The Amherst Student

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Channel • 6 Shows

Education

Education

Updated Biweekly
Film Reviews

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Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated Biweekly
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated Monthly
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News

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News Commentary

News Commentary

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11/15/2022

Vladimir Nabokov in Exile: Prof. Luke Parker (Part 1/2)

As the Soviets forged ahead to modern and socialist art, Russian exiles in Paris and Berlin looked to young artists — like Vladimir Nabokov — to continue in the Russian tradition. Nabokov, whose father was a prominent politician in the short-lived Russian Republic, did begin his writing career in Russian émigré journals and publishing houses, but his eventual success came from the English-language and Hollywood-adapted masterpiece, Lolita (1955). In part one of the conversation, Amherst's Visiting Assistant Professor Luke Parker goes through Nabokov’s “westernized” childhood and exile in Berlin to show that his career was multilingual and transnational throughout his life. Neither neglectful of nor limited to Russian language and readership, Nabokov’s work sheds light on important questions about emigrant (vs. immigrant) identity, how Russia fits in the West, and the cross-cultural possibilities in translation, adaptation, and multilingual literature. Episode notes and further reading: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EwD8MYGF8ZmrtQ3K2BmJJMV2tJu5Wli6zWPSreT5luM/edit?usp=sharing

11/15/2022

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46 min
12/06/2022

Nabokov’s Self-Translations: Prof. Luke Parker (Part 2/2)

What does it mean to be a writer in exile, and more specifically, how does that affect the writing and the language? As a Russian émigré in Berlin and later the United States, Vladimir Nabokov worked with publishers in multiple countries and languages throughout his career. In this episode, Assistant Professor Luke Parker discusses the multilingual joys of reading Nabokov, and the many layers of his writing, meant to shine through in translation, adaptation, and his varied audiences. Episode notes and further reading: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EwD8MYGF8ZmrtQ3K2BmJJMV2tJu5Wli6zWPSreT5luM/edit?usp=sharing

12/06/2022

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42 min
FEB 13

Russian Poetry and Translation: Professor Catherine A. Ciepiela

Many people’s impression of the Russian language is just that it’s very difficult. It is, and more so, carries with it important literary traditions and a cultural spirit. In this episode, Briana Bao ’28 and Rita Xing ’28 sit down together with Howard M. and Martha P. Mitchell Professor of Russian Catherine A. Ciepiela (Amherst ’83) to discuss her academic journey, language learning, and teaching experience at Amherst College. She offers insights in her translation of Russian poetry as well as her journey of learning Russian during the Cold War at Amherst College and Yale University. Additionally, she discusses her broader interest and research in the larger Slavic world.

Feb 13

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40 min
11/02/2022

DNA Folding: Prof. Ashley Carter

DNA is not a static thing. It is constantly being folded and unfolded, a process which explains why genetically identical twins aren’t actually identical, and how our cells specialize into their various functions. Sit in on office hours as Amherst's Associate Professor of Physics Ashley Carter breaks down the mechanics of DNA folding, as well as the applications of this research in nanoengineering, epigenetics, data storage, and more! Produced and edited by Priscilla Lee ‘25. Episode Notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IoTWy-TlLCbL4ZwDy3C_ftpH-v-0S6XBDUT50jZhZpw/edit?usp=sharing

11/02/2022

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34 min
09/26/2023

Why AAPI?: Prof. Nozomi Nakaganeku Saito

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have such different histories, cultures, and racializations, not to mention the vast heterogeneity within each group. Why do we put them together in #AAPIHeritageMonth, or study them together in an AAPI literature course? Should we separate them in our scholarship and activism? Visiting Assistant Professor Nozomi Nakaganeku Saito and Priscilla Lee ’25 interrogate the problems of “AAPI” as a term, and also explore what generative tensions it can offer — through reading “Hooked” by Marshallese poet Kathy Jetnil-Kjiner, as well as discussing Okinawan indigeneity under Japanese and American imperialism. Episode notes and further reading: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14_G5mMlndVtRJcwmn1gh1lree8yzkE3i7lqJsFdKhvE/edit?usp=sharing

09/26/2023

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42 min
12/06/2023

Terras Irradient: The Athletic Recruitment Debate

How would Amherst College change if it eliminated athletic recruitment? What would the campus community gain or lose if Amherst did not have varsity sports? What is the student experience like at Reed College, a peer institution that does not have athletic recruitment or varsity sports? On this episode of Terras Irradient, host Andrew Rosin '25 is joined by Senior Managing Editor Dustin Copeland '25, varsity cross country and track star Theo Dassin '24, and Reed College junior Lucas Weiss to discuss the debate surrounding the potential end of athletic recruitment. Edited by Karina Maciel '25 and Andrew Rosin '25. Background Reading: https://amherststudent.com/article/faculty-view-discuss-data-on-athletic-recruitment/ https://amherststudent.com/article/faculty-votes-to-release-discuss-data-on-athletic-recruitment-policies/ https://www.amherst.edu/system/files/media/PlaceOfAthleticsAtAmherst_Secure_1.pdf

12/06/2023

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28 min
04/25/2023

Houses: Archaeologist Nora Donoghue

Zillow-scrolling, interior design Pinterest, house hunting shows… Our living spaces are so important to us because they are an expression of our identities. To apply this principle to history, studying houses can shed light on the societies and values of people who lived in them: How much did privacy matter? Did business belong at home? What was their hierarchy of room subdivision needs? Archaeologist Nora Donoghue takes us through the centuries, from Etruscan stone houses and Roman villas, to Victorian ribbon rooms and Massachusetts hunting lodges, to explore the evolution of domestic architecture and what the archaeology tells us about the people it housed. Episode notes and further reading: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GCfUOVoMVq0mAlFyqQsIF54VCQ7KtIN9esYDC1cMGFc/edit?usp=sharing

04/25/2023

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44 min
04/15/2024

Birth Rate Policies: Prof. Alex Jingwei He

Baby bonuses, enhanced parental leave, and childcare access are public policies aimed at slowing the declining birth rate — but by themselves, they are unlikely to change anyone’s mind about having children. Faced with an aging population’s need for health care and pensions, how can policymakers realistically intervene? Is the birth rate an effective policy target in the first place? In this episode, Visiting Associate Professor of Political Science Alex Jingwei He joins Host Priscilla Lee ’25 to ask what policies can (and cannot) do to encourage childbirth in their shared home of Hong Kong and East Asia. More broadly, this episode is about the role of public policy — and policy scientists — in complex social issues. Episode notes and further reading: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-01ey8vXPQz7yW-Artmh2hfN1Z9anlfr745z9XzyBFs/edit?usp=sharing

04/15/2024

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35 min
05/02/2023

Siena Shenanigans: Nora Donoghue (Bonus Episode!)

Stories of post-race piazza brawls, saints falling down stairs, jockey bribery, Etruscan cowboys, terracotta workshop mishaps, and other historical shenanigans are told by archaeologist Nora Donoghue in this fun, end-of-year episode all about the Italian city of Siena (which is way cooler than Florence). Episode notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1badNruC9mEk0PrpWSjf3n86W2RFBuY2z7L0L0YSEhj8/edit?usp=sharing

05/02/2023

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35 min
04/04/2023

Funny Roman Families: Prof. Hannah Sorscher

Content Warning: Mentions of sexual violence from 21:45 onward. The patriarchal families of ancient Rome—headed by a father with extreme authority—may seem like an inflexible social structure, but there are exceptions to every rule: Foreigners, sex workers, and enslaved people did not have access to the legal institution of marriage, and formed families beyond the bounds of convention. Their stories aren’t recorded in letters or histories written by elite men, but they do come down to us as the plot of Roman comedies, like those written by Plautus and Terence. In this episode, Priscilla Lee ’25 chats with Prof. Hannah Sorscher to explore a few of these plays, both as evidence for unconventional families in real life, and as subversive yet subtle criticisms of the Roman family ideal. Episode notes and further reading: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QiqqPMyn_5Q_J3Grlm9xAT49fomYC-j98A44cvy4g_U/edit?usp=sharing

04/04/2023

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44 min

Your one-stop shop for all our podcasts, from news to comedy. For inquiries, tips, and all other business, please e-mail sspratford24@amherst.edu.

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The Amherst Student

Top Shows

Vladimir Nabokov in Exile: Prof. Luke Parker (Part 1/2)

Nabokov’s Self-Translations: Prof. Luke Parker (Part 2/2)

Russian Poetry and Translation: Professor Catherine A. Ciepiela

DNA Folding: Prof. Ashley Carter

Why AAPI?: Prof. Nozomi Nakaganeku Saito

Terras Irradient: The Athletic Recruitment Debate

Houses: Archaeologist Nora Donoghue

Birth Rate Policies: Prof. Alex Jingwei He

Siena Shenanigans: Nora Donoghue (Bonus Episode!)

Funny Roman Families: Prof. Hannah Sorscher

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