BG Ideas

In this episode we talk to Dr. Dan Piccolo and several members of the BGSU Percussion Ensemble including Jacob Koch, Chris Harris, Nick Bahr, Emma Zemancik, and Frank Sanzo. Join us as we listen to them talk about their journey as percussionists, the history of percussion in the American conservatory tradition, and the challenge of teaching and playing global music. The group also plays many examp...

In this episode we welcome Khani Begum, an Emerita Professor of English at BGSU, and Amjad Dhouman. Together, they have organized a Palestine Film Festival in Northwest Ohio. Join us as we have a conversation about why they started the festival in the first place, and how the festival is a forum to have a timely conversation on a current issue affecting us all. A transcript for this episode can be...

In this episode, we talked to Haley Anissa Alvarez, a PhD candidate in Theatre at BGSU. Join us as we discuss her directorial debut, staging Alfaro’s Mojada, the work that went into it, and how different activist theatre techniques like antiracist acting can affect and challenge stereotypes. Alvarez hopes to show us that by thinking outside the box with theatre and using it as activism, that immig...

In this episode, we welcomed Indigenous influencer James Jones (aka Notorious Cree), a dancer and youth educator. James Jones is Nehiyaw from Tall Cree First Nation in Treaty 8 Territory in Northern Alberta, Canada. Listen as we discuss dance and performance as a form of free expression, and emphasize the significance of preserving Indigenous cultures. James Jones seeks to pass on tradition to the...

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Kate Brodeur, a professor of Education at BGSU and ICS Fellow, to talk about her research into new and different methods for creating a sustainable tutoring clinic for reading literacy. Come along as we dive into themes of learning, community bonding, and the challenges faced by teachers, tutors, and families alike as they strive to create a better, safer envi...

In this episode, Mackenzie Kneessi, an undergraduate social work student, and Dr. Jordan Wilfong, an Associate Professor of Social Work at BGSU, join us to talk about Mackenzie’s research on the struggles faced by unaccompanied children forced to immigrate to the United States. Listen as we have a conversation about the pains and tragedies that are forced upon migrant children, their experiences i...

In this episode, Dr. Ernest Gibson, an Associate Professor of English at Auburn University, joins us to talk about the fictional works of James Baldwin. Come along as we dive into the complex themes of salvation, gender, black masculinity, and intersectionality in some of James Baldwin’s most prominent fictional works. Dr. Gibson hopes to show us that the work done by Baldwin, while it often seems...

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Sidra Lawrence, an Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at BGSU and a 2024 ICS Faculty Fellow. Tune in as we explore themes of trauma and justice and examine how people can use art practices as a way to heal trauma, particularly in cases of gender-based and sexual violence. The conversation focuses on how to empower survivors through artistic practices and embodie...

In this episode, we are joined by Alia Levar Wegner, a digital collections librarian at Miami University in Ohio, Brenda Foster, an archivist at the Columbus College of Art and Design, Nick Pavlik, a manuscripts and digital initiatives archivist at the Center for Archival Collections at BGSU, and Janet Rhodes, supervisor of digitization services with the Toledo Lucas County Public Library. Listen...

In this episode, we are joined by Traci Sorell, an author and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and Dr. Colleen Boff, Head Librarian of BGSU's Curriculum Resource Center. Listen as they discuss the importance of representing contemporary and historical Native American stories and nations in public education and children’s literature. This conversation focuses on the importance of diversity and inclu...

In this episode, we are joined by graduate students John King and Ahmad Bilal from BGSU, and Zara Anwarzai and Anne Kavalerchik from Indiana University to discuss their interest in and research on graduate working conditions and class differences. Both Zara and Anne were part of a successful unionization campaign for graduate students at Indiana University and shared their experiences. The convers...

In this episode, Dr. Rachel Ann Walsh, Associate Teaching Professor and Graduate coordinator in the Department of English at Bowling Green State University and Dr. Thomas Edge, Associate Teaching Professor at the Department of Ethnic Studies, also at BGSU, share their experiences teaching James Baldwin to a wide range of students. Their conversation underscores the novelty of Baldwin's ideas on ra...

In this episode, Katherina Braschel, prize-winning Vienna-based author and the Spring 2024 Max Kade Writer in Residence at Bowling Green State University and Dr. Christina Guenther, professor of German in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at BGSU talk about creative writing, cross-cultural communication, and the many ways in which literature allows us to document the world around us,...

In this episode, Fall 2024 ICS Faculty Fellow Dr. Scott Piroth, Teaching Professor in the Department of Political Sciences at BGSU and longtime curling enthusiast, converses with Team USA curling athlete Laura Dwyer about issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in curling clubs both in Canada and the US. Their conversation highlights the need for better quality instruction especia...

In this episode, Dr. Timothy Messer-Kruse, Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at BGSU, and a Spring 2024 Faculty Fellow with ICS, discusses his latest research on the history of civics education in the United States. He argues that the goal behind civics is to teach certain behaviors (i.e. how to be a good citizen) instead of teaching knowledge and facts. Listen to him as he delves into...

In this episode, Dr. Sidra Lawrence, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology and Director of the Afro-Caribbean Ensemble at BGSU, together with several members of BGSU's Afro-Caribbean Ensemble, share their experiences playing African and African diasporic music for an American audience. Both Sidra and the ensemble underline the complexity and sophistication of African and African diasporic mus...

In this episode, Carlos Andrés Gómez, award winning Colombian American poet and author of Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood (Penguin Random House), is joined by Amanda Anastasia Paniagua, PhD student and Assistant Director for Belonging and Engagement at the Office of Multicultural Affairs at BGSU, to talk about poetry, performance and education. They invite us to think about both poetry and rese...

Journalist Putsata Reang discuss her award-winning book "Ma and Me: A Memoir," about growing up as a Cambodian American refugee and gay woman. She is joined by Dr. Sue Ellen McComas, associate professor of Speech Communication at BGSU Firelands and recipient of the 2019 Women of Distinction award at BGSU. Together, they talk about exploring your identity, finding your voice as an adult,...

Dr. Chris Witulski, Associate Teaching Professor of Ethnomusicology and a Fall 2021 ICS Faculty Fellow, returns to the podcast to share selections of Arab American and Middle Eastern music. He is joined by student members of the BGSU's Middle Eastern Music Ensemble.

Elyse Adrian, a BGSU Honors student majoring in Political Science, discusses winning a prestigious Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for their work on climate action, and offers suggestions for how people can take action on their own.

Dr. Jacob Clemons, Senior Director for the C. Marvin Center for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement at BGSU, and Dr. Lisa Dubose, the Director of Employee Relations and Professional Development, discuss what leadership means today and how students, faculty, and staff can become more effective leaders in all areas of their lives.

Ryan RedCorn, filmmaker, photographer, WGA Screenwriter, and graphic designer, is joined by BGSU professor of Theatre and Film Dr. Cynthia Baron to talk about his journey into comedy, film, and television, including his work on the acclaimed TV series Reservation Dogs.

Dr. Justin Rex, a Fall 2023 ICS Faculty Fellow, associate professor in the department of Political Science, and a research fellow at the Center for Regional Development discusses his research on "Community Health Workers, Stress Reduction, and Racial Equity in Infant Vitality." He is joined by is joined by Dr. Nicole Fifer, the director of Center for Regional Development at BGSU, as they...

Dr. Sandra Faulkner, a Fall 2023 ICS Faculty Fellow and professor of Media and Communication at BGSU, discusses her research project, "Poetic Portraits of Older Women in the Great Black Swamp," and the complexities of interpersonal relationships at every age.

Curtis Chin, acclaimed documentary filmmaker, discusses his new memoir, "Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant," about growing up gay in Detroit's Chinatown. Dr. Rebecca Kinney discusses her work Rust Belt Chinatowns and growing up in Detroit.