The World Expects Too Much From Young People

May 5, 2021 Culture, Education, History, Mental Health

Rainesford Stauffer joins us to talk about the social media-fueled pressure put on people in their 20s and 30s to find their purpose, and why allowing time to think and be still might be the best way for someone to grow.

Why We’re Not All Speaking Esperanto

April 28, 2021 Culture, Education, Global Issues, History, Language

Stephanie Tam joins us to tell the story of one man’s quest for a lingua franca that would bridge communication and why it was blocked by colonial ideas of English superiority.

Growing Up Racially Black … But Not Culturally Black In America

April 15, 2021 Culture, Education, Language, Race/Identity

Louis Chude-Sokei, director of the African American studies program at Boston University, joins us to talk about his journey to understand his place in the Black diaspora.

The Weird Racial Phenomenon Of ‘Reverse-Passing’

April 14, 2021 Culture, Education, Mental Health, Race/Identity

Helen Lewis of The Atlantic joins us to talk about the people who take on the roles of different ethnicities and asks if a form of Munchausen syndrome could actually be at play.

Darwin’s Guide To Alien Life

April 13, 2021 Education, Environment, History, Science and Technology

Arik Kershenbaum, a zoologist and fellow at Girton College, University of Cambridge, joins us to talk about understanding evolution on Earth and how that might parallel alien life forms elsewhere.

Asian Americans And The Rise In Racism

April 12, 2021 Culture, Current Events, Education, History, Race/Identity

Vishakha N. Desai, chair of Columbia University’s Committee on Global Thought and a past president of the Asia Society, joins us to talk about these troubling statics, how Asians regularly face racist ideas that question their place in American society and what needs to happen to fight back.

After Vaccination, The Next Steps To Normal

April 8, 2021 Current Events, Economics, Education, Global Issues, Health, Politics, Science and Technology

Dr. Celine Gounder joins us to talk about how we should think about reopening schools, offices and maybe even our vacation plans as more and more people become vaccinated.

Student Debt Is Crushing Parents, Too

April 7, 2021 Culture, Economics, Education, History

Caitlin Zaloom, associate professor of social and cultural analysis at New York University, joins us to discuss how college-minded parents are taking on enormous debts to fund higher education and why the middle-class is especially crunched.

Was Closing Schools The Right Move For American Teens?

March 31, 2021 Current Events, Education, Health, Mental Health, Politics

Alec MacGillis covers politics and government for ProPublica, and he joins us to tell the stories of teenagers in two small towns, one in New Mexico and one in Texas, where governors took very different approaches to public safety.

New To America? Here’s Where To Start

March 25, 2021 Culture, Current Events, Education, History, Race/Identity

Roya Hakakian joins us talk about her instruction manual for newcomers to this country, acting as tour operator for all the wonder of American sights and sounds.

The Genesis Of The Bible

March 22, 2021 Culture, Education, History, Language, Literature

Kristin Swenson is an associate professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, and she joins us to talk about approaching the Bible anew with a sense of wonder and context.

Why Scientists Experiment With Demons (Yes, Really)

March 15, 2021 Education, History, Science and Technology

Jimena Canales of the University of Illinois joins us to talk about the scientific thought process of some of the world’s most brilliant minds, a wild journey into imagination, fear, and theory to make the impossible, possible.