America’s Search for National Identity with Colin Woodard
Air Dates: November 29-December 3, 2021 There are some who argue that the United States of America as a nation, should be defined by its civic identity. A federal Republic that’s found he promised equality under the law and Liberty to all of its people. But there’s a darker side to the American history too, one built on ethnonationalism and white supremacy. Colin Woodard traces the rise and fall, and … Read More
The Winter of Peril with Robert Costa
Air Dates: November 22-28, 2021 Every president, every public servant in the United States, raises their hand and takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Robert Costa says the end of the Trump presidency saw an unprecedented threat to the Constitutional order emanating from the White House itself. Robert Costa is co-author of the new book, “Peril,” with … Read More
Dr. Shekhar Saxena on the Pandemic’s Impact on Mental Health Across the World
Air Dates: November 15-21, 2021 Since early 2000, the world has become familiar with the impacts of COVID-19: isolation, mask-wearing, and, for far too many, disease and death. Dr. Shekhar Saxena says there’s another impact we are just beginning to grapple with: the way the pandemic has affected global mental health. Saxena is Professor of the Practice of Global Mental Health at the Department of Global Health and Population at … Read More
The Politics of Today’s Health Care Issues with Bob Hackey and Todd Olszewski
Air Dates: November 8-14, 2021 Democrats and Republicans don’t agree on much—and, generally speaking, they don’t agree on health care policy. But Robert Hackey and Todd Olszewski tell us that there is a rich history and potential for actual cooperation on policies intended to keep Americans healthy and the nation strong. Bob Hackey is a Professor of Health Policy and Management at Providence College and an Affiliate of the Taubman … Read More
Exploring Hidden Networks Below the Forests with Suzanne Simard
Air Dates: November 1-7, 2021 Forests have long been celebrated in literature as a repository or life and solitude. But Dr. Suzanne Simard says they are also an important repository of wisdom—a wisdom passed from tree to tree as they communicate with one another. Dr. Simard is a Professor of Forest Ecology in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. She is … Read More
Studying the Classics in the American Judicial System Emily Allen-Hornblower and Nafeesah Goldsmith
Air Dates: October 25-31, 2021 The promise of a liberal arts education has always been the insight offered to us by classic texts about the human experience. Emily Allen-Hornblower and Nafeesah Goldsmith tell us the appeal is not limited just to traditional students in classrooms, but also students learning in environments as challenging as the American judicial system. Emily Allen-Hornblower is Associate Professor of Classics at Rutgers University. She is … Read More
Michael Paul Williams Named 2021 Recipient of the Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square
NEWPORT, R.I.—Michael Paul Williams, a long-time columnist for The Richmond Times Dispatch, has been named the 2021 recipient of the Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square. Awarded since 2013, the prize honors storytellers whose work has a meaningful, positive impact on the public dialogue. Williams joined The Times Dispatch in 1982 and covered local government for a decade before becoming a columnist for the paper a decade … Read More
Investigating the Events of January 6, 2021 with Scott MacFarlane
Air Dates: October 18-24, 2021 On January 6, 2021, a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol seeking to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. While our attention has been consumed with things like the pandemic, vaccines, and America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, Scott MacFarlane reminds us that the investigations into the events of that day—and the prosecutions of those responsible—are just beginning. MacFarlane is an investigative reporter with the News4 I-Team … Read More
Unwinding Anxiety with Judson Brewer
Air Dates: October 11-17, 2021 Colleges and universities all over the United States are facing a wave of students suffering from depression and anxiety heightened by the last year and a half of the pandemic. Dr. Jud Brewer says there are things everyone can do to be more mindful, to break bad habits, and to be happier. Brewer is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center and … Read More
Season 8 of “Story in the Public Square” to Premier in January 2022
NEWPORT, RI – “Story in the Public Square,” the five-time Telly-Award winning series from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and The Providence Journal, is set to debut its eighth national season during the week of January 3, 2022 with 24 new episodes seen nationally on public television. “Story in the Public Square” is a weekly, 30-minute series that centers on storytellers—acclaimed filmmakers, scholars, photographers, journalists, physicians, activists, historians, … Read More