In the last episode of Season 7, Liba Taub introduces the science of ancient Greece and Rome and details the link between poetry, philosophy, and science.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/VSI-Ep-79-Ancient-Greek-and-Roman-Science-transcript.pdf

Learn more about Ancient Greek and Roman Science: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/ancient-greek-and-roman-science-a-very-short-introduction-9780198736998

Liba Taub is Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, in the Department of the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, and Director and Curator of the Whipple Museum of the History of Science.

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In this episode, David A. Bell introduces Napoleon Bonaparte and his revolutionary life and career.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/VSI-Ep-78-Napoleon-transcript.pdf

Learn more about “Napoleon: A Very Short Introduction” here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/napoleon-a-very-short-introduction-9780199321667

David A. Bell is the Sidney and Ruth Lapidus Professor in the Department of History at Princeton. He is the author of seven books, including the prize-winning The First Total War (2007), and, most recently, Men on Horseback (2020).

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In this episode, Ross H. McKenzie introduces condensed matter physics, the field which aims to explain how states of matter and their distinct physical properties emerge.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/VSI-Ep-77-Condensed-Matter-Physics-transcript.pdf

Learn more about “Condensed Matter Physics: A Very Short Introduction” here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/condensed-matter-physics-a-very-short-introduction-9780198845423

Ross H. McKenzie is an Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. His research in condensed matter physics focuses on using quantum theory to understand complex materials, ranging from organic superconductors to fluorescent proteins.

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In this episode, Naomi Zack introduces democracy and the challenges posed against such a foundational part of our lives in the 21st century.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/VSI-Ep-76-Democracy-transcript.pdf

Learn more about “Democracy: A Very Short Introduction” here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/democracy-a-very-short-introduction-9780192845061

Naomi Zack is Professor of Philosophy at Lehman College, CUNY. Her recent books include The American Tragedy of COVID-19: Social and Political Crises of 2020 (2021) and Progressive Anonymity: From Identity Politics to Evidence-Based Government (2020).

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the next episode of The Very Short Introductions Podcast will premiere on Thursday, 30 November 2023.

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In this episode, Lyman Tower Sargent introduces utopianism, an idea that is commonplace in our society and has shaped our politics, literature, and religion.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/VSI-Ep-75-Utopianism-transcript.pdf

Learn more about “Utopianism: A Very Short Introduction” here:

Lyman Tower Sargent is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is the primary bibliographer in the field of utopian literature and was the recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Society for Utopian Studies.

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In this episode, Elleke Boehmer introduces the world-renowned figure of Nelson Mandela and looks critically at his legacy.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/VSI-Ep-74-Nelson-Mandela-transcript.pdf

Learn more about Nelson Mandela: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/nelson-mandela-a-very-short-introduction-9780192803016

Elleke Boehmer is Professor of World English at the University of Oxford and Director of the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing at Wolfson College. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, UK.

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In this episode, David Sterritt introduces the Beats, the generation of writers in the 1950s and 1960s who broke taboos and countered conservative culture to change American literature.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/VSI-Ep-73-The-Beats-transcript.pdf

Learn more about The Beats: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-beats-a-very-short-introduction-9780199796779

David Sterritt is Professor Emeritus of Theatre and Film at Long Island University and Editor-in-Chief of the Quarterly Review of Film and Video. He is also the former Chair of the National Society of Film Critics.

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In this episode, Jolyon Mitchell introduces martyrdom and explores why we view historical martyrdom differently than acts of martyrdom in today’s world.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/VSI-Ep-72-Martyrdom-transcript.pdf

Learn more about Martyrdom: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/martyrdom-a-very-short-introduction-9780199585236

Jolyon Mitchell is Principal of St John’s College, Durham University and a Professor specialising in Religion, Violence and Peacebuilding. He is author or editor of many books, articles, and essays, including War and Religion: A Very Short Introduction.

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In the first episode of Season 7, David Weir introduces what we mean when we refer to the “bohemian” lifestyle and culture, and the way it has influenced spheres such as literature and cinema.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/VSI-Ep-71-Bohemians-transcript.pdf

Learn more about Bohemians: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/bohemians-a-very-short-introduction-9780197538296

David Weir is Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at Cooper Union in New York City. He has published ten books, including Decadence: A Very Short Introduction.

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In the last episode of Season 6, Alan Tansman introduces Japanese literature, a canon that stretches back 1500 years, and includes writers such as Murasaki Shikibu and Haruki Murakami.

Learn more about Japanese Literature: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/japanese-literature-a-very-short-introduction-9780199765256

Alan Tansman is Professor and Louis B. Agassiz Chair in Japanese at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of The Writings of Kôda Aya, The Aesthetics of Japanese Fascism, and The Culture of Japanese Fascism, and coeditor of Studies in Modern Japanese Literature.

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