University of California Audio Podcasts (Audio)

Lester Friedman, Professor of Media and Society at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, joins moderator Patrice Petro in a Q&A discussion of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (1974). They cover the production, style, and influences at work in Brooks’ adaptation. Part of the Frankenstein: Afterlives series, this Q&A emphasizes the ways Brook’s film references James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931) and Mary Shelley's original novel. Young Frankenstein is faithful to the form and production technology of Whale’s version, while seeking to return more closely to the themes developed by Shelly’s original work. Friedman discusses the way Brooks’ adaptation, through comedy, returns to questions of science, ethics, and sexuality in ways that reference Shelly but update them for 1970s audiences—speaking to the politics of marginality and social change. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Show ID: 34295]

Marsha Kinder, Professor of Cinematic Arts at USC, joins moderator Cristina Venegas, Professor of Film and Media Studies at UCSB, for a discussion of Víctor Erice’s 1973 directorial debut, The Spirit of the Beehive (El espíritu de la colmena). Their conversation addresses the significance of Spirit of the Beehive in terms of the history of Spanish cinema, and particularly its production at the end of the Franco Era in Spain and its setting at the end of the Spanish Civil War. Part of the Carsey-Wolf Center’s Frankenstein: Afterlives series, Kinder also addresses the significance of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as an influence for the film, as well as Whale’s 1931 film Frankenstein, which appears and motivates characters in Erice’s Film. This discussion situates Spirit of the Beehive in the history of Spanish dictatorship and as an allegory for life under fascism.

Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Show ID: 34296]

Harry Kreisler welcomes former Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm for a discussion of lessons learned from her political career. She recalls her formative experiences, analyzes the essential qualities of leadership, and recounts the cascade of crises she confronted as a governor because of the failure of Michigan to recognize and adapt to challenges posed by international economic competitiveness and technological innovation. Leading at a time of structural manufacturing decline, she had to navigate transition to a new economy. Granholm concludes with an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the two parties in meeting these challenges. Series: "Conversations with History" [Show ID: 34345]

In the opening conversation within the Carsey-Wolf Center’s Frankenstein: Afterlives film series, CWC director Patrice Petro and English professor Julie Carlson (UC Santa Barbara) discuss the life of Mary Shelley and the representation of her views and career in director Haifaa Al-Mansour’s new biopic, Mary Shelley. During the discussion, professors Petro and Carlson cover the film’s feminist elements and the historical connections Mary Shelley had with literature, science, and philosophy.

Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Show ID: 34291]

Science and humanities professor Colin Milburn (UC Davis) and graduate student Wesley Jacks (UC Santa Barbara) explore the legacy of James Whale’s iconic Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Their talk touches on key similarities and differences between Bride, Whale’s earlier Frankenstein (1931) film, and the original Mary Shelley novel. In addition to exploring the narrative and formal components of each, Milburn and Jacks draw out the ethical conflicts that span and separate each text. Their discussion touches on the legacy of the film within the sci-fi genre, its still-compelling queer components, and the film’s position within the sub-genre of gothic horror. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Show ID: 34292]

Andy Hall, COO of the San Diego Workforce Partnership, explores the concept of income sharing agreements (ISAs), where employers, philanthropy and impact investors pitch in for an individual’s education and training tuition, which is then paid back over time out of the person’s paycheck. Series: "The Career Channel" [Show ID: 34375]

Our lifespans are ever-increasing, but our healthspans are not, leading to long periods of unpleasant and expensive suffering with chronic conditions. Many of these conditions have recently been linked to the microbiome. We are constantly shaping our microbiomes through the foods we eat, the environments we experience, even the people we live and work with. Through the American Gut Project, the largest crowdsourced and crowdfunded citizen-science project yet conducted, we now know about the microbiomes of many types of people, from the healthiest to the sickest. Potentially real-time analysis of our microbiomes could guide our daily decisions in a way that optimizes our microbiomes for extending our healthspan. Although the potential benefits of such research are clear, what are the risks (e.g., privacy concerns) that need to be identified and addressed? Rob Knight, PhD explains. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Show ID: 33713]

Is a nightly bathroom run indicative of a problem? Dr. Peter Carroll, professor and chair of the UCSF Department of Urology, explains that prostate problems in men over 50 are common. But there are many ways to manage them. Find out more including a new protocol for prostate cancer he helped pioneer, called active surveillance. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Show ID: 34157]

Jack Feldman, a distinguished professor of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, shares an amusing thought on the acceptance of truth in the sciences. Series: "UCLA Faculty Research Lectures" [Show ID: 34342]

A conversation with Tamer El Said, Director of In the Last Days of the City (2016), and UCSB Film and Media Studies Professor, Laila Shereen Sakr. Discussion covers El Saids work filming In the Last Days of the City. Shot between 2006 and 2008, the years leading up to the Egyptian Revolution, the film reflects a growing tension in Ciaro. El Siad comments on trying to capture his sense of the city on film in a way that seeks to express the feeling of being on the brink of changeespecially when this change hasn't happened yet. This conversation emphasizes the difficulty of capturing and representing a city on film, and particularly of producing a film that represents a feeling of impending social upheaval. El Said discusses the significance of his film and his experience and influences that shaped the process of producing beforeand editing afterthe events of the Arab Spring.

Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Show ID: 34289]