This is Democracy

Zachary sits down with Jeremi and Natalie to discuss the Bombing of Guernica. The trio touch on Picasso’s Guernica and other related pieces of history.

Zachary sits down with Jeremi to discuss George Orwell’s 1938 memoir, Homage to Catalonia, and its accounts of the Spanish Civil War, particularly those in Barcelona.

Jeremi sits down with Zachary and Natalie Suri first in Siena and then Florence, Italy to discuss the Renaissance and republicanism in these historic former city-states.

Jeremi sits down with Alessia Morigi in Rome, Italy, to discuss the origins of democracy and its influences into democracy today. Professor Alessia Morigi is an Associate Professor in Greek and Roman Archeology at the University of Parma, Italy.

Jeremi speaks with Carl Forsberg on how the evolution of foreign policy in Iran affects its relationship with the United States. As always, Zachari sets the scene with his poem, “So Wrong.” Carl Forsberg is an expert on the Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy. He is completing a Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Texas at Austin on the evolution of foreign policy in the region since the 1960s, drawing on original research in multiple Middle Eastern societies.

Jeremi sits down with Stephen Ciullo to discuss how citizens with disabilities interact with our democracy and educational system. Zachary sets the scene with his poem, “Work to Be Done.” Stephen Ciullo (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Texas State University. Before joining the faculty at Texas State, Stephen taught special education in Binghamton, NY. He then went on to earn his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. Stephen teaches classes that focus on providing educators with effective strategies for teaching students with learning disabilities. He is serving as Principal Investigator on a federally-funded project that focuses on investigating the writing instruction and support being provided to students with disabilities in fourth grade. The long-term goals of his research and teaching activities are to improve professional development for teachers, provide teachers with effective practices to support their students and to improve the long-term outcomes of students with learning disabilities.

Jeremi sits down with Renee Gadsden on diversity and other ethical issues surrounding college admission in the US. Zachary sets the scene with his poem, “Knowledge.” Renee Gadsden has been a leader in higher education for nearly a decade. She has worked in admissions for three different private liberal arts colleges, directing and implementing recruitment initiatives and college access programming for students of color, first-generation students, and students from low-income families. Renee recently completed a Masters in Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, where she served as an executive board member of the Public Affairs Alliance for Communities of Color and as an elected Student Representative of the Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Jeremi sits down with Robert Campbell to discuss the role of free enterprise in shaping our democracy. As always, Zachary kicks things off with his scene-setting poem, “Ambitions and Reality.” Bob Campbell is a friend and business leader who has effectively straddled the public and private sectors in the US for over 45 years.  Close to home for me, Bob was a very early graduate of the LBJ School of Public Affairs where I teach, a Distinguished Alumnus Award winner, and a Chairman of the Board. Bob spent 39 years with the global firm Deloitte where he was a partner; led the public sector practice advising leaders at the Federal, state, and local levels; and served as a Vice-Chairman of the firm. Since retiring from Deloitte, Bob serves on corporate and non-profit Boards, runs his own consultancy, advises private equity groups, and is an active angel investor. He also is on the global Board Executive Committee of the East-West Institute focused on international conflict avoidance and resolution. He is a speaker and writer on public management issues and has served on Federal and state commissions and task forces.

In this episode, Jeremi speaks with Patrick Iber about democracy in Latin America. Zachary presents his poem, ” Who Are You.” Patrick Iber is an assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of Neither Peace nor Freedom: The Cultural Cold War in Latin America, which was published by Harvard University Press in October 2015 and won the 2017 Luciano Tomassini book prize from the Latin American Studies Association. He is a member of the editorial board of Dissent magazine and writes regularly there, as well as in The Nation, The New Republic, and other publications.

What does it mean to have a democracy that is friendly and open to a true diversity of religious beliefs/experiences? Today, Jeremi speaks with Ashlyn Hand, a Ph.D. candidate in the LBJ School, to discuss religion in foreign and domestic politics. This week Zachary recites a poem titled “Life and Death.” Ashlyn is an expert on religion and politics in the United States. She is currently researching and writing a dissertation on religion and American foreign policy since the end of the Cold War.