Insighters & Scholars’ Circle – March 11th, 2012

1) When might gas prices come back down? Some experts say never. We’ll explore the realities of fuel prices with  Tyson Slocum.
2) Then, from broken heart to suicide bomber. We explore the various drives that fuel deadly terror with Ken Ballen .
3) On the Scholars’ Circle, what the Putin and rising widespread protests mean for Russia and the world.

  • Professor Daniel Treisman
  • Professor Robert English
  • Professor Katherine Stoner-Weiss

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Insighters & Scholars’ Circle – March 4th, 2012

In the first segment, the economic crisis are pushing more people into homelessness, an already pervasive epidemic in America. We’ll look at one duo’s efforts to rescue some of the most vulnerable homeless women, one by one, and explore the system’s working and failure from their perspective.  Duo are Robin Nixon, record producer and  Dennis Davis, musician, documentary producer(dur: 27min)

On Scholars’ Circle. Why are so many people without homes? And what can be done about it?

  • Sam Tsemberis is Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychaitry at Columbia University and the Founder and Executive Director of Pathway to Housing. His numerous publications include, Housing First: The Pathways Model to End Homelessness for People with Mental Illness and Addiction Manual.
  • James Baumohl is professor at the Bryn Mawr College, Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. His numerous publications include, Homelessness in America,and Down and Out in Berkeley: An Overview of a Study of Street People.
  • Dr. Kim Hopper is a medical anthropologist and research scientist at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, where he co-directs the Center for the Study of Issues in Public Mental Health. His numerous publications include the book, Reckoning with Homelessness. He is also the co-editor of the forthcoming, Recovery from Schizophrenia: An International Perspective (Psychosocial Press),

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Insighters & Scholars’ Circle – Feb 26th, 2012

First, we take a deeper look into scandals that led to the economic meltdown with G. Morgenson, author of Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armagaddon. (dur: 19min.)

On the 2nd segment we ask, what can the history of human rights tell us about the struggles of today? We talk with Micheline Ishay, author of The History of Human Rights. (dur: 10min.)

On Scholars’ Circle. Topic: historical memory. A look at how some “memory entrepreneurs” are rewriting history to shape policies of the future. (dur: 26min.)

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Prof. Brent Sasley, Univ. of Texas ;
  • Prof. Doug Becker, USC;
  • Prof. Alex Hinton, Rutgers Univ., author;
  • Prof. Dovile Budryte, Georgia Gwinnett College.

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Insighters & Scholars’ Circle – Feb 19th, 2012

How water has shaped our past and how new water challenges are shaping the future. We talk with Charles Fishman about his new book, The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water (dur.: 28 min).

The Scholars’ Circle. Topic: Political Power. New global developments are changing the structures and holders of power. With new technology and greater interconnectedness, states are losing power and non-state actors are gaining power. But what exactly does it mean to have power? And where exactly does power come from? (Starts @ 30min. , dur.: 28min).
Scholars’ Circle Panel:

  • Giulio M. Gallarotti, Prof.of Gov’t, Wesleyan Univ.
  • Joseph S. Nye Jr. , Prof.Harvard’s Kennedy School of Gov’t.
  • Erica Chenoweth, Prof.of Gov’t, Weslayan Univ.

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Insighters & Scholars’ Circle – Feb 9th, 2012

Segment 1: How did society develop from bands of hunter and gatherers to our current political system? Where did the concepts of accountability come from? And why was a swell of democracy followed by a decline in democratic gain? What is behind political decay? Francis Fukuyama poses these questions in his latest book, The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution.

Francis Fukuyama is Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford. He is the author of numerous publications and books including, America at the Crossroads: Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy, and The End of History.

Segment 2: The Scholars’ Circle. Topic: How the new billionaire class is shaping North American society.

Panel members: David Callahan is author, journalist and founder of Demos. He is the author of, Fortunes of Change: The Rise of the Liberal Rich and the Remaking of America. Linda McQuuiag is author, journalist and columnist. She is the author of, The Trouble with Billionaires. Taki Oldham is filmmaker and journalist. He went undercover to make the documentary, The Billionaires’ Tea Party.

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By Maria Armoudian