What We Do Podcast

Why do we do what we do? Psychological contracts are the mutual expectations between employer and employee (you pay me and I’ll give you time and productive work, or you create a welcoming environment and I’ll be loyal). Professors Sarah Moore and Alan Krause join us this week to talk about their research into psychological contracts among blue collar employees, and what happens when an organization breaches such a contract.

This Friday and Saturday Puget Sound will host the opening rounds of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. Coach Loree Payne and senior Alexis Noren join us to talk about their winning season and life on and off the court.

How do science and economics inform and direct climate change policy? Professors Steven Neshyba and Lea Fortmann join us to talk about a new project in which students are evaluating polar data to see firsthand evidence of climate change and ask deeper questions about its effects.

In recent years China has become the most significant economic player in Latin America. Professor of Anthropology Monica DeHart joins us this week to explore China's role in economic, political, and cultural development in the region.

This week we're joined by Associate Professor and Director of the Environmental Policy and Decision Making program, Rachel DeMotts, who explores the complexities of living with elephants in sub-Saharan Africa.

This week Professor Dan Burgard explains how sewage water can be used to determine whether marijuana use increases when it's legalized.

Welcome to season two of What We Do. We're kicking off this semester with a conversation with Professor of International Political Economy, Pierre Ly, to explore the rise of the Chinese wine industry.

Professor of Music History Geoffrey Block joins us to talk about his new book, Experiencing Beethoven, a Listener's Companion. You don't need a musical vocabulary to enjoy this guided tour of a musical genius.

This week, we sit down with Andrew Gardner, professor of anthropology, to discuss the labor brokerage system that brings millions of migrant workers from rural villages to the Persian Gulf States. His research explores the conditions faced by these workers and the cultural and economic systems that result from their migration.

Professor Alison Tracy Hale and Humanities Librarian Katy Curtis join us this week to talk about their new class that explores early American literature through the lens of the popular musical, and help us make sense of some of the deep political schisms that continue to define our politics.