Avi's Conversational Corner

Episode 29 (Stumbling Colossus, 8): Rome and America

March 14th, 2022  |  58 mins 52 secs

Professor James Patterson discusses the trials and triumphs and divisions within American Catholicism during the Gilded Age.

Episode 28 (Stumbling Colossus, 7): Gilded Age Jews

March 7th, 2022  |  36 mins 5 secs

Professor Jonathan Sarna discusses the profound changes in Jewish life, culture, politics, and demographics during the Gilded Age and beyond.

Episode 27 (Stumbling Collosus, 6): The Gilded Supreme Court

February 28th, 2022  |  32 mins 31 secs

Professor David Bernstein discusses the legal thinking of an often misunderstood Supreme Court ruling, and the "road not taken" in constitutional jurisprudence.

Episode 26 (Stumbling Collosus, 5): The US Army

February 21st, 2022  |  36 mins 31 secs

Professor Wayne Hsieh discusses the importance and struggles of the American Army throughout our era, including funding, training, and different kinds of missions.

Episode 25 (Stumbling Colossus, 4): Gold in the Hills

February 7th, 2022  |  50 mins 22 secs

Dr. Bob Hutton discusses the politics, society and economy of Appalachia in the Gilded and Progressive Ages.

Episode 24 (Stumbling Colossus, 3): Gilded, Dusty Texas

January 31st, 2022  |  52 mins 15 secs

Dr. Brian Cervantez discusses the diversity and change, ethos and mythos of Gilded and Progressive Age Texas.

Episode 23 (Stumbling Colossus, 2): For God and Country

January 19th, 2022  |  42 mins 44 secs

cities, gilded age, midwest, politics, race

Dr. Miles Smith discusses how Protestant America went from elation at the end of the Civil War to dread over their future at the end of WWI.

Episode 22 (Stumbling Colossus, 1): The WASPs

January 10th, 2022  |  1 hr 2 mins

antisemitism, higher education, politics, protestantism, race

Professor Samuel Goldman discusses the rise, fall, and legacy of one of America's great self-appointed elites.

Episode 21: Teaching the Founding Fathers

December 13th, 2021  |  1 hr 1 min

1619 project, enlightenment, founding fathers

Dr. Jay Cost discusses the pros and cons of the Founding Fathers and the American experiment more generally.

Episode 20: Conservatives and the University

November 22nd, 2021  |  44 mins 3 secs

Professor James Patterson discusses the challenges of conservative teachers and students in existing and potentially new universities.

Episode 19: Obedience in Our Time

November 8th, 2021  |  44 mins 59 secs

antigone, aristotle, just war theory, macintyre, obedience

Dr. Pauline Shanks Kaurin discusses the meaning and imperative of obedience and morality in a postmodern age.

Episode 18: The Life, Death, and Future of Small Town America

August 10th, 2021  |  30 mins 2 secs

albany, carpet industry, mohawk valley, state university of new york

Historian David Pietrusza discusses his hometown of Amsterdam, NY from its heyday to its decline to its possible revival.

Episode 17: West Virginia - Past, Present, Future

June 7th, 2021  |  37 mins 46 secs

kevin williamson, opioids, trump, west virginia

Andrew Donaldson, West Virginia native, comes on to discuss the much misunderstood state, its problems and its prospects.

Episode 16: Charlie Brown's America

May 24th, 2021  |  47 mins 41 secs

Professor Blake Scott Ball discusses how Charles Schulz understood America - and how America understood his work in Peanuts.

Episode 15: Teaching in America

October 10th, 2020  |  48 mins 17 secs

Teacher and writer Daniel Buck discusses the challenges and promise of teaching in America from multiple perspectives.

Episode 14: Power, Freedom, and Jews

August 26th, 2020  |  1 hr 38 mins

I talk with Nathan Sharansky and Gil Troy about their new book Never Alone, a memoir and musing on power and freedom around the world and among Jews.