Tag Archives: United States

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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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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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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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- July 21st, 2013

The money-media election complex keeps destroying the democratic process. How did we get here? And where are we headed? [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Robert W. McChesney is professor of communication at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois. His books include, Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism is Turning the Internet Against Democracy,  Dollarocracy: How the Money-and-Media-Election Complex is Destroying America, and The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle, how did the Congress become antagonistic in the past three decades? What are the consequences? What can be done to repair the system? [dur. 29 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.
  • David C. W. Parker is an associate professor of political science at Montana State University. He is the author of The Power of Money in Congressional Campaigns, 1880-2006 , Doing Archival Research: A Practical Guide for Political Scientists, and a contributing author for the book, The Consequences of Divided Government. He is the co-founder of Free Press, a national media reform organization.
  • Keith T. Poole is Philip H. Alston, Jr. Distinguished Chair in the department of Political Science at the University of Georgia and Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of California San Diego. He is the author or coauthor of over 50 articles as well as the co-author of  Polarized America: The Dance of Ideology and Unequal Riches,  Ideology and Congress, and Congress: A Political-Economic History of Roll Call Voting.

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- July 14th, 2013

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. ] [ 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, as the California prisoners are on hunger strike, we explore the effects of solitary confinement and the impact of harsh prison conditions on guards and prisoners. [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Hope Metcalf is Associate Research Scholar in Law, and Director of the Arthur Liman Public Interest Program. She teaches a clinic on prisoners’ rights in the United States. She is the co-author of Administrative Segregation, Degrees of Isolation, and Incarceration: A National Overview of State and Federal Correctional Policie, and Gideon at Guantanamo: Democratic and Despotic Detention
  • Philip Zimbardo is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Stanford University and current *core faculty at Palo Alto University. He is the creator of the The Stanford Prison Experiment. He is the author of numerous publications including The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, Psychology and Life, and The Psychology of Attitude Change and Social Influence.
  • Dr. Stuart Glassian is a psychiatrist who has formerly taught at Harvard Medical School. His is the author of, Psychiatric Effects of Solitary Confinement, and Effects of Sensory Deprivation in Psychiatric Seclusion and Solitary Confinement.
    He has served as an expert on class-actions lawsuits regrading solitary confinement.

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- July 7th, 2013

First, we revisit the American Revolution through the story of the loyalists – those loyal to Great Britain. [ dur: 18 mins. ]

  • Maya Jasanoff, Professor of History , Harvard University. Author of Liberty’s Exiles: American Loyalists and the Revolutionary War.

Then, we talk about America at a political, cultural and economic crossroads with [ dur: 27 mins. ]

  • Bill Greider  author of, Come Home America: The Rise and Fall and the Redeeming Promise of Our Country.

Finally, we interview Heather Rogers, author of Green Gone Wrong: How Our Economy is Undermining the Environmental Revolution. [ dur: 13 mins. ]

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- May 26th, 2013

In this hour, the war comes home. The struggles of homecoming veterans and how that affects us all. First, we speak with journalist Aaron Glantz, author of, Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans. [ dur: 20 mins. ]

  • Aaron Glantz, author, journalist; Author: Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans.

Then, we look at the unique challenges of women soldiers and veterans.  Film:  “Women at War :  Forgotten Veterans of Desert Storm”. [ dur: 10 mins. ]

  • Dennis Davis, filmmaker;
  • Christie Davis, filmmaker;

Finally, on the anniversary of the Charles Taylor conviction and sentencing, we revisit the good and the bad of the international criminal court. [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Prof. David Kaye, UCLA Law School;
  • Prof. Hannah Garry, USC Gould Law School;
  • Prof. Mark Drumbl, WA & Lee Univ. School of Law. Author: Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- May 12th, 2013

First, do animals get depression, eating disorders, alcoholism, or diabetes? What can we learn from animals about healing? We explore the surprising common grounds between animals and us with the authors of “ZOOBIQUITY: The Astonishing Connection Between Human and Animal Health“.. [ dur. 28 mins. ]

  • Dr. Barbara Netttern-Herowitz, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA;
  • Kathryn Bowers, journalist. 

Then, on the Scholars Circle, we look at the politics of immigration today and throughout history. [ dur. 30 mins. ]

  • David Remiers, Prof. of history, Univ. of WI; Author of “Unwelcome Strangers: American Identity and the Turn Against Immigration”.
  • Gabriel Sanchez, Prof. of Political Science, Univ. of New Mexico. co-author of “Hispanics and US Political System: Moving Into the Mainstream”.

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- May 5th, 2013

First, power is shifting and changing hands more rapidly than ever. What does it mean for global politics, religion, and economies? [ dur. 24 mins. ]

  • Moises Naim, Carnegie Endowment for Int’l Peace, author of “End of Power from Board Rooms to Battlefields and Churches to States, Why Being in Charge Isn’t what it Used to Be”;

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle, what are the politics that are preventing the closure of Guantanamo Bay? What are the legal and diplomatic ramifications? [ dur. 30 mins. ]

  • David Glazier, Prof. of Law, Loyola Law School. Author of “Playing by the rules: combating al Qaeda within the law of war.: An Article from: William and Mary Law Review”;
  • Jonathan Hafetz, Prof. of Law, Seton Law. Author of “Habeas Corpus after 9/11: Confronting America’s New Global Detention System”;
  • Peter Jan Honigsberg, Prof. of Law, Univ. of SF School of Law, Witness to Guantanamo . Author of “Our  Nation Unhinged: The Human Consequences of the War on Terror”;

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

First, has President Obama capitulated by putting Social Security on the cutting block? What is the future of Social Security? [ dur: 13 mins. ]

  • Michael A. Hiltzik,   Financial Journalist for Los Angels Times,  author of “Plot against social security: How the Bush Plan is Endangering Our Financial Future”.

Then, in light of Koch brothers’ and Rupert Murdoch’s interest in the Tribune Company, we look at the fast changing world of journalism and media, and what it means for governance and democracy. [ dur: 45 mins ]

  • Tom Rosenstiel is an author, journalist, researcher and media critic and executive director of the American Press Institute. He is the author of, The Elements of Journalism: What News People Should Know and the Public Should Expect, and Blur: How to Know What’s True in the Age of Information Overload.

Scholars Circle Panel:

  • James T. Hamilton is Charles S. Sydnor Professor, Public Policy, Economics, and Political Science,and Director, DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy. He is the author of, All the News That’s Fit to Sell: How the Market Transforms Information into News, and Channeling Violence: The Economic Market for Violent Television Programming.
  • Victor Pickard is an Assistant Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the co-editor of, Will the Last Reporter Please Turn out the Lights, and was the lead author of the first comprehensive report on the American journalism crisis, Saving the News: Toward a National Journalism Strategy.
  • Ben Compaine is Director, Fellows Program at the Columbia University Institute for Tele-Information (CITI) and Lecturer,  D’Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University. He is the author of, The Digital Divide, Who Owns the Media and The Internet Upheaval.

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