Scholars’ Circle – Biography of Judge Frank M. Coffin ; History of 3rd party politics in US – October 30, 2022

October 29, 2022 host

Some say that we have entered a new era in Supreme Court jurisprudence in the wake of the Court’s recent Dobbs decision, reversing nearly 50 years of law recognizing a woman’s right to choose, and that this has ushered in a far more confrontational and political court. But are both political and legal considerations baked into America’s judiciary by design? We speak with the author of a new biography of former First Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge, Frank M. Coffin, a former member of congress, former USAID official and jurist renowned for his deep understanding of the politics of judging but was able to do so in a manner that privileged comity, cooperation and respect, even in times of profound political disagreement. Hosted by Tim Fadgen. [ dur: 23mins. ]

Richard J. Maiman is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at University of Southern Maine. He is the author of A Man for All Branches: Judge Frank M. Coffin of Maine.

On this election week, we bring you from our archives this panel discussion on third parties in the United States.

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: 35min. ]

This interview was first broadcast in July 2017.

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

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Scholars’ Circle – Comments from Latino LA city council members threaten years of Black-Latino Coalition ; Many ways Privatization is an attack on Civil Service roles in the Government – October 23, 2022

October 22, 2022 host

Los Angeles is embroiled in a city governance crisis, due to leaked audio highlighting the racism of elected city council members. It has demonstrated that race is still a fundamental problem in the city. We explore race in Los Angeles. Hosted by Doug Becker. [ dur: 34mins. ]

Claudia Sandoval is Assistant Professor at Loyola Maramount University. She is the author of “Black, Brown, Young and Together: Inter- and Intra-Group Affinity and Coalitions Between Black and Latino Youth” and with Chaya Crowder she has co-authored the opinion article Latino leaders can collaborate with Black communities. Why don’t they?

Privatization may undermine safeguards of our constitutional republic. How does privatization amount to what our guest calls a Constitutional Coup? Hosted by Maria Armoudian. [ dur: 24mins. ]

This interview was first broadcast July 2018.

Jon Michaels is a Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law. He is the author of Constitutional Coup: Privatization’s Threat to the American Republic.

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Scholars’ Circle – Dark Money in Politics keeps Voters in the Dark – October 16, 2022

October 15, 2022 host

Money can distort politics. And the lack of transparency where this money comes from can further distort politics and invite corruption. Since much of the money in campaign finance is not subject to transparency laws, it has taken the name dark money. This specifically references spending by nonprofit organizations created for political spending. How much has dark money skewed American democracy? What role does transparency in spending play in ensuring the legitimacy of democracies? [ dur: 58mins. ]

Stan Oklobdzija is Visiting Assistant Professor at UC Riverside’s School of Public Policy. He is the author of Public positions, private giving: Dark money and political donors in the Digital Age and Closing Down and Cashing In: Extremism and Political Fundraising.
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy is Professor of Law at Stetson Law School. She is the author of Corporate Citizen? An Argument for the Separation of Corporation and State and Political Brands.
Maurice Cunningham is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. He is the author of Dark Money and the Politics of School Privatization.

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Scholars’ Circle – Brazil Presidential Election – October 9, 2022

October 8, 2022 host

Brazil is in the midst of Presidential elections. They reveal the partisanship of the nation, with the current right wing President Jair Bolsonaro trailing the former left wing President Lula after the first round. We will examine what the top issues are, what’s at stake, and whether Brazil could face political violence or even an overthrow of the democracy with partisan stakes not dissimilar to the United States. How difficult it might be for Lula to govern if he does, in fact, win? If Bolsonaro loses, does he leave the presidency? What is the future of Amazonian deforestation? [ dur: 58mins. ]

Marcelo M. Valenca is Assistant Professor at Brazilian Naval War College in Brazil. He is the co-author of The Articulation between Diplomacy and Military Power in the Great Strategies of Rio Branco and Amorim“.
Erica Resende is an Assistant Professor of International Relations and Security Studies at the Brazilian National War College in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is the co-editor of Memory and Trauma in International Relations: Theories, Cases and Debates and Crisis and Change in Post Cold-War Global Politics.

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Scholars’ Circle – Conflict Resolution in Post Communist Eurasia and Power of ideas to shape Nation States – October 2, 2022

October 2, 2022 host

Regions have the resilience to manage conflicts and ensure they do not spread to other countries. Our guest Anna Ohanyan examines the factors that help build this resilience. She is the author of The Neighborhood Effect: The Imperial Roots of Regional Fracture in Post-Communist Eurasia. [ dur: 30mins. ]

Anna Ohanyan is the Richard B. Finnegan Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Stonehill College. She is the editor of Russia Abroad: Driving Regional Fracture in Post-Communist Eurasia and Beyond and her latest book The Neighborhood Effect: The Imperial Roots of Regional Fracture in Post-Communist Eurasia.

Then, our panel looks at the power of ideas to shape countries, foreign policies, international power structures and the world. [ dur: 28mins. ]

From our archive, originally recorded in December 2012:

Liz Borgwardt is Associate Professor of Human Rights History and International Law at Washington University in St. Louis. She currently serves as the Richard and Ann Pozen Visiting Professor of Human Rights at the University of Chicago. She is the author of Constitutionalizing Human Rights: The Rise and Rise of the Nuremberg Principles, The Guardians: The League of Nations and the Crisis of Empire and the award-winning book, A New Deal for the World: America’s Vision for Human Rights.
Christopher McKnight Nichols is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Center for the Humanities at Oregon State University. He is the author of Promise and Peril , America at Dawn of a Global Age and Rethinking American Grand Strategy.
Tim Lynch is Associate Professor of American Politics at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of In the Shadow of the Cold War: American Foreign Policy from George Bush Sr. to Donald Trump and co-author of After Bush: the Case for Continuity in American Foreign Policy.

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Scholars’ Circle – Gerrymandering Districts based on Census Data and Inclusive Politics of Rank Choice Voting – September 25, 2022

September 24, 2022 host

State legislatures have traditionally controlled districting, with a decentralization of process and decision-making as to how they are drawn. And in recent years, technology has enabled a more complex system of gerrymandering that can challenge the principles of democracy. Indeed it could produce outcomes where the party with fewer votes has control of the democratic institution. How much have voting districts have been gerrymandered and how might it affect the upcoming elections? [ dur: 26mins. ]

Christian Grose is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Southern California. He is the co-author of The Worst Partisan Gerrymanders in U.S. State Legislatures, A New Form of Gerrymandering Using CVAP? and Independent Redistricting Commissions Increase Voter Perceptions of Fairness
Seth C. McKee is a Professor of Political Science at Oklahoma State University. He is the author of The Intersection of Redistricting, Race, and Participation , Political Conditions and the Electoral Effects of Redistricting and Redistricting does little to change which party people vote for, which can make partisan gerrymanders more effective.

Alaska’s recent special election produced a rare win for a Democrat, rather than a Republican for the state’s congressional seat. How much of it had to do with the voting process known as ranked-choice voting? Rank choice voting is meant to produce majoritarian outcomes in elections with multiple candidates. How exactly does this process work? And what are its implications for democracy? [ dur: 32mins. ]

Rich Barton is Assistant Professor at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and Research Fellow at Unite America. He is the author of How Challenges In Primaries Shift The Policy Agenda Of Political Parties and The primary threat: How the surge of ideological challengers is exacerbating partisan polarization.
Joseph Z. Coll is Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics at Sewanee: The University of the South. He is the author of Demographic Disparities Using Ranked-Choice Voting? Ranking Difficulty, Under-Voting, and the 2020 Democratic Primary and the co-author of Ranked Choice Voting and Youth Voter Turnout: The Roles of Campaign Civility and Candidate Contact.
Todd Donovan is Professor of Political Science at Western Washington University. He is the author of Changing How America Votes and Self reported understanding of ranked choice voting and co-author of Self‐Reported Understanding of Ranked‐Choice Voting

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Scholars’ Circle – Libyan civil war continues after Gaddafi’s Rule ; Methods for Peace Building – September 18, 2022

September 17, 2022 host

We explore the civil war in Libya. Why did it break out and why does it persist? What are possible solutions? Host: Doug Becker. [ dur: 30mins. ]

Haala Hweio is Adjunct Instructor of Political Science at Rosary College of Arts and Sciences at Dominican University. She is the author of Tribes in Libya: From Social Organization to Political Power, The Libyan Revolution and Women’s Participation in Politics and Media and The Muslim Brotherhood: Libya as the Last Resort for the Continued Existence of the Global Movement
Alan J Kuperman is Associate Professor of Public Affairs and is founding coordinator of the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Project at The University of Texas Austin, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. He is the author of Constitutions and Conflict Management in Africa: Preventing Civil War Through Institutional Design (National and Ethnic Conflict in the 21st Century), Did the R2P foster violence in Libya? and “Obama’s Libya Debacle“

Beyond ending war what does it take to make a lasting quality peace? Host: Maria Armoudian. [ dur: 28mins. ]

Recorded November 22, 2015.

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

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Scholars’ Circle – Insight into Ethnic Conflict in Autocratic Uzbekistan and Tajikistan ; Creative Lawyers for Human Rights – September 11, 2022

September 12, 2022 host

Protests across Central Asia have rocked the nations of the former Soviet republics of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The states’ violent suppression of these movements have killed hundreds and undermined human rights protections. We explore the roots of these conflicts and what these violent crackdown mean for human rights, democracy, transparency and peace in the region. [ dur: 31mins. ]

Steve Swerdlow, esq. is Associate Professor of the Practice of Human Rights in the Department of Political and International Relations at the University of Southern California. A human rights lawyer and expert on the former Soviet region, Swerdlow was Senior Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, heading the organization’s work on Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and founding its Kyrgyzstan field office. He is the author of Uzbekistan’s Religious and Political Prisoners and Uzbekistan’s Ethnic Minorities: Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind.
Suzanne Levi-Sanchez is Visiting Scholar at Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. She is the author of The Afghan-Central Asia Borderlands: The State and Local Leaders, Bridging State and Civil Society: Informal Organizations in Tajik/Afghan Badakhshan, and The assassination that shook the Pamir Mountains to the core.

We interview Maria Armoudian who has authored a book on international human rights and the role that lawyers have played at advancing cases against human rights abusers. [ dur: 27mins. ]

Maria Armoudian is a lecturer at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. She is the author of the books Reporting from the Danger Zone: Frontline Journalists, Their Jobs and an Increasingly Perilous Future, Kill the Messenger: The Media’s Role in the Fate of the World, and her most recent Lawyers Beyond Borders : Advancing International Human Rights Through Local Laws and Courts . Maria is a host and anchor of the Scholars’ Circle.

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Scholars’ Circle – Impact of Union Organizations on Labor Rights in USA – September 4, 2022

September 4, 2022 host

In honor of Labor Day weekend, we explore the state of labor in the United States and we take stock in the impact of Union organization in America. We consider some of the high profile labor cases, such as Union organization at Starbucks, Amazon, Apple, and Trader Joe’s.

We also examine labor history and look at the role that race and gender have played in growing the labor movement.[ dur: 58mins. ]

Lane Windham is Associate Director of the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University. She is the author of Knocking on Labor’s Door: Union Organizing in the 1970s and the Roots of a New Economic Divide, Strengthening workers’ right to organize is 50 years overdue and co-author of Explaining the erosion of private-sector unions.
Jon Shelton is Associate Professor and Chair of Democracy and Justice Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He is the author of Teacher Strike! Public Education and the Making of a New American Political Order, and forthcoming in 2023, The Education Myth: How Human Capital Trumped Social Democracy.
John Logan is Professor and Chair of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University. He is the author of Crushing Unions, by Any Means Necessary: How Amazon’s Blistering Anti-Union Campaign Won in Bessemer, Alabama, Not Your Father’s Anti-Union Movement: Ten Key Facts About Starbucks’ Union Avoidance Law Firm, Littler Mendelson and The Movement to Eliminate Labor’s Political Voice (book chapter, 2014)

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Scholars’ Circle – US provides policy incentives for mitigation and adaptation to changing climate and its effects – August 28, 2022

August 27, 2022 host

The United States just passed the Inflation Reduction Act. Much of it addresses climate change. Does it meet the challenge the planet faces on the changing climate? What renewable energy technologies will the US need to utilize to meet its climate goals? [ dur: 28mins. ]

Mark Jacobson is Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of Atmosphere/Energy Program at Stanford University. He is also the Co-Founder of The Solutions Project, 100.org, and the 100% Clean, Renewable Energy Movement. He is author of 100% Clean, Renewable Energy and Storage for Everything and the forthcoming No Miracles Needed : How Today’s Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air.

Scientists say we still have time to address climate change and we’ve made headway, but we still have a long way to go. We rebroadcast a conversation with renowned climate scientist Michael Mann recorded on September 25, 2016. [ dur: 30mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

Michael E. Mann is Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State, with joint appointments in the Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI). He is the director of Earth System Science Center (ESSC) at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial Is Threatening Our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy and The New Climate War.

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The Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Biography of Judge Frank M. Coffin ; History of 3rd party politics in US – October 30, 2022

Scholars’ Circle – Comments from Latino LA city council members threaten years of Black-Latino Coalition ; Many ways Privatization is an attack on Civil Service roles in the Government – October 23, 2022

Scholars’ Circle – Dark Money in Politics keeps Voters in the Dark – October 16, 2022

Scholars’ Circle – Brazil Presidential Election – October 9, 2022

Scholars’ Circle – Conflict Resolution in Post Communist Eurasia and Power of ideas to shape Nation States – October 2, 2022

Scholars’ Circle – Gerrymandering Districts based on Census Data and Inclusive Politics of Rank Choice Voting – September 25, 2022

Scholars’ Circle – Libyan civil war continues after Gaddafi’s Rule ; Methods for Peace Building – September 18, 2022

Scholars’ Circle – Insight into Ethnic Conflict in Autocratic Uzbekistan and Tajikistan ; Creative Lawyers for Human Rights – September 11, 2022

Scholars’ Circle – Impact of Union Organizations on Labor Rights in USA – September 4, 2022

Scholars’ Circle – US provides policy incentives for mitigation and adaptation to changing climate and its effects – August 28, 2022

By Maria Armoudian