Michael Bérubé and Jennifer Ruth’s new book considers the ideal of academic freedom in the wake of the activism inspired by outrageous police brutality, white supremacy, and the #MeToo movement.
Jenna Spinelle articles
Jenna Spinelle is the communications specialist for the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State and host of the podcasts When the People Decide and Democracy Works.
PODCAST: Tracing The Rise Of Illiberalism
Thomas Main’s new book The Rise of Illiberalism explores the philosophical underpinnings of this toxic political ideology and documents its rise.
PODCAST: Moving Beyond News Deserts And Misinformation
Our guest this week says news deserts, misinformation, and information silos are all downstream from a much more fundamental disconnect.
PODCAST: How National Parties Are Breaking State Politics
We are talking with an assistant Professor at the University of Washington, and author of the forthcoming book laboratories against democracy.
Can The Courts Save Civics Education?
Michael Rebell joins us to discuss how the courts can and should address the civic empowerment gap and create better civics education for everyone.
PODCAST: When Religion And Democracy Collide
New book highlights the use of religious identity to fuel the rise of illiberal, nationalist, and populist democracy.
PODCAST: Sore Losers Are Bad For Democracy
Penn State’s Jim Piazza returns to the show this week to discuss a new study on why the loser’s consent is a critical part of a healthy democracy.
On Democracy’s Doomsayers
There’s no shortage of articles about how democracy is doomed. Michael, Chris, and Candis discuss them this week how much weight to give the doomsayers.
Podcast: Democracy As A Way Of Life
We talk about democracy in the context of politics and institutions, but this week’s guest draws from Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and John Dewey.
PODCAST: Discussion On The State Of US Democracy
It’s our duty as democrats to persevere despite these challenges and push the limits of our imagination about what democracy can and should be.