Global Tides

Lea Martinson and Katy Kulseth are back with the fourth annual iteration of Global Tides, a podcast by Pepperdine University Seaver College that highlights research across liberal arts and social science disciplines. This season we are so excited to expand the scope of this podcast to highlight 3 Pepperdine alumni who are doing exceptional work in their careers, as well as two students chosen to a...

Many countries around the world, including South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Rwanda, are attempting to rebuild their societies after decades of conflict. That begs the question: how do we achieve peace in post-conflict societies? What is the role of religion in rebuilding society after a conflict? What is the impact of oversimplifying or overgeneralizing groups in a conflict, and how can a true unders...

Migration. Democratic backsliding. Environmental degradation. These are all contemporary issues plaguing communities of Latin America and the Caribbean. So, why do individuals choose to migrate to or from the region? How has populism contributed to democratic recession? How do the decisions of policymakers directly impact Latin communities? Today, I talk to senior Political Science and Sociology d...

Today, ethnic conflict remains a major challenge to international peace and security. Many regions of the world, from South Asia to sub Saharan Africa to Eastern Europe, are grappling with ethnic conflict. Thus, studies on both ethnic conflict and ethnic peace building have received particular attention by scholars. So, what is ethnic conflict? Why has ethnic conflict persisted? How can an interse...

Anime has grown in popularity around the world in the late 1990s but has seen a particular boom in recent years in the United States. With this growth in popularity, many have begun to examine the types of images being portrayed in these shows. Hypersexualization and extreme beauty standards (among many other themes) are pervasive themes in many anime series and beg the question of the impact that...

China’s rise on the international stage has captivated the international relations field for decades. One interesting way this rise has manifested is in its changing role in international organizations, or IOs. It has pushed for higher voting quotas, started its own IOs, and most significantly has sought leadership in a variety of specialized IO agencies. Is China opting for a unique strategy in t...

Vietnam. Japan. South Korea. These three countries each have an intricate history in East Asia that has contributed to the formulation of distinct national identities impacting their citizens today. In this episode I’m joined by Dr. Tuan Hoang, Associate Professor of Great Books at Pepperdine University, and two senior International Studies majors, Tyler Kim and Daniel Jung. Together, these three...

Welcome to Season Three of the Global Tides podcast. In this episode, your host, Kylie Jones, senior International Studies major at Pepperdine University, introduces herself.

There has been a lot of heated discourse surrounding the merits of multilateralism over the past few years. Scholars regularly discuss the benefits of international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization, but there is a dearth of literature on how and why states withdraw from similar institutions. What motivates a state to disengage from multilateralism? In this...

The music industry has historically been dominated by male artists who are given full artistic license to explore various musical themes, including explicitly sexual ones. However, as women have gained influence in the music industry, their use of these themes has been widely criticized and condemned. In this episode, I chat with Cameron Davis about how the technical process of sound design inters...

The LGBTQ community has faced a long history of discrimination from religious institutions. However, some churches have sought to defy this norm and offer a community of love and support for the LGBTQ+ community. In this episode, I chat with Juan Carlos Hugues about the potential for intentionally LGBTQ+ affirming church websites to increase acceptance and inclusion.

During the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone has had to make significant life changes that include a heavy reliance on smartphones and technology. Researchers are still working to figure out just how much this smartphone usage is really affecting us. Are some online activities worse for our mental health than others? In this episode, I chat with Christina Stratton about how problematic...

In a polarized political climate, the idea of how much a government should be involved in regulating the economy is a highly partisan issue. However, research shows that by understanding a vulnerable country’s needs and controlling capital accordingly, appropriate government intervention can make a lasting difference in the overall health of an economy. In this episode, I chat with Reagan Shane ab...

Hi! My name is Millie Vieira. We’re back with our second season of Global Tides, a podcast by Pepperdine University that highlights research across liberal arts and social science disciplines. This year’s five-episode series will feature four students and one professor about topics ranging from capital controls in Argentina and Chile to feminist sound design. Thank you for listening and we hope yo...

Terrorism is something society as a whole fears because it appears as though it can affect anyone. However, a closer look at the victims of terrorism reveals that attacks can be both gendered and racialized. In this episode, I talk to Dr. Candice Ortbals, a professor of Political Science, and Charlotte Lang, a student of Political Science, about their research on the victims of terrorism.

Countries throughout the world are scrambling to devise plans that will enable them to escape the climate disaster caused, partly, by the use of fossil fuels. A possible way to quickly enact climate-conscious policy in the energy sector is through State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). In this episode, I talk to Filippo Margheritini, an International Studies student, about SOEs, climate action, and energ...

Although economic development in India has been outstanding for several decades, the country's social inequality still remains prevalent. Could social entrepreneurship be a way to eradicate these social hierarchies? In this episode, I talk to Heet Ghodasara about the prospects of bringing social and gender equality to India through social entrepreneurship. 

A project developed by Pepperdine Law is trying to introduce plea bargaining, an arrangement whereby the defendant pleads guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for concessions from the prosecutor, in Uganda. In theory, this practice could decrease case backlog and increase trust in institutions, but is that happening in practice? In this episode, I talk to Dr. Julia Norgaard, a Professor of Econom...

As the world becomes less hospitable to humans due to anthropogenic changes to the environment, more and more people will become displaced. The legal status of these displaced persons, commonly known as climate refugees, is still to be discussed by the international community. In this episode, I talk to Caroline Sisson, a Political Science Honors student who has written her senior thesis on the in...

Hi! My name is Daniel Iturri and welcome to Global Tides, a new podcast by Pepperdine University that highlights exciting Social Science research done by students and faculty. In this 5-episode series, I will have conversations with 4 students and 2 professors about topics ranging from the victims of terrorism to climate refugees. Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoy!