Stanford history professor Priya Satia discusses how war, imperialism, and Britian's thriving gun trade acted as the real engine of the Industrial Revolution.

Randall Stephens, professor of history and American studies, traces the history of Christian rock from its beginning as "the devil's music" to a billion dollar industry.

Joseph Crespino, the Jimmy Carter Professor of History at Emory University, traces the origins and evolution of Atticus Finch, the iconic patriarch from Harper Lee's seminal novel.

Marcus Smith visits with a literature expert to explore the phenomenon of reading aloud as a social activity in the eighteenth-century home.

Sociologist Neda Maghbouleh joins the show to discuss her research into how second-generation Iranian Americans navigate the paradox between being legally classified as white and socially perceived as nonwhite.

Americans love a good pageant, or at least we used to. Just how pertinent are these pageants today? From the first Thanksgiving to the Super Bowl half-time show, we enjoy large, grand, celebratory events. We're discussing the history behind our proclivity for pageantry with Megan Sanborn-Jones, coordinator fornbsp; Theatre Arts studies program.

Marcus Smith and Ed Cutler discuss Walt Whitman's commitment to America, his love for the self, and its connection to others.

Political scientist Jeremy Teigen explores the history of military service and the U.S. presidency and discusses how the status of being a veteran has helped or hindered presidential hopefuls.

The Virgina Company. The Fourteenth Amendment. Dodge v Ford Motor Co. Ralph Nader. Mitt Romney. UCLA law professor Adam Winkler talks through the characters and cases that helped business corporations gain rights under the Constitution.

British archaeologist Alexander Langlands joins the show to talk about his new book, "Craeft: An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Craft."