EpisodeBloody Promenade
English professor Stephen Cushman (University of Virginia) reflects on the complexities and contemporary reverberations of the Civil War in his new book on the bloody Battle of the Wilderness, in which as …
EpisodeDarwin On the Hot Seat
The decision of the Kansas state school board last month to make the teaching of evolution optional has sparked widespread public debate. Some are praising the decision for opening the …
EpisodeArticulate Bliss? Um, Not!
Like, say goodbye to the English language as we know it. With teen phrases such as “whatever,” “you know,” and “as if” encroaching on traditional modes of American speech, scholars …
EpisodeLiving on the Edge: Cities in the 21st Century
Over the past thirty years, so-called “edge cities” have developed on the outskirts of major urban centers. Today these once quaint villages are sprawling hubs of business and community life. …
EpisodeConsumed by Sprawl
With suburban sprawl primed for debate as an issue in the 2000 Presidential campaign, we contemplate the future of managed growth in the Old Dominion. Can Virginia learn from growth …
EpisodeStandards of Learning: A Hot-Button Issue
Parents, teachers and students around the state are trying to make sense of the SOL’s. And it’s a safe bet, there are few who don’t have some opinion as to …
EpisodeCivil War Sound
Recent studies have shown that “sound anomalies” during the Civil War may have led to some deadly strategic blunders. Physics professor Chuck Ross (Longwood University) discusses how atmospheric acoustics affected several key …
EpisodeString Bands in Virginia – Then and Now
While Kentucky may have helped in naming the music, Virginia played a central role in the development and spread of “bluegrass.” History professor-cum bluegrass disc jockey Kinney Rorrer (Danville Community College) takes …
EpisodeCommunication and the Great Apes
When did language begin? Was its appearance sudden? Or did it evolve over thousands of years? And are humans the only animals with the mental capacity to use language? Linguist Talbot …
EpisodeMind and Body: Respecting the Whole Person
Is the mirror your friend? Or does it leave you wishing for a little less here and a little more there? Plastic surgeon Kelman Cohen (Virginia Commonwealth University) and psychologist Cindy Bulik (Virginia …
EpisodeEncore, Encore!
An encore presentation from the With Good Reason archives. A visit with poets George Garrett (University of Virginia) and Lucinda Roy (Virginia Tech).
Episode‘Tis the Season, Again
We celebrate the holidays with a three-course feast for the mind. Like Scrooge, Charles Dickens knew the value of a penny. Annette Federico (James Madison University) looks at the circumstances under which …
