System or Market? The Political Debate over Healthcare in America with Michael Fine
Air Dates: September 16-22, 2019 The political debate over healthcare in the United States seems cyclical—it rises and falls with America’s political calendar. Dr. Michael Fine argues that for patients and caregivers, issues like cost, access, and outcomes are real, they are present, and they often have life-and-death consequences. A former director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, Fine has been a writer, community organizer, family physician and public … Read More
The Tribalization of Politics with Ian Reifowitz
Air Dates: September 9-15, 2019 When Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States, pundits and leading news outlets heralded the arrival of a “post-racial America.” Some Americans, however, didn’t see it that way. Ian Reifowitz discusses the exploitation of race in the Obama years by one of America’s prominent conservative opinion makers, Rush Limbaugh, in his latest book, The Tribalization of Politics: How Rush Limbaugh’s Race-Baiting Rhetoric … Read More
Exploring the Meaning of Justice with Christopher Brown
Air Dates: September 2-8, 2019 The concept of justice is central to the American experience. We celebrate it in our monuments and in our history. But who gets justice, and who defines it are seldom considered questions. Christopher Brown is a practicing attorney and dystopian novelist who combines his talents in a new novel exploring these concepts in a different America. Brown is a writer and lawyer whose 2017 debut … Read More
Golden Years: Social Inequalities in Later Life with Deborah Carr
Air Times: August 26-September 1, 2019 Some Americans will be able to enjoy their golden years. Others will not. Deborah Carr argues that the biggest factor determining which side of that equation you fall on is your socioeconomic status—that combination of education, income, and occupation that determines your social standing. Carr is Professor and Chair in the Sociology department at Boston University. Her research focuses on aging and the life … Read More
The Question of Impeachment with Frank O. Bowman III
Air Dates: August 19-25, 2019 Whether to impeach President Donald Trump is an open question in American politics. Those who favor impeachment point no further than volume II of the Mueller report and its accounts of apparent obstruction of justice by the President. Others caution that absent the ability to win a conviction in the Senate, impeachment would boomerang and only boost the president’s popularity and likelihood of winning reelection … Read More
The Fourth Reich: Nazism from World War II to Today with Gavriel Rosenfeld
Air Dates: August 12-18, 2019 Students of history are taught to see events through the eyes of people living in the era they are studying. From that perspective, history becomes less predictable, decisions seem less certain, and understanding becomes, in fact, more complete. Gavriel Rosenfeld brings that discipline to the history of “the Fourth Reich,” a fear that has mobilized and motivated Europe and the world since 1945. Rosenfeld is … Read More
White Identity Politics with Ashley Jardina
Air Dates: August 5-11, 2019 Identity politics are typically associated with marginalized groups—communities that have been defined as “other” by the dominant group in a political culture. Ashley Jardina argues that there is an emerging white-identity politics in American society today. Jardina is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Duke University. Her book White Identity Politics explores the nature of racial attitudes, the development of group identities, and the … Read More
The Power of Story with Danny Strong
Air Dates: July 29-August 4, 2019 “Story in the Public Square” began as an annual, academic conference at Salve Regina University. When we honored Danny Strong with the 2014 Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square, his acceptance speech was so moving, so incisive, and so eloquent about the power of story that a public television executive in the audience asked if she could broadcast it. She did, … Read More
The Power of Poetry with Maggie Smith
Air Dates: July 22-28, 2019 Poems provide readers with frames of reference, a lens through which to see the world. Maggie Smith shares the inspiration, personal experience, and context behind her award-winning poems, including her most-recent collection, Good Bones, which was published to critical acclaim. Smith is the author of three books of poetry: Good Bones (Tupelo Press, 2017); The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison (2015); and Lamp of … Read More
Editorial Cartoons with Adam Zyglis
Air Dates: July 15-21, 2019 Editorial cartoonists occupy the space between writing and drawing—capturing truth and big ideas with seemingly simple illustration and an economy of words. Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Adam Zyglis uses evocative images to connect with readers while conveying layers of meaning in a few words. Zyglis has produced cartoons for The Buffalo News since 2004. His cartoons are internationally syndicated and have appeared in many publications … Read More