What caused the deep philosophical, political and religious divides that characterize American culture today? According to journalist Bill Bishop, we did it ourselves by choosing where and how to live and think. We’ll discuss his research this hour and his recent book “The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart” […]
What’s your favorite horror film? Why? Since the 1920s, Americans have loved scary movies. In the spirit of Halloween, we’ll explore the genre and its history with Rick Worland, professor of Cinema-Television at SMU and author of the book “The Horror Film: An Introduction” (Blackwell, 2007).
What is the state of mental health care in America today and what precipitated the monumental changes in the therapy culture of the 20th Century? We’ll spend this hour with City University of New York professor Jonathan Engel, author of “American Therapy: The Rise of Psychotherapy in the United States” (Gotham Books, 2008).
Does North Texas need a Tier 1 University? What would it mean for the economy and high-achieving students in the area? We’ll spend this hour with UTD President Dr. David E. Daniel, UNT President Dr. Gretchen M. Bataille, and UTA President Dr. James D. Spaniolo.
How reliable are the statistics we hear every day in the news and (especially these days) from the political campaigns? We’ll explore the true nature of statistics this hour with University of Delaware professor Joel Best, author of “Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data” (University of California Press, 2008).
Where do science, morality and public policy intersect? Should they intersect? We’ll discuss the issue this hour with journalist and practicing psychotherapist Gary Greenberg, whose new book is “The Noble Lie: When Scientists Give the Right Answers for the Wrong Reasons” (Wiley, 2008).
How should North Texas cities meet the public transportation needs of the near and distant future? We’ll spend this hour with engineer Alan Drake and Jay Kline, interim vice president of planning and development at DART. They both participated in last Friday’s SMU Environmental Science and Greater Dallas Planning Council symposium “Electrification of Transportation: […]
What should American public schools be teaching and why aren’t they teaching it? We’ll talk this hour with Tony Wagner, co-director of the Change Leadership Group at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. His new book is “The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need – […]
What will it take to end the killing in Africa forever? We’ll talk this evening with John Prendergast, co-founder of the ENOUGH Project, an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity. He’s in town to speak to the World Affairs Council of Dallas Fort Worth and SMU’s Human Rights Education Program. Diane Sikes, artist […]
Have militarism, corporatism and unchecked executive power begun to undermine American democracy? We’ll talk this hour with award-winning filmmaker Eugene Jarecki. His new book is “The American Way of War: Guided Missiles, Misguided Men, and a Republic in Peril” (Free Press, 2008).
