University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences

Medical standards and procedures have been sharply influenced by the past - shaped by social context and a great deal of trial and error. A new course, UKC 310: Health, History, & Human Diversity, will focus on how health care and the medical field has been shaped around social constructions of gender, race, and diversity throughout its history, continuing to play a role in contemporary medicine. In this podcast, Melissa Stein, an assistant professor in the Gender & Women’s Studies Department, discusses the aims, content, and importance of UKC 310 and how it can impact future patients and practitioners of medicine.

This podcast was produced by Casey Hibbard.

Latin is often thought of as an honorable and intellectual pursuit rather than as an actual language. However, the University of Kentucky's Latin Studies Program is changing this perception as it works to teach students how to read, write, and speak Latin. In this podcast, Leni Leite, a visiting scholar, discusses the uniqueness of the Latin Studies Program.

This podcast was produced by Casey Hibbard.

Jeff Rogers is the Director of Undergraduate Studies for Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. He also teaches a class called Global Horror, which examines the course of the horror genre of film from its origins in Weimar, Germany to the modern day. The class emphasizes an application of both film and literature to best cover how the genre has changed and evolved over a century.

In this podcast, Rogers joins us to discuss Global Horror, the real-world applications of film study, and gives us a primer on horror's history.

This podcast was produced by David Cole.

Denis Goldberg is a social campaigner from South Africa who actively worked against apartheid. Goldberg was arrested and tried in the Rivonia Trial alongside Nelson Mandela, being imprisoned for 22 years before his release on the condition of his exile from South Africa. After the South African transition to democracy in 1994, Goldberg founded Health Education and Reconstruction Training (H.E.A.R.T.), a nongovernmental organization that supports local initiatives aimed at improving health, education and reconstruction in contemporary South Africa.

This podcast was produced by David Cole.

While many students enjoyed their spring breaks with their toes in the sand, a few english graduate students dedicated themselves to an intense writing bootcamp, hosted by the Let’s Write! program. These students bent their focus towards their writing, managing to get ahead on their dissertations while also developing a stronger bond with other graduate students. In this podcast, we speak with three english graduate students, Eric Casero, Leah Toth, and Seth Lee, about their experiences with the writing program and what they enjoy most about Let's Write!.

This podcast was produced by Casey Hibbard.

When many people think about Kentucky, bourbon is one of the first things to come to mind. While bourbon, wine, and beer are popular staples in Kentucky, many people hold misconceptions about how it is produced. Bert Lynn, a professor of Chemistry, hopes to dispel many of these myths while also introducing his students to the history and chemistry of beer, wine, and distilled spirits in his course, Spirit Chemistry. In this podcast, Lynn talks about his hopes and excitement for the class and how it may relate to a potential Wine, Brewing and Distillation Sciences Certificate program.

This podcast was produced by Casey Hibbard.

The University of Kentucky's own MacAdam Observatory provides students with the opportunity to use the most powerful telescopic lenses on campus and see the universe. On clear nights, students are welcome to join director Tim Knauer and his graduate assistants as they look out into the stars and observe those celestial bodies.

Here, Tim and assistants Kyle and Aaron join us to talk about running the observatory and their experiences there.

This podcast was produced by David Cole.

What do Ouita Michel, Nelson Mandela, and food have in common? In this first installment of the Nelson Mendela Lecture Series, Ouita Michel, local chef and restaurant owner, speaks about her own commitment to building community. In this lecture, Ouita Michel and Melynda Price, Director of theAfrican American and Africana Studies program, discuss Michel’s efforts to maintain cultural identity, the importance of names, and the values of diversity.

This podcast was produced by Casey Hibbard.

University of Kentucky professors Karen Petrone and Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby have helped bring a distinctly Russian flavor to UK. In addition to their departments, they are both a part of the Russian Studies program and helped organize 2012's Russian-themed Passport to the World events.

Here, the professors give us a brief history of Ukraine and Russia, including glimpses at the origins of their international relationship and the current thought processes of their most effective demographics.

This podcast was recorded by Brian Connors Manke and produced by David Cole.

University of Kentucky alumni really do get all around the world. Gwendolyn Schaefer (International Studies/Geography 2013) traveled to Ukraine after her graduation as part of a 27 month long service period with the United State Peace Corps. Unfortunately, Gwen and other Peace Corps volunteers were forced to evacuate from the area in February 2014 due to mounting safety concerns.

Here, Gwen tells us about her time in Ukraine, the people and culture of the nation, and what it was like working there with the Peace Corps.

This podcast was produced by David Cole.