EpisodeRace – Our Most Difficult Question
Despite the positive legacy of the Civil Rights movement, race relations remain a vexing issue in American society. Virginia State University professors Renee Hill and Dirk Philipsen join noted journalist and George Mason University …
EpisodeMediating Conflict: The New Peacemakers
Can psychoanalytic principles help solve headline-making conflicts around the world? “Yes,” says Vamik Volkan (University of Virginia), author of Bloodlines. He discusses how the theories of Freud and others are being applied …
EpisodeLasting Impressions: The Spiritual Life of van Gogh
He was an eccentric painter, whose artistic creations were inspired by his lifelong religious struggle. As the National Gallery of Art unveils an historic van Gogh exhibit, religion professor Cliff Edwards (Virginia …
EpisodeNo Easy Assignment: Elementary School Reform in the ’90s
As the school year gets underway, Education school deans Gary Galluzzo of George Mason University and Elaine Witty of Norfolk State University offer a primer on how we’re educating our young …
EpisodeGreek to Me: Teaching Foreign Language to Children
Foreign language is for kids. At least that’s what research shows. Children under age 10 learn languages better than adults who will always mentally translate into English. Susan St. Onge (Christopher Newport …
EpisodeDown Time: The Origins and Future of Leisure
Leisure is a twentieth century phenomenon, according to historian Cindy Aron (University of Virginia), but few of us understand how to enjoy our free time. And, surprisingly, many people don’t realize they’ve …
EpisodeIn Other Words: Voice of Virginia Writers
Part I: Old Dominion University bestselling author Sheri Reynolds talks about life in the rural South and her book, The Rapture of Canaan. Find the segment audio here. Part II: Twice each year, the best …
EpisodeConquering Depression: The New Deal’s W.P.A. Program in Virginia
The Great Depression left thousands of Virginians out of work, from unskilled laborers to accomplished artists. The Works Progress Administration, a branch of FDR’s New Deal, sought to change that. …
EpisodeBeyond Redemption? The Debate over Prisoner Rehabilitation
For the better part of a century Americans believed education and training would help criminal offenders turn their lives around. Today, however, Virginians have abolished parole, and the state spends …
EpisodeIt Doesn’t Add Up: The Role of Gender in Math Education
Do girls get inadvertently shortchanged on math education by teachers who feel boys are more adept and interested in the subject? Education professors Lee Doerries of Christopher Newport University and Marie Sheckels of Mary …
EpisodeImages of Madness: Media and the Mentally Ill
From The Silence of the Lambs to news coverage of Jeffrey Dahmer case, the media paints a detailed and disturbing picture of mental illness. George Mason University sociologist Otto Wahl, author of Media Madness, …
EpisodeChanging Places: Coal Towns and Appalachian Oral Tradition
Chronic underemployment and mass media threaten to erase unique cultures and traditions in mining towns throughout Appalachia. Scholars are racing to document the lives and lore of these communities before …
