Tag Archives: Politics and Activism

Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle- Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. -/- Free Speech in Politics – January 17th, 2016

While much of the country remembers Martin Luther King, Jr. as primarily a leader of civil rights and desegregation and a great orator, our next guests say he stood for so much more. Many aspects of his life, legacy & philosophy remain either unknown or conveniently forgotten. In this Scholars’ Circle we are joined by: [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • David Garrow is a Professor of History and Law at University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of FBI and Martin Luther King, Jr: From “Solo” to Memphis
  • Joshua Inwood is a Professor of Geography and Africana Studies in Geography Department, University of Tennessee. His publications include, “ Nonkilling Geography” and “Street naming and the politics of belonging: spatial injustices in the toponymic commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr.“
  • Thomas Jackson is a Professor of History at University of North Carolina, Greensboro. He is the author of “From Civil Rights to Human Rights: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Struggle for Economic Justice“. Suggested reading “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” by Martin Luther King Jr.

What are the effects of political incivility and vilification on pubic policy and political participation? On democracy? How do they compare to hate speech? Where are the legal lines drawn? In this Scholars’ Circle we are joined by: [ dur: 30 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Robert Entman is a Professor of Media and Public Affairs and Professor of International Affairs at The George Washington University. He is the author of “Projection of Power :Framing News, Public Opinion, and U.S. Foreign Policy“
  • Steven Heyman is Professor of Law at the IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. He is the author of “Free Speech and Human Dignity“
  • Michael W. Wagner is an associate professor in the University of Wisconsin Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is the co-author of “Political Behavior in Midterm Election“

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle- Linguistic Anthropologist Analysis of Osama Bin Laden’s Tape Collection – January 10th, 2016

Who was Osama Bin Laden really? Apparently not who we think he was according to 1,500 tapes unearthed from his home in Kandahar, Afghanistan. After a comprehensive study of the tapes’ content, linguistic anthropologist Flagg Miller has concluded that the real Osama Bin Laden does not comport with the myth.

  • Flagg Miller is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Davis. He is the author of “The Audacious Ascetic: What the Bin Laden Tapes Reveal About Al-Qa’ida“.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle- Christmas Truce of 1914 -/- How to Redefine Democracy -/- Unforeseen Cost of Civilization – December 27th, 2015

First, why did soldiers on the front line of one of the deadliest wars lay down their arms and play soccer with the very men they were supposed to shoot? We’ll revisit the Christmas truce of 1914. [ dur: 23 mins. ]

  • Stanley Weintraub is a Professor Emeritus of Arts and Humanities at Penn State University. He is the author of more than 50 books including “Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce.“

Next, author Raj Petal discusses his book, “The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market, Society and Redefine Democracy.” [ dur: 12 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Rajeev Patel is a Research Professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin.

Finally, what are the hidden costs of civilization? Could it be behind disease and other problems? Spencer Wells is the author of “Pandora’s Seed: The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization.” [ dur: 23 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle- How Hollywood Artists affect Politics -/- Ethics in Cloning Extinct Species – December 13th, 2015

First, we’ll begin with the surprising ways that Hollywood actors have shaped American politics and who have some of the most groundbreaking and influential on the body politic. [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Professor Steven Ross, University of Southern California (USC). He is the author of “Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics“.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, with dozens of species going extinct every day, we look at the science and ethical issues of de-extinction – bringing back some species through cloning. [ dur: 30 mins. ]

  • Dr. Michael Archer is professor of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of New South Wales. He has published over 300 scientific journal articles and books focused on the ecology and evolution of past and present. He has been working to bring back some extinct animals. His latest work includes contributions to two encyclopedias: Fossil mammals of Australia and New Guinea and Evolution and Zoogeography of Australasian Vertebrates. He is the co-author of the book Australia’s Lost World: Prehistoric Animals of Riversleigh
  • Dr. John Wiens is professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. He is also a former curator at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and has served as editor of a number of scientific journals. He is the author of many books including, The Ecology of Birds Communities.
  • Carl Zimmer is an award winning lecturer at Yale University and author of thirteen books including, Evolution: Making Sense of Life and More Brain Cuttings: Further Explorations of the Mind. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Time Magazine, National Geographic, and Scientific American. Here is a list of other books by Carl Zimmer

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle- Dark Side of Sharing Economy -/- Politics of Anonymous- December 6th, 2015

First, the dark side of Uber, AirBnB and the rest of the so called “sharing economy”. We speak with Steven Hill, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation. [ dur: 30 mins. ]

  • Steven Hill is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and co-founder of Fair Vote: Center for Voting and Democracy. He’s the author of “Raw Deal: How the Uber Economy and Naked Capitalism are Screwing American Workers“.

Then, in the wake of the attacks on Paris, Anonymous has turned its cyber-weapons onto the Islamic State, we explore the driving political ethos of Anonymous? [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Luke Goode (profile page) is Senior Lecturer in Media, Film and Television at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research interests focus primarily on the connections between media, technology and democracy. He is the author of “Jurgen Habermas: Democracy and the Public Sphere (Modern European Thinkers)” and has published on a range of topics including public service broadcasting, social media, citizen journalism and hacktivism.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle-Will Allen’s Food Revolution-/-Homelessness in America- November 29th, 2015

First, Will Allen talks about the Good Food Revolution, a movement dedicated to equitable and sustainable food, and creating just world, one food secure community at a time. [ dur: 26 mins. ]

  • Will Allen, author, founder of Growing Power. He is the author of The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, the economic crisis are pushing more people into homelessness, an already pervasive epidemic in America. Why are so many people without homes? And what can be done about it? [ dur: 32 mins. ]

  • Sam Tsemberis, Professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University, Founder & Executive Director of Pathway to Housing. Author of Housing First Manual: The Pathways Model to End Homelessness for People with Mental Illness and Addiction
  • James Baumohl, Professor at Bryn Mawr College, Graduate school of social work and social research. Author of Homelessness In America
  • Kim Hopper, Professor of Medical Anthropology & research scientist at Nathan S. Kline institute of Psychiatric Research of Colombia University. She is co-author of Private Lives/Public Spaces: Homeless Adults on the Streets of New York City and author of Reckoning with Homelessness

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Scholars’ Circle-Making of Lasting Peace-/-Humanity United by Memory of Historical Trauma – November 22nd, 2015

First, beyond ending war what does it take to make a lasting quality peace? [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Peter Wallensteen is professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden. He is also a Research Professor of Peace Studies at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. His is the author of “Quality Peace: Peacebuilding, Victory and World Order“, “Understanding Conflict Resolution: Peace, War and the Global System“, and the editor of the volume “International Sanctions: Between Wars and Words“.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, can historical trauma be used as a means of uniting humanity rather than dividing humanity? Part two of a two part panel discussion. [ dur: 30 mins. ]

  • Douglas Becker is a professor of international relations at the University of Southern California and author of the chapter Memories and Trauma as Elements of Identity in Foreign Policymaking.
  • Dovile Budryte is a professor of political science at Georgia Gwinnett College in Atlanta. She is the author of “Taming Nationalism: Political Community Building in the Post-soviet Baltic States” and co-editor of the collected volume “Memory and Trauma in International Relations: Theories, Cases and Debates“.
  • Jessica Auchter is professor of political science and public service at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. She is the author of “The Politics of Haunting and Memory in International Relations“.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle-Art an act of Resistance-/-Memory Entrepreneurs-November 15th, 2015

First we look at art as an act of resistance and as a weapon to counter oppression and violence. [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Mark LeVine is a professor of history at the University of California, Irvine and author of “Overthrowing Geography, Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam” and “Impossible Peace” .

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, how the politics of memory and memory entrepreneur are trying to shape what and how we remember the past as a means of shaping the future. [ dur: 30 mins. ]

  • Douglas Becker is a professor of international relations at the University of Southern California and author of the chapter Memories and Trauma as Elements of Identity in Foreign Policymaking.
  • Dovile Budryte is a professor of political science at Georgia Gwinnett College in Atlanta. She is the author of “Taming Nationalism: Political Community Building in the Post-soviet Baltic States” and co-editor of the collected volume “Memory and Trauma in International Relations: Theories, Cases and Debates“.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle-History Of Food As Weapon-/-South China Sea Territorial Claims-November 8th, 2015

First we discuss with Tom Standage, the role of food in history- as a weapon of war, of empire and of building societies.[ dur: 21 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Tom Standage is a journalist and author of The Edible History of Humanity.

Then, on the Scholar’s circle panel, China’s territorial claims and its development of the South China Sea has raised the concerns of other countries that also claim territories in the same region – the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunie. The situation was complicated further when US naval ships began patrolling the region around one of China’s man made islands. China’s naval chief warned that a minor incident could result in war. What exactly is brewing in the South China Sea? What does it mean for the region and for China US relations? [ dur: 37 mins. ]

  • Pradeep Taneja is a lecturer at the University of Melbourne. He is the co-editor  of The European Union and China: Interests and Dilemmas.
  • Stephen Noakes is a lecturer of Chinese Politics, jointly appointed to Politics and International Relations and Asian Studies at the University of Auckland. ​He is coauthor of Support for Civil Society in China in Creating Democratic Value: Evaluating Efforts to Promote Democracy Abroad.
  • Daniel Lynch is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California. He is the author of After the Propaganda State: Media, Politics, and Thought in Reformed China and Rising China and Asian Democratization: Socialization to “Global Culture” in the Political Transformations of Thailand, China, and Taiwan
  • Professor Leszek Buszynski is a lecturer at Australia National University. He is the author of Asia Pacific Security – Values and Identity​.​ He co-edited The South China Sea Maritime Dispute: Political, Legal and Regional Perspectives and his latest publication Negotiating with North Korea: The Six Party Talks and the Nuclear Issue.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle-Biological Factor of Violence-/-Climate Changed Earth in 2050-November 1st, 2015

First, how much does biology effect the propensity for violence? We are joined by Adrian Raine, author of, Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime. [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Adrian Raine is Professor of Criminology and Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of, Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime;

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle, with climate change, depleted natural resources, and more than 9 billion people, what will the world look like in 2050? [ dur: 30 mins. ]

  • Deepak Ray is Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Global Landscapes Initiative Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. He is co-author of the study, “Yield Trends Are Insufficient to Double Global Crop Production by 2050,” and “Solutions for a Cultivated Planet.”
  • Edward Miguel is Professor at University of California, Berkeley and Director of the Center for Effective Global Action. He is the author of, Africa’s Turn? He is co-author of Economic Gangsters: Corruption, Violence and the Poverty of Nations, and the study, “Quantifying the Influence of Climate on Human Conflict.?
  • Laurence C. Smith is Professor and Chair of Geography at UCLA and author of The World in 2050: Four Forces Shaping Civilization’s Northern Future.

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