Cui Bono Cast

Dr. Caleb Karges (History) explains the nature of the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714), the lessons it teaches us, and why it still matters today. Dr. Karges also regularly hosts a feature podcast series with Cui Bono Cast, called “The History Suite.” He is also faculty-in-residence at the Global Village Living-Learning Community.

This convocation lecture explores the heart of Concordia's education mission: the concept of vocation. Attention is given to the sacredness of our work and callings in life and to ways to discern one's callings in a particular life.  Dr. Michael A. Thomas, the fifth president of Concordia University Irvine, brings a passion for higher education to his tenure. His deep commitment to the Lutheran intellectual tradition, along with his extensive experience across multiple disciplines, including curriculum, faculty and staff development, governance, enrollment, and student life, has prepared him to lead Concordia into a new era. Prior to coming to Concordia University Irvine, Dr. Thomas served as the Executive Director of the Lutheran Institute for Theology and Culture at Concordia University Portland (CUP). The Institute combined three academic departments (Religion, Music, and Art) with Campus Ministry, Church Relations, and the Center for Applied Lutheran Leadership. Previously, Dr. Thomas served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Director of the Honors Program at CUP. As Professor of Religion, his academic interests include the history and literature of early Christianity, early Judaism, and the classical world. Michael A. Thomas earned his B.A. at Concordia University Portland in 1993, his M.A. at the University of Washington in 1996, and his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia in 2008.

Dr Bryan Santin (English) discusses the power and insights of Afrofuturist science fiction in the work of Octavia Butler. This was recorded at the Honors Living Learning Community on the campus of Concordia University Irvine.

Dr. Bryan Santin (English) and Dr. Caleb Karges (History) discuss the recent history of politics and fiction and its various leanings over the decades. Santin teaches some classes in the History and Political Thought department and has recently published Postwar American Fiction and The Rise of Modern Conservatism: A Literary History.

Dr. Dan Deen (Philosophy) and Dr. Joel Oesch (Theology) discuss the concept of curiosity. Is it good for us? Is it helpful? This episode was recorded at the Bella Amore LLC at Concordia University Irvine. Some of the student questions are hard to hear, but if you stick with it, Deen and Oesch end up bringing together themes from great thinkers to discuss the life of the mind with students and fellow faculty. These two faculty members also lead the summer Crosswise Institute.

Lieut. Josiah Popp (USMC), alumnus of the History and Political Thought program and Dr. Caleb Karges, military historian at CUI, discuss the history and implications of new technologies applied to warfare. Historical and contemporary issues are discussed.

An exploration of the question whether anyone should want theism to be true. This thought experiment leads to fascinating and important insights. This talk was a Cui Bono presentation in the CUI Heritage Garden. Dr. Ballard is assistant professor of philosophy at CUI. He works in ethics, epistemology,  philosophy of mind, and philosophy of religion. His primary question these days is: How does religious faith affect human flourishing? How, for instance, does faith allow us to make meaning out of suffering, or craft a sense of identity, or find a basis for radical forgiveness?  Ballard earned his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh under Edouard Machery, John McDowell, Karl Schafer, Jim Woodward, and Crispin Wright. Before that, he earned his MA from NYU under David Velleman.

We present the keynote speech on the Constitution for CUI's constitution week, spearheaded by JoEllen Chatham, Director of the Concordia University Center for Public Policy, Citizenship and Ethics, in collaboration with the History and Political Thought Department. The speaker is The Honorable Andrew J. Guilford

Anthropologist Dr. Jack Schulz discusses the nature of a good life in the face of death, as conceived across various cultures, and in light of his own confrontation with a cancer diagnosis. He discusses the virtues he and many of his faculty colleagues seek to cultivate in students through Concordia's liberal arts programming & emphasizes the importance of the person and teachings of Jesus within CUI's liberal arts conversations.

Dr. Jeff Mallinson (Prof. & Chair of History & Political Thought) explains how ancient Taoists and early Christians both faced worlds that were uncertain, violent & riddled with factionalism & war. According to him, both approaches to life encouraged a sort of spiritual anarchism, which is the central topic of this outside lecture in the CUI Heritage Garden. Anarchism here refers to the idea that the state serves its own interests, rather than ours & is thus not to be trusted let alone worshipped. The sage-disciple will avoid the very systems of domination that work to enslave us & steal our joy, albeit in a nonviolent way. The difference between Taoism & Christianity is primarily the difference between letting things run their course as the sage goes fishing on the outskirts of society on the one hand (Taoism), and working to repair the world and heal our neighbors with Good News, even when it means the followers of Jesus will face suffering and death at the hands of the powers that be on the other (Christianity). 

Dr. Caleb Karges flies solo for this episode, in which he reflects on some of the main themes of his World War II class last year and reveals who his students thought were the best and worst commanders in the war.

We kick off the new season and new academic year with opening addresses by CUI President Michael Thomas and History Professor and CUI BONO professor of the year Jeff Mallinson. We discuss the nature of a college education on the path toward freedom, happiness and CUI's desire to train wise, honorable, and cultivated students. 

Dr. John Lu (Professor of Psychology and Chair of Behavioral Sciences at CUI) helps apply his field of psychology to the quest of becoming who we hope to be through a series of concrete steps. Learn how he applies this to rearing his own children, and explore how the tools he discusses might be applicable to your own life. 

We answer a listener question about history being written by the victors. Regular History Suite host, Dr. Caleb Karges (military historian) is joined by Dr. C.J. Armstrong (classics) and Dr. Jeff Mallinson (historian of ideas and religion). What happens when we are left with only one source? What if that source is hostile? Assessing the author of a source is where this episode on historiography takes us.

Gustavo Arellano discusses the history and future of the restaurant scene in Orange County, CA. Find out where Doritos were invented and learn what the oldest restaurant in the county is now that the White House in Laguna Beach has closed down. At the end, there's a discussion about the ethics of food and why we should frequent local eateries.

Dr. Paul Elliott (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) joins Dr. Caleb Karges (History) to discuss the interesting but elusive people known as the Philistines. 

Dr. Joel Oesch (Theology) discusses the spiritual and ethical implications of AI love, robot sex, and other disembodied forms of relationships. He discusses a video that can be found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkcKaNqfykg

Stories and life advice from profs about romance and international relationships. Panelists assembled at the Global Village LLC include Dr. Caleb Karges (History) and his wife Jenn, Dr. Jack Schultz (Anthropology), Dr. Kristen Koenig (Sociology) and her husband Paul.    

Rev. Steve Zank, director of the Center for Worship Leadership at CUI offers a sympathetic, historical exploration of the implications of the prosperity gospel for the concrete experiences of families. Zank provides a primer on how to understand the movement behind the poignant story of #wakeupolive.  

Dr. Kyle Swan, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Center for Practical and Professional Ethics at Cal State Sacramento chats with students at the Honors LLC. He discusses themes related to John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Social Contract Theory, covenants, the state of nature, and social ethics.

The History Suite is embarking on a new series called “People and Places,” exploring peoples of the world & their histories. This episode's guest is Rev. Dr. Paul Elliott, Assoc. Prof. of Theology at CUI. With Rev. Dr. Elliott as our tour-guide, he takes us to the streets of ancient Babylon and points out the sights and sounds of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, including the Hanging Gardens, Ziggurats, beer, religion, money, & politics.

David Schulz (Professor and Chair of Communication at CUI) clues us in to object oriented ontology and the work of Bruno Latour. If this business about “flat ontology” means nothing to you, that's just fine: this talk will give you an overview and some possible interpretations. This is a potent interdisciplinary conversation from an expert in rhetoric.

Dr. Joel Oesch (Theology) discusses the recent Capitol Riots with Dr. Caleb Karges (History) from historical and theological perspectives. 

What neuroscience has to say about love and romantic relationships and decision making. Our speaker, Dr. Mary von dem Bussche (Ph.D.), graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology, with an emphasis in Neurobiology, and a minor in Spanish. She obtained her doctorate in the neurosciences from the University of California at San Diego. Her research focused on learning and memory in the adult mammalian cortex. Dr. von dem Bussche teaches introductory biology courses at Concordia University and is compelled by how the biological sciences reveal God's creation.

Three CUI historians discuss cinema and history, and share their least favorites, favorites and discuss documentaries. Joining regular host Caleb Karges (Military History) are CJ Armstrong (Classical History) and Jeff Mallinson (Intellectual and Religious History).

A discussion of fiction and other writing about plagues, viruses, and diseases, and the ways we humans deal with them.  Dr. Santin is Assistant Professor of English at CUI. He teaches courses in American literature and world literature, American history and political theory, and composition and rhetoric. His research interests focus primarily on twentieth and twenty-first American literature and politics, especially in relation to race and ethnicity. He is the author of the forthcoming book Postwar American Fiction and the Rise of Modern Conservatism: A Literary History, 1945–2008(Cambridge University Press, 2021). He obtained his Ph.D. in English from the University of Notre Dame. He tweets @BMSantin  

Dr. Karges interviews 89-year-old, German-born Onno Rahlfs. His story is a story of the twentieth century, which includes highlights such as the World Wars, the Hitler Youth, being "captured" by American GIs, Postwar Germany, the Volkswagen Beetle, driving Route 66, and falling in love with the American West.   You can always contact the History Suite with comments, questions, and ideas at thehistorysuite@gmail.com

In the wake of last week's siege of the US Capitol, we use history to make sense of conspiracy theories, conspiracies, and mob violence. In an unprecedentedly lonely time, the pressure release valves of societies seem to have led people to desire riotous group violence. In a sense, this is a bonus follow up to last semester's insurgency series conducted by the History Suite. Joe Popp and Jeff Mallinson join regular host of this CUI Bono Cast series, military historian Caleb Karges.

Dr. Karges answers some questions in the mailbag regarding the series on Strategic Thought. The questions take him to World War II, The War of American Independence, The Alamo, and Native American warfare. He references books by Geoff Megargee, Heinz Guderian, and Erwin Rommel.

Dr. Caleb Karges, Jacob Lange, and Sam Fluegge conclude this term's series on Strategic Thought by reflecting on all of the readings together and on the class that accompanied it. We talk about some of our favorite concepts from the class and our favorite authors. We then draw comparisons between military strategy and board games. They draw conclusions about warfare and love of neighbor toward the end, all for the sake of peace on earth and good will to all of humanity.

In this episode Dr. Caleb Karges, Samuel Fluegge, and Jacob Lange examine the work of the prolific British strategic theorist, Basil Liddell Hart and his idea of the "indirect approach" that he explains in his book Strategy. The gents discuss how his book forms the capstone of everything that we have read before and how Liddell Hart examines the historical application of the indirect approach in various figures and historical episodes including Hannibal, Scipio, Belisarius, Sherman, World War I, and World War II. They also talk about his idea of the indirect approach more generally and apply it to numerous human affairs including politics, romance, and missions.

Caleb Karges, Sam Fluegge, and Jacob Lange discuss Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan's The Influence of Sea Power upon History and lessons from surfing for understanding naval warfare end existential reflection.

This is a casual conversation with faculty panelists and a masked and distanced group of students in the lovely outdoor amphitheater on the CUI campus. We discuss things we dug about our conversations together, areas where we may want to retract stuff, and ideas for the future. Mallinson provides some spiritual reflections on the semester in the last several minutes. 

Dr. Caleb Karges and recent grad Josiah Popp discuss the topic of counterinsurgency. This is the final episode in the History Suite's insurgency series. They discuss successful and failed counterinsurgencies over the last 70 years including situations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Algeria, Kenya, and Lebanon. They tie it all in to present issues such as China and Pakistan. Some of the works we reference are James Mattis, Gil Merom, Frank Kitson, Gerard Chaliand, and Tiffany Tanner. They end by reflecting on Jesus and a liberal arts education. Also, listeners are encouraged to send questions, comments, thoughts, dank memes, and random musings to thehistorysuite@gmail.com.

Jacob Lange and Dr. Caleb Karges go through The Principles of Maritime Strategy, written by British naval historian Julian Stafford Corbett in 1911. They talk about command of the sea, amphibious invasions, and discuss Jomini, Clausewitz, Mahan, and Basil Liddell Hart. Using Corbett's framework, they examine operations in the Russo-Japanese War, the Anglo-Dutch War, the Eighty Years War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II. This episode is the World War II enthusiasts dream, as we speak about the Battle of Taranto, the 1942 invasion of Crete, Operation Sea Lion (planned German invasion of Britain), the Battle of the Bulge, the Allied submarine war against Japan, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

This episode's primary text is a George Carlin clip about euphemisms and how language is modified and shaped to achieve various ends. Drs. Oesch and Deen are joined by Professor of Communication Studies at CUI, Dr. David Schulz. What makes a cuss word a “bad word”?

In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, Dr. C.J. Armstrong talks to students at the Bella Amore Living Learning community, where he discusses gratitude, debt, and forgiveness. Extended discussion of Psalm 136 “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.”  “Do not say: ‘It is good fellow human and our association ends here.' Say ‘thanks' and be done with it.”--Dr. Armstrong  

A panel of faculty members discuss interdisciplinarity, why you should embrace it, and what pairings might be particularly helpful. This conversation was sponsored by the Global Village LLC, where Dr. Caleb Karges (History and Political Thought) Dr. Sarah Karam (Biology), and Dr. David Schulz (Communications) are the interlocutors.

Following up from the first conversation about insurgency, which focussed on Marxist insurgencies, this episode primarily focuses on insurgencies in the Islamic World. Special attention is paid to the tensions between Islamic communities and communist nations and the differences between terrorism and insurgencies. Toward the end, there is also a discussion of the ways in which global powers might benefit from delegitimizing the US system of government. Dr. Caleb Karges is your host, as usual, and regular gues, alumnus, and Marine officer in training Joe Popp brings profound insights to the conversation.  Minute 41 is where it transitions to the elections in the US.

Concordia's Behavioral Sciences Club & Bella Amore invited Drs. John Lu (Psychology), Jack Schultz (Anthropology), and Kristen Koenig (Sociology) to help make sense of the way people vote, how they deal with the aftermath—whether as winners or as losers—and how to relate to those who see the world rather differently. The student organizer was Kya Bock, president of the Behavioral Science Club

It is no secret that university culture has a tendency to erode the faith of our children.  How do we as a church body prepare the youth for this known reality?  In this workshop, Joel and Dan discuss the cultural factors that work for and against our youth at university.  We then discuss what we take as a curriculum corrective for students designed to cultivate intellectual courage alongside faith to engage the university culture with wisdom and innocence. Hosts: Dr. Joel Oesch and Dr. Daniel Deen

Dr. Caleb Karges, military historian on the faculty of Concordia's History and Political Thought department, discusses Helmuth von Moltke's work The Art of War. This may sound like an obscure topic for non-specialists, but it helps make sense of the two world wars and more. Moltke was Chief of the Prusso-German Generals Staff during the Wars of German Unification. This conversation is based on the edition of Moltke's classic by Daniel Hughes. Topics mentioned include railroads, telegraphs, Otto von Bismarck, Kaiser Wilhelm II, World War I, World War II, and the ideas of Philips Payson O'Brien.

For this Cui Bono plenary, Professor of English, Dr. Kerri Tom (Ph.D., University of Massachusetts) discusses characters from great literature and popular culture and the extent to which the exemplify the virtues, even when we fail to mirror their patterns of virtue perfectly.

Dr. Joel Oesch and Dr. Daniel Deen discuss death, transhumanism, and technology that's being used to try and outwit the Grim Reaper. This takes place with their joint core classes in the virtual audience. There are student questions and responses. The whole conversation reflects on this startling video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxAaVvdAEWs

Dr. Caleb Karges interviews Dr. John Condren, a Research Associate at Oxford University, on the Life and Reign of Louis XIV of France. Condren is coming out with a book on this subject: Louis XIV and the Peace of Italy: French Policy towards the Po Princes, 1659-1701 (Routlege). Sit back and enjoy this delightful historical conversation.

A panel of CUI professors discusses what it means to be part of the political process, and what it means to be excluded from that process, a century after women gained the right to vote in the United States. Gender, sex, democracy, includsion, exclusion … it's all part of a wide ranging but relevant conversation. Unfortunately, due to a technical malfunction, the only audio we were able to capture was the compressed audio from our livestream. We'll resolve that for next week. But if you can go to school and work all week with Zoom audio, hopefully it won't keep you from gleaning wisdom here. 

This is the first installment of our new feature series called Crosswise 30. For this episode, Dr. Joel Oesch and Dr. Daniel Deen discuss the Trump-Biden presidential debate on the same day when, instead of a second debate, the two presidential hopefuls held town halls without the other candidate present. They discuss the ways in which they try to remedy this breakdown of civil discourse through their podcast series and through the annual summer event they lead with other colleagues: the Crosswise Institute.

Dr. Caleb Karges discusses Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz, On War (1832) with student Jacob Lange and alumnus Sam Fluegge. This is part of a series within the Cui Bono Cast focused on military strategy and lessons for political life today.

A discussion about the contemplative tradition and prayer practices, featuring three Lutheran panelists: Pastor Bill Cwirla (Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Hacienda Heights, CA), Heather Choate Davis (Spiritual Director, CSFDM, M.A. in Theology, CUI), and Pastor Dominic Rivkin (Mission and Ministry Services, PSD of the LCMS). This took place in the courtyard of Wittenberg Hall, a Living-Learning Community at Concordia University, Irvine.

This is the second installation of our special feature series entitled “The History Suite.” This episode is a conversation between history prof, Dr. Caleb Karges (Ph.D., University of St. Andrews) and recent alumnus Josiah Popp (‘20), who is now a Marine Corps Officer candidate. Last year, Dr. Karges and Popp did an independent study course on the topic of insurgency and counterinsurgency and they are sharing their findings with you, dear listener.  Topics Discussed   CHAZ The State of Jefferson Mao Zedong, On Guerilla Warfare Clauswitz Che Guevara Frank Kitson, Low Intensity Operations Arthur Brooks, Love Your Enemies Gil Merom, How Democracies Lose Small Wars

Bournes is a poet, hip hop artist & singer. He discusses his experiences in Long Beach public schools and later a conservative Bible college, laments some of the important elements that were lacking, and offers provocative but timely reflections on ways to reimagine education and other systems of society. This was recorded in front of a limited group of Micah at the Honors Living-Learning community at CUI. Micha has just released a book of poetry called Here Comes This Dreamer and is about to release a pop album with the artist Lucee. He reads two poems from his book and discusses a recent hip hop track which is included in this episode. For more about this compelling artist check out https://www.micahbournes.com.  [Apologies for the mic gain being too high at first but it smooths out after the first couple minutes]