AUDIO LIBRARY

Film Forum: Documentaries
Recent documentary films are attracting mainstream audiences. In many ways, these documentaries use the devices of fiction films. What distinguishes today’s documentaries from fictional movies?
Guests:
Paula Rabinowitz — Faculty in the Department of English at the University of Minnesota
Jill Godmilow — Film Professor at Notre Dame University
Charlie Kyle — University of Toronto

Meanings of "Virtue"
As author of "The Book of Virtues", William Bennett has been an important player in a movement to reassert the importance of virtue to American life. Despite his gambling activities, his questions remain relevant: What is virtue? And how do we achieve it?
Guests:
Julia Driver — Philosopher at Dartmouth College
Geoffrey Sayre McCord — Philosopher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Nancy Sherman — Philosopher at Georgetown University

The Presidential Body
To many Americans, what the President does physically: exercise, chopping wood, or wolfing down a Big Mac, shapes our opinions of both the man and the office. Why do we care what the President does with his body?
Guests:
Tom Dumm — Political scientist at Amherst College
Diane Rubenstein — Professor in the departments of Government and American Studies

Measuring Poverty
Poverty is commonly defined in terms of income level. Economists and policy-makers have traditionally sought to help the poor through policies designed to raise income. But is this the best way to understand what it means to be poor and why poverty matters?
Guests:
Thomas Pogge — Philosopher at Columbia University
Martha Nussbaum — Philosopher at the University of Chicago
Sanjay Reddy — Economist at Barnard College at Columbia University

Religious Conversion
Religious conversion is a private matter, right? Then why does it have social and political consequences?
host Gretchen Helfrich and guests discuss religious conversion.
Guests:
Jean Comaroff — Anthropologist at the University of Chicago
Gauri Viswanathan — Director of the Southern Asian Institute at Columbia University in New York City
Danilyn Rutherford — Anthropologist at the University of Chicago
rebroadcast

The Promise of the Internet
In its early days the internet seemed to offer endless possibilities. Has the internet lived up to its initial promise? How has it changed our lives in unexpected ways?
Guests:
Tim Jordan — Sociologist at the Open University in London, England
Jonathon Zittrain — Legal scholar at Harvard University and co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society
Steve Jones — Media historian at the University of Illinois at Chicago

Crime Novels
Novels featuring detectives and criminals are wildly popular. This is no recent phenomenon. What draws readers to the stories about the world of crime?
Guests:
Anthony Hilfer — English Department at the University of Texas at Austin
Maureen Reddy — Professor in the Departments of English and Women’s Studies at Rhode Island College

Argentina and The Legacy of Juan Peron
Argentina has once again elected a Peronist to power. How does the legacy of former dictator Juan Peron shape politics in that country today?
Guests:
Edward Gibson — Political scientist at Northwestern University
Mark Healey — Historian at the University of Mississippi

Capitalism and Democracy
If it was capitalism that brought an end to communism, what's the connection between free markets and democracy?
Guests:
Robert Dahl — Professor Emeritus in Political Science at Yale University
John Mueller — Woody Hayes Chair of National Security Studies and a Political Scientist at Ohio State University
Mitchell Orenstein — Political Scientist at Syracuse University

Economics and the Environment
Environment issues are increasingly viewed in economic terms. How does this affect environmental policies? Gretchen Helfrich and guests examine economics and the environment.
Guests:
Kevin De Luca — Media Studies Scholar at the University of Georgia
Cass Sunstein — Professor in the Law School and the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago

Film Forum: Action Films
Many of this summer's most anticipated films are the usual action packed fare, like The Matrix Reloaded and X-Men United. Gretchen Helfrich and guests examine recent takes on the action film.
Guests:
Susan Jeffords — Professor of English and Women’s Studies at the University of Washington
Jillian Sandell — Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of California, Berkeley

Trust and Democracy
Americans have long had a healthy skepticism when it comes to politics, and our trust in government has fluctuated widely over time. But this raises the question – does a democracy require the trust of its citizens?
Guests:
Russell Hardin — Political theorist at New York University and Stanford University
Mark Warren — Political theorist at Georgetown University

Sexual Revolution
The 1960s is considered the era of sexual revolution in America, but not everyone felt liberated. Feminists argued the possibilities and limits of sexual liberation for women. What is the revolutionary potential of sex?
Guests:
Estelle Freedman — Historian at Stanford University
Jane Gerhard — Lecturer in American Civilization at Brown University

Commercial Speech and the Constitution
The Supreme Court is considering a case brought against the Nike Corporation over statements it made about its labor practices. Are all corporate statements subject to false advertising laws? Why does the law treat commercial speech differently from political speech? And how does it tell the difference?
Guests:
Martin Redish — Northwestern University School of Law
Ronald Collins — Scholar at the First Amendment Center, part of the Freedom Forum, a non-partisan foundation based in Arlington, Virginia

Anti-Communism in America
In the 1950s anti-Communism was flourishing. Communists were viewed as a threat to National Security. While the McCarthy era may have been the height of the red scare in this country, the American fear of communism has a much longer history.
Guests:
Deborah Nelson — Department of English Language and Literature, University of Chicago
Ellen Schrecker — Historian at Yeshiva University
Paul Buhle — Lecturer in History and American Civilization at Brown University

Presidential Primaries
Politicians are raising big money, and many states are jockeying to hold their primaries early. It wasn’t always this way. Presidential primaries were once back room deals between party leaders. Where did our present system come from? And what is its impact on American politics?
Guests:
Steve Ansolabehere — Political Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Henry Brady — Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley

The Souls of Black Folk
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois is widely regarded as a seminal work in twentieth century African American thought. Gretchen Helfrich and guests examine the enduring legacy of The Souls of Black Folk.
Guests:
Kirt Wilson — Rhetorician at the University of Minnesota
Robert Gooding-Williams — Philosopher at Northwestern University
David Blight — Historian at Yale University
Rebroadcast

Dissent and Democracy
A special two-hour program examining how dissent can serve to promote debate and keep a democracy on course.
Guests:
Geoff Stone - Legal scholar and author of Eternally Vigilant: Free Speech in the Modern Era
Wendy Brown - Political theorist and author of Politics Out of History
Lauren Berlant - Cultural theorist and author of The Queen of America Goes to Washington City: Essays on Sex and Citizenship
Michael Kazin - Historian and author of The Populist Persuasion: An American History

Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials have been invoked to denounce everyone from Northern abolitionists to McCarthy-era anti-Communists. Gretchen Helfrich and guests discuss why we continue to revisit the Salem Witch Trials.
Guests:
Mary Beth Norton — Cornell University
Gretchen Adams — Texas Tech University
rebroadcast

Rethinking World War II
During the past decade, films and books have come to define how Americans think about World War II. The United States is not alone: Germany, Japan and Russia are still grappling with the legacy of the war. Why is World War II still important?
Guests:
Carol Gluck — Professor of History at Columbia University
Michael Sherry — Historian at Northwestern University

Conceptualizing Peace
Does the end of the fighting in Iraq necessarily translate into peace? In international conflicts and civil wars, peace can mean different things to different people. What is peace, and where does it come from?
Guests:
Page Fortna — Political scientist at Columbia University
Bruce Russett — Political scientist at Yale University
Carolyn Stephenson — Political scientist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa

Film Forum: Experimental Film
American filmmaking is usually associated with the movies made in Hollywood, but filmmakers like Andy Warhol and Stan Brakhage use film to investigate storytelling, the medium of film, and seeing itself.
Guests:
Jonathan Miller — Illinois Institute of Technology
Tom Gunning — University of Chicago

Gender and War
During war, women play a variety of complicated and contradictory roles. Reaction to the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch is the latest example of how gender functions in wartime. Where do gender and war intersect?
Guests:
Cynthia Enloe — Department of Government and International Relations at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts
Elizabeth Hillman — Legal Historian at the Rutgers School of Law