Podcasts by University Of The Air

University Of The Air

Hosts Norman Gilliland and Emily Auerbach invite distinguished faculty guests from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to discuss topics in music, art, writing, theater, science, education, and history. "University Of The Air" can be heard on Sundays at 4 p.m. on the Ideas Network.

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Podcast on the topic Bildung

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University Of The Air
Children With Incarcerated Parents from 2022-04-11T18:28:06.973514

"My dad's in jail and I don't like to talk about it," says Alex, a character on Sesame Street. In this hour, UW Professor of Human Ecology Julie Poehlmann discusses her research and her work with S...

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University Of The Air
Frederick Douglass from 2022-03-27T01:18:14.092838

From an escaped slave to one of America's great orators and political activists, Frederick Douglass was a major force at a turning point in American history. What were the factors that enabled Doug...

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University Of The Air
Grammar Is Not Your Enemy! from 2022-03-27T01:18:14.067141

Why do so many people hate grammar? Find out which grammar "rules" are prescriptive gobbledygook with the Chair of the UW English Department

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University Of The Air
How The Bible Took Shape from 2022-03-07T02:21:17.758260

How did the Christian and Jewish bibles take their present shape, and how can knowing their historical context help Jews and Christians (and others) think about each other's scriptures differently?...

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University Of The Air
John Marshall and the Spirit of the Constitution from 2022-03-07T02:21:17.753853

We take a look at the US Constitution from the standpoint of America's founding father of the Supreme Court.

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University Of The Air
Nashville's Songwriting Sweethearts from 2022-03-07T02:21:17.744251

It's a record that many a songwriter would envy--2000 songs recorded, many of them covered by prominent performers including Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, James Taylor, Alison Kraus and ...

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University Of The Air
Black Abolitionists from 2022-03-07T02:21:17.692933

David Walker, Maria Stewart, and Frederick Douglass were revolutionary black abolitionists in the 19 th century who raised their voices to try to end slavery. Professor Christy Clark Pujara introdu...

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University Of The Air
The Latest From Venus from 2022-03-07T02:21:17.688567

Veiled in clouds, Venus is one of earth's most mysterious neighbors, and yet those studying the planet continue to make discoveries about it. Is life possible on Venus? If not, was it ever possible...

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University Of The Air
A Mosaic of Freedom: An Overview of the Sixties from 2022-03-07T02:21:17.685173

In this hour, we sample the rapidly changing, turbulent sixties, from JFK to LBJ, from Martin Luther King to the Black Panthers, from the Beatles to the Rolling Stones, from hippies to Reagan conse...

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University Of The Air
Julian of Norwich, Revolutionary Medieval Mystic from 2022-03-06T01:43:23.624911

Revolutionary medieval mystic Julian of Norwich penned what’s thought to be the first book in English written by a woman. She dared to suggest that God was both father and mother. Professor Sherry ...

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University Of The Air
The Poison Squad from 2022-02-22T17:05:43.468795

By the end of nineteenth century, food in America could be ownright deadly. Sustances added to extend the shelf life of food often shortened the life of the person who ate it. But American corporat...

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University Of The Air
The French Horn Then and Now from 2022-02-20T23:54:33.160522

We may think of the French horn as producing mellow romantic sounds for symphonies, but what happens when you add electronic sounds to this instrument's repertoire?

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University Of The Air
The Elephant in the Room: The Role of Poverty in Child Maltreatment from 2022-02-01T03:44:40.956026

What role do poverty and economic hardship play in child maltreatment and neglect? And how can child welfare systems prevent them? UW Professor of Social Work Kristen Slack will hare her research i...

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University Of The Air
The Dark Side of the Universe from 2022-02-01T03:44:40.954821

Ninety-five percent of the universe is invisible. How do we know it’s there and what is it? We'll take a look at the dark side of the universe, including the mysterious forces that affect the spin ...

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University Of The Air
Back Stage to Center Stage: The Groundbreaking Ira Aldridge from 2022-01-30T02:28:37.920475

Why have most of us never heard of Ira Aldridge (1807-1867) , America’s first internationally acclaimed African American actor? UW Theatre professor Baron Kelly links his own journey as a Black act...

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University Of The Air
The Hollywood Blacklist from 2021-12-18T20:01:40.274063

Before it ran its course, the Hollywood blacklist sucked in some of the most prominent names in show business. Actors, directors, writers and producers were forced to take sides and those attemptin...

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University Of The Air
Literacy for Life from 2021-12-18T20:01:40.273286

In a recent study, Catherine Compton-Lilly followed a group of eight inner-city students from grade one through grade 11 to discover how time operates as a contextual factor in children’s lives as ...

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University Of The Air
The Fever of 1721 from 2021-12-18T20:01:40.272506

The story of the Boston smallpox epidemic of 1721 includes an improbable cast of characters embroiled in a controversy that would revolutionize not just American medicine but speed the American col...

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University Of The Air
Diversity in Ancient Rome from 2021-12-18T20:01:40.271712

Nandini Pandey, UW Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, shatters myths and misconceptions and shows how Ancient Rome embraced cultural diversity in surprising ways.

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University Of The Air
The Science of Life's Origin from 2021-12-18T20:01:40.270727

How a living system capable of evolving complexity first emerged on Earth some 4 billion years ago remains one of the biggest unsolved scientific mysteries. Resolving this puzzle would guide the se...

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University Of The Air
Propaganda 1776: Secrets, Leaks, And Revolutionary Communications in Early America from 2021-12-18T20:01:40.269970

Our guest explores the Declaration of Independence as a "masterstroke of propaganda," links Benjamin Franklin to WikiLeaks, and explains the use of stolen documents, fake news, and leaked letters o...

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University Of The Air
Why Teach the Holocaust Today? from 2021-12-06T01:27:07.286139

"Selection" of Hungarian Jews on the ramp at Auschwitz II-Birkenau in German-occupied Poland

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University Of The Air
Adventures of an International Peace Broker from 2021-12-06T01:27:07.284780

Behind the headlines of diplomatic breakthroughs, unofficial peace brokers do quiet and discreet work setting up negotiations between hostile nations. Our guest for University of the Air was a memb...

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University Of The Air
Soviet Judgment at Nuremberg from 2021-11-27T23:53:34.358131

The Allies set up the Nuremberg Trials to bring the Nazis to justice after the devastation of World War II. But the trials also became a turning point in the burgeoning Cold War. How did the aims o...

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University Of The Air
Freud and a History of Psychoanalysis from 2021-11-15T11:51:52.937694

Free association, transference—the Oedipus Complex. When he invented psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud also developed therapeutic techniques and concepts that, a hundred years later, are still part of ...

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University Of The Air
Libel and the Media from 2021-11-05T01:18:23.233945

Who can sue for libel, what are the defenses against it, and what role does the First Amendment play in settling libel suits? UW-Madison journalism professor Robert Drechsel will guide us through s...

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University Of The Air
Aldo Leopold: The Radio Transcripts from 2021-11-05T01:18:23.204769

Professor Emeritus Stanley Temple explores Aldo Leopold's pioneering land ethic and shares some of Leopold's little-known radio shows from "College of the Air" from the 1930s. For a story about Leo...

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University Of The Air
Three Women of the Civil Rights Movement from 2021-10-31T02:04:46.784527

Craig Werner profiles three women who took big risks to become leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.

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University Of The Air
The Occupation of Japan from 2021-10-26T02:15:04.250369

At the end of World War II, a variety of political and civic virtues helped make it possible for the United States to move decisively in just a few years to turn a defeated Japan into a self-suffic...

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University Of The Air
Orchestra of Exiles from 2021-10-07T03:48:28.535096

When Hitler came to power, he was quick to apply his anti-Semitic policies to music, getting Jewish musicians removed from German orchestras. The process was so abrupt that conductor Wilhelm Steinb...

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University Of The Air
Who Are The Amish And The Mennonites? from 2021-09-29T17:09:33.540242

We explore the world of the Amish and Mennonites with an expert in Pennsylvania Dutch culture.

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University Of The Air
How Serious a Threat is Russia? from 2021-09-25T11:33:12.560380

Russia is entirely dependent on oil and gas revenues, and desperate for foreign investment, and yet it continues to loom as a major competitor and a threat to US interests. How valid are those conc...

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University Of The Air
Haiku from 2021-09-11T16:36:58.947659

We explore haiku, the shortest poetic form in the world. Whether crude, erotic or funny, we examine haiku as a fascinating and complex global phenomenon.

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University Of The Air
Eyes on Schizophrenia from 2021-08-23T22:47:23.212203

We see the term schizophrenia often, but what does a schizophrenia sufferer experience, and how can non-sufferers recognize the symptoms? UW-Madison Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry Diane C.G...

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University Of The Air
The Men Who Lost America from 2021-08-23T22:47:23.211457

Losing America came as a shock to the mighty British Empire. Were inept generals and political leaders in Britain responsible? Historian Andrew Jackson O'Shaugnessy looks at the American Revolution...

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University Of The Air
Debussy's Piano Portraits from 2021-08-11T10:37:39.904968

Claude Debussy was one of the most innovative composers in histor. He had a remarkable ability to create images through music. From the Orient to turn-of the Century America and the mysterious to t...

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University Of The Air
Infamous Mothers in Literature and Life from 2021-08-11T10:37:39.904346

Teen moms, 'baby mamas,' sex workers, and crack addicts: how did they come out on the other side as doctors, lawyers, artists, counselors, and more? Activist Sagashus Levingston discusses her book ...

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University Of The Air
Farmer's Markets and Food Justice -- with Alfonso Morales from 2021-07-23T13:09:33.677962

So-called silent films were anything but silent. As with today's films, they had music accompanying the images, often frame for frame for the entire film. A leading latter-day practitioner of silen...

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University Of The Air
What Is Jazz Anyway? from 2021-07-23T13:09:33.676912

Jazz has been called "the coolest, freest, and yet deepest music humans have ever made," an indigenous art form that seems to defy categorization. We explore the definition of jazz with the help of...

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University Of The Air
The Search for Extraterrestrial Life from 2021-07-05T16:09:38.513744

What are the indicators of life and how will we look for them as we continue to explore Mars and beyond?

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University Of The Air
Ink And Tears: Five Centuries Of A Famous Chinese Family from 2021-07-05T16:09:38.512933

We explore the transition from Imperial China to modern China through the writings and customs of prominent writer Yu Yue and his descendants. Professor Rania Huntington discusses her own journey f...

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University Of The Air
The MIA Recovery and Identification Program from 2021-07-05T16:09:38.512174

The UW MIA Recovery and Identification Project was founded in 2015, two years after helping identify the remains of a U.S. service member mistakenly buried as a German soldier. Since then, UW has f...

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University Of The Air
Rabbi Menasseh ben Israel: The Most Famous Jew of His Time -- with Steven Nadler from 2021-06-17T10:58:40.344727

Meet 17th-century rabbi, scholar, diplomat, and publisher Manasseh ben Israel and learn why a man hailed as a world celebrity died in poverty. Professor Steven Nadler is the author of "Menasseh ben...

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University Of The Air
How the Ho-Chunk Resisted Removal from 2021-06-11T01:59:04.559382

During the long course of Native Americans displacement from their ancestral lands, Wisconsin’s Ho-Chunk took various steps to resist it—some of the successful. Historian Stephen Kantrowitz tells h...

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University Of The Air
The Indus Civilization: 100 Years of Discovery from 2021-06-02T02:19:58.297323

A century of excavations at Harappa in the Punjab reveal a world of details about daily life and cultural interaction at the dawn of civilization.

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University Of The Air
John Bascom and the Wisconsin Idea - with J. David Hoeveler from 2021-05-31T01:28:13.153644

Explore John Bascom, the colorful President of the University of Wisconsin from 1874-1887 who championed women’s rights, worker’s rights, temperance, the pursuit of truth, and a notion that would g...

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University Of The Air
'Don Quixote' from 2021-05-15T01:45:34.097162

After the Bible, it’s the most translated book in the world. It’s also called the first modern novel. Don Quixote is the work of a Spaniard who spent five years as a captive in Algiers—and that exp...

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University Of The Air
Cold War Propaganda from 2021-04-15T01:26:23.260762

During the Cold War, words flew furiously between the United States and its adversaries and the propaganda industry worked overtime. Truths, half-truths, and lies filled the airwaves between the Un...

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University Of The Air
Black Aboltionists from 2021-04-15T01:26:23.258361

David Walker, Maria Stewart, and Frederick Douglass were revolutionary black abolitionists in the 19 th century who raised their voices to try to end slavery. Professor Christy Clark Pujara introdu...

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University Of The Air
Mary Prince: Understanding the Caribbean Slave Narrative from 2021-04-15T01:26:23.256020

The Caribbean triangle trade of sugar, molasses, and rum was a big part of the colonial economy. Not so well known was the salt industry, which flourished in large measure because of slave labor. M...

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University Of The Air
Monsters Of Antiquity' from 2021-04-07T01:58:04.447232

Ancient monsters include a chimera with the heads of a snake, lion, and she-goat, a one-eyed cannibal, and venomous women whose gaze turns viewers into stone. Classics professor Will Brockliss link...

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University Of The Air
Hans Christian Andersen from 2021-03-26T00:59:00.929874

His upbringing was unlikely to produce a writer with an international reputation. His education was limited and traumatic. But Hans Christian Andersen became known throughout Europe for stories suc...

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University Of The Air
Jazz Legend Dexter Gordon from 2021-03-06T00:42:27.542878

Dexter Gordon’s widow, Maxine Gordon, explores her award-winning biography Sophisticated Giant: The Life and Legacy of Dexter Gordon.

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University Of The Air
Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation's Leaders from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

WPR All Things Considered host Brady Carlson will take us on a tour of presidential grave sites, monuments, and memorials to tell the death stories of our greatest national leaders. Mixing biograph...

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University Of The Air
The Influence of World Music from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Today, the phrase “world music” can mean any number of musical genres with origins outside the United States. But how did the international sound come to permeate our musical culture? Ronald Radano...

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University Of The Air
The Pleasure of His Company: A Love Affair with Shakespeare from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Celebrated actors Randall Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso present favorite scenes from the plays of the Bard of Avon.

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