Lowkey Confused? HSS Explains!

On May 6, Dean Stern spoke with Dr. Margie Brown-Coronel about the Executive Order Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History 📝 They discussed what it means when institutions like the Smithsonian are directed to rewrite America’s story 🎥 Now that the Smithsonian is back in the news, we want to revisit this important question: Who decides what version of history gets told?🔍

Ever wonder how your weather app actually works? 📲☁️ Dr. Trevis Matheus from Geography & Environment explains how federal climate policy, NOAA, and weather balloons (yes, really 🎈) all connect to your daily forecast, and the future of our planet. When it comes to climate action, we can’t fix what we can’t track. Watch now to learn why layoffs in federal agencies could impact everything from...

Is AI making life easier, or just disconnecting us from each other? Dr. Dustin Abnet from the Department of American Studies at CSUF breaks down the illusion of “free” intelligence, the loss of human skill + connection, and what we’re NOT seeing when we rely on AI. AI might be efficient, but at what cost to community and creativity?

Stories shape how we understand history, identity, and even the future. In this episode of Lowkey Confused: HSS Explains , Dr. Ella Ben Hagai from the Department of Psychology at CSUF and Dean Jessica Stern unpack the narratives revolving Palestine and Israel.

Militarized borders, featuring walls, drones, and armed forces, subjects border towns to constant surveillance, impacting the daily lives of the local communities. Dr. Galaviz-Ceballos from the Division of Anthropology at CSUF helps us make it make sense 🗣️🗣️

Authoritarianism is when leaders do whatever they want, ignore the rules, and use fear to stay in control… kind of like a parent who punishes you for calling them out. Dr. Saul Tobias from Liberal Studies at Cal State Fullerton explains that even democracies can slide into authoritarianism if people in power stop defending the courts, elections, and the Constitution. To spot the warning signs, che...

In 2024, the National Park Service welcomed a record 330 million visits, but its future is not guaranteed. Funding cuts threaten both the landscapes and the initiatives that make parks more inclusive. Dr. Sara Fingal from American Studies at CSUF explains what funding loss could mean to National Parks 🏞️

This interview was recoded on March 3rd, since then, a Supreme Court ruling has allowed the current administration to begin dismantling the Dept. of Ed. We’re bringing this important convo back to the forefront. Dr. Malagón (Sociology) dives into: Federal funding & civil rights enforcement, Pell Grants, research, & DEI support, and what shutdowns could mean for CSUF students & staff  ...

From executive orders to cabinet power, presidential authority can look huge—but there are serious limits. Dr. Spitzer explains how U.S. presidents rely on persuasion, collaboration, and legal authority to act. Congress passes laws, courts can strike them down, and executive orders? They can be undone with the stroke of a pen by the next president. Presidential power is real—but it’s not absolute.

Many assume tariffs make foreign countries pay—but in reality, the cost falls on U.S. businesses and consumers. Dr. Fry breaks down how tariffs on goods like steel or corn can lead to rising prices throughout the economy. While they’re often used as political tools, economists caution against their long-term effects—pointing to historical examples like the Great Depression for context.

Dr. Elaine Lewinnek, American Studies professor at Cal State Fullerton, unpacks the complexities of "patriotic education" and challenges the myth of a unified America. From federal expansion in the 1930s to today’s deepening political divide, she argues that true patriotism embraces free inquiry, self-correction, and diversity of thought—not forced consensus. Dive deeper through her Subs...

From waving the Mexican flag as a symbol of heritage to facing rising ICE raids and shifting political tides, Dr. Gradilla unpacks the deep complexities of Latinx identity, labor, and voting in today’s America.