Public Affairs (Audio)

Rome survived for 2,000 years. Edward Watts explores the long history of the Roman state and the lessons it offers for the modern world. From its beginnings as a small Italian city-state to its transformation into a Christian empire centered in Constantinople, Rome maintained a remarkable sense of political continuity across centuries of cultural and religious change. Watts examines how Roman inst...

In an age obsessed with expertise, certainty, and endless self-optimization, author and journalist Simone Stolzoff invites audiences to rediscover the power of curiosity, humility, and not having all the answers. His new book, How to Not Know, challenges the cultural pressure to define ourselves by what we do or what we know—and instead celebrates the richness of uncertainty as a pathway to creati...

Award-winning historian Jules Gill-Peterson examines transgender identity and politics through the lens of American liberalism, arguing that anti-transgender politics cannot be understood by analyzing conservatism alone. She traces the emergence of transgender identity from middle-class cross-dressing cultures, the development of transgender medicine, and the class tensions surrounding transition....

Widely regarded as one of the most respected figures in American broadcast journalism, Judy Woodruff is known for her decades-long career covering politics and current events. She is also the author of the book, This Is Judy Woodruff at the White House. Renowned for her calm, balanced reporting and commitment to journalistic integrity, Woodruff has covered every U.S. presidential election since 19...

Families with disabled students often face extra out-of-pocket costs—costs they wouldn’t have if their child weren’t disabled—to secure the same education other students receive for free, yet tax relief for those expenses is limited and unclear. Garret Hoff, J.D., argues that Internal Revenue Code Section 213 and its interpretations reflect a time when disabled people were not viewed as worth publ...

Contemporary populism is almost everywhere; a right wing phenomena that focuses on a politics of white working class grievance. A set of grievances that are to be addressed, when in power, with policies of expulsion, exclusion, and domination. Attempts by liberal states to deal with such movements paradoxically rely on a similar politics of exclusion, such as building so-called firewalls against t...

The extractive linear economy and policies focused on endless growth have produced unparalleled socioeconomic inequality and the climate crisis. Communities around the world are calling for new economic models that are regenerative towards people, place, and ecosystems. Ancestral ʻŌiwi (indigenous Hawaiian) economic systems were built around people's relationships and understandings of wai (water)...

How are Indigenous communities in the U.S. facing challenges to their ways of life in the current political moment? Focusing on questions concerning repatriation, land access, education, and diverse forms of sovereignty, our panelists explore the intersection of Indigenous religious traditions and law. The discussion begins at the regional level, with specific reference to Chumash contexts, and th...

In an era of rapid political change, shifting global alliances, and deepening partisan divides, the Helen Edison Lecture Series is honored to welcome Ambassador Jeff Flake, former U.S. Senator from Arizona, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, and author of "Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle." Flake explores the challenges and opportunities of democr...

A collaborative effort examines how organizations confront religious intolerance, focusing on antisemitism and Islamophobia. It maps an ecosystem of practices across individual, community, and structural levels. Using surveys, interviews, and existing research, the project documents what people and organizations do and why. Approaches include education and skills training; supports for healing and...

Wine down with Chancellor May as he meets up with some of the students, staff and faculty from the Department of Viticulture and Enology — recognized as one of the best programs in the world. Chancellor May tours the winery and vineyard, learns about the winery's cutting-edge technology and sustainability practices, and even helps crush grapes before sampling the final product with his "partner in...

What does it really mean to go zero waste? At UC Davis, the answer is both innovative and inspiring. Episode 4 of ‘Sustainably UC Davis’ explores how the university is moving toward a zero-waste future—from converting campus food scraps into renewable energy, to phasing out single-use plastics in food service. Featured in the episode are Joseph Yonkoski, Facilities Management superintendent of the...

Language and the law is a field growing in size and importance. While some forensic linguistics applications -- e.g. authorship attribution -- have a wider tradition, this growth is particularly acute in the domain of legal interpretation, which is increasingly using corpus data and methods. Stefan Gries, Professor of Linguistics at UC Santa Barbara, discusses two recent applications. One is from...

How do you find hope in a deeply fractured and polarized world? In this timely and powerful conversation, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Nicholas Kristof pulls from decades of reporting from global conflict zones and overlooked American communities to bring a deeply human perspective to today’s most urgent moral and civic challenges. In an era marked by division and misinformation, this program...

At the UC Davis Student Farm, students bring sustainable food systems to life. In Episode 2 of 'Sustainably UC Davis', we explore student-led efforts in sustainable agriculture. Environmental and social sustainability remain central to the Student Farm’s mission, from organic practices to food justice. Hear about these topics and more from Colin Dixon, Director of the Student Farm, as well as staf...

The Sleepy Lagoon case of 1942 became one of the most racially charged trials in U.S. history. Twenty-two Mexican American youths, mostly teenagers, were tried en masse for the death of José Díaz, though no witness placed them at the scene and the cause of death was never established. Denied fair treatment, they faced a biased judge and jury, with twelve sentenced to San Quentin. In this documenta...

From sourcing ingredients to sorting waste, sustainability is baked into every part of campus dining. Episode 3 of ‘Sustainably UC Davis’ highlights how Student Housing and Dining Services (SHDS) makes on-campus dining more sustainable—from procurement, to waste audits, to educational programming. Featured in the episode are Chamayo Yniguez, Director of Dining Operations; Samuel Orellana, Sustaina...

Explore the evolving identities, histories, and rights of farmworkers across Mexico and the United States. Panelists—including scholars, organizers, and agricultural leaders—discuss cross-border migration, labor conditions, cultural heritage, and the impact of policies on communities. The conversation highlights the role of indigenous and Catholic traditions, the legacy of the Bracero Program, and...

How should federal governments attempt to right, or at least remedy, past wrongs? Is it appropriate for victims of group-based harms or their descendants to press current generations to atone for the sins of their predecessors? Grace Kao, Professor of Ethics and the inaugural Sano Chair in Pacific and Asian American Theology at Claremont School of Theology, explores these questions by drawing upon...

Legal scholar Annabel Brett explores the idea of “moral possibility”—the boundary between what laws demand and what people can realistically or ethically be expected to do. Drawing from early modern thinkers like Aquinas, Suarez, and Hobbes, Brett shows how moral impossibility has long shaped debates about legal obligation, resistance, and political agency. Commentators Melissa Lane and David Dyze...

Political theorist Annabel Brett of Cambridge University explores how the concept of “moral possibility” shapes law, politics, and public obligation. She explains that laws must be realistic for people to follow—what is morally possible varies by individual, culture, time, and circumstance. Drawing on early modern Catholic legal theory, Brett discusses how extreme demands (like enduring war or pla...

Is sacred space protective space? This question lies at the heart of the Sanctuary Movement. From the 1980s to the present, this practice has protected undocumented immigrants at risk of deportation by offering them refuge in churches, where federal immigration agents to this day still fear to tread. In this lecture, Lloyd Barba, Assistant Professor of Religion and Core Faculty in Latinx and Latin...

It's time for a new narrative for the ocean, one that reflects current scientific knowledge and acknowledges innovative new partnerships and solutions that center the ocean in our future. In this program, Jane Lubchenco, Professor of Marine Biology at Oregon State University and with expertise in the ocean, climate change, and interactions between the environment and human well-being, talks about...

Three major global challenges – climate change, loss of biodiversity and its benefits, and inequality and inequity among people – are typically tackled within three separate silos. However, scientific knowledge tells us that the three are inextricably linked. If the problems are not considered together, solutions to one may undermine solutions to the others. Moreover, more holistic, integrated sol...

There's a powerful idea in the history of European legal and political thought: that laws must be possible for people to follow. Annabel Brett, professor of Political Thought and History at Cambridge University, describes how from ancient times through the Renaissance, thinkers believed that demanding the impossible—whether physically or psychologically—was a hallmark of tyranny. A classic example...