Alexander Schmid Podcast

In this episode of Consilience Conversations, Dr. Matt Roos and I consider (a) Chapter 3 of Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff's "The Coddling of the American Mind," "Us vs. Them". We then consider (b) the Stanley Milgram experiments as well as the Robbers Cave ones, (c) make a classical connection to "Us vs. Them" thinking in Homer's "Iliad", and (d) consider the neuroscientific/psychological roots of Identity Politics.

In this episode of Night School, Mr. Wes Schantz and I discuss "Song of Myself" parts 8-10. We consider (a) the ethereal aspect of the potentially divine narrator, (b) the contrasts between ways of being, the city and country, and (c) conclude with an episodic look at a free America just as much an idea as a reality during Whitman's time.

In this episode of Potter's Pockets, Ms. Sarah Miller​ and Mr. Wes Schantz​ and I discuss (a) the mounting darkness and injustices in Harry's life; (b) parallels between Snape and Lupin, and what a werewolf could be; (c) and what could the symbol of the Marauder's Map mean?

In this episode of Night School, Mr. Wes Schantz and I tackles parts 5-7 in Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself". We consider (a) how and when to use a dictionary and differing approaches to reading poetry; (b) what the relationship between man and the divine, and being and divinity in the poem; and (c) what the fundamental relationship between "being" and "object/thing" is.

In this episode of Side Quests, Mr. Wes Schantz and I discuss (a) the poverty of Corel and opulence of The Gold Saucer; (b) the underworld/hell motif in the "desert prison" beneath the Gold Saucer; and (c) how the development of the personality is mirrored in the development of one's character in an RPG video game.

In this dialog from Night School, Mr. Wesley Schantz and I celebrate and analyze the American Poet Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself". We consider (a) his connection to the epic tradition of Virgil, Dante, and Homer, his (b) commitment to naturalism but also religious language, and (c) the tension between his "being-in-the-now" and his awareness of his being.

In this episode of Potter's Pockets, Ms. Sarah Miller and Mr. Wesley Schantz and I discuss (a) our first Divination class, and our impressions of the oft misunderstood art of reading the signs, (b) the purpose of education: practical or theoretical (/useless), and (c) what shape would the boggart take for us, and how would we ridicule it?!

In this final dialog on Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven", Mr. Wes Schantz and I consider the final twelve stanzas, two at a time. We consider the emerging (a) Christian imagery, (b) the language of unconscious thought, and the power of affective language, and (c) we conclude with a question about what the narrator has learned, and what have we?

In this episode, Mr. Wesley Schantz and I give a close reading (stanza by stanza) of the first six stanzas of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." A strong focus is given to (a) the words used and tone taken by the narrator, (b) clues to the narrative structure of consciousness which Poe gives us, and (c) multiple interpretations on who or what Lenore and the narrator could be.

In this episode of Side Quests, Mr. Wesley Schantz and I consider (a) the idiosyncrasies of each character and how a hero must differentiate and identify with/from his culture all at once; (b) we considered the figures of the feminine and masculine in the most recent boss battle with Jenova/Sephiroth, and (c) we concluded with an analysis of the archetypal imagery behind Summons materia.