1050 Bascom

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to interview Crystal Potts, Senior Director of State Relations & Statewide Outreach, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Crystal is also a Badger alumni who majored in Political Science and Chinese. Crystal is the university's key liaison to the governor's office, state legislature, and state agencies, advocating for public higher education across Wisconsin. We thoroughly enjoyed talking to Crystal about her academic and professional background and pivotal role at the University. Listen here!

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to talk with Lieutenant Colonel Scott Gross, Commander of the Air Force ROTC at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Lt. Col. Gross brings nearly two decades of distinguished service in the United States Air Force, with experience spanning leadership, intelligence, foreign area expertise, and program management. His career has taken him across the world as he did strategic and operational planning in Jordan for Special Operations and Intel operations in Iraq. He also led program management work in Boston and Ohio. As the leader of the Air Force ROTC here at UW-Madison, Lt. Col. Gross plays a critical role in shaping the next generation of military and civic leaders. In this interview, we talked with him about his experiences in the Air Force, the lessons he's learned about leadership and service, and why he believes it's essential for students, regardless of their career aspirations, to think about ways they can contribute to public service.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were honored to welcome Ambassador John E. Lange, a distinguished diplomat, global health leader, and proud alumni of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Over his 28-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, Ambassador Lange served in pivotal roles, including U.S. Ambassador to Botswana, Special Representative on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, and Deputy U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator at the launch of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.His career has taken him from high-level diplomatic negotiations to frontline crisis leadership. After retiring from the Foreign Service in 2009, Ambassador Lange continued his commitment to global health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Foundation, where he has worked to advance global health diplomacy, pandemic preparedness, and disease eradication initiatives.In this episode, Ambassador Lange shared insights from his diplomatic career, his work in global health, and the importance of public service in addressing global challenges. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Ambassador Lange and learned so much. We hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we are excited to welcome back Professor Tana Johnson from the La Follette School of Public Affairs and Political Science. Professor Johnson's research and teaching interests span international institutions, environmental and economic policy, and the interaction of governments, businesses, and civil society. We asked her about some of the main topics she covers in her International Environmental Politics course as well as what's working, and what's not, in international environmental politics more generally. We learned so much and enjoyed our conversation. We hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to interview PS alum, Josh Shapiro. Josh graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2018 and earned a Master's degree from the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy in 2021. Josh has built an impressive career in legislative affairs, progressing from campaign management and political internships to senior-level policy advising in the U.S. House of Representatives. Josh has gained expertise in drafting legislation and has a broad policy portfolio, focusing on energy, commerce, infrastructure, and telecommunications. We asked Josh about his time at UW-Madison as well as his fascinating career path and his current work on Capitol Hill. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Josh and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we welcome back Miranda Garcia-Dove and Abby Grabowski, co-Presidents of BridgeMadison, to talk about the role of AI in Education and Society. Miranda and Abby are joined by fellow students Elliott Bliss, Lexi Golding and Marissa Reude. They covered a lot of ground in their discussion of how AI is impacting education, the workforce, the environment and society more generally. It was a lively and engaging discussion that offered a variety of thoughtful student perspectives. Listen here.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to welcome Mark Copelovitch. Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs, to talk about the Trump Administrations flurry of executive orders and job cuts across multiple government agencies and organizations in his first several weeks in office. A lot has happened in the political and economic world in a short amount of time, and we couldn't think of anyone better to talk to than Prof. Copelovitch. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with him and learned so much. We hope you will too!

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were thrilled to interview Tom Beaumont, Senior National Political Correspondent for the Washington desk of The Associated Press. Tom earned a BA in Political Science from UW-Madison in 1989 as well as a MA from the J-School in 1993. In his career, Tom has covered six presidential campaigns, including the past four as a national correspondent for the AP. We had a wide ranging and fun conversation with Tom about his career path as well as his experiences and insights covering the last several presidential elections.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to talk to Dominic Zappia, the ASM Chair. Dom is a senior at UW-Madison and has been the ASM Chair since the start of this school year. We discussed ASM's structure and powers and why students' participation in ASM's Spring 2025 elections is crucial for effective shared governance. We enjoyed our conversation with Dominic and hope you do too! Listen here.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to talk to Garrett Jones, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science. Garrett is currently teaching our department's The American Constitution: Powers and Structures of Government course. We talked to Garret about the development of the US constitutional framework historically and with respect to the challenges of constitutionalism in contemporary U.S. politics and government. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Garrett and learned so much. We hope you will too.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to sit down with David Olson, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, to discuss not only his spring course, The Supreme Court as a Political Institution, but also his broader work in civic education. We talked to David about the history and evolution of judicial decision-making and its connection to contemporary political issues. We also asked him about his work at Retro Report – an independent nonprofit news organization - as well as his thoughts on the evolving role of civic education in today's society. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with David, and hope you will too.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to talk to Noah Stengl about his spring course, Native American Political Theory. We talked with Noah about some of the course themes and concepts and how they connect to broader issues of governance, sovereignty, freedom and land. We learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. We hope you will too

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, Honor Durham, Allison Keeley, and Nama Paney revisit favorite clips from three podcasts we especially enjoyed hosting this semester. The first is a conversation with Kai Prins on commodity activism in polarized politics. The second revisits a conversation we had with Professor Allison Prasch on the different rhetorical styles used by Donald Trump and Kamala Harris during their respective presidential campaigns. This last clip comes from our episode with Dr. Kathy Cramer, in which we discuss reimagining our democracy.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to talk to Soeren Henn, a new Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science. Prof. Henn's research lies at the intersection of comparative politics, political economy and development economics. He studies the politics of development with a focus on fragile state settings, informal institutions, and conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the Great Lakes region, and Latin America. In this episode, we asked Prof. Henn about his academic and professional pathway as well as his teaching and research interests, particularly with respect to political economy and development in Africa. We enjoyed our conversation with Prof. Henn and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we had the pleasure to speak with Manu Meel, the CEO of BridgeUSA, and the leaders of BridgeMadison, Miranda Garcia-Dove and Abby Grabowski. BridgeMadison is a newly formed campus chapter dedicated to bridging political divides. In this episode, Manu, Abbby and Miranda discuss the campus climate following the 2024 election, and share their efforts to reduce polarization and foster meaningful conversations among students.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were pleased to welcome back Erin Barbato, Director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School to talk about what many political observers have described as a crisis at the border. In an interview recorded one week prior to the 2024 presidential election, we asked Prof. Barbato about why the immigration issue was front and center for both the Trump and Harris campaigns. We also asked Prof. Barbato about potential changes in immigration policy under a second Trump presidency. We learned a lot from our conversation, and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to talk with Terrence Roehrig, a Professor at the US Naval War College. Professor Roehrig will be teaching a new course for the political science department next spring entitled "Asia-Pacific Security and Foreign Relations". Prof. Roehrig has been a research fellow at the Kennedy School at Harvard University in the International Security Program and the Project on Managing the Atom. He is also a non-resident expert at the Center for Korean Legal Studies at Columbia University. In this episode we wanted to ask Prof. Roehrig about his Spring political science course and his research and work more generally. We enjoyed our conversation with Prof. Roehrig, and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to welcome Professor David Parker, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at UW-Madison to talk about contemporary British Politics. He received his doctorate here in 2004, and this is his first year back after teaching political science at Montana State University for sixteen years, including five years as Department Head. We asked Prof. Parker about the Labour Party's landslide victory in the elections this past summer, and how the Conservative Party is responding. We also discussed political polarization in Britain compared to that in the United States as well as how Brexit and devolution has impacted British politics. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and hope you will too.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to welcome Kai Prins who is a candidate studying Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture in the Department of Communication Arts and is minoring in Women's and Gender Studies here at UW-Madison. Kai studies the influence of neoliberalism on the formation and performance of social identity across a range of case studies in digital and consumer culture, including the advertising and branding of social justice issues; the convergence of wellness, social media, and conspiracy; and the commoditization of drag performance. In this fun and engaging episode we asked Kai about their work on commodity activism, in particular a chapter of their dissertation they wrote called “Friends Don't Let Friends Shave with Woke Razors”: Commodity Activism and Economic Speech in the Age of Conservative Backlash.” We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to have the opportunity to once again talk with Prof. Allion Prasch, from the UW-Madison's Department of Communication Arts. Prof. Allison's teaching and research focus on politics, rhetoric and culture. Today, we wanted to ask Prof. Prasch about the very different rhetorical styles that former President Trump and Vice President Harris are playing with in the current very tight race presidential campaign. We enjoyed our conversation and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were grateful for the opportunity to talk to the new Chair of the Department of Political Science, Prof. Nadav Shelef. We asked Prof. Shelef about his responsibility as Chair, as well as some of his recent research on collective victimhood and conflict attitudes. We also asked him about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. We enjoyed our conversation and hope you will too

In this episode, we welcome back Barry Burden, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Elections Research Center to talk the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to talk with Paul Aylesworth, Associate Director for the MS degree in Real Estate at the Wisconsin School of Business. Before coming to campus Paul served as the Real Estate Director for the Women's Community Revitalization Project, a nonprofit Philadelphia-based community development corporation. In his fourteen years in Philadelphia, Paul's work focused on the new construction and preservation of affordable housing utilizing Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity and many other sources of capital and operating subsidy. He was also instrumental in establishing and building the Community Justice Land Trust, which now holds over 100 permanently affordable homes. We know so many of our listeners are interested in the issue of affordable housing and it is a concern that impacts so many people of all ages here in Madison and around the country. We enjoyed talking to Paul and learned so much. We hope you will too!

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were happy to welcome back Nils Ringe, Professor of Political Science and the former Director of European Studies, to talk about the recent EU elections as well as the elections in Britain and France that took place earlier this summer. As always, we learned so much and enjoyed talking to Prof. Ringe. We hope you will too.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to talk to Andrew McWard, Assistant Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Denison University and an instructor here in our Political Science Department at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Prof. McWard specializes in international relations with an emphasis on international organizations. This summer, Prof. McWard is teaching our very popular The Politics of Human Rights course. Prof. McWard received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison last year and his BA in International Relations from Hendrix College in 2017. We asked Prof. McWard about his Politics of Human Rights course and about his interest in studying and teaching human rights more generally. We thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and learned so much. We hope you will too.

In this special episode of 1050 Bascom, we share with you Prof. Cramer's speech on hope in a polarized world. Prof. Cramer delivered these remarks at our 2024 Political Science Graduation Brunch. We so appreciated Prof. Cramer's insights, and hope you will enjoy them as well.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to interview Marko Kljajic. Marko is a PhD student studying comparative politics and international relations here at UW-Madison. His research and teaching interests focus on the political psychology of polarization and reconciliation in the aftermath of civil conflict. In particular, he is interested in the role that collective victimhood beliefs have on intergroup dynamics and political mobilization. Marko will be teaching a new seminar course this coming fall called, “Why We Fight: The Politics of Intergroup Conflict”. We asked Marko about his class as well as the role of polarization in conflict in the United States and around the world. We learned a lot, and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to interview Ambassador Karl Eikenberry. Ambassador Eikenberry is a Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center, a faculty member of Schwarzman College in Beijing, China and a Senior Advisor to the United States Institute for Peace. He is a former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and a retired Lieutenant General of the U.S. Army. His postings have included the East/Central/South Asian regions, Europe, and the Middle East. We were honored to speak with the Ambassador and learned so much. We hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to welcome back Katie Harbath to the podcast. Katie graduated from the UW-Madison School of Journalism with a Political Science major as well in 2003. After graduating, Katie's impressive career trajectory took her to high level politics and to Facebook where she served as the Public Policy Director for ten years. Katie is now Chief Global Affairs Office at Duco Experts and the founder and CEO of her own DC-based company, Anchor Change. With major concerns about whether Americans trust the electoral process amidst a historical presidential campaign season and controversy over proposals aimed at regulating big tech, we were grateful that Katie was willing to spend a little time with us to talk about big tech, AI, and the future of democracy in the United States. We learned so much and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we are joined by Sarah Lundquist Nuutinen. Sarah is a Badger alum and is currently serving as Foreign Service Officer. She majored in Political Science and International Studies at UW-Madison, and also earned a Masters of Science in International Relations and Development at Bristol University. We asked Sarah about her time at UW Madison, her advice for students looking to perhaps become a Foreign Service Officer, and her work in a career path that has taken her around the world. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Sarah and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to talk to Professor Genevieve Bates, a new faculty member in the Political Science Department at UW-Madison. Previously, Prof. Bates was an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, and a postdoctoral fellow with the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. Next fall, she will be teaching a new class we are all excited about entitled, “Transitional Justice in World Politics.” We asked Prof. Bates about her fall class as well as about her research interests in political violence and post-conflict politics, transitional justice, and human rights. We learned a lot and enjoyed the conversation. We hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to welcome back Howard Schweber, Professor Emeritus of the UW-Political Science Department. As many of our listeners know, Prof. Schweber - who holds a JD from the University of Washington as well as a doctorate in Political Science from Cornell University – taught popular classes in political theory, American politics and constitutional law at UW-Madison before retiring last spring. We are happy to announce that he will be teaching a summer course for us online summer term, PS 470: The First Amendment. In a fun and multifaceted conversation, we talked about the politics of the contemporary Supreme Court, free speech on campus and his summer course. We learned a lot and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to talk to Prof. Cramer about her teaching and research focusing on reimagining democracy. As always, we learned so much and had a lot of fun talking to Prof. Cramer. We hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to talk to Professor Marty Davidson, a new faculty member in the Political Science Department at UW-Madison. Next fall he will be teaching two classes: The Political Economy of Race in the US and Crime and Politics. Professor Davidson received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan. We asked Professor Davidson about his fall courses as well as his research projects and interests. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Prof. Davidson and learned so much. We hope you will too

In this week's episode of 1050 Bascom, we are joined by Dr. Kate Phelps, a lecturer in UW-Madison's Gender and Women's Studies department specializing in body politics, feminist theory and fat studies. This semester, Dr. Kate is teaching “Food for Thought,” a class about the politics behind our food systems, which we take a deeper look at in this episode. We found our discussion with Dr. Phelps fascinating and we hope you will too. Listen here!

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to talk to Jim Gingras, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science. A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and military diplomat, Jim is particularly interested in Civil-Military Relations and methods that may improve U.S. and international security policy. In his time in the Air Force, Jim commanded a squadron and installation in Turkey as well as the U.S. assistant air attaché at the U.S. Embassy in London. He also led combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Jim was also an instructor at both the French Air Force and the U.S. Air Force Academies prior to coming to UW-Madison.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we had the pleasure of speaking with Luke Fuszard. Luke is a former Alderman who represented Middleton, WI. He was also a lecturer in our State Politics course at UW-Madison. Fuszard's work centers around state and local government and in this episode, we talked federalism, redistricting, elections, and policy. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Luke, and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to be joined by David Canon, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Political Science. As most of our listeners know, Prof. Canon's work engages a wide range of American politics including institutions, elections, campaigns and race. We asked Prof. Canon for his take on the state of election 2024 after New Hampshire and what it means for the short- and long-term future of American politics.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited for the opportunity to talk with Badger Alum Bryan Blom as part of our Career Conversations series. Bryan, graduated from UW-Madison with a major in Political Science. He is currently a Senior Vice President at Porterfield, Fettig & Sears, LLC, a government relations firm based in Washington DC. Prior to his work in government relations, Bryan worked in the U.S. Senate as a Staff Director for the Banking Subcommittee on National Security International Trade and Finance, and as the Republican Staff Director for the Banking Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were grateful for another opportunity to talk to Mikhail Troitskiy, Professor of Practice at UW-Madison. Our discussion focused on questions of Russian identity and Russian foreign policy over the last several decades. We also discussed the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine. We learned so much from our conversation with Prof. Troitskiy and hope you will too.

In this special episode of 1050 Bascom, we present our recording of an expert panel on the conflict in Israel-Palestine that was held on Nov. 29 and was hosted by the Department of Political Science and the Middle East Studies Program. The panel featured Professors Steven Brooke, Marwa Shalaby, and Nadav Shelef as speakers and was moderated by Professor Jon Pevehouse.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we are joined by Jessie Munson, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science, to discuss the U.S. Congress. We asked Jessie about the power struggles that have made headline news around the world over the last several months as well as some of the key issues that Congress faces as the 2024 presidential primary season gets underway. Jessie studies American politics, political institutions, and elections. We learned so much from Jessie and had a lot of fun talking to her.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we are joined by Professor Allison Prasch to discuss the third Republican Presidential Primary Debate. The debate was held in Miami, Florida on Wednesday, November 8th. Dr. Prasch is an Associate Professor in the Communications Department where she studies and teaches on rhetoric, politics, and culture. We had a lot of fun talking to Dr. Prasch and learned so much. We hope you will too.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to talk to Josh Brown about social identity theory and political polarization. Josh is social psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Associate in the School of Human Ecology. He is interested in understanding groups processes and intergroup relations in applied settings like politics. In particular, he studies what motivates people to identify with groups, self-uncertainty, and identification's effects on behavior, cognition, performance, and health and politics. Josh is the co-author of a fascinating article, “Extreme party animals: Effects of political identification and ideological extremity.” We wanted to talk to Josh about the psychological mechanisms at play that might help us understand why our political environment has become so polarized - and we asked him if there are any remedies social psychology might offer us. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Josh, and learned so much. We hope you will too!

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we welcome UW-Madison Dean of Students Christina Olstad and UW Police Department Chief Kristen Roman to discuss campus safety resources following a recent high-profile event near campus that put some students on edge. We also take a look at protest guidelines for students, specifically how to protest safely and what UW officials do to support students who choose to participate in a demonstration. Content warning: This conversation touches on a recent sexual assault near campus and may not be suitable for some listeners.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we wanted to bring back Jon Pevehouse, Professor and Chair of the Political Science department, to talk about the war that has erupted in the Middle East. An unprecedented surprise attack in southern Israel by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, has led to an increasingly deadly conflict with no resolution in sight. Hamas launched its coordinated attack on southern Israel on October 7, firing rockets, invading Israeli towns and army bases, killing at least 1,400 people, many of them civilians, and taking Israelis hostage. Israel has retaliated with airstrikes in Gaza that have also killed thousands of people, including civilians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared war on Hamas and united the Israel government that is gearing up for a potential ground invasion. We appreciated Prof. Pevehouse helping us understand the history and politics of the situation.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we are excited to have the opportunity to speak with Annie Jones, professor of organizational development and a Tribal Nations specialist with UW-Madison's Division of Extension. Prof. Jones, an enrolled member of the Menominee Nation, is also an affiliate faculty with the departments of American Indian Studies and Community and Environmental Sociology. She was named one of the most influential Native American Leaders in Wisconsin in 2023. We asked Annie about her research interests and her role as a Tribal Nationals Specialist and Liaison at UW-Madison. We had a wonderful conversation, and we learned so much. We hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we are joined by Professor Mike Wagner to discuss the second Republican Presidential Primary Debate that was held on Wednesday, September 27th at the Reagan National Library in Simi Valley, California. Mike Wagner is a professor at the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. His research focuses on democracy and political communications. As always, we thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Prof. Wagner and learned so much. We hope you will too.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were happy in late May to welcome back Erin Barbato, Director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School. As the Trump Administration's Title 42 immigration policy came to an end, we invited Erin to tell us about what Title 42 was, why it ended in spring, and what this transition might mean for U.S. immigration policy. As always we enjoyed talking with Erin and learned so much.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we welcome back Professor Jon Pevehouse, Chair of the Political Science department, to the podcast to talk about his summer trip to Israel, this upcoming academic year, and President Biden's attempt to broker a Saudi-Israel Deal before the start of the 2024 presidential election cycle. As always we had so much fun talking to Prof. Pevehouse and learned so much. We hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we are excited for the opportunity to talk with Tatiana Cruz, as part of our Career Conversations series. Tatiana is currently an Instructor at the Center for Law, Society & Justice and a Graduate Student at the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Tatiana is also working as a PhD student in Law at the University of Brasília and holds a Masters in Procedural Law at the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro. She worked as Assistant Professor at the Department of Formal Public Law and Professional Ethics at the Law School of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, and held a position as First Lieutenant in the Brazilian Air Force, working as Legal Advisor to the Air Force Commander's Office.In this episode, we asked Tatiana about her academic and professional path as well as her current research and teaching interestings. We also touched on some topics related to contemporary Brazilian politics – including the last Presidential election, the Brazilian Supreme Court, and the similarities between the US and Brazil. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Tatiana and hope you will too.