Humanities (Audio)

LADAMA is a group of four women, virtuosic musicians, and educators— Lara Klaus, Daniela Serna, Mafer Bandola and Sara Lucas— from different countries and cultures of the Americas, who are sisters in song, rhythm and spirit. Harnessing music from their respective countries of origin, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and the United States, the group utilizes traditional and non-traditional instruments from across the Americas, but with a modern twist to produce Latin Alternative music. Series: "Critically Human" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 38293]

Adapted from the 1998 short story “Story of Your Life” by acclaimed science fiction author Ted Chiang, “Arrival” (2016) centers on communicating with tentacular alien visitors, whose language changes one’s experience of time. Introspective and immersive, “Arrival” imagines a fantastical calligraphy alongside questions of alienation, race, and motherhood. Professor Jennifer Rhee joins Melody Jue to discuss the film and explore the dynamics of free will, determinism, disorientation, communication, language, and temporal nonlinearity, as well as the similarities and differences between the film and the original short story. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38161]

Paul Espinosa, an award-winning filmmaker and producer, is the President/CEO of Espinosa Productions, specializing in films focused on the U.S.-Mexico border region. He has been involved with producing films for over 35 years and is professor emeritus in the School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University. He has worked with public television stations in San Diego and Dallas as a Senior Producer and Executive Producer and has produced, directed, written and hosted numerous programs for PBS. Espinosa received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in Anthropology. Series: "Critically Human" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 38288]

In this program, UC Santa Barbara Professor of Religion and Literature, Philosophy of Religion and History of Judaism Sarah Hammerschlag discusses Emmanuel Levinas’ Talmudic Lectures. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38311]

Writer/director Oualid Mouaness discusses his film 1982 with moderator Paul Amar (Global Studies, UCSB). Mouaness details the development of the film and the importance of depicting an honest representation of the war in Lebanon, especially as a means to bridge gaps between older and younger generations. He explains the significance of telling 1982’s story through a child’s perspective and the unique point-of-view they have in experiencing war and history. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38159]

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars have risen like a phoenix from the ashes of war and enflamed the passion of fans across the globe with their uplifting songs of hope, faith and joy. From their humble beginnings in West African refugee camps, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars have performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages and matured into one of Africa’s top touring and recording bands. Series: "Critically Human" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 38277]

This CARTA public symposia addresses specific examples of how humans have drastically altered the planet. Acknowledged experts discuss clearly defined global-scale negative impacts on planet earth, our life support system (other than climate change, population growth and infectious diseases, which are well-known). Each talk succinctly describes a specific impact, the role that our species has played, and concludes with ongoing or potential approaches to mitigation. In the process, we come full circle to Anthropogeny, asking how a single species could have evolved the ability to so drastically alter the entire planet. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 38009]

Acclaimed co-writer/director Abderrahmane Sissako discusses his film Timbuktu with moderators Richard Watts and Peter Bloom. Sissako details the development of the script and its connection to real-world news stories from Mali. He also recalls the political and logistical challenges during the film production. Watts and Bloom discuss the poetic qualities of the film, and in his own words, Sissako describes his artistic objectives with landscape and setting. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38160]

LADAMA is a group of four women, virtuosic musicians, and educators— Lara Klaus, Daniela Serna, Mafer Bandola and Sara Lucas— from different countries and cultures of the Americas, who are sisters in song, rhythm and spirit. Harnessing music from their respective countries of origin — Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and the United States — the group uses traditional and nontraditional instruments from across the Americas, but with a modern twist to produce Latin Alternative music. Series: "Critically Human" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 38276]

In this program, Yvette Flores, professor of psychology at UC Davis, discusses how to cope during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, especially social stress and the impact of it on disadvantaged and marginalized groups. Series: "Critically Human" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 37074]