What are the politics of humour? 🔊
Humour affects many things: our health, our disposition, our relationships, and our organisations. Can it also help change politics in society? Maria Armoudian discusses the origins, philosophy, and politics of humor with Amber Day, John Morreall and Peter McGraw....
What is the current state of comedy in the media? 🔊
The Daily Show founder Lizz Winstead and Maria Armoudian discuss the birth of The Daily Show, the death of Air America Radio, and the state of the media and comedy today. Lizz Winstead is co-creator and former head writer of The Daily Show and the co-founder of Air...
Q+A: What does ancient history tell us about the nature of humanity?
Simon Holdaway talks to Maria Armoudian about how we’ve changed and how our ancestors have dealt with past disasters and changes in the climate. Simon Holdaway is a Professor in Anthropology and Head of the School of Social Sciences at the University of...
Are obesity-reducing policies effective? ▶
Sugar and fat taxes, controlling density of fast food outlets, and mandatory portion sizes are examples of policies that aim to reduce obesity by raising costs. Assume such policies would be effective. While they typically raise ethical questions about whether they...
What is the future of the university? Academic capitalism and the global knowledge economy ▶
Changes in the political economy of higher education, including cuts in public spending, rising student fees, the privileging of STEM subjects over the arts and humanities, and the proliferation of new regimes of audit and accountability, pose challenges for the...
Why do genocides occur? Can they be prevented? 🔊
Why do genocides occur, and can they be prevented? Ben Kiernan, Alex Hinton, and Simon Baron-Cohen join Maria Armoudian in this panel discussion. Ben Kiernan is Whitney Griswold Professor of History and Director of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University. He...
Can democracy function if societies don’t understand politics? 🔊
Why do so many people know so little about politics? What does that mean for democracy? What can be done about it? Maria Armoudian discusses these concerns with Arthur Lupia. Arthur Lupia is the Hal R. Varian Collegiate Professor of Political Science at the University...
What is happiness?
The recently published World Happiness Report shows New Zealand ranks eighth in the world for happiness, behind Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, and Canada. Six key variables help predict levels of happiness – GDP per capita, healthy...
Is Trumpism the end of globalism? 🔊
The new mood of anti-globalism around the world often focuses on the fear of immigrants and the effects of global trade. From Brexit to the rise of the right in Europe and the triumph of Trump in the United States, citizens of the very regions of the world that have...Subscribe by Email
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