On this episode of Afraid to Ask we’re talking to AUT Culture and Society Professor Nigel Hemmington, International Operations Manager Joanne Chrystal, and Vietnamese AUT business student Quynh Nguyen about international students, and why we need their opinions, influences and perspectives to advance the society of New Zealand.

Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to submit your question at #askAUT

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In today's tumultuous political climate, it can be hard to distinguish between free speech and hate speech. To clear things up, we had a chat to AUT Professor of History, Paul Moon and Professor of Law, Kris Gledhill about what we can and cannot say.

Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to submit your question at #askAUT

Music: Go Cart - Loop Mix Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses

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While Diwali is a sacred cultural festival for many, for others it seems to just be an excuse to party. Has the significance of the holiday been lost in its commercialisation?

Today on Afraid to Ask we're talking with AUT Event Management programme leader Dr Alison Booth and Balamohan Shingade from AUT’s School of Art and Design about the festival of lights and the consequences of festivalisation.

Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to submit your question at #askAUT

Music: Go Cart - Loop Mix Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses

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With society becoming more diverse, learning a second language could one day become a necessity. Today on Afraid to Ask, we're chatting with AUT Language and Culture Associate Professor Sharon Harvey and Senior Lecturer in Economics Dr. Rahul Sen about other languages outside of English, and the world of opportunities that can open up when you can speak more than one.

Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to submit your question at #askAUT

Music: Go Cart - Loop Mix Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses

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Does every vote actually count? AUT Lecturer and expert in constitutional law Leonid Sirota doesn't think so, and on this episode of Afraid to Ask, we delve right into his relatively unpopular opinion when it comes to election season.

Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to submit your question at #askAUT

Music: Go Cart - Loop Mix Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses

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Desks or beanbags? Uniform structure or room to move freely? Today we're talking with Dr Rachel Morrison and Dr Leon Benade about modern learning environments, and whether or not they achieve their goal or simply create more problems.

You can read more about Dr Rachel Morrison’s research into the dark side of open plan offices here: Get out of my face! We’re more antisocial in a shared office space https://theconversation.com/get-out-of-my-face-were-more-antisocial-in-a-shared-office-space-64734
Leon Barnade has written about open plan classroom spaces – the modern learning environment – on his blog: https://criticaleducatorblog.wordpress.com/

Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to submit your question at #askAUT

Music: Go Cart - Loop Mix Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses

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We're once again tackling a touchy subject on Afraid to Ask: The gender wage gap. What is it? Why is does it exist? Does it EVEN exist? To answer our questions we talk to AUT senior lecturers Dr Katherine Ravenswood and Dr Julie Douglas.

Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to submit your question at #askAUT

Music: Go Cart - Loop Mix Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses

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It seems like an obvious question, and one which should have probably been answered by now, but finding a cure for cancer is not as simple as it sounds. This week we talked to AUT Professor and Chief Executive Officer of KODE Biotech Steve Henry about the disease, and why after all these years, scientists are still unable to get rid of it completely.

Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to submit your question at #askAUT

Music: Go Cart - Loop Mix Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses

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In an age where everyone on the internet has a voice, it can be hard knowing who to believe. This week, we sat down with Greg Treadwell, AUT Senior Lecturer in Journalism, and discussed FAKE NEWS; What is it? Why does it happen? And how can we stop it?

Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to submit your question at #askAUT

Music: Go Cart - Loop Mix Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses

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We've asked some pretty important and controversial questions on Afraid to Ask, but today we're truly breaking new ground, as we once again talk to Adjunct Professor Sharad Paul and ask him about the hidden truths and industry secrets of the skin care industry.

Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to submit your question at #askAUT

Music: Go Cart - Loop Mix Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses

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