimmerman — Political scientist at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York
Andrew Koppelman — Legal scholar and political scientist at Northwestern University’s School of Law

Patriotism and Democracy
Patriotism is an important part of American identity. Is it also important for democracy? Gretchen Helfrich and guests discuss patriotism and democracy.
Guests:
Susan Okin — Political Theorist at Stanford University
Gary Gerstle — Historian at the University of Maryland
Michael Blake — Political theorist at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
rebroadcast

Science and the "Unknowable"
In the twentieth century, scientific knowledge grew by leaps and bounds. Scientists developed new ideas about the origins of the universe, advanced the theory of evolution, and mapped the Human Genome. But in these pursuits, science encountered the limits of its reach. How does Science contend with what it cannot know?
Guests:
Arthur Fine — Philosopher at the University of Washington
Peter Dear — History and Science and Technology Studies at Cornell University
Sean Carroll — Physicist at the University of Chicago

Nation Building
Nation building has once again become a major part of American Foreign Policy. The concept of Nation Building has deep historical roots, but its use and meaning changed considerably during the 20th century. What does it now mean to build a nation?
Guests:
Jack Snyder — Political Scientist at Columbia University
Joel Migdal — Political scientist at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle

Student Politics
In the 1960's, student protests became a visible part of politics worldwide. Students haven’t gone away - they continue to be involved in political movements. What kind of a political force do students represent?
Guests:
Behrooz Ghamari — Georgia State University
Jeremi Suri — University of Wisconsin, Madison