Fordham Conversations

After hours of interviews and soul-searching questions, over a dozen courageous people were able to share their stories of overcoming homelessness and other trauma for the book "Sacred Shelter: Thirteen Journeys of Homelessness and Healing." Robin Shannon, host of Fordham Conversations, was joined by three women who helped make this book happen. Deborah Canty and Sophia Worrell were once homeless in New York. They survived sexual abuse and domestic violence, and went on to graduate from a life-skills program and now use their stories to inspire others. Susan Greenfield, Ph.D., professor of English at Fordham University, served as the book's editor. 

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon discusses  depression and visually impaired older adults with Dr. Amy Horowitz, a professor of social work at Fordham University.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks Elyn Saks.  The esteemed University of Southern California Law Professor discusses how she became an Ivy League grad, legal scholar, endowed professor all while coping with schizophrenia. Dr. Saks also discusses the book she co-authored called “Informed Consent to Psychoanalysis: The Law, the Theory and the Data.” It examines informed consent to psychoanalysis and is currently out by Fordham Press.

Fordham University's annual Women's Philanthropy Summit hosted hundreds of alumni, students and faculty to network and reflect on work and the power of giving. Keynote speaker Kirsten Swinth, an associate professor of history and American studies at Fordham University, discussed societal challenges for women. She also discussed her book, "Feminism's Forgotten Fight: The Unfinished Struggle for Work and Family." Fordham Conversations offers an abridged version of Professor Swinth's speech.

There are breakthroughs in science that make it easier for those who can’t become parents to do so. But it’s also raising complex questions for women in India who become surrogates for families in America. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Dr. Daisy Deomampo. The Fordham University Assistant Professor discusses her research and book “Transnational Reproduction: Race, Kinship, and Commercial Surrogacy in India.”

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon discusses the evolution of rock and rap and the influence that young New York City kids, who helped create the music, have had on American culture. Dr. Mark Naison is Professor of History and African American Studies at Fordham University.  He created the class “From Rock and Roll to Hip Hop: Urban Youth Cultures in Post War America.” His plan is to encourage partnerships with Bronx schools relating to the course

The on-line video game Fortnite has exploded in popularity. But what lessons does it teach American children?

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Nicholas Tampio. The tenured associate professor of Social Science at Fordham University wrote the article “Fortnite could be teaching us the wrong lessons about how to be good citizens.”

The 60's original soundtrack Star Trek describes space as the final
frontier. But Dr. Kirk Bingaman says there is another frontier we are only beginning to understand: our inner space.

Fordham Conversations host Robin Shannon talks to the Associate
Professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Religion and
Religious Education. Dr. Kirk Bingaman authored "The Power of Neuroplasticity for Pastoral and Spiritual Care." His research has led him to understand how mindful meditation and prayer can help us manage our negative thoughts and actually change the neurological makeup of our brains.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a prominent cultural attraction known for its grand architecture; however, it has a rich musical history that is no as prominent.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon revisits a conversation with Salvatore Basile about his book Fifth Avenue Famous: The Extraordinary Story of Music at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Then, WFUV’s Kacie Candela talks with Monsignor Donald Sakano, Pastor of the Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral. They discuss Archbishop John Hughes who, in the19th-century, laid the cornerstone of St. Patrick's Cathedral, founded Fordham University, and earned the nickname, "Dagger John"