Podcast appearances and mentions of aubrey hicks

UnfairNation the PodcastSeason 2 | Episode 6Making movies is hard work … that increasingly doesn't pay enough.The last few years have seemed like the golden age of entertainment. There's been more shows to watch than people to watch them and more ways of watching your favorite shows than ever before.But while this era of “Peak Entertainment” has provided tremendous opportunities, the profits from this bounty have largely accrued to a very small percentage of writers, actors and entertainment executives. My guest on this episode, Raamla Mohamed, is an Emmy nominated television writer and producer and currently show runner on the Hulu series Reasonable Doubt. She is a rising success, but still someone who would call herself a hustler - working hard to make it in Hollywood. She is, also … undeniably useful - which is the term Raamla gives her philosophy of reframing the smallest effort in service of excellence and success.And finally, as a writer, she is on strike, demanding fair treatment and better compensation for her work.In this episode, I speak with Raamla about who she is, her identity as a child of immigrants, her family and her pathway from MFA student to show runner. Though we don't discuss her show in much detail, Raamla has some important advice to share with young people thinking of entering the entertainment industry as well.Now one of the most popular podcasts in the world, UnfairNation is produced in partnership with The Difference Engine at Arizona State University, a venture studio where some of the brightest students, faculty and staff build products with and for communities to reduce inequality.This episode was recorded in the gorgeous and historic Herald Examiner Building in downtown Los Angeles - the headquarters for ASU in Southern California. Our editor on this episode was Damien Somerset. Thank you also to Aubrey Hicks and Lindsay Stephens from The Difference Engine, as well as the fantastic ASU California IT team for setting us up in the studio this time around. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unfairnation.com

It's been a while since I recorded an episode, so apologies for that, but I think you're going to like the changes we've made over the last few months. First, I'm making episodes a little shorter - just the right length to listen to on a three mile run, and because this podcast is a great cure for insomnia, you can also use it to knock out at night. Second, we're now recording UnfairNation at Arizona State University's beautiful and historic Herald Examiner Building in downtown Los Angeles. As some of you may know, I run The Difference Engine at Arizona State University, where we build products communities can use to reduce inequality. I'll be sharing more information about our work later in the year, and also introducing you to the students who will help research the content for this podcast as well as edit and produce it. In the meantime, I want to give a shoutout to Aubrey Hicks, The Engine's Chief of Staff, who helped produce and organize this episode. So! On to Dulce! I met Dulce when I first started at ASU. She's got more energy than almost anyone I know and she was one of the first supporters (and currently serves as the first fellow) at the Difference Engine. Last year, she announced her candidacy for Los Angeles City Council District 9 and by all accounts ran a stellar grassroots campaign to unseat an incumbent politician. Despite her tremendous efforts and those of her team, she failed to unseat him. In her quest for political office are important lessons for those thinking of running. The electoral system in this currently has been inherently unfair since this country's founding, and because the system is so tilted, many people today think that running for office is one of the last ways to influence positive public policy change. But, as you'll hear, despite acknowledging and agreeing with the cynics, despite her own loss, Dulce remains steadfastly positive about the electoral system. So let's listen to Dulce and her views on why local politics are still inequitable, what we can all do to make things less unfair and why she still thinks people (especially women) should run for office. Dulce talked about: Learn more about Democracy Vouchers Learn more about Emerge America

This is the last episode of the Bedrosian Bookclub in this incarnation, it's been a blast. We discuss the importance of The 1619 Project, the book, the project, and it's impact on our political discourse. Why should we pay attention to history, how does the historical narrative of a country affect the way we face the future? Aubrey Hicks is joined by Yesenia Hunter, LaVonna Lewis, Jen Bravo, and David Sloane in a conversation on the meaning and joy in the The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story. Follow Aubrey on Twitter @AubreyHi for a new book club announcement soon! Catch up on past episodes in the meantime! Thanks to all the listeners, to all our guests (past and present), and to all the authors who help us think about the world we find ourselves awed by every day.

CODA is a film that doesn't take a lot chances, with it's familiar tropes it doesn't stray from the formula. It's a remake of a 2014 French film, it's a coming of age film about a teenage girl breaking away from her family. Audiences get a teen romance or two, an inspiring teacher, and an uplifting ending. And yet ... CODA transcends the ordinary with solid performances, storytelling, and importantly, with its inclusion of amazing deaf actors - an opportunity the original French film missed. The importance of good storytelling is highlighted here. Listen as we discuss the charming film CODA. Featuring host Alex Ago and his guests, Donnajean Ward, Jonathan Schwartz, and Aubrey Hicks

A "canceled" influencer. A lonely man looking for attention. White men adrift in hoards, no memory of the violence or good they've done. Enter The Atmosphere, a new retreat where men can detox from social media and learn to become human again. A cult. This first novel from Alex McElroy is a doozy; capturing the manic craziness of the last decade, the sprint for the next cool thing, the quick turn from darling to pariah, the frenetic way we flit from one catastrophe to another.   Join us as host Aubrey Hicks is joined by Caroline Bhalla, Lisa Schweitzer, and Donnajean Ward to argue over McElroy's The Atmospherians.

In direct contrast to the myth of the "American Dream," we live in a society in which factors outside of our control determine our fates. From skin color to zip code, only the lucky or exceptionally determined are able to break free of the invisible chains binding them to their caste. In Isabel Wilkerson's latest book, Caste, the Hindu caste system in India is a mirror to reflect how this invisible stratification continues to lock in inequity in the U.S.. This richly historic book uncovers how the Third Reich used the American caste system as a model for their dynasty in Germany. Then she uses personal stories, her own among them, to outline the harm and costs our caste system has reeked since 1619. Read the book, then listen to host Aubrey Hicks discuss the book with LaVonna Lewis, Christine Beckman, and Olivia Olson.  

As soon as someone mentions housing affordability, and at the Price School that is everyday, I can't help but think of Jimmy McMillan. You might not remember his name, but likely you remember the name of his party: the Rent Is Too Damn High Party. It is. We know that. We know rent is high, in part its wage stagnation, slow development, high cost of living, low renter protections ... Today, we're speaking with folks from the Price Center to discuss a new report on housing affordability in L.A. This isn't just another report on the monetary cost of housing, telling us more of the things we already know. The report covers findings from a door-to-door survey done in 2019 to unearth the realities of families living with rent burden. What do real people have to give up when their rent is 30%, 40%, 50%, or more of their take home pay? Policymakers need to think about the other costs Angelenos are facing "when creating policy responses to protect renters during the COVID-19 pandemic." Too many of our neighbors faced rental precarity before the pandemic. "Researcher and practitioner efforts must address the impending eviction crisis stemming from the pandemic shut-down as well as the more enduring task of tackling long-term rental affordability." Aubrey Hicks speaks with Gary Painter (Social Innovation), Jovanna Rosen, Sean Angst, and Soledad De Gregorio about the impact of rent burden on two neighborhoods in Los Angeles.  

"The past decade has elevated the urgent need for police reform, brought to the forefront by high-profile police killings and movements like #BlackLivesMatter. To better understand conceptions of public safety and support the growing public interest in criminal justice reform, the USC Price Center for Social Innovation partnered with Microsoft and the USC Price Safe Communities Institute to launch the NDSC Criminal Justice Data Initiative in the spring of 2019." Today, Aubrey Hicks (our ED) speaks to Gary Painter (Social Innovation) and Erroll Southers (Safe Communities Institute) about the germination of the collaboration, the process of understanding community needs, the impact they hope to see, and thoughts on the next stages of this project.

What does it mean to belong? What does it mean to be an individual, to have an identity? How does one become normal? Who gets to decide what is normal? In One of Us, Alice Domurat Dreger uses stories of conjoined twins to help readers through questions of identity, othering, and belonging. Aubrey Hicks is joined by Christine Beckman, Liz Falletta, and Lisa Schweitzer. We're reading Caste by Isabel Wilkerson and Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum for March. Check out the whole list, click here.

Under the threat of prison, Bill O'Neal infiltrated the Black Panther Party in Chicago. Judas and the Black Messiah looks at the last three years of the Black Panther Party Chairman, Fred Hampton's life. While Hampton was falling in love , taking care of his people, and leading the city revolutionaries ... O'Neal  was forced to navigate the dilemma of the hold the FBI had over him, all while starting to believe in the movement the Black Panthers represented. Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, Aubrey Hicks, Bill Resh, and Erroll Southers. Beware of spoilers. Trigger warning: racial violence, gun violence, state violence, murder, death.   For links to some of the things we talk about, see our showpage.  

Join the conversation on mental health with guest Aubrey Hicks.

"The first time I can remember feeling truly powerless, I was three, and I was trapped sideways in a bucket in the garage." The first line of Allie Brosh's latest illustrated memoir, Solutions and Other Problems, lets the audience know that we still can know what to expect her to say. Using short illustrated essays, stories of her life, Brosh walks us through a few important experiences. The absurdity, the childlike wonder, the laugh-out-loud humor contained in the stories all the while she shares her grief, depression, and anxiety is utterly relatable. In this, the first book we read this month, we discuss mental health and our various reactions to this treasure of a book. Aubrey Hicks is joined by Caroline Bhalla, Liz Falletta, and Stacy Patterson.

What better way to end a hard year than to visit Grafton, New Hampshire as author Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling as he reports on the people who lived there during the Free Town Project? In the new book, A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear, Hongoltz-Hetling follows Graftonites and some "colonizers' who saw it as the perfect place to build a utopian community free of government. Where does the balance between individual rights and the common good exist in American politics? What can this book tell us about the current controversy on mask wearing during this pandemic? And what kind of governance would suit the bears of New Hampshire the best? Host Lisa Schweitzer is joined by Anthony Orlando, Aubrey Hicks, and David Sloane.

Odds are that you know someone raving about the new Netflix coming of age limited series, The Queen's Gambit. Lifted from the novel of the same title, the series is a seven episode tale of a little orphan girl entering the competitive, very masculine, and very adult world of chess. From pawn to queen, what makes The Queen's Gambit irresistible? Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago and Aubrey Hicks in today's episode of Reel Review.

This episode is a bit different but we decided this was too good to pass up. We aren’t discussing a book today, rather we’re going to cover another important report out of the USC Price School of Public Policy. In October we spoke to folks from the Price Center for Social Innovation and the Safe Communities institute about criminal justice. Today ... we're going back to the Price Center to discuss a new report on housing affordability in Los Angeles. The report covers findings from a door-to-door survey done in 2019 to uncover the realities of families living with rent burden. Aubrey Hicks (our ED) speaks to Gary Painter (Social Innovation), Jovanna Rosen, Sean Angst, and Soledad De Gregorio about the impact of rent burden on two neighborhoods in Los Angeles. These findings "must be taken into account when creating policy responses to protect renters during the COVID-19 pandemic, underscore the rental precarity that, which, as rental precarity existed prior to the pandemic. Researcher and practitioner efforts must address the impending eviction crisis stemming from the pandemic shut-down as well as the more enduring task of tackling long-term rental affordability." To learn more about this project, including an overview of the project strategy, as well as key findings from analyses of listening sessions and public safety data, check out the report webpage here.

In Citizen, Claudia Rankine wrote: “Because white men can’t / police their imagination / black people are dying." In her follow-up book, Just Us: An American Conversation, Rankine comes back to her exploration of conversation and the racial imaginary of the United States. Through the practice of making conversation, creating an entangled empathy, the book interrogates Whiteness and the state of relating to others. Rankine provides an example of a process with which all of us can explore our American story. Host Aubrey Hicks is joined by LaVonna Lewis, Olivia Olson, Sumun Pendakur, and David Sloane.

On the Rocks, the latest film from Sophia Coppola, like many of the director's films, relies on dialogue and character interaction. This time the central relationship is between father and daughter, played by Bill Murray and Rashida Jones. How relevant do our panel find this depiction of lives of privilege? Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, Aubrey Hicks  and William Resh to discuss On The Rocks!

Episode one of Lovecraft Country lets viewers know for sure that the question of reality and truth is at the heart of the series. In reality, H. P. Lovecraft was an overt White Supremacist. The series turns this on its head and gives a new generation a ring-side seat to revisiting history from the reality overlooked by textbooks. Reality is slippery. Truth can be hidden. What does it take to uncover the truth, share your reality, and make the world better for the next generation? "It would seem to me that the proposition before the house is a question hideously loaded, and that one's response to that question, or reaction to that question, has to depend on the effect of where you find yourself in the world, what your sense of reality is," James Baldwin spoke during a 1965 debate with William F. Buckley. We're talking about the whole season of Lovecraft Country on this episode of Reel Review. Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, and Aubrey Hicks to discuss the horror, the scifi, the Easter eggs, the way genre can get at the heart of social issues, and more.

The Auctioneer was released in 1976 with a campaign that likened it to "The Lottery.” That the novel reflects an ongoing fascination with the broken dream of a peaceful rural life. Set in a farming community in New Hampshire, the Joan Samson creates a town of residents bracing for change, unsure of the future and looking toward an understood past. Farmers know that as city dwellers continue their flight to the interiors … the land they farm is worth more than the history of their town, the generations lived, or all the crops sewn. The arrival of Perly Dunsmore, an auctioneer, takes that unease to new levels. Yet … he’s simply helping the townsfolk to sell off unwanted items. What is wrong with that? Joan Samson’s The Auctioneer is a classic. Her characters live in a very different time, the horror they face remains entirely relatable.   Host Lisa Schweitzer is joined by Aubrey Hicks, Jeff Jenkins, and Stacy Patterson.

This episode is a bit different but we decided this was too good to pass up. We aren't discussing a book today, rather we're going to cover an important report out of the USC Price School of Public Policy. Given recent events, the findings of this report can help us understand why and how the dialogue between communities and law enforcement is so fraught. Perhaps the two stakeholders are thinking about public safety in very different ways. This project can help us understand both the conflict and where to go from here. "The past decade has elevated the urgent need for police reform, brought to the forefront by high-profile police killings and movements like #BlackLivesMatter. To better understand conceptions of public safety and support the growing public interest in criminal justice reform, the USC Price Center for Social Innovation partnered with Microsoft and the USC Price Safe Communities Institute to launch the NDSC Criminal Justice Data Initiative in the spring of 2019." Today, Aubrey Hicks (our ED) speaks to Gary Painter (Social Innovation) and Erroll Southers (Safe Communities Institute) about the impetus behind the collaboration, the process of understanding community needs, the impact they hope to see, and thoughts on the next stages of research. For links to some of the things we talk about, please see the showpage.  

For our September film discussion, we decided on Disney's streaming release of the live-action remake, Mulan. It's a film that is surrounded by controversy both domestically and abroad. Yifei Liu, the actress who plays the titular character, sparked a boycott hashtag last August (2019) with a pro-police post on Weibo. More controversy hit the film as early viewers realized one of the filming locations is Xinjiang, where the Chinese government is holding Uygur (Muslim ethnic minorities) in "re-education" camps. Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, and Aubrey Hicks to discuss the film, its controversies, and the possibilities of theater in the pandemic.

The 2020 Presidential Election brings us to an important tipping point in the American experiment. In July 2020, the New Yorker ran a piece called "How “Starship Troopers” Aligns with Our Moment of American Defeat," by David Roth. We thought that it would be a great excuse to revisit the 1997 film directed by Paul Verhoeven and the question of fascism in our time. "The anti-Fascism of 'Starship Troopers' is mordant and merciless, but Verhoeven advances his argument by making its every frame lavishly, overbearingly Fascist." What can the fascism of "Starship Troopers" tell us about autocracy and community? Do we fight for democracy or give over to the Federation? Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, Aubrey Hicks, and William G. Resh to think about the film and the question of fascism in our time.

"The story of the Negro in America is the story of America, and it is not a pretty story." - James Baldwin The year is 1979. James Baldwin writes a letter to his agent describing his next novel, "Remember this House." He describes a personal account of the lives of three of Baldwin's close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. The letter is a history of civil rights in America. Baldwin never finished the book. The letter and 30 manuscript pages are all that were left when Baldwin died in 1987. This "masterpiece" documentary is filmmaker Raoul Peck's vision of the possibility of James Baldwin's "Remember this House."   Host Erroll Southers is joined by Alex Ago, Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, and Aubrey Hicks.

March 25, 2020 George Floyd is murdered by members of the Minneapolis Police department. Floyd's murder is the spark that reignites the continuing call for an end to extrajudicial murders perpetrated by the police. How do we talk about progress made without minimizing how far we need to work toward equity and a stronger democracy? Spike Lee's second film, Do the Right Thing is the perfect vehicle to spark conversation about the past, the present, and a future we can work together to strive toward. Plus ... it is an American classic, a must-watch for every American. Host Erroll Southers is joined by Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro and Aubrey Hicks   For links and more, check out the show page.

An 18 year old Mohammad Darwish cries out, "We want freedom!" A revolution begins in the city of Rastan, Syria. April 1st, 2011. For many years, journalist Rania Abouzeid spends time near or inside Syria to interview the Syrian people through the many years of internal (with added external) conflict in the country. No Turning Back is the story of the civil war in Syria told through the eyes of the Syrians Abouzeid interviews, an accounting of their lives from 2011-2016. Listen as host Lisa Schweitzer is joined by Ehsan Zaffar, David Sloane, and Aubrey Hicks discuss this vital reporting.

Released on Netflix March 20, 2020 The Platform is one of the more interesting films to discuss amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The film, directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, follows Goreng as he volunteers to spend six months in The Hole, a vertical prison of sorts. His first roommate, Trimagasis tells him, "There are three kinds of people: those on top, those on the bottom, and those who fall." What does this mean within The Hole? This allegorical tale pulls no punches, but leaves no easy answers. What is our responsibility to others? What agency do individuals have within systems? What is a fair distribution of wealth? Host Erroll Southers is joined by Alex Ago, Aubrey Hicks, & Jonathan Schwartz.

In this month's episode, we're covering a lot of dangerous ground with director Craig Zobel's latest satire, The Hunt. If you've seen the trailer, you likely already get the gist. Right wing conspiracy theories cost the livelihoods of some left wing elites, who decide a fitting punishment is to make the conspiracy come true. Ostensibly, this is a satire addressing conspiracism, partisanship, social media bullying, cancel-culture, and more. Twelve people wake up in a field, they're being hunted ... but why? Does The Hunt hit the bullseye, or does it fall short? Host Erroll Southers is joined by Jonathan Schwartz, Chrysa Perakis, Aubrey Hicks, and Alex Ago for this episode on The Hunt. Beware of ... spoilers!

Can a groundswell of feminist activism threaten an authoritarian patriarchal regime? Author, Leta Hong Fincher looks at this question through the study of women in China. In Betraying Big Brother, Fincher examines the current feminist movement in China. Following the "feminist five," the reader is exposed to the history of the changing roles of women in the country, as well as the current activist movement fueled first through connections built online through the movement to the streets of cities in China. Our discussion covers the book, thoughts on racism during the COVID-19 pandemic (at the beginning stages here in the U.S.) as well as the role of government in women's lives. Host Lisa Schweitzer is joined by Olivia Olson, David Sloane, and Aubrey Hicks for this episode! For more information, check out the showpage.

In this month's episode, we're thinking about the latest adaptation of a graphic novel from Netflix originals: I'm Not Okay with This. Sydney seems like a normal, if awkward teenager. She has a best friend, feels like an outsider, hates the small town she's living in, is annoyed by her (adorable) little brother — but she also has a secret. Perhaps more than one secret. The graphic novel, written by Charles Forsman, who also brought The End of the Fxxxing World to life, steers the coming-of-age  story of the everyday struggle between trauma and control. I'm Not Okay with This is brought to screen by Jonathan Entwistle and Christy Hall for Netflix. Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, and Aubrey Hicks, to discuss another new venture from Netflix. We hope listeners understand that this podcast is full of spoilers, bloody spoilers!   Email: bedrosian.center@usc.edu Twitter: @BedrosianCenter

Tamim Ansary brings 1500 years of history to life in Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes. Destiny Disrupted gives readers a broad overview of history of the middle world, beginning with the time of Mohammed and the birth of Islam through almost the present day. Host Aubrey Hicks is joined by Olivia Olson, David Sloane, and Ehsan Zaffar on this episode! For links and more, visit our showpage.

The latest to come out of the DC universe is the story of Harley Quinn. Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn ostensibly follows Quinn after her breakup from Puddin' (AKA The Joker) and her struggle to survive as the men she hurt in the past come for revenge. Margot Robbie gleefully leads the show as the notorious trickster, and is joined by a band of amazing women. Do they take "the man" down? Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, Aubrey Hicks, and Donnajean Ward to discuss the latest comic book movie. We hope listeners understand that this podcast is full of spoilers.   Email: bedrosian.center@usc.edu Twitter: @BedrosianCenter

Does your favorite conspiracy come with evidence and theory of governance, or is it just a meme? Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, authors of A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy argue that the new conspiracism, while having the feel of classic conspiracy theories, have none of the search for meaning. The authors articulate the rise of this new kind of conspiracy thinking and the ramifications for democratic institutions and our collective understanding of the world. Host Lisa Schweitzer is joined by Olivia Olson, Jeff Jenkins, and Aubrey Hicks to discuss this new book about the current political moment. Follow us on Twitter: @drschweitzer @AubreyHi @jaj7d @BedrosianCenter Read along with us! Next month we’re reading Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China by Leta Hong Fincher. Join the conversation about each episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Or email us at bedrosian.bookclub@usc.edu. Check out the showpage for links to some of the things we talk about.

We’re deviating from our normal episode structure today ... we’ll be channeling our inner Leslie Knope to celebrate Parks & Recreation and Galentine's Day. We all re-watched season 2 episode 16 of Parks & Rec to prepare - but we’re public service nerds, so we can't contain ourselves to just one episode. Listen as host Aubrey Hicks is joined by Chrysa Perakis, Donnajean Ward, Jovanna Rosen and Prof Nicole Esparza to share our joy of women’s friendships and Leslie Knope’s love of work for the public good.

In today’s episode we're briefly gorgeous, or possibly briefly monstrous. We're pretty sure both are true. What we are sure of is that Ocean Vuong's magnificent novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is just that; gorgeous and painful, heart fulfilling and heart breaking. Poet Ocean Vuong's debut novel is ostensibly a letter from the narrator, Little Dog, to his mother, Rose. Our narrator is a young man in his 20s. As a Vietnamese American, Little Dog writes of war, abuse, first love, exploration of language and the struggles of coming of age. Listen as our host Aubrey Hicks discusses the novel with Liz Falletta, Jeff Jenkins, Stacy Patterson, and David Sloane. Follow us on Twitter: @AubreyHi @stacypatt614 @jaj7d @dcsloane53 @BedrosianCenter Read along with us! Next month we’re reading Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes by Tamin Ansary. Join the conversation about each episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Or email us at bedrosian.bookclub@usc.edu.

An interview with author of Children of the Dream: Why School Integration Works, Rucker C. Johnson. (Follow Rucker on Twitter: @ProfRucker) Rucker stopped by USC for a conversation with the Gary Painter, Director of the Sol Price Center for Social Innovation. While on campus, Rucker was also gracious enough to spend some time with our Executive Director, Aubrey Hicks. The conversation covers the goals behind the book and the hopeful idea that we can provide good education for our children given what we've learned in the 65 years since the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Read along with us! For December, we’re reading Trailblazer by Dorothy Butler Gilliam and in January we're reading On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. Join the conversation about each episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Or email us at bedrosian.bookclub@usc.edu.  

In today’s episode we’re thinking about the patriarchy, and Mona Eltahawy’s tools for women and girls. Tools to take down the premise by which prevents so many women from living full human lives. The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls is a memoir, a manifesto, and a toolkit for women to retrain themselves to take up space in the world. To live fully, and without guilt for that humanness.  Listen as Professor Nicole Esparza, Marisa Turesky, and Aubrey Hicks delve into the book. @nicolephd, @AubreyHi, @mturesky, @BedrosianCenter Read along with us! Next month we're reading Trailblazer by Dorothy Butler Gilliam. Join the conversation about each episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Or email us at bedrosian.bookclub@usc.edu.

Host Erroll Southers is joined by Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, Alex Ago, and Aubrey Hicks to discuss the first episode of the new HBO series Watchmen. Starring Regina King, Tim Blake Nelson, and an enormously talented ensemble cast, the series picks up beyond the first film and original DC comic series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. We are in an alternate version of the world, one in which the war in Vietnam was won and Vietnam annexed as a state. A world in which reparations of some sort were paid. A world in which the police wear masks and the great masked vigilantes of the past are now legends of a different kind. We discuss the ability of pop culture to delved into deep societal issues, and what the responsibility of the creators is to historical content in a fictional setting. Twitter: @BedrosianCenter @AubreyHi, @AngeMarieH, @esouthersHVE Email: reel.review@usc.edu

For today's episode, we're thinking about the many books we've discussed over the years. After 70+ book discussions, we thought it was about time we did a look back at our favorite discussions, the surprises, the let downs, and what we hope for the future.   @drschweitzer, @AubreyHi, @BedrosianCenter Read along with us! Next month we're reading The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls by Mona Eltahaay. Join the conversation about each episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Or email us at bedrosian.bookclub@usc.edu.

Today's book: The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantú. The southern border between Mexico and the U.S. can be a violent place. Yet isn't as easily defined as it seems.There are places where the border is permeable, invisible. The border is a construct, and the racialized rhetoric of The Border combined with two decades of militarization have wreaked havoc on the people and the land. Cantú becomes a border patrol agent to understand the realities on the ground ... but the complicity he feels drives him away. Can he escape the border, or does that mirage move with him? Host Lisa Schweitzer is joined by Juan De Lara, Jaime Lopez, and Aubrey Hicks for a far ranging discussion of borders, metaphors, and life in between. Join the conversation about each episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Or email us at bedrosian.bookclub@usc.edu.  

The film world is a completely different universe than it was when Better off Dead came out in August 1985. "Savage" Steve Holland's film about a jilted nerd, skiing, and the foreign exchange student who saves him, is perhaps the quintessential cult teen film of the 80s.  “Those video stores just completely saved Better Off Dead,” Holland told Fast Company. “It was always out at any Blockbuster Video I walked into, and then I’d talk to the guys who worked there and they were like, ‘You know, people rent it and they don’t bring it back.’” Is this a case of hindsight isn't so Pretty in Pink, or does it stand some of the tests of time? Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago and Aubrey Hicks. Twitter: @reelreviewusc, @AubreyHi, @jonHLYP Email: reel.review@usc.edu

What is a summer book club without a good detective novel? Our conversation today dives into Robert Galbraith's third installment of the Cormoran Strike novels, Career of Evil. Today's host is convinced that Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) might have the best descriptions of the complexity of London since Dickens! Host Richard Green is joined by Lisa Schweitzer and Aubrey Hicks. Join the conversation about each episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Or email us at bedrosian.bookclub@usc.edu.

Layli Long Soldier is the author of our book for June 2019, Whereas, winner of the National Book Critics Circle award, and finalist for the National Book Award. She is a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Whereas in response to an "apology" to Native Americans which was buried in a department of defense appropriations bill during the Obama administration. It is a stunning use of language to build and re-build America, the land of the Plains Indians as others before the colonizers.  The book is at turns devastating, celebratory, adept, clever, playful and always unique.  Apologies for our terrible attempts at Lakota, while we tried to find proper pronunciation we failed. Our failure is another record of the violence perpetrated in our name again our Native brothers and sisters.  David Sloane and Deborah Natoli join host Aubrey Hicks in discussion of this work by Layli Long Soldier, Lakota and American.   

Depending on who you talk to, The Godfather is either a story of an "aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son" or, the "greatest gangster film of all time." We discuss why the film is still watched ... and loved almost 50 years later. Listen as host Erroll Southers discusses the first of the trilogy, The Godfather, with Carla Della Gatta, Aubrey Hicks, and Jonathan Schwartz.  Twitter: @reelreviewusc, @esouthersHVE, @CarlaDellaGatta @AubreyHi, @jonHLYP  

In today's episode, we discuss Nnedi Okorafor's Afrofuturist novel Who Fears Death. A young woman, named Onyesonwu meaning Who Fears Death learns she is a child of rape, deals with being an outcast, and after a trauma finds out she has special powers. She learns she is at the center of a prophecy that could change the world.  We discuss some themes of the book: gender, friendship, love, hatred, violence, nature, the desert, cities, and life during and after genocide.  Joining host Aubrey Hicks for this discussion are Marisa Turesky and David Sloane.  Join the conversation about each episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Or email us at bedrosian.bookclub@usc.edu. 

Host Aubrey Hicks is joined by professors Chris Redfearn and Liz Falletta in a discussion of the New York Times bestselling book White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. On today's podcast, we talk about how white fragility works to sustain and reproduce the racist institutions & socialization which we all inherited.  Scheduling in the Spring semester is always hard. We decided to go ahead with a three white person panel for this particular book. We hope to model the kinds of conversations we hope are happening across the country in predominately white communities. To echo DiAngelo, this isn't about guilt, it is about the responsibility we have to make the world better for our fellow citizens. We make mistakes and welcome feedback.  Thanks to all of you who have shared feedback with us before & to those of you brave enough to share with us in the future.   Join the conversation about each episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Or email us at bedrosian.bookclub@usc.edu. 

We've got a special "Warriors" episode of Reel Review for you today! We got together Lt. Col. Olivia Nelson and two female Air Force ROTC Cadets to discuss the first (!) Marvel movie to center a female superhero: Captain Marvel.  Warning: Spoilers! Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Lt. Col. Olivia Nelson, Tiana Grow (First year, Health & Human Sciences major), and Natalie Smith (First year, Aerospace Engineering)  Twitter: @reelreviewusc, @jonHLYP  This podcast is brought to you by Price Video Services and USC Bedrosian Center, and continues ongoing efforts to bring policy and its impact into the public discourse and is produced by Aubrey Hicks and Jonathan Schwartz. Sound supervision by the Brothers Hedden.

From the mind the brought us Get Out, is the new film scaring audiences across the states. In Jordan Peele's latest film, Us, doppelgängers menace a family trying to enjoy their summer vacation. But ... as in Get Out, everything isn't quite that simple. What mirror is Peele holding up for us now? Warning: Spoilers! Host Erroll Southers is joined by Alex Ago, Aubrey Hicks, & Keith Nelson. Twitter: @reelreviewusc, @esouthersHVE, @AubreyHi This podcast is brought to you by Price Video Services and USC Bedrosian Center, and continues ongoing efforts to bring policy and its impact into the public discourse and is produced by Aubrey Hicks and Jonathan Schwartz. Sound supervision by the Brothers Hedden.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon This month, host Lisa is joined by David Sloane, Denise McIver, and Aubrey Hicks to discuss An Unkindness of Ghosts, the science fiction novel about a young neuroatypical woman on a generation ship in search of the "promised land" looking for evidence her mother had discovered something important about the ship and its journey. We talk about slave allegories, generation ships, spatial hierarchies, gender, autism ... so much to talk about with this debut novel from Solomon. Warnings: spoilers & triggers, and we apologize for any misgendering speakers may have done on this podcast. Other things we're reading: Lisa: Mueller, She Wrote, State of Resistance by Manuel Pastor Denise: Quicksand and Passing, by Nella Larsen Aubrey: The Savage Shore, by David Hewson Read along with us! Let us know what you think of the book & our podcasts on Facebook or Twitter. Our April read: White Fragility: Why It's So hard for White People To Talk About Racism by Robin Diangelo Bonus episode: an interview with Professor Manuel Pastor on his book State of Resistance: What California's Dizzying Descent and Remarkable Resurgence Means for America's Future, coming soon.

  Based on a true story, Fighting with My Family is a British comedy meets WWE. Paige is born into a wrestling family. When she and her brother get a chance to try out for WWE (and meet Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) they are thrilled. Of course, there is a catch ... only Paige earns a spot. We're interested in how the story is translated to screen as well as the real complicated women portrayed. Host Erroll Southers is joined by Prof Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro and Alex Ago. Twitter: @reelreviewusc, @esouthersHVE, @AngeMarieH This podcast is brought to you by Price Video Services and USC Bedrosian Center, and continues ongoing efforts to bring policy and its impact into the public discourse and is produced by Aubrey Hicks and Jonathan Schwartz. Sound supervision by the Brothers Hedden.

Body Horror: Capitalism, Fear, Misogyny, Jokes by Anne Elizabeth Moore This month, Lisa is joined by Marisa Turesky, Chris Redfearn, and Aubrey Hicks to discuss Body Horror, a book of essays on the interaction between the abnormal, frail, resilient, squishy bodies of women and the world, from journalist Anne Elizabeth Moore. Warnings: spoilers, cursing, & triggers. Read along with us! Let us know what you think of the book & our podcasts on Facebook or Twitter. Our March read: An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon   Email: bedrosian.center@usc.edu Twitter: @BedrosianCenter, @drschweitzer, @AubreyHi

This month, Lisa, Richard, and Aubrey discuss the new book of sonnets from Terrance Hayes, American Sonnets for my Past and Future Assassin. Hayes' sonnets are "acrid with tear gas, and they unravel with desire." For the poetry doubters everywhere. Read along for next month : Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward  You can email us at bedrosian.center@usc.edu. Follow us on Twitter. Please like the Bedrosian Bookclub on Facebook. Check out the showpage for what we're reading and more. This podcast was produced by Aubrey Hicks and Jonathan Schwartz. Sound production by the Brothers Hedden.

This month, Aubrey, Ange-Marie, Jeff, and David discuss the new book from renowned literary critic Michiko Kakutani, The Death of Truth : Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump. Or, perhaps ... death by a thousand "realities." Read along for next month : Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward Find what we're reading and more on the showpage.  You can email us at bedrosian.center@usc.edu. This podcast was produced by Aubrey Hicks and Jonathan Schwartz. Sound production by the Brothers Hedden. Follow us on Twitter. Please like the Bedrosian Bookclub on Facebook.

Rhymes for Young Ghouls, written and directed by Jeff Barnaby is set on the Red Crow Mi'g Maq reservation in 1976. It follows 15 year old Aila as she navigates growing up in a country which imposes taxes and violence upon those who wish to preserve heritage, language, and way of living. She must also face the violence & addiction within her family, within her own community. The children of the Crow have a common enemy. The sadistic truancy officer, Popper. Popper torments the children with physical and psychological violence if they remain "truant."  Rhymes is a heist film, a revenge film, a coming of age film, and possibly one of the most relevant for policy films we've discussed on the podcast.  If you haven't seen the movie, beware, this conversation has a ton of spoilers. We highly recommend watching - it's streaming on multiple platforms. Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Chris Finley and Aubrey Hicks. Find us on Twitter: @BedrosianCenter, @AubreyHi,  @NDNCinema, @jonHLYP, @USCPrice ---   This podcast is part of a series on Indigenous films in partnership with the Red Nation Celebration Institute, and the Red Nation Film Festival. It is brought to you by Price Video Services and USC Bedrosian Center, and continues ongoing efforts to bring policy and its impact into the public discourse. Sound supervision by the Brothers Hedden.  

Our new tradition, on the Bedrosian Bookclub, is to read a witchy book for the month of October. This year ...  We're taking a look at the coming of age novel, Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. This is the story of Antonio Marez, a six year old boy caught between his Father's love of travel, his mother's desire he become a priest, the town (modernity), and the farmland of the llano (tradition). Then a magical elder, a curandera (a healer who uses herbs and magic) comes to live with the family. She mentors the young boy as he begins to seek a better sense of himself in the world. Host Lisa Schweitzer, joined by Caroline Bhalla, Aubrey Hicks, and Stacy Patterson (EML '12) find many themes to discuss in this novel set at the end of World War II in a small New Mexican community. Read along with us! Let us know what you think of the book & our podcasts on Facebook or Twitter. Lisa on Twitter: @drschweitzer Caroline on Twitter: @Coodence Aubrey on Twitter: @AubreyHi Stacy on Twitter @stacypatt614 For links and more, check out the showpage.

Social Network Roles in Foreign Capital and Research  In this episode of the PS You’re Interesting podcast, Jeff Jenkins and Benjamin A. T. Graham, assistant professor in the School of International Relations at USC, discuss the role that migrants can play in bringing foreign capital into countries. He uses case studies from the Philippines and Georgia to get at what kinds of social networks evolve in developing countries.  Migrant affiliated firms have capabilities that other foreign forms can't match, as the social ties between the firm and local people are extremely important in getting things accomplished. Email: bedrosian.center@usc.edu Twitter: @BedrosianCenter, @jaj7d, @SPECLabUSC, @uscpoir   Podcast production by Aubrey Hicks and Jonathan Schwartz. Sound editing by the Brothers Hedden.

Wind River, written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, is the story of Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner), a wildlife officer who finds the body of an 18-year-old woman on an American Indian reservation in snowy Wyoming. Young FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) arrives to investigate. This Florida native must work with Lambert as a guide, to get to the bottom of why a young woman would run miles, barefoot, in the late night snow. Cory is also haunted by the death of his teen daughter just a few years prior to the opening of the film. He finds that must help Banner confront the violence young women face on the Wyoming reservation. If you haven't seen the movie, beware, this podcast has spoilers. Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Chris Finley, Aubrey Hicks, and David Washofsky. Find us on Twitter: @BedrosianCenter, @AubreyHi,  @NDNCinema, @USCSDA ‏ @USCCinema @jonHLYP For links and more, see the showpage. This podcast is part of a series on Indigenous films in partnership with the Red Nation Celebration Institute, and the Red Nation Film Festival. It is brought to you by Price Video Services and USC Bedrosian Center, and continues ongoing efforts to bring policy and its impact into the public discourse.  Sound supervision by the Brothers Hedden.

Political Influence of Public Protest In this episode of the PS You’re Interesting podcast, Jeff Jenkins and LaGina Gause, Assistant Professor of Political Science at UC San Diego, discuss the pro-democracy (small d) results of her study on legislative responsiveness to collective action by marginalized groups. Her findings seem counterintuitive, in that the relationship between the costs faced by protesters and legislative action. "Evaluating contemporary collective action data, I find that following protest, legislators are more likely to support the interests of racial and ethnic minorities, the poor, and other groups that face greater costs to participation than they are to support groups with greater access to the political system." Email: bedrosian.center@usc.edu Twitter: @BedrosianCenter, @jaj7d, @LaGina_Gause Podcast production by Aubrey Hicks and Jonathan Schwartz. Sound editing by the Brothers Hedden.

Powwow Highway is the story of Philbert and Buddy who journey from Montana to Santa Fe to bail Buddy's sister Bonny out of jail. For many indigenous peoples in the Americas, life can be grim. Much has been taken from them. In Powwow Highway, we begin with a view of the failed American Dram with the Northern Cheyenne tribe of Lame Deer, Montana. Buddy Redbow is a Vietnam veteran and activist looking to subvert a land-grab. His acquaintance and possible friend, Philbert Bono seems simple minded but might just be a spiritual guide to the rageful Buddy. When Bonny is framed and incarcerated in Santa Fe, the two men take Philbert's beat up '64 Buick, his 'war pony,' on a road trip via a Powwow gathering in South Dakota, Buddy's life may just be transformed. If you haven't seen the movie, be ware, this podcast has spoilers. Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Chris Finley, Aubrey Hicks, and Lisa Schweitzer.   @BedrosianCenter, @AubreyHi, @drschweitzer, @NDNCinema , @USCPrice , @jonHLYP This podcast is part of a series on Indigenous films in partnership with the Red Nation Celebration Institute, and the Red Nation Film Festival. It is brought to you by Price Video Services and USC Bedrosian Center, and continues ongoing efforts to bring policy and its impact into the public discourse.  Sound supervision by the Brothers Hedden. https://bedrosian.usc.edu/ppr/powwow-highway

Creativity, Energy, and Experimentation In this episode of the P.S. You're Interesting podcast, Jeff Jenkins and Benjamin Newman, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at the UC Riverside, discuss creativity and experimentation in political science. As a young scholar, Ben was interested in figuring out why people have the opinions they have, why they vote the way they do. To answer these questions, and integrate the questions he has about the people and circumstances surrounding him, Ben is developing a set of research questions and experiments to explore his world. What worries does Ben have about the state of facts and science in the political realm? Email: bedrosian.center@usc.edu Twitter: @BedrosianCenter, @jaj7d  Podcast production by Aubrey Hicks and Jonathan Schwartz. Sound editing by the Brothers Hedden.

In 2017 two lectures presented in the London Review of Books’ Winter Lecture series were published together in Mary Beard’s Women & Power. The first lecture put into context the idea and resonance of women’s public voice, with the second lecture focusing on power. Host Lisa Schweitzer, joined by Aubrey L. Hicks and Pamela Clouser McCann discuss these two lectures, their experiences as women in the academy, as well as the state of women in institutions of power today.

Sorry to Bother You, written and directed by Boots Riley. The film follows a young Cassius (Cash) Green who joins an Oakland telemarketing company, adopting a white accent to thrive, propelling him up the ladder. He is faced with the dilemma of success and the ethics of what he's selling. The ensemble cast, the Oakland setting, the themes explored in this film make this one to talk about! Explore this nuanced film with us! Featuring host Erroll Southers and guests Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, Aubrey Hicks, and Jonathan Schwartz. Let us know what you think of the film and our conversation at Facebook or Twitter. @BedrosianCenter, @AubreyHi, @AngeMarieH, @esouthersHVE 

Sorry to Bother You, written and directed by Boots Riley. The film follows a young Cassius (Cash) Green who joins an Oakland telemarketing company, adopting a white accent to thrive, propelling him up the ladder. He is faced with the dilemma of success and the ethics of what he's selling. The ensemble cast, the Oakland setting, the themes explored in this film make this one to talk about! Explore this nuanced film with us! Featuring host Erroll Southers and guests Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, Aubrey Hicks, and Jonathan Schwartz. Let us know what you think of the film and our conversation at Facebook or Twitter. @BedrosianCenter, @AubreyHi, @AngeMarieH, @esouthersHVE 

Though we are sad to bid farewell to “Our American Discourse,” we welcome the opportunity to talk about farewells—indeed, the hardest farewells of all: those that happen after death. How do we say goodbye to the past? And what does our farewell mean for the lives gone before us and for the future that will come after them? It is time to break the “death taboo” and have one last real conversation about the one last real experience we all must confront. In this episode, David Charles Sloane tells the history of the American cemetery, and in that story, we find the evolution of our own existential approach to life, death, and beyond. For links and more, check out the showpage.

Anyone who reads or watches the news might feel like we are in a news assault. The news happens so fast, technology helps us disseminate and consume with speed, and media outlets are in a relatively new competition: a competition for relevancy. As “papers of record” are being attacked as “fake,” the question of how to communicate with fairness about important issues has never been more relevant. John McPhee has had a long, storied career in writing for magazines “of record” using in-depth long-form journalism. Draft No. 4 is McPhee’s 32nd book of nonfiction. It is a series of essays on his writing process. In today’s episode, we use McPhee’s thoughts on structure and nonfiction to discuss some of the difficulties of communicating policy and research in today’s frenetic climate of news and propaganda and anti-elitism.  Policy communication should be nuanced and deep, how can we do this in an age of immediate consumption and tribalism?

Special bonus track! An interview with one of the co-authors of Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society, E. Glen Weyl. (Follow Glen on Twitter: @glenweyl) As part of a nationwide book tour for this new book, full of radical ideas, Glen stopped by USC for a book talk to some of our Econ, PoliSci, and Public Policy students, faculty, and staff. While here in sunny SoCal, Glen was also gracious enough to spend some time with our Executive Director, Aubrey Hicks. The conversation covers some of the radical ideas in the book, as well as some of the books which have influenced the author.  Read along with us! Let us know what you think of the book & our podcasts on Facebook or Twitter. For links and more, check out the showpage.

Dana, a black woman living in 1976 Los Angeles and protagonist of Octavia Butler's Kindred, must confront the violent acts that begin her direct familial line. She is drawn back in time again and again to save one Rufus Weylin from death. Rufus turns out to be the white slave owner who will eventually (if he lives) become Dan's own great, great, great, grandfather. Dana must choose to save this terrible man in order to both protect the many generations of her own family, her self. How does the legacy of slavery live on in the present? Join us for a conversation of this classic and important novel. Host Jeffery Jenkins (@jaj7d) is joined by guests Ange-Marie Alfaro (@AngeMarieH), Caroline Bhalla (@Coodence), and Aubrey Hicks (@AubreyHi). Listen here or wherever you listen to podcasts. For links and more, check out the showpage: bedrosian.usc.edu/bookclub/kindred

The world lost one of the greats on Monday, January 22nd. Ursula K. Le Guin passed away at the age of 88 and left a hole in many hearts around the world. "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas." We use this short, short story as a jumping off point to discuss our mutual love of Ursula K. Le Guin, science fiction/fantasy, and how reading shaped our lives. Omelas is the city of happiness, what does it mean to travel to the city of happiness? Why doesn't everyone live there? Why would you walk away? What is the social contract? What will we do with no more words from the great Le Guin? Featuring: Aubrey Hicks (@AubreyHi), Lisa Schweitzer (@drschweitzer), and David Sloane (@dcsloane53) @BedrosianCenter To listen to the Bedrosian Book Club discussion of the "Ursuala K. Le Guin and the walk away from Omelas" episode click the arrow in the player on this post. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, Google Play, Stitcher or your favorite podcasting app!   Links & further immersion: Shirley Jackson, "The Lottery" "The Influence Of Ursula K. Le Guin," Petra Mayer for NPR Cities in Flight, James Blish "The fantasy and science fiction community pays tribute to Ursula K. Le Guin," Andrew Liptack for The Verge The Work of Le Guin "Behind the Lens: The Town That Had No Library," David Kidd in Governing "R.I.P. Ursula K. Le Guin, Author of One of the Greatest Novels About Freedom Ever Written: How libertarians learned to stop worrying and love The Dispossessed," Victoria Varga for Reason "The Category-Defying Genius of Ursula K. Le Guin," John Wray in The New York Times "Ten Things I Learned from Ursula K. Le Guin," Karen Jay Fowler in The Paris Review    Next Month …   We'll discuss David Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. Grann, documents the story of the Osage being forced to relocate to a region which later was discovered to be rich in oil. Learn how the U.S. and local governmental agencies and individuals took advantage by manipulating the "laws," creating polices, and murder to control both the Osage and the wealth created by the oil discovery. We learn about the local investigation and how the newly formed FBI took over the investigation.   Read along with us! Let us know what you think of the book & our podcasts on Facebook or Twitter. This podcast was produced by Aubrey Hicks and Jonathan Schwartz, recorded and mixed by The Brothers Hedden, Ryan and Corey Hedden.

Our American Discourse is a small piece of a big effort. We’re not the only ones trying to raise the level of public debate in this country. Take a walk through the Price School, and you’ll see room after room of scholars who genuinely care about the public interest. Stop at the Bedrosian Center, and you’ll find the people who have taken it upon themselves to engage directly with the public. That’s where I spend most of my days on campus, and it’s where I want to take you today to meet the leader who makes it all happen…

Bernstein and Woodward published All the President's Men a mere three months before Nixon's resignation. We're revisiting (or visiting for the first time) this classic work of political journalism in the wake of the many callbacks since the 2016 Presidential election. Are dirty tricks just part of politics? What role does the press play? Are there parallels to the Trump administration? Featuring host Jeffery Jenkins (@jaj7d ‏), and guests Aubrey Hicks (@AubreyHi), Lisa Schweitzer (@drschweitzer), and Donnajean Ward (@DonnajeanWard). @BedrosianCenter For more info: https://bedrosian.usc.edu/bookclub/all-the-president’s-men

Is Blade Runner 2049 the sequel we didn't know we needed? Set in a dystopian future Los Angeles, Ryan Gosling's K is a replicant who hunts down dis-loyal replicants: a Blade Runner. When a secret is uncovered, he sets out on a quest. The journey becomes one to not only find the secret but to answer some of the fundamental questions. What does it mean to be alive, to be human? Did the film live up to its hype? Find out what our panel thinks, featuring host Erroll Southers and guests Leo Braudy, René Bruckner, and Aubrey Hicks. Let us know what you think of the film and our conversation at Facebook or Twitter. For more, check out the showpage.

In this episode, Marlene Forte, Aubrey Hicks, Oliver Mayer, and John Sonego take a look at one of the more influential Spanish playwrights of the early 20th century: Federico García Lorca. We discuss theatre and politics, the staying power of Lorca's work, and a new adaptation of Yerma coming to LA theatre near you. Listen to a conversation about Latinas and the strength of female characters, sexuality, the politics of theatre, and why you should put your phone down and go see Yerma in the Desert today. Urban Theatre Movement in Residency at Greenway Court Theatre presents: Yerma in the Desert 11/17 – 12/16 By Oliver Mayer Based on YERMA by Federico García Lorca Directed by Edgar Landa & Marlene Forte For links and more check out the showpage.

Lolly Willowes: Or the Loving Huntsman is the deceptively simple novel by Sylvia Townsend Warner, about a woman who after 40 years spent in devotion to taking care of her father, and her brother's family, decides to move to the countryside and become a witch! Does she find freedom, or does she exchange one form of subjugation for another?  If you haven’t read the novel yet, beware - we assume you’ve read it, so here's your spoiler alert! Featuring Aubrey Hicks (@AubreyHi), Lisa Schweitzer (@drschweitzer), and David Sloane (@dcsloane53 ) @BedrosianCenter To listen to the Bedrosian Book Club discussion of Lolly Willowes click the arrow in the player on this post. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, Google Play, Stitcher or your favorite podcasting app! For links to some of the things we talk about, or to our next book: https://bedrosian.usc.edu/bookclub/bonus-episode-lolly-willowes/

For the second season of Policy at the Playhouse, we're switching things up. Rather than addressing one performance of one play, we'll be looking at the larger themes in theatre as it can pertain to our civic lives. This episode will look at how two plays being performed here on campus this Fall: Passion Play by Sarah Ruhl, and Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker. In this episode, Aubrey Hicks, Oliver Mayer, Christopher Shaw, and John Sonego examine "how, over time, the rituals that we enact color, reflect, refract back upon who we are, at any time - politically, culturally," as Oliver points out so poetically. These two plays feature characters whose creative work reflects back onto their civic and personal lives. Will these plays, theatre in general, help a polarized country learn to spend time with each other, and listen? Can theatre help us make order from chaos? What can they reflect about America today? For more, check out the showpage (https://bedrosian.usc.edu/policy-playhouse/metatheatre-reflections-and-civic-life)

Director Michael Cuesta brings the fictional hero of Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp novels to the big screen in the new film,American Assassin. The all-star cast includes Dylan O'Brien, Michael Keaton, and Taylor Kitsch as a threesome tied together through the specter of betrayal and revenge, set upon a backdrop of international espionage and nuclear threat.  We discuss the level of violence in the film, its portrayal of U.S. black-ops and anti-terrorism efforts, the film's space within the spy thriller genre, the motivations of the studio, the acting, the gender themes, how millennials may be viewing it, and so much more. Host Erroll Southers is joined by spectacular guests Alessandro Ago, Lt. Col. Olivia Nelson, and veteran actor David Warshofsky. Let us know what you think of the film and our conversation at Facebook or Twitter.

Tom Nichols' The Death of Expertise is a broad look at the antipathy toward "experts" and "expertise" among the citizenry of contemporary United States. Nichols contends that this antipathy is dangerous for our democracy, that this distrust not only makes for unhealthy conversation but damages both political and public relationships with the very experts' guidance. We discuss the argument, the nature of expertise, the role of the academic in civic education, and the state of civics in general. Find out if we liked this book and who we think should read it. If you haven't read it yet, spoiler alert - we do assume you've read it! Featuring Richard Green (@keynesianr), Aubrey Hicks (@AubreyHi), Pamela Clouser McCann, and Jan Perry (@JanPerry) Anthony Orlando (@AnthonyWOrlando) Follow us on Twitter! @BedrosianCenter bedrosian.usc.edu

For our discussion of Hari Kunzru's White Tears, we return to the question can America overcome its sin of racism? Or will our collective inability to deal with the consequences of our actions win the day? White Tears is a genre bending look at white male hipster culture, a ghost story of untold American stories, a revenge tale, a dive into the depths of collectors of the Blues, a beautifully written story about friendship, greed, race, music, New York City, the South ... if you have not read this novel, beware - this podcast it mostly spoilers! We dive into the themes Kunzru explores in this complex novel, relish the strong prose, question the role of cultural memory and American identity. Featuring Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro (@AngeMarieH), Aubrey Hicks (@AubreyHi), and David Sloane (@dcsloane53) Follow us on Twitter! @BedrosianCenter bedrosian.usc.edu

As Princeton freshman students, Tom has a strong sense of his good looks; Amber wants acknowledgement from her peers that she is pretty. They meet at a party, they drink, and the boundaries become blurred. The issue of consent is a central theme of Actually, (play written by Anna Ziegler, directed at the Geffen by Tyne Rafaeli) and how the issue evolves depends largely on what each character's experience has been. Does handsomeness bring privilege? Does a strong support system determine privilege? Gender dynamics, race, societal perceptions, measures of success all come into question and the conversation will have a lifetime affect not only on the characters but the audience as well. Memories play tricks and recall can change. For Tom and Amber, there is dissonance in their story but not in the concrete activity. In this podcast, Aubrey Hicks, LaVonna Lewis, Oliver Mayer, and John Sonego discuss the themes and how familial background/experiences can modify a truth.

On April 29, 1992, Los Angeles erupted into chaos and violence after four white police officers were acquitted in the beating of African American Rodney King. The Hotel Play asks what, if anything, has changed in the past 25 years? Throughout this conversation we look at the Rodney King beating trial and verdict in context of the social justice movement in Los Angeles and ask not only what role does art play in the movement, but whether things have indeed gotten better. Join Jody David Armour, Paula Cizmar, Aubrey Hicks, and David Sloane as we think about race, Los Angeles, art, and social movements. We look at the moment that was the uprising in 1992 and how community organizing that grew out of that moment became a movement. For links to some of the things discussed on this podcast, go to the showpage at https://bedrosian.usc.edu/policy-playhouse/the-hotel-play/

In American Swastika: Inside the White Power Movement's Hidden Spaces of Hate (2nd edition), Pete Simi and Robert Futrell look at the white power movement. Over 15 years of interviews allow the authors to use real stories to focus on white power families and the different ways the white power movement indoctrinates the next generation of white power warriors.  We discuss the different types of groups, the different gateways people take into the movement, the ties that bind them, the family life, the "safe spaces" that bring them together and form deep bonds between members. We also discuss the important role safe spaces play, and the role they play within the larger cultural context today. Taking away the freedom to express themselves would have catastrophic consequences. What is the big picture of extremist violence in the United States? What are the things we, as citizens, can and should do to combat hatred and violence?  For links to some of the things we discuss today: https://bedrosian.usc.edu/bookclub/american-swastika

Looking at academia as microcosm of society at large, we find many Americans can get something from this conversation on the difference between love of wisdom and the need to know (control). What might happen if we gave ourselves time (and permission) to understand and learn, rather than, or in addition to, acquire more and more skills? Is slowness the nature of wisdom?   Inspired by the article, “In Praise of Slowness,” in Los Angeles Review of Books, we discuss two books on the idea of slowness in scholarship : The Slow Professor by Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber and Slow Philosophy by Michelle Boulous Walker.   For links and further reading: bedrosian.usc.edu/bookclub/slow-philosophy

The narrator of Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist may be unreliable as he tells his American experience before and after 9/11 with an unknown American dinner guest, but we wonder if he is any more unreliable than the voice inside all of us. We discuss the East/West conflict, the relationship between fundamentalism and nostalgia, the narrator's reluctance and fundamentalism, the narrator's love of America and Erica, as well as puzzle over the ending as we delve into this deep and short novel. Featuring Caroline Bhalla, Raphael Bostic, Aubrey Hicks, and Lisa Schweitzer

Following the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, the trial and eventual acquittal of George Zimmerman, New York-based theatre company The New Black Fest responded by hiring a diverse group of accomplished playwrights to write about themes of race and privilege in America. What resulted are six gorgeous 10-minute plays, some hilarious, some sorrowful:  Facing Our Truth:  Ten Minute Plays on Treyvon, Race and Privilege.  Join us for our second episode of Policy at the Playhouse, as we turn to the state of race in America and the question of the role of theatre in civic discourse.

This film has sparked controversy on its casting choices, with many critics claiming another instance of Hollywood whitewashing due to film’s Japanese manga. We discuss the nature of remakes, the whitewashing controversy, whether the film adds to the Ghost world, and Scarlett Johansson. The futuristic sci-fi film Ghost in the Shell is directed by Rupert Sanders and based on the acclaimed Japanese Manga of the same name, written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. It takes place in a futuristic alternate reality and follows a cyber-enhanced super soldier as she searches for a hacker as part of an anti-terrorism squad. The film stars Scarlett Johansson as Major, the first of her kind, human brain (ghost) encapsulated in an entirely cybernetic / synthetic body (shell). In a world where terrorism has reached new levels, the film offers an interesting view of a potential evolutionary path for humans – where the lines between technology and biology are blurred almost beyond recognition, with the very question of what makes someone human at stake. Is Ghost in the Shell the perfect conversation starter for the cultural moment? Warning: *spoilers!* Featuring Alessandro Ago, Meiling Cheng, Jonathan Schwartz, Aubrey Hicks, and Erroll Southers Special thanks to Dean Jack Knott, USC Price; Dean David Bridel, USC School of Dramatic Arts; and Dean Elizabeth Daley, USC Cinematic Arts for their support of this interdisciplinary conversation. The Price Projection Room (PPR) features engaging conversations about film and television with interesting folks and USC experts from across disciplines (public policy, governance, theatre, and cinema) to look at visual storytelling, media literacy, diversity, and the public good.  Sponsored by: USC Price Video Services http://www.usc.edu/pvs USC Bedrosian Center http://bedrosian.usc.edu  Content Partners: USC School of Dramatic Arts https://dramaticarts.usc.edu/  USC School of Cinematic-Arts https://cinema.usc.edu  Recorded at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy http://priceschool.usc.edu 

Our second episode of the Price Projection Room features a discussion of the poignant horror film Get Out, written and directed by Jordan Peele (MADTV, Key and Peele, and Keanu). Get Out follows a young African-American photographer on a visit to his white girlfriend's parents' home. The tag line sums up the deep horror of the film, "Just because you're invited, doesn't mean you're welcome." In modifying the horror genre to service social commentary on race, but still staying within the conventions of the horror genre, the film is simultaneously funny, relevant, and scary. The film has sparked conversations (and even a viral challenge) throughout the country. Warning: *spoilers!* Featuring Alessandro Ago, Carla Della Gatta, Aubrey Hicks, and Erroll Southers Special thanks to Dean Jack Knott, USC Price; Dean David Bridel, USC School of Dramatic Arts; and Dean Elizabeth Daley, USC Cinematic Arts for their support of this interdisciplinary conversation. The Price Projection Room (PPR) features engaging conversations about film and television with interesting folks and USC experts from across disciplines (public policy, governance, theatre, and cinema) to look at visual storytelling, media literacy, diversity, and the public good.  Sponsored by: USC Price Video Services http://www.usc.edu/pvs USC Bedrosian Center http://bedrosian.usc.edu  Content Partners: USC School of Dramatic Arts https://dramaticarts.usc.edu/  USC School of Cinematic-Arts https://cinema.usc.edu  Recorded at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy http://priceschool.usc.edu 

Special bonus track! An interview with The Sympathizer author Viet Thanh Nguyen.   On April 18, 2016, The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen won the Pulitzer Prize in the fiction category. Less than a month later, USC Professor Nguyen’s nonfiction book Nothing Ever Dies was published. These were written together over the last 13 years or so, are part of Nguyen’s exploration of the underlying issues of war and the aftermath of war on those countless affected. The novel while dark, gives voice to the things we hide from ourselves as societies when we try to build a history. The lines between good and evil are not stark but squiggly and porous. The themes in both the novel and the nonfiction that follows it are vital to explore when thinking of public policy & governance in a global world.   We are delighted to present this conversation with scholar Viet Thanh Nguyen, who was gracious enough to spend some time with our Acting Director, Aubrey Hicks.   For links to some of the things we talk about check out the showpage:   This podcast was produced by Aubrey Hicks and Jonathan Schwartz, recorded and mixed by Corey Hedden.

This month's book is both poetry and criticism, Citizen: An American Lyric. Rankine's piece is a revolution. A political, a poetic, complex revolution in 169 pages. We look at it through an unusual lens - what should we take away from works of art as we think about governance in America? Featuring Raphael Bostic, Aubrey Hicks, Lisa Schweitzer, David Sloane, and Donnajean Ward. Sponsored by the USC Bedrosian Center http://bedrosian.usc.edu/  Recorded at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy http://priceschool.usc.edu