Professor Lyell Asher is the creator of the popular video series, “Why Colleges Are Becoming Cults,” where he gives an analysis of university academics and culture in the 20th and 21st centuries. One part of Asher’s critique is focused on the effect of the embrace of “whole language” in lieu of phonics in schools of education and its deleterious effect on reading instruction.

Asher received his PhD at University of Virginia and is associate professor of English at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. You can find his video series on YouTube at https://tinyurl.com/3f7rcydp

This week on Watching America, we take a trip to London, England. Host (and native Brit) Alan Campbell took a trip "across the pond" to visit the home of Benjamin Franklin, Jimi Hendrix's flat, and the reconstructed Globe Theatre where actor and director Sam Wanamaker labored for years. We hear stories from historians and tour guides about why these gentleman fell in love with London and what they accomplished there.

This episode is coincidentally being released right after the death of Queen Elizabeth. We are glad to have a British theme at this moment as Alan mourns the loss. He says, "The Queen is dead. We thank God for her. Long live the King."

Dr. Lynne Fenton is the psychiatrist who treated the mass shooter who attacked patrons of a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. In this episode of Watching America, Fenton discusses her memoir, “Aurora: The Psychiatrist Who Treated the Movie Theater Killer Tells Her Story,” co-authored by Kerrie Droban. We hear an account of the tragedy from the perspective of psychiatry and why Fenton was unable to prevent it.

Antonio Salazar-Hobson was kidnapped from his home in Mexico at the age of four. He was trafficked for several years at a famous ranch in California, and he attempted suicide at the age of nine. On this episode of Watching America, we hear from Salazar-Hobson about his new memoir, “Antonio, We Know You.” He shares how Cesar Chavez saved his life and purpose, leading him to law school and an eventual reunion with his family. antoniosalazarhobson.com

When you hear the striking of a chord, there is far more going on than just moving air particles. Music incites emotional and often physical sensations. Critically acclaimed composer, author, and musicologist Nolan Gasser explores the human relationship with music in his book, “Why You Like It: The Science and Culture of Musical Taste.” In this episode of Watching America, Gasser and host Alan Campbell discuss several pieces of music in light of the psychology and science behind their popularity. If you love music (and you probably do), don’t miss this episode!

Nolan Gasser is the architect of Pandora Radio’s “Music Genome Project.” nolangasser.com

On this episode of Watching America, host Alan Campbell discusses the increasingly common issue of anxiety with psychiatrist and author Ellen Vora. In Vora’s new book, “The Anatomy of Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming the Body’s Fear Response,” she considers how imbalances in the body affect emotional states. Vora offers new insight based on her own clinical work. ellenvora.com

John Gotti was the first celebrity crime boss. His ability to beat criminal charges inspired one of his nicknames: “The Teflon Don.”

John Gleeson was an Assistant US Attorney in Brooklyn who failed to successfully prosecute Gotti in 1987 on federal racketeering prosecutions. But Gleeson successfully led the investigation and prosecution of Gotti five years later.

On this episode of Watching America, Gleeson talks about his new book detailing his years fighting the Gambino crime family, “The Gotti Wars: Taking Down America’s Most Notorious Mobster.”

Lawyer and pollster Kellyanne Conway was thrust into the spotlight when she became presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign manager, and after a successful campaign, Senior Counselor to the President. In this episode of Watching America, Conway discusses new memoir, “Here’s the Deal.” In the book, she says working for Trump was “the wildest adventure of my life.”

Jacob Mchangama is a Danish lawyer and human-rights advocate who has worked with Columbia’s Global Freedom of Expression Center in New York and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education in Washington, D.C. He is the founder and director of Justitia, a Copenhagen-based think tank focused on human rights, freedom of speech, and the rule of law.

Mchangama’s new book, “Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media,” was praised by P.J. O’Rourke as “the best history of free speech ever written and the best defense of free speech ever made.”

Horseman and horse whisperer Grant Golliher’s experience training animals began in childhood, but he rejected the aggressive tactics used in mule and horse training he witnessed. Instead, Golliher employs a philosophy centered on empathy, trust, and discipline. In this episode of Watching America, Golliher talks to Dr. Alan Campbell about the psychology behind connecting with animals—including humans. Golliher’s book about his methods is called “Think Like a Horse: Lessons in Life, Leadership, and Empathy from an Unconventional Cowboy.” Golliher is the proprietor of the historic Diamond Cross Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. diamondcrossranch.com