Page Turners

In this Page Turner’s episode, we host J. Scott Lee and Randall Fowler to talk about their co-edited volume, Place in the Liberal Arts: An Interdisciplinary Introduction to Text and Topos.

J. Scott Lee is co-founder and the retired Executive Director of the Association for Core Texts and Courses. Randall Fowler is Assistant Professor of Political Rhetoric and Director of Undergraduate Research at Abilene Christian University.

Their co-edited book is part of a series from the Routledge Studies in Rhetoric and Communication. Additional chapters in the book are written by Greg A Camp, John T Moist, Matthew Post, and Richard Rawls. Our conversation, and the book more broadly, dives deep into liaisons between ancient rhetoric and dialectic and our contemporary moment, highlighting the crucial way that Core texts can make interventions in higher education in our increasingly technological world.

We had a few technical issues that made some of the first portion of our recording spotty, but please stick with us! Scott and Randall’s conversation was so valuable, we didn’t want to lose any of it, so please pardon the digital hiccups in roughly the first 15 minutes.

Show Notes:

Place in the Liberal Arts: An Interdisciplinary Introduction to Text and Topos: https://www.routledge.com/Place-in-the-Liberal-Arts-An-Interdisciplinary-Introduction-to-Text-and-Topos/Fowler-Lee/p/book/9781041249696

Randall Fowler, faculty page from Abilene Christian University: https://acu.edu/faculty/randall-fowler/

J. Scott Lee, Invention: The Art of Liberal Arts: https://respondeobooks.com/our-books/invention-by-j-scott-lee/

Additional notes:

Antón Barba-Kay, A Web of Our Own Making: The Nature of Digital Formation (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2023), https://www-cambridge-org.ezproxy.samford.edu/core/books/web-of-our-own-making/92F7F830EBEC409F05A526E64DDD1D9D

“AI wrote this editorial, and it argues that human journalists should keep their jobs,” Seattle Times, Sept. 22, 2023, https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/ai-wrote-this-editorial-and-it-argues-that-human-journalists-should-keep-their-jobs/

Greg Camp’s Scriptural Works Podcast: https://scripturalworks.com/

In this episode, our guest Christine Dunn Henderson, Associate Professor of Political Science at Singapore Management University, discusses Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. Christine is interviewed by Charlotte Thomas, the executive director of ACTC and Professor of Philosophy at Mercer University.

As long-time colleagues and friends, their conversation makes the discussion of de Tocqueville fun, lighthearted (although we do hit on some difficult topics), and accessible to audiences who have never read the book. You’ll hear why de Tocqueville remains relevant across the globe, and you’ll also hear some fantastic details about how the Liberty Fund bilingual edition of the book was translated.

Listen all the way through to our pop quiz segment for a pre-movie-release discussion of The Odyssey!

In this episode, we host three guests: John Coleman (Ave Maria University), Chris Edelman (University of the Incarnate Word), and Neil Robertson (University of King's College). These scholars will talk about religiosity across a number of texts by the sixteenth-century French thinker, Michel de Montaigne. Each of our guests will give an abbreviated version of their talks from the 2025 ACTC annual conference, followed by a conversation with all three guests.

Part of what we love at ACTC is the ability to debate on a topic in a lighthearted way that fully engages with the difficult questions embedded within core texts—and that’s precisely what you’ll hear in this episode!

ACTC’s 2026 annual conference theme was We Hold These Truths: Liberty, Equality, and Core Texts. It was held March 19 through 21 and hosted by Arizona State University’s (ASU) School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. In this episode, we host a number of conference speakers to give an overview of their presentations as a means of showcasing the diverse topics across the conference. Since ACTC presentations happen in seminar-style panels with shorter presentations and longer conversations thereafter, we also hear from presenters on the intriguing discussions that emerged in their panels. We will also learn a bit more about some of ACTC’s partners and sponsors who helped make the conference possible, while also doing fantastic work in liberal arts and civic education.

Speakers in this episode include Molly McGrath (Assumption University and ACTC President), Mary Elizabeth Halper (Hertog Foundation and St. John’s College), Chris Snyder (Mississippi State), Creighton Rosental (Mercer University and Managing Director of ACTC Liberal Arts Institute), Carol McNamara (Great Hearts Institute), Tom Cleveland (Jack Miller Center), Franklyn Wu (Dharma Realm Buddhist University), Veronica Bryant (American Council of Trustees and Alumni), Jay Lutz (Oglethorpe University), and Tuan Hoang (Pepperdine University).

Episode 2 of the podcast is on the value of teaching the writings of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, with special guests Bretton Rodriguez and Antony Lyon of University of California, San Diego’s Revelle College. Although the conversation is about her work broadly speaking, the episode dives a bit deeper into her response to the letter from Sor Filotea. We also have Franklyn Wu of Dharma Realm Buddhist University on the episode, to give an announcement about DRBU’s partnership with ACTC for a study abroad program in Taipei.

Episode one of the podcast is on James Baldwin's short story, "Sonny's Blues," with special guests Michele Rozga and Page Laws. Michele will give a short talk on the story, followed by a Q&A session with her and Page. Before their talk, you'll also hear more about the podcast and our Substack, along with a special student segment outlining what undergraduate students are reading lately in their core courses. We wrap up with the podcast with our "Pop Quiz" segment, where you can hear Page and Michele answer a few impromptu questions about their favorite books and speakers.

Theme Song: TaigaSoundProd. "New Academic Year." Adobe Stock.

Welcome to Page Turners, a podcast from the Association of Core Texts and Courses (ACTC), where we explore the texts that have shaped ideas, cultures, and conversations throughout history. 

In each episode, we’ll host scholars from around the globe as we dive into the “what,” “how,” and “why” of reading and teaching Core Texts.

Listen to our trailer and stay tuned for new episodes, coming soon!