The Scholars' Circle

First, what are the life chances of children of incarcerated parents? [ dur: 9 mins. ]

* Christopher Wildeman is an Associate Professor of Sociology, a faculty fellow at the Center for Research on Inequalities and the Life Course (CIQLE), and a faculty fellow at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS) at Yale University. He is the co-author of Children of the Prison Boom: Mass Incarceration and the Future of American Inequality.

Then, how much does the president truly matter for the direction of the United States and for the rest of the world. [ dur: 47 mins. ]

* William F. Grover is Professor of Political Science at Saint Michael's College in Vermont. He is the author of The President as Prisoner: A Structural Critique of the Carter and Reagan Years, co-editor of Voices of Dissent: Critical Readings in American Politics, and The Unsustainable Presidency: Clinton, Bush, Obama and Beyond.

* Joseph G. Peschek is Professor of Political Science at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of Policy-Planning Organizations: Elite Agendas and America's Rightward Turn, co-editor of Voices of Dissent: Critical Readings in American Politics, and The Unsustainable Presidency: Clinton, Bush, Obama and Beyond.

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This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

First, sanitation and antibiotics have saved the lives of many, but are they also the culprits behind some of modern diseases? We might have gone overboard in killing our microbes. And that may be causing some of today's epidemics. Martin I. Blaser is Professor of Translational Medicine and Director of Human Microbiome Program at New York University. He is the author of Missing Microbes : How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues. [ dur: 21 mins. ]

* Martin I. Blaser is Professor of Translational Medicine and Director of Human Microbiome Program at New York University. He is the author of Missing Microbes : How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues.

Then, scientists say we still have time to address climate change and we've made headway, but we still have a long way to go. We speak with renowned climate scientist Michael Mann. [ dur: 37mins. ]

* Professor Michael Mann is a climatologist and a geophysicist. He's the director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University. He was one of the lead authors of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC. He is the author of The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial Is Threatening Our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy.

Find books authored by our guest scholars on this Book Shelf .

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

First, we continue our conversation with preeminent psychology scholar Ervin Staub. Last week we discussed how to build peaceful societies, particularly when some groups have been traumatized by violence, war or genocide ( Part 1 ). Erwin Staub's latest book is The Roots of Goodness and Resistance to Evil. This is part two of our discussion.

* Ervin Staub is a Professor of Psychology Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Founding Director of its ​Ph.D. concentration in the Psychology of Peace and Violence.

Then, what is race? How is it distinct from ethnicity? And what do they mean for politics and society?

* David Livingstone Smith is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of New England. He is the author of Less Than Human: Why we Demean, Enslave and Exterminate Others and The Most Dangerous Animal: Human Nature and the Origins of War.

* Garrett Albert Duncan is Associate Professor of Education in Arts & Sciences. He also teaches African & African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. His publications are listed here.

Find books authored by our guest scholars on this Book Shelf .

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

First, a look inside the arms trade and its effects on politics and society.[ dur: 33mins. ]

* Suzette Grillot is a Professor of International Studies at University of Oklahoma. She is the co-author of the book The International Arms Trade.

Then, we speak with Erwin Staub about his latest book, The ​R​oots of ​G​ood​nes​s​ and ​R​e​s​ist​ance to ​Evil: Inclusive ​C​aring, ​M​oral ​C​ou​r​age, ​Altruism ​B​o​r​n of ​S​uffering, ​A​c​t​I've ​B​ystandership and ​H​e​r​oism. [ dur: 25 mins. ]

* Ervin Staub is a Professor of Psychology Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Founding Director of its ​Ph.D. concentration in the Psychology of Peace and Violence.

Find books authored by our guest scholars on this Book Shelf .

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

First, scientists have made fascinating discoveries on how animals communicate. Birdsongs are more than music; they are warnings of danger understood by many species. [ dur: 30 mins. ]

* Erick Greene, Professor of Biological Sciences at University of Montana. He has published numerous papers in ornithology, the latest in collaboration with the Cornell labs of Ornithology

Then, companies like Uber, Google and AirBnb claim to be civil rights leaders, but they are introducing a new form of corporate lawlessness? [ dur: 28 mins. ]

* Siva Vaidhyanathan, Professor of Media Studies at University of Virginia. Author of "The Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry)". His articles at Slate can be found here. He co-authored an opinion piece on Guardian UK newspaper with Frank Pasquale ( author of Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms that Control Money and Information (Harvard University Press, 2015) Uber and the lawlessness of 'sharing economy' corporates

Find books authored by our guest scholars on this Book Shelf .

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

A new study suggests that the powerful feel less empathy. Does it have implications for society? [ dur: 18 mins. ]

* Michael Inzlicht is Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto. He is co-author of Stereotype Threat: Theory, Process, and Application and co-author of the article Power Changes How the Brain Responds to Others

Then, on the Scholars' Circle panel, while advances in neuroscience are making great leaps in understanding humanity, scholars and doctors disagree on what neuroscience does and does not tell us about what it means to be human. Are we our brains? Do we have free will? How far can neuroscience take us? [ dur: 40 mins. ]

* Dr. Sally Satel is lecturer at Yale University, a resident scholar at AEI and the staff psychiatrist at a methadone clinic. She is co-author of One Nation Under Therapy: How the Helping Culture Is Eroding Self-Reliance and Brainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience.

* Patricia S. Churchland is Professor Emerita of Philosophy at the University of California, San Diego. In 1991, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. Her books include Brain-Wise: Studies in Neurophilosophy, Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality, and Touching a Nerve: The Self as Brain.

Find books authored by our guest scholars on this Book Shelf .

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

First, is humanity the most damaging predator on earth? Our guests say yes, and that its predatory practices may be disrupting evolution.[ dur: 23 mins. ]

* Chris Darimont, is a Professor at the Department of Geography at University of Victoria, Victoria, BC. He has a PhD in Evolution and Ecology from the Biology Department at the University of Victoria.

* Dr. Tom Reimchen, is a Professor at the Department of Geography at University of Victoria, Victoria, BC. Canada. Please visit the Evolutionary Studies Lab at University of Victoria, Victoria BC, Canada where you will find additional studies on this subject.

* Heather Bryan, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Applied Conservation Science lab exploring the physiological mechanisms by which wildlife responds to environmental change at University of Victoria BC, Canada.

Then, on the Scholars' Circle panel, many observers argue, that the economic forces are corrupting medical care and eroding the trust between patients and their doctors. The problems in health care delivery have wide implications related to how health care should function particularly when there are limited resources. We examine the ethics of medicine and healthcare, and the modern day issues that complicate them. [ dur: 37 mins. ]

* Thomas Pogge is the Director of the Global Justice Program and Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs at Yale University and King's College. His books include World Poverty and Human Rights, Freedom from Poverty: Who Owes What to the Very Poor? and World Poverty and Human Rights: Cosmopolitan Responsibilities and Reforms.

* Martin Wilkinson is Professor of Political Studies and Deputy Head of Department of Politics & International Relns at the University of Auckland. His books include Freedom, Efficiency and Equality and Ethics and the Acquisition of Organs.

* Richard Cookson is a Reader and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York. His books include The Humble Economist: Tony Culyer on Health, Health Care and Social Decision Making and Jonathan Bradshaw on Social Policy: Selected Writings 1972-2011.

Find books authored by our guest scholars on this Book Shelf .

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

First, a new study suggests that ritual human sacrifice played a critical role in creating and maintaining social hierarchy.[ dur: 28 mins. ]

* Quentin Atkinson is Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He is the co-author of the study Ritual human sacrifice promoted and sustained the evolution of stratified societies, Nature (2016).

Then, on the Scholars' Circle panel, we look at the politics of emotions. How do emotions drive outcomes like ethnic violence, wars and genocide? What roles to fear, anger, resentment and entitlement play in conflict?[ dur: 30 mins. ]

* Roger Petersen is a Professor of Political Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is the author of "Resistance and Rebellion: Lessons from Eastern Europe", "Understanding Ethnic Violence: Fear, Hatred, Resentment in Twentieth Century Eastern Europe", and "Western Intervention in the Balkans: The Strategic Use of Emotion in Conflict".

* David Altheide is Emeritus Regents' Professor in the School of Justice and Social Inquiry at Arizona State University. He is the author of "Terrorism and the Politics of Fear", "Creating Fear: News and the Construction of Crisis", and "An Ecology of Communication: Cultural Formats of Control."

* Jeff Birkenstein is an Associate Professor in, and chair of, the Department of English at Saint Martin's University. He is the author of "Reframing 9/11: Film, Popular Culture and the War on Terror".

Find books authored by our guest scholars on this Book Shelf .

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

America has entered an age of excess, according to our guest. Driven by a maddening quest for perfection, technology, deregulation, and a superficial and often inaccurate mass media, our national psychology has become narcissistic. That is leading to a culture of cheating, lying, and reckless behavior that crashed the economy and continues to wreck lives and the national fabric. We examine our national psychology with J.R. Slosar author of, "Culture of Excess: How America Lost Self Control and Why We Need to Redefine Success." [ dur: 18 mins. ]

* Dr. Jay Slosar (JR Slosar) is a lecturer at Chapman Univeristy. He is the author of "Culture of Excess: How America Lost Self Control and Why We Need to Redefine Success."

Then, on the Scholars' Circle panel, why some misdeeds become scandals and others don't? Why is it that the same type of transgressions are treated differently at different times, and might this differential treatment affect our politics, policies and society? [ dur: 41 mins. ]

* Robert Entman is Professor of Media and Public Affairs and Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University and the author of Scandal & Silence: Media Responses to Presidential Misconduct, Projections of Power: Framing News, Public Opinion and US Foreign Policy, and The Black Image in the White Mind: Media and Race in America.

* Brendan Nyhan is Professor of Government at Dartmouth College and co-author of All the President’s Spin: George W. Bush, the Media, and the Truth.

* Sigurd Allern is a Professor at the Department of Media and Communication at the University of Oslo. He is the author of Scandalous!: The Mediated Construction of Political Scandals in Four Nordic Countries.

Find books authored by our guest scholars on this Book Shelf .

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

First, we look at media freedom and its effects. What is media freedom? How do you know when it's there? We speak with Jenifer Whitten-Woodring and Douglas A. Van Belle co-authors of "Historical Guide to World Media Freedom". [ dur: 28 mins. ]

* Jennifer Whitten-Woodring is a Professor of Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

* Douglas A. Van Belle is a Senior Lecturer in the School of English, Film, Theatre and Media Studies at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand.

Followed by what do dictators, CEOs, and political leaders have in common? We'll explore some of their strategies for getting and keeping power with Alastair Smith, coauthor of, "The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior Is Almost Always Good Politics." [ dur: 30 mins. ]

* Alastair Smith, Professor of Politics, NYU. He has also co-authored the book "The Logic of Political Survival".

Find books authored by our guest scholars on this Book Shelf .

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.