Best Erik Shepherd Podcasts (2025)

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University Keywords with Andy Hines 47:25

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18m ago47:25

47:25

References and suggested readings: Andy Hines, ed. 2025. University Keywords. Johns Hopkins University Press. Alyssa Battistoni. 2025. Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature. Princeton University Press. Emily Callaci. 2020. “On Acknowledgments.” American Historical Review 125 (1): 126–31. Justin Raden. October 23, 2025. Higher Ed's Rush …

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Goldwater, King, and the college with Nicholas R. Buccola 48:51

7h ago48:51

48:51

As a student, she was a proud "Goldwater girl, right down to my cowgirl outfit and straw cowboy hat emblazoned with the slogan 'AuH20." -Hillary Clinton, Living History, 2003. References and suggested readings: Nicholas Buccola. 2025. One Man's Freedom: Goldwater, King, and the Struggle over an American Ideal. Princeton University Press. Hajar Yazd…

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Gunnar Myrdal and the making of a white world order with Maribel Morey 29:13

1d ago29:13

29:13

The money behind truth. References and suggested readings: Maribel Morey. 2021. White Philanthropy: Carnegie Corporation's An American Dilemma and the Making of a White World Order. University of North Carolina Press. miamisocialsciences.org virtual forums Gunnar Myrdal, American Dilemma volume I Gunnar Myrdal, American Dilemma volume II John Fabia…

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Lab Dog with Brad Bolman 35:47

4d ago35:47

35:47

References and suggested readings: Brad Bolman. 2025. Lab Dog: What Global Science Owes American Beagles. University of Chicago Press. Benjamin Alberto Schultz-Figueroa. 2023. The Celluloid Specimen: Moving Image Research Into Animal Life. University of California Press. Gustave Flaubert. Madam Boverie. Bluesky @bolman.bsky.social Instagram @labdog…

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How dark money shapes the vernaculars of the culture war with Isaac Kamola 34:08

8d ago34:08

34:08

A lesson on dark money influence in campus culture wars References and suggested readings: Isaac Kamola. Spring 2025. Understanding the Evolving Culture-War Vernacular. Academe Magazine. Isaac Kamola. 2019. Making the World Global: U.S. Universities and the Production of the Global Imaginary. Duke University Press. Ralph Wilson and Isaac Kamola. 20…

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Scopes and the creationists with John K. Wilson 32:47

11d ago32:47

32:47

From a student of Saul Bellow and Barack Obama. References and suggested readings: John K Wilson. August 2025. “100 Years Ago, the Scopes Monkey Trial Discovered Academic Freedom.” Chronicle of Higher Education. John K. Wilson. 1995. The Myth of Political Correctness: The Conservative Attack on Higher Education. Duke University Press. Fara Dabhoiwa…

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Beware of FIRE (and institutional neutrality) with Mary Anne Franks 31:24

17d ago31:24

31:24

On the rightwing origins of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. References and suggested readings: Mary Anne Franks. 2024. Fearless Speech: Breaking Free from the First Amendment. Bold Type Books. Mary Anne Franks. 2019. The Cult of the Constitution: Our Deadly Devotion to Guns and Free Speech. Stanford University Press. University…

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Looting, murder, and the evolution of American archaeology with Rachel Morgan 22:14

20d ago22:14

22:14

ft. Geronimo, both Roosevelt presidents, Franz Boas, and the phrenologists References and suggested readings: Rachel Morgan. 2024. Sins of the Shovel: Looting, Murder, and the Evolution of American Archaeology. University of Chicago Press. John Fowler. 2021. A Forest in the Clouds. Pegasus Books. Follow Rachel Morgan on Instagram at @adventures_in_…

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The university’s creditors with Sofya Aptekar 42:37

25d ago42:37

42:37

On hedge funds, private equity, and the financialization of public colleges. References and suggested readings: The Coalition Against Campus Debt. 2024. Lend and Rule: Fighting the Financialization of Public Universities. Common Notions Press. Sofya Aptekar’s faculty page sofyaaptekar.com Robin D. G. Kelley. 2022. Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical …

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How universities created NPR and PBS with Josh Shepperd 28:59

28d ago28:59

28:59

How public universities gave rise to public media References and suggested readings: Josh Shepperd. 2023. Shadow of the New Deal: The Victory of Public Broadcasting. University of Illinois Press. Laura Garbes. 2025. Listeners Like Who: Exclusion and Resistance in the Public Radio Industry. Princeton University Press. Katherine Jewell. 2023. Live fr…

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The campus bookstore racket with Katya Schwenk 18:28

1M ago18:28

18:28

Does your campus use B&N Education or Follett? References and suggested readings: Katya Schwenk. September 10, 2025. “How Wall Street Broke the College Bookstore.” LeverNews.com. Vincent Bevins. 2020. The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World. PublicAffairs. levernews.com Support the sh…

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The 1980s anti-apartheid movement with David Busch 44:56

1M ago44:56

44:56

On blood money and “the moral costs of an elite education.” References and suggested readings: David S. Busch. 2025. Disciplining Democracy: How the Modern American University Transformed Student Activism. Cornell University Press. Ethan Schrum. 2019. The Instrumental University: Education in Service of the National Agenda after World War II. Corne…

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Can the university be decolonized? with Sandy Grande 28:00

1M ago28:00

28:00

Can US colleges be decolonized? References and suggested readings: Sandy Grande. 2018. “Refusing the University.” Free PDF. Sandy Grande. 2016. Red Pedagogy. Free PDF. ACP episodes on Indigeneity and the university with Sharon Stein and Eve L. Ewing Robin D. G. Kelley. March 1, 2016. “Black Study, Black Struggle.” The Boston Review. “Board of Trust…

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Creating the AAUP with Henry Reichman 40:34

1M ago40:34

40:34

Brought to us, in part, by the race scientists References mentioned this episode: Henry Reichman. 2025. Understanding Academic Freedom, 2nd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press. J. McKeen Cattell. 1913. University Control. Joy Ann Williamson-Lott. 2018. Jim Crow Campus: Higher Education and the Struggle for a New Southern Social Order. Teachers …

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The future of university presses with Clara Totten 29:00

2M ago29:00

29:00

And how to approach an acquisitions editor References: Association of University Presses and #AskUp Steven L. Herman. 2024. Behind the White House Curtain. Kent State University Press. Madeleine L'Engle. 1980. A Swiftly Tilting Planet. J. R. R. Tolkien. The Hobit. Robert M. Veatch and Lainie F. Ross. 2016. Defining Death: The Case for Choice. Georg…

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Tuskegee and the Afterlives of the Plantation with Jarvis McInnis 50:19

2M ago50:19

50:19

Tuskegee, Alabama, the center of modernity in the Black Global South References and suggested readings: Jarvis McInnis. 2025. Afterlives of the Plantation: Plotting Agrarian Futures in the Global Black South. Columbia University Press. Zora Neale Hurston. Mules and Men. Zora Neale Herston. Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica. Jesmyn…

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Frank Meyer: campus communist to rightwing revolutionary with Daniel Flynn 38:14

2M ago38:14

38:14

From college radical to rightwing organizer, the 3-D life and education of The Man Who Invented Conservatism. References and suggested readings: Daniel J. Flynn. 2025. The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer. Encounter Books. P. G. Wodehouse books American Spectator, spectator.org Support the show Browse the American …

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Global attacks on academic freedom with Eve Darian-Smith 27:25

2M ago27:25

27:25

References mentioned this episode: Eve Darian-Smith. 2025. Policing Higher Education: The Antidemocratic Attack on Scholars and Why It Matters. Johns Hopkins University Press. OPEN ACCESS PDF Find out more about the Scholars at Risk network Support the show Browse the American Campus bookshelf at https://bookshop.org/lists/american-campus-podcast G…

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TurningPointUSA and the Professor Watchlist with Matthew Boedy 27:09

2M ago27:09

27:09

Are you on the Professor Watchlist? References mentioned this episode: Matthew Boedy. 2025. The Seven Mountains Mandate: Inside the Sweeping Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy. WJK Books. Janisse Ray. 2022. The Woods of Fannin County. Matthew Boedy on YouTube Matthew Boedy on Twitter AAUP guide: how to respond to Turning Point USA o…

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DEI win in Mississippi (and what you can do in your state) with James M. Thomas 28:24

2M ago28:24

28:24

A DEI victory Mississippi! Plus, JT Thomas explains what's wrong with Diversity, Inc. References and suggested readings: James M. Thomas. 2020. Diversity Regimes: Why Talk Is Not Enough to Fix Racial Inequality at Universities. Rutgers University Press. James M. Thomas. 2023. The Souls of Jewish Folks: W. E. B. Du Bois, Anti-Semitism, and the Color…

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DEI from the 90s to now with Nimisha Barton 49:49

2M ago49:49

49:49

From tolerance to land acknowledgements. References mentioned this episode: Nimisha Barton. 2024. A Just Future: Getting from Diversity and Inclusion to Equity and Justice in Higher Education. Cornell University Press. Nimisha Barton’s website James M. Thomas. 2020. Diversity Regimes: Why Talk is Not Enough to Fix Racial Inequality at Universities.…

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NYT discovers community colleges, UChicago discovers crypto losses with Marshall Steinbaum 20:05

2M ago20:05

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The Chicago boys would have loved digital assets. References and suggested readings: Alan Blinder and Steven Rich. August 25, 2025. The Typical College Student Is Not Who You Think. New York Times. (Strongly recommend reading the comments) Teddy Gania. March 19, 2025. UChicago Lost Money On Crypto, Then Froze Research When Federal Funding Was Cut. …

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A gender, queer, and trans history of the British university with Sam Rutherford 51:52

3M ago51:52

51:52

College, a nice time for nice ladies. References mentioned this episode: Samuel Rutherford. 2025. Teaching Gender: The British University and the Rise of Heterosexuality, 1860–1939. Oxford University Press. Sam’s website with a trans history reading list and a student handout for how to read in graduate level courses Emily Cousens. 2025. Virginia P…

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Before ChatGPT, there were MOOCs with Anne Trumbore 31:31

3M ago31:31

31:31

A human history of ed tech References mentioned this episode: Anne Trumbore. 2025. The Teacher in the Machine: A Human History of Education Technology. Princeton University Press. Anne Trumbore’s website Anne Trumbore’s LinkedIn Timothy Burke. August 7, 2025. Academia: GPT University. Eight by Seven. Han Kang. 2025. We Do Not Part. Hogarth. Transla…

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Developmental editing for scholarly writers with Laura Portwood-Stacer 18:41

3M ago18:41

18:41

On making our academic writing a little more reader friendly. References mentioned this episode: Laura Portwood-Stacer. 2025. Make Your Manuscript Work: A Guide to Developmental Editing for Scholarly Writers. Princeton University Press. Laura Portwood-Stacer. 2021. The Book Proposal Book: A Guide for Scholarly Authors. Princeton University Press. L…

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The neuroscientists who fled Nazi Germany with Frank Stahnisch 44:14

3M ago44:14

44:14

And, do US academics face a similar situation today? References mentioned this episode: Frank Stahnisch. 2025. Great Minds in Despair: The Forced Migration of German-Speaking Neuroscientists to North America, 1933 to 1989. McGill-Queen’s University Press. Susan E. Cayleff. 2016. Nature's Path: A History of Naturopathic Healing in America. Johns Hop…

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Revenge of Bob Jones U: Religious colleges and their tax exemptions with Adam Laats 26:40

3M ago26:40

26:40

We forgot to mention Bob Jones was the son of a Confederate veteran. References mentioned this episode: Adam Laats’s website Adam Laats. April 28, 2025. Trump Is Out for Revenge. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Jim Fraser. 2025. Religion and the American University. Johns Hopkins University Press. Support the show Browse the American Campus book…

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Eugenics and the creation of statistics with Akira O’Connor and Erin Robbins 17:05

3M ago17:05

17:05

On the creation of the statistical tests we often use in human behavioral research, especially in the fields of psychology, education, economics, and political science. References mentioned this episode: Akira O’Connor and Erin Robbins. 2024.Colonised Minds: Narratives that Shape Psychology. Sage. Akira O’Connor’s website: aoc.omg.lol Resources fro…

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The “rise and fall” of prison education with Reiko Hillyer 42:56

3M ago42:56

42:56

From Johnson’s Great Society to Clinton’s crime bill, Reiko Hillyer discusses the “rise and fall” of higher education in US prisons. Plus, she shares her experience as a professor who teaches in prisons. References mentioned this episode: Reiko Hillyer. 2024. A Wall is Just a Wall: The Permeability of the Prison in 20th Century America. Duke Univer…

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Angola prison: a college with Piper Hutchinson 20:15

3M ago20:15

20:15

Louisiana State Penitentiary, a former plantation known simply as “Angola," is a site of higher education. Journalist Piper Hutchinson explains. References mentioned this episode: Piper Hutchinson. May 2, 2025. “Guts, glory and opportunity on the outside.” Louisiana Illuminator. Piper Hutchinson’s Substack: Louisiana Higher Ed Weekly This is a craw…

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History of federal student loans with Elizabeth Tandy Shermer 49:16

3M ago49:16

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In 2025, 45 million Americans owe more than $1.7 trillion in college debt. Ellie Shermer explains: “the story of skyrocketing college debt is not merely one of good intentions gone wrong. In fact, the federal student loan program was never supposed to make college affordable.” References mentioned this episode: Elizabeth Tandy Shermer. 2021. Indent…

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Harvard Business School and the creation of the MBA with Erik Baker 18:17

4M ago18:17

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That degree. References mentioned this episode: Erik Baker. 2025. Make Your Own Job: The Entrepreneurial Work Ethic in Modern America. Harvard University Press. Erik Baker’s website Simon Callow’s Orson Welles series The Drift magazine Follow Erik on Twitter @erikmbaker and Bluesky @erikmbaker.bsky.social Support the show Browse the American Campus…

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Law and economics and the backlash to critical legal studies with David Austin Walsh 43:48

4M ago43:48

43:48

First, a continuation of the Chicago school of economics history (a nice follow up to last week’s episode on Charles Walgreen and UChicago), then David Austin Walsh explains the reactionary foundations of law and economics as backlash to the field of critical legal studies. References mentioned this episode: David Austin Walsh. 2024. Taking America…

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Charles Walgreen and the University of Chicago with Steven Melendez 22:51

4M ago22:51

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Professors teaching about communism and socialism? Un-American! Here’s some cash to make sure the university is preaching the supreme American virtue: capitalism. If you caught our joint episode with the In Bed with the Right podcast in May 2025, you heard me give the TLDR version of the story of pharmacy magnate Charles Walgreen and the University…

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Medieval hazing rituals with Hannah Skoda 25:06

4M ago25:06

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Freshman hazing, a time honored tradition of (at least) 1,500 years. References mentioned this episode: Hannah Skoda. 2025. Frying Pans, Limpets, Donkeys and Becs-jaunes: Thinking about Violence in Late Medieval Universities. Global Intellectual History. Hannah Skoda’s website Medieval Murder Maps Samantha Harvey. 2018. The Western Wind: A Novel. P…

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The Frankfurt School comes to the US with Jonathan Fine 27:20

4M ago27:20

27:20

From Kant to CRT via Columbia and UC Irvine. References mentioned this episode: The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism, 3rd edition. W. W. Norton. Miquel de Palol. 2023. The Garden of Seven Twilights. Translated by Adrian Nathan West. Dalkey Archive Press. PDF: Immanuel Kant. 1784. An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment? 1992 transl…

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The IQ test with Pepper Stetler 30:52

4M ago30:52

30:52

On the eugenics origins of the IQ test and why we're still using it in 2025. References mentioned this episode: Pepper Stetler. 2024. A Measure of Intelligence: One Mother's Reckoning with the IQ Test. Diversion Books. Pepper Stetler. May 8, 2025. Trumpian “Common Sense” and the History of IQ Tests. LA Review of Books. Michelle Adams. 2025. The Con…

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God and Man at Yale with Sam Tanenhaus 43:43

5M ago43:43

43:43

Sam Tanenhaus joins me for a deep dive into the college career of friend of the pod, William F. Buckley Jr., and his 1951 shot that fired the campus wars: God and Man at Yale: The Superstitions of "Academic Freedom." References mentioned this episode: Sam Tanenhaus. 2025. Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America. Penguin Random Hou…

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The academic spies of WWII with Elyse Graham 25:39

5M ago25:39

25:39

How does a librarian kill someone with a newspaper? This and other academic spycraft in Elyse Graham's Book and Dagger. References mentioned this episode: Elyse Graham. 2024. Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II. Harper Collins. Elyse Graham’s website Elyse Graham’s Bluesky Michelle Young. 2025. The…

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Richard T. Greener, Harvard's first Black graduate with Christian Anderson 17:35

5M ago17:35

17:35

Richard T. Greener was the first Black graduate of Harvard College in 1870. Greener went on to be a professor, lawyer, dean of Howard University law school, diplomat, and a celebrated intellectual of the Reconstruction era. Christian K. Anderson takes us through Greener's remarkable career in academia and international politics. Links to references…

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Resistance from the Right (joint episode with Against the Grain) 54:50

5M ago54:50

54:50

Check out my interview with Sasha Lilley for Against the Grain podcast. We talk about Resistance from the Right, which you can grab a copy of here. References mentioned this episode: Lauren Lassabe Shepherd. 2023. Resistance from the Right: Conservatives and the Campus Wars in Modern America. University of North Carolina Press. Support the show Bro…

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The student Old Left with Katherine Ballantyne 24:34

5M ago24:34

24:34

We're headed South with Kate Ballantyne to talk about the Old Left! Plus, Kate's tips for conducting archival research. To join the student activism researchers Google group, send me an email: [email protected]. References mentioned this episode: Katherine J. Ballantyne. 2024. Radical Volunteers: Dissent, Desegregation, and Student Power in Tennessee…

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Why does my campus have an ROTC? with Scott Harding, Charles Howlett, and Seth Kershner 33:14

5M ago33:14

33:14

From the conception of ROTC after the Spanish-American War, colleges and K12 schools have been central to US military recruitment efforts. Scott Harding, Charles Howlett, and Seth Kershner explain the history of school militarism, and how peace groups have tried to break the war habit in American education. References mentioned this episode: Scott …

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What colleges (don’t) do about sexual violence with Nicole Bedera 38:53

6M ago38:53

38:53

Is the Title IX process working as intended? Nicole Bedera tells us what's working, what isn't, and what we can do about it. References mentioned this episode: Nicole Bedera. 2024. On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Assault. University of California Press. Classroom resources to accompany On the …

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UVA vs. Carlisle vs. Hampton with Eve L. Ewing 35:51

6M ago35:51

35:51

On today’s episode, we’re covering the history and purposes of the first American research universities, Indian boarding schools, and Historically Black Colleges, all of which emerged at the same time in US history. References mentioned this episode: Eve L. Ewing. 2025. The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of America…

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Marx in the classroom from Reagan to 9/11 with Andrew Hartman 32:37

6M ago32:37

32:37

Within and beyond the academy, Karl Marx remains a specter who assumes quite different shapes from his friends and enemies. According to Andrew Hartman, Marx himself wouldn't recognize many of the various derivatives or criticisms of his work. Hartman guides us back into the late 20th century classroom to meet Marx's academic friends and enemies. R…

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The Trustees (joint episode with In Bed with the Right podcast) 50:20

6M ago50:20

50:20

It was my great pleasure to join friends of the pod, Moira Donegan and Adrian Daub (who you'll remember from our Cancel Culture Panic episode), for a deep dive into the history of the trustees. Be sure to check out and subscribe to their excellent podcast, In Bed with the Right. Follow along with IBWTR, Adrian, and Moira: Listen and subscribe to In…

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Whither the English degree? Major Trade-offs with Corey Moss-Pech 21:55

6M ago21:55

21:55

Believe it or not, an English degree is still worth pursuing in a capitalist economy, even if one is not independently wealthy! Of this we can be hopeful according to a new book called Major Trade-offs by Corey Moss-Pech. References mentioned this episode: Corey Moss-Pech. 2025. Major Trade-offs: The Surprising Truths about College Majors & Entry-L…

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Disability accommodations since Covid-19 with Jennifer Leigh 30:00

7M ago30:00

30:00

Jennifer Leigh discusses the academy's struggle to accommodate learners and workers with disabilities, mental health challenges, and neurodivergences--especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. We talk about how US ed-tech companies take advantage of disability and mental health accommodations to exploit student and faculty intellectual property. Refe…

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Why colleges have dormitories with Carla Yanni 18:56

7M ago18:56

18:56

The college dormitory is an American tradition, though it hasn’t always been necessary for education. Carla Yanni tells us why the dorm has become a feature of campus architecture since the 17th century. References mentioned this episode: Carla Yanni. 2019. Living on Campus: An Architectural History of the American Dormitory. University of Minnesot…