EpisodeSlavery: The Rise of American Capitalism
The tribulations of Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, are depicted in the popular film 12 Years a Slave. In a soon to be published book, …
EpisodeBrow Anxiety
During the 1910s and 1920s, the question of whether one was “highbrow” or “lowbrow” became a concern in the minds of modernist Americans. Brooks Hefner (James Madison University) says this …
EpisodeI Am…In Love
Sonali Gulati Sonali Gulati’s (Virginia Commonwealth University) new film, I Am, chronicles her personal journey to Delhi, India, where she confronts the loss of her mother whom she never came …
EpisodeStart the Year Off Right
You can’t finish something you haven’t started. Francis Bush (Virginia Military Institute) started running late in life and has now completed more than 60 marathons. Plus: Women’s soccer coach Corey …
EpisodeThe Art of Giving
As the holidays approach, the pressure’s on to find perfect gifts for your loved ones. Marketing professor Kim Weaver (Virginia Tech) says if you’re thinking about adding a candy bar …
EpisodeAdoption in America
With the success of TV shows like Modern Family and Parenthood, it’s clear that the way Americans think of family is starting to change. Yet, Linda Seligmann’s (George Mason University) new book shows that for transracial …
EpisodeAnimals and Grief
An author challenges prevailing notions that grief is an emotion experienced only by humans. In her new book, How Animals Grieve, Barbara King (College of William and Mary) shows there …
EpisodeReplay: “You sound like you’re not from around here.”
Within seconds of hearing someone speak, we make judgments about that person and their background, just based on their accent. Linguistics professor Steven Weinberger (George Mason University) explains how and …
EpisodeReplay: Behind Bars
Written in another time and in another country, the Russian classics—Tolstoy, Lermontov, and all the rest—are still relevant today. Andrew Kaufman (University of Virginia) and his students are proving that …
EpisodeTomorrow City
In his new novel Tomorrow City, Kirk Kjeldsen (Virginia Commonwealth University) tells the story of an ex-con who is trying to reinvent himself in a new place. The backdrop for …
EpisodeDead Zones and Fly-fishing
You can’t see them on the surface. But at the bottom of some of the world’s largest bodies of water are areas called dead zones where fish and other life …
