Humanities (Audio)

How do research communities contend with controversial science? J. Benjamin Hurlbut, Ph.D., Arizona State University, Alysson Muotri, Ph.D., UC San Diego, Matthew Porteus, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University, and Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna, M.D., Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, explore controversial case studies and the limitations of scientific deliberation/dissent/ambivalence. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 38729]

Composer and filmmaker Clarence Barlow joined moderator Peter Bloom (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Barlow’s pioneering work on composition and experimental film, including: Uccelli Ungheresi (1988), Kuri Suti Bekar (1998), Estudio Siete (1995/2015), )ertur( (2015), Evanescent Evidence (2021), and Zero Crossing (2001). Barlow shared insights on the development of his films and the importance and use of sound, particularly his unique approach to tonality and metricism. He also reflected on his long career and his fascination with mapping sound to visual media. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38717]

Twentieth-century fascism was a political ideology encompassing totalitarianism, state terrorism, imperialism, racism, and, in Germany’s case, the most radical genocide of the last century: the Holocaust. Historians of the Holocaust tend to reject the notion of fascism as a causal explanation for its origins. Conversely, scholars of fascism present the Shoah as a particular event that is not central to fascist historiography. In this lecture Federico Finchelstein examines the challenge the Holocaust presents to the transnational history of ideology and politics.

A leading contemporary authority on global fascism, Finchelstein is Professor of History at the New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College and Director of the Janey Program in Latin American Studies at NSSR. Series: "Library Channel" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38422]

Guests Trinankur Banerjee (Film & Media Studies, UCSB) and Bishnupriya Ghosh (Global Studies & English, UCSB) join moderator Bhaskar Sarkar (Film & Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Satyajit Ray’s The Hero (1966). Together, Ghosh, Sarkar and Banerjee discuss how The Hero became one of Ray’s most iconic films thanks in part to the star power of beloved screen couple Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore. They also consider how Ray deftly explores themes of stardom and celebrity in the contest of the Indian film industry. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38716]

Oscar-nominated and Grammy-awarded jazz trumpeter and film composer Terence Blanchard sits down with UC San Diego Music Professor Emeritus Cecil Lytle to talk about the world of music, from jazz to opera to composing for movies. He's won five Grammy awards and composed more than 40 film scores, from "Jungle Fever" in 1991 to the 2022 film "The Woman King." The New Orleans native served as artistic director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and premiered his first opera, Champion, in 2013. Series: "Helen Edison Lecture Series" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 38659]

Anthropogeny, has provided many new discoveries over the past decade, ranging from new fossil finds to ancient DNA data, including from extinct hominins. New methods and multi-disciplinary collaborations are providing exciting new insights into the complicated evolutionary journey that gave rise to our species. However, we remain far from understanding some of the most striking human-specific characteristics: the reasons for our bipedality, the factors selecting for our dexterity at creating and using tools, and the true age of fire use in our distant ancestors. This CARTA symposium features advisory committee members who highlight where they hope future efforts should be focused and what type of novel collaborations are most promising for improving our understanding of the human phenomenon. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 38305]

Guests Pujita Guha (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) and Bishnupriya Ghosh (Global Studies & English, UCSB) join moderator Bhaskar Sarkar (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Satyajit Ray’s The Golden Fortress (1974). Together, Guha, Ghosh, and Sarkar discuss the literary origins of Ray’s film, its popular appeal in the 1970s in India, and how it helps us to better understand Ray as a maker of popular genre film. They also discuss how Ray channeled influences from science fiction, detective fiction, travelogues, and other popular genres to create a distinctive and iconic body of cinematic work. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38715]

Director James Hayman joins moderator Patrice Petro, (Dick Wolf Director of the Carsey-Wolf Center) for a post-screening discussion of episode 51 of The Sopranos. Together, they explore how Hayman created a riveting, nuanced portrait of mafia and family life. Hayman offers insights into matching the darkly comedic style of the series, and how his education in film and media studies has shaped his work. He also addresses the relationship between cinematography, direction, and storytelling, and how these elements work together in the penultimate conclusion to season four. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38734]

Poet, novelist and Native American scholar N. Scott Momaday has spent decades bringing his culture and the landscape alive through his writing. He received a Pulitzer Prize for his first novel, "House Made of Dawn." His books include "The Way to Rainy Mountain," "In the Bear's House," "In the Presence of the Sun: Stories and Poems, 1961-1991," and "The Gourd Dancer." He is also the editor of various anthologies and collections centered on his Kiowa heritage. As part of the Writer's Symposium By the Sea, host Dean Nelson sat down with Momaday at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to talk about his life in literature. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38122]

Anthropogeny, has provided many new discoveries over the past decade, ranging from new fossil finds to ancient DNA data, including from extinct hominins. This CARTA symposium highlights where future efforts should be focused and what type of novel collaborations are most promising to improve our understanding of the human phenomenon. Evan Eichler talks about the discovery and resolution of genetic variation which is critical to understanding disease and evolution. The data suggests that large-scale genome structural variation continues to play a crucial role in the evolution of the human species.Daniel Geschwind discusses human cognition and how human brain evolution is particularly susceptible to disruption of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 38630]