University of the Air Wisconsin Public Radio

The process for nominating US presidential candidates has changed over the years—often in ways that are complicated, confusing, and not necessarily democratic. Nominations have become a shifting landscape of delegates, superdelegates, back-room party bosses, and late-night compromises that try to unite competing party factions. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, how will the nomination processes work and how will they be different from those in previous elections? Political scientist Barry Burden looks at the way presidential candidates are nominated.

Computers are dangerous enough for individuals. When nations are involved, the stakes are even bigger.

Ever since the days of Puritan New England, American governments have struggled to define the relationship between religion and a secular nation. In recent years, that struggle has become increasingly strident with the rise of the Christina Right. What is the relationship between the Christian Right and traditional evangelicals? At what point did the Christian Right become an influence in US presidential elections? And who were the key players in that development? Historian Dan Hummel will take us into the world of the Christian Right and its influence in American politics.

Explore the increasing battles over academic freedom, tenure, and faculty governance at public universities today.

We delve into our archives for a conversation about one of Ireland’s celebrated writer James Joyce. We decode some of the more obscure meanings behind Joyce’s often ambiguous prose and wry humor, and explore what made Joyce so innovative and so controversial.

Since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, U.S. presidents have tried a variety of approaches to maintain balanced relations with Israel and the surrounding Arab states. In the years leading up to the Israeli-Hamas war, a series of conflicts have made the attempt particularly challenging.