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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Sept. 29th, 2013

First, the relationship between income inequality and the federal Reserve . [ dur: 11 mins. ]

  • Henry E. Brady, Dean Goldman school of Public Policy and Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley; Author of The Unheavenly Chorus: Unequal Political Voice and the Broken Promise of American Democracy

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, we look at the origins, philosophy and politics of humor. [ dur: 29 mins. ]

  • Amber Day, Professor of Performance studies in English and Culture Studies Department at Bryant University; Author of Satire and Dissent: Interventions in Contemporary Political Debate
  • John Morreall, Professor of Philosophy Dept. Chair at Religious Studies College of William and Mary; Author of Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor
  • Peter McGraw, Professor Marketing and Psychology at University of Colorado, Boulder; Author of The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny

Finally, we are joined by a panel of comedians. [ dur: 18 mins. ]

  • Steven Skrovan, tv writer, wrote and products Everybody Loves Raymond;
  • Dylan Brody, author and humorist.
  • Ruben Paul, is a comic actor

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Sept. 22nd, 2013

This week we cover following issues:

1) The house voted on Friday to de-fund President Obama’s signature Affordable Health Care act. What does this polarization mean for the future of US Policy? [ dur:  13 mins. ]

  • Sean Theriault, Professor of Government at Univ. of Texas at Austin. Author of  The Gingrich Senators: The Roots of Partisan Warfare in Congress and The Power Of The People: Congressional Competition, Public Attention, And Voter Retribution
  • Peter Hanson, Professor of Political Science Univ. of Denver;

2) Climate change, receding glaciers and melting ice sheets are causing the oceans to rise dramatically. What does that mean for the world’s coastal cities? [ dur: 14 mins. ]

  • Andrea Dutton, Professor of Geological Sciences at Univ. of FL; Author of Journal Science article Ice Volums and Sea level During the last interglacial
  • Brian Fagan. Professor of Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara; Author of The Attacking Ocean: The Past, Present, and Future of Rising Sea Levels

3) What most of the world has gotten wrong about Muslim fundamentalism. [ dur: 27 mins. ]

  • Karima Benoune, Professor of Law  at UC Davis, School of Law; Author of  Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here: Untold Stories from the Fight Against Muslim Fundamentalism
  • Ousseina Alidou, Professor at Center African Studies, Rutgers University; Author of Engaging Modernity: Muslim Women and the Politics of Agency in Post-colonial Niger (Women in Africa and the Diaspora)
  • Sadia Abbas; Professor of English at Rutgers University; Echo Chamber of Freedom: Muslim Women and Pretext of Agency

 

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Sept. 15th, 2013

First, we look at the relationships and regional dynamics that can help resolve the conflict in Syria. [ dur: 27 mins. ]

  • Chris Mahony, Deputy director of the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Auckland. Author of The Justice Sector Afterthought: Witness Protection in Africa
  • Eric Bordenkircher, Doctoral Candidate Islamic Studies, UCLA.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, when should the US and international community intervene on atrocities? What does international law say about intervention? [ dur: 29 mins. ]

  • Karima Bennoune, Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law. Author of Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here: Untold Stories from the Fight Against Muslim Fundamentalism
  • Ryan C. Hendrickson, Professor of Political Science, Eastern Illinois University. Author of The Clinton Wars: The Constitution, Congress, and War Powers
  • Frank Chalk, Professor of History, Concordia University. Author of The History and Sociology of Genocide: Analyses and Case Studies

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Sept. 8th, 2013

First, 40 years after the Chilean coup. We revisit what happened, new revelations & how Chileans are dealing with their past. [dur: 27 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Peter Kornbluh, National Security Archives; Author of The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability
  • Prof. John Dingus, Journalism, Colombia; Author of The Condor Years: How Pinochet And His Allies Brought Terrorism To Three Continents

Then, the realities of the Syrian war, what the effects of a US strike might be, and post-coup Egypt. [ dur: 30 mins. ]

  • Laurie A. Brand, Professor of International Relations, USC; Author of Palestinians in the Arab World: Institution Building and the Search for State
  • Fred Lawson, Professor of Government , Mills College; Author of Demystifying Syria (SOAS Middle East Issues Series) and Why Syria Goes to War: Thirty Years of Confrontation
  • Bruce Rutherford, Professor of Political Science, Middle East Studies, Colgate. Author of Egypt after Mubarak: Liberalism, Islam, and Democracy in the Arab World

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Sept. 1st, 2013

The great recession of 2007—2008 was not solely a financial crisis. Similar to financial crises of our past, it was indeed a political crisis, say our guests. We spend the hour analyzing the failures of democracy that allowed such a crisis to happen, and what reforms are necessary to prevent it from happening again. [ dur: 57 mins. ]

We are joined by Nolan McCarty, Keith T. Poole and Howard Rosenthal, authors of the book, “Political Bubbles: Financial Crises and the Failure of American Democracy.”

  • Nolan McCarty is the Susan Dod Brown Professor of Politics and Public Affairs and Chair of the Department of Politics at Princeton University, respectively.
  • Keith T. Poole is the Philip H. Alston, Jr. Distinguished Chair and Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Georgia and Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of California San Diego.
  • Howard Rosenthal is Professor of Politics at New York University and Professor Emeritus of Social Sciences and of Politics at Princeton University.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Aug. 25th, 2013

First, after a lifetime of working with the poorest children in America, Jonathan Kozol helps us understand their harsh realities, and the factors that help the most disadvantaged kids to thrive. Kozol is the author of, Fire in the Ashes: Twenty-Five Years Among the Poorest Children in America. [ dur: 23 mins. ]

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, throughout US history third parties have had a profound impact on policy, governance and voter turnout. So why are we still in a two-party system? [ dur: 35mins. ]

  • Omar H. Ali, Univ. of North Carolina at Greensboro, Prof. of African Diaspora History and Politics. Author of In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third-Party Movements in the United States.
  • David Gillespie, College of Charlston & the Citedal; Prof. of Political Science. Author of Challengers to Duopoly: Why Third Parties Matter in American Two-Party Politics
  • Scot Schraufnagel, Northern Illinois University. Prof. of Political Science & Director of Graduate Studies. Author of Third Party Blues: The Truth and Consequences of Two-Party Dominance

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Aug. 18th, 2013

First, we speak with Steven Weisman author of, Daniel Patrick Moynihan: A Portrait in Letters of an American Visionary, a book of Senator Moynahan’s correspondence. [ dur. 17 mins. ]

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, why some misdeeds become scandals and others don’t? Why is it that the same type of transgressions are treated differently at different times, and might this differential treatment affect our politics, policies and society? [ dur: 41 mins. ]

  • Robert Entman is a professor at George Washington University and the author of Scandal & Silence: Media Responses to Presidential Misconduct.
  • Brendan Nyhan is professor at Dartmouth College and coauthor of All the President’s Spin.
  • Sigurd Allern is a professor at Volda University and project leader for the Nordic Research Network in Journalism Studies. Author of Scandalous!: The Mediated Construction of Political Scandals in Four Nordic Countries

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Aug. 11th, 2013

First, we look at the gap between the American Dream and reality, with Miles Corak

  • Miles Corak is professor of economics with the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottowa. He is the author of, Generational Income Mobility in North America and Europe and The Intergenerational Transmission of Employers.

Then, are high alerts, embassy closures, and national surveillance state reasonable reactions to the threat of terrorist acts?  Joining us are John Mueller and Mark Stewart, together, they coauthored Terror, security, and Money: Balancing the Risks, Benefits and costs of Homeland Security.

  • John Mueller is a research scientist and professor of political science at Ohio State University and author of Retreat from Doomsday and War, Presidents and Public Opinion.
  • Mark Stewart is a professor of civil engineering and director of the Center for Infrastructure , Performance and Reliability at the University of Newcastle in Australia.

Finally, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, with climate change, depleted natural resources, and more than 9 billion people. What will the world look like in 2050?

  • 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.”
  • Eward 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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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Aug. 4th, 2013

First, has our society created a “charitable industrial complex?” We speak with Peter Buffet, Emmy winning musician, author and philanthropist.

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Peter Buffett is Emmy award winning musician, composer, philanthropist and author. He is the author of Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment. NY Times op-ed titled, The Charitable Industrial Complex.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, the long term effects of bullying on victims, bullies and society at large.

  • Joyce T. Heames is Chair and professor in the department of management and industrial relations in the College of Business & Economics at West Virginia University. She is the co-author of numerous publications including, “A bully as an archetypal destructive leader,” “Bullying: From the Playground to the Boardroom,” and “The Occurrence of Bullying in Global Organizations: A Model and Issues Associated With Social/Emotional Contagion.”
  • Catherine Bradshaw is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and has a joint appointment in the Johns Hopkins School of Education. She is the Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence and the Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Prevention and Early Intervention. She is the co-author of many studies including, Bullies, gangs, drugs, and school: Understanding the overlap and the role of ethnicity and urbanicity; Risk factors for bullying among children with autism spectrum disorders. And Teachers’ and education support professionals’ perspectives on bullying and prevention: Findings from a National Education Association (NEA) survey.
  • Jaana Juvonen is professor of developmental psychology in the Department of Psychology at UCLA. She is the author of (book), Peer Harassment in School: The Plight of the Vulnerable and Victimized, The rejected and the bullied: Lessons about social misfits from developmental psychology, and Ethnic diversity and perceptions of safety in urban middle schools.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- July 28th, 2013

First, is the US House Speaker Newt Gingirch responsible for damaging the culture and productivity of the US Senate? An interview with Sean Theriault, author of,
The Gingrich Senators: The Roots of Partisan Warfare in Congress. [ dur: 27 mins. ]

  • Sean Theriault is an Associate Professor in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of, The Power of the People: Congressional Competition, Public Attention, and Voter Retribution , Party Polarization in Congress, and his latest, The Gingrich Senators:The Roots of Partisan Warfare in Congress.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, the so-called “memory entrepreneurs” try to change how we remember the past to shape the future. Are they losing the Cold War memory fight? [ dur: 30 mins. ]

  • Ellen Schrecker, Prof. of History, Yeshiva Univ.. Author of No Ivory Tower: McCarthyism and the Universities
  • Jon Wiener, Prof. of History, UC Irvine; Author of How We Forgot the Cold War: A Historical Journey across America
  • Doug Becker, International Relations, USC.

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