BG Ideas

Bowling Green State University
  • 4.8 (12)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

BG Ideas, from the Institute for the Study of Culture and Society at Bowling Green State University, brings innovative, interdisciplinary research to the public.

  1. 4D AGO

    Humans, Robots, and AI in Society

    In this episode of BG Ideas, Dr. Kristine Ketel joins us to discuss the relationship between humans and robots. Kristine recently earned her PhD in American Culture Studies from Bowling Green State University in the Spring of 2025. Based on her research on the cultural and ethical implications of artificial intelligence and human robot interaction, she argues that robots aren’t all bad. She highlights how robots are not replacing humans but instead they are being used as a tool to help flourish human relations and interactions. While integrating robots into more aspects of our lives may initially feel threatening, she reminds us that these technologies also bring meaningful possibilities and benefits. Listen to find out what else she says about human relationships with robots. Do you want to know more about Kristine and her work? Check out her LinkedIn here. A transcript for this episode can be found here.

    27 min

  2. FEB 18

    Counterculture and Fandom

    In this episode of BG Ideas, we are joined by two guests, Joe Macdonald and Garrett Scherff. Joe Macdonald is a Popular Culture Graduate Student at BGSU studying counterculture, the goth subculture, and the capacity of fandoms to evolve into spaces of cultural resistance. Garrett Scherff is an instructor in the Department of Popular Culture within the School of Cultural and Critical Studies at BGSU, interested in Tabletop Role Playing Games and cultural critique within those games. Joe and Garrett discuss Popular Culture and how fan communities are contributing to society. Specifically, Joe and Garrett discuss the different kinds of fan communities, how technology is helping/harming popular culture, and how both are reshaping the media. Want to read Garrett’s Thesis Gaming Against Adversity-Resistance in Tabletop Role-Playing? Click here to download it. Want to hear more from Joe? Check out his podcast, The Glorious Beard. A transcript for this episode can be found here.

    46 min

  3. FEB 11

    From Streets to Screens: Culture, Media, and the Politics of Space

    In this episode of BG Ideas, Dr. Clayton Rosati, Associate Professor in the School of Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University and ICS Fall 2025 Faculty Fellow, discusses how the raise of artificial intelligence (AI) impacts our landscapes, communities and resources. Specifically, he focuses on the growing infrastructure that is being built around the country, from Virginia, the so-called internet capital of the world, to Northwest Ohio. Dr. Rosati touches on his studies regarding the history of culture and how AI is affecting the data that is being collected in different places where data can be stored, such as “server farms” or “data plantations.” Listen as he explains how server farms impact labor, natural resources such as water, and energy cost. We invite our listeners to check out Dr. Rosati’s work which can be found on his page: https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/media-and-communication/faculty-and-staff/clayton-rosati.html. A transcript for this episode can be found here.

    37 min

  4. FEB 4

    Backlash Blues: Baldwin, Care, and Resistance in Literature and Culture

    In this episode of BG Ideas, Dr. Rachel Walsh, Associate Teaching Professor of English and International Studies at Bowling Green State University and ICS Faculty Fellow in the fall of 2025, discusses Pat Heartly and Dick Fontaine's recently restored documentary on James Baldwin, I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1982) and how it foreshadows the current backlash to diversity, equity and inclusion. In I Heard It Through the Grapevine, James Baldwin visits the settings of the 1960’s civil rights struggle in the south. Join us, as Dr. Walsh explores the power of multiethnic US literature from James Baldwin to Ocean Vuong to resist disenfranchising. Listen to how Dr. Walsh talks about the struggles with traditional literature and the growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in literature. Want to know more about Dr. Walsh? Click here to check out her website.  A transcript for this episode can be found here.

    1h 3m

  5. 11/19/2025

    Reclaiming the Narrative: Native Storytelling in Music and Performance

    In this vibrant episode of BG Ideas, Arigon Starr, award-winning Kickapoo artist and performer, joins us for a powerful conversation on Native storytelling as an avenue of resistance and healing through music, theatre, and comics. In our conversion, Arigon  conveys the importance of using art to illuminate, respond to, and challenge injustices, emphasizing the transformational effect of balancing humor with emotion. Implementing Native American traditions of storytelling in tandem with contemporary forms of expression, such as comics, she reframes dominant narratives about what it means to be indigenous and reclaims joy. Through music and performance, Arigon connects with diverse audiences using art as a pathway to process historical trauma without being consumed by it. Would you like to know more about Arigon Starr? You can check out her website https://arigonstarr.com/ and also follow her on Instagram @arigonstarr. A transcript for this episode can be found here.

    40 min

  6. 11/12/2025

    Media, Place, and Power: Looking at America through James Baldwin

    In this exciting new episode of BG Ideas, we sit down with Dr. Clayton Rosati, Associate Professor of Media Studies at Bowling Green State University and Claire Cromly, an undergraduate student who took Dr. Rosati’s course about media, place, and power through the works of James Baldwin. During this conversation, our guests navigate the construction of social environments, the values within them, and the importance of illuminating minority voices and experiences in the dominant narrative. Listen as they discuss their respective experiences of teaching and learning. For Claire, reading Baldwin in the classroom has encouraged her to think critically and to reframe the way she understands the world in which she lives. For Dr. Rosati, Baldwin is an avenue through which he can illustrate the racialization of spaces, using his work to act as a liaison that showcases the interconnectedness of spaces we don’t generally think of as related. His goal is to empower minority voices and experiences in America through the amplification of them in classroom spaces and larger scholarly discussion.  A transcript for this episode can be found here.

    32 min

  7. 11/05/2025

    Voices and Visions: Building Bridges Through Community Forums

    In this episode of BG Ideas, we welcome two inspiring guests: Heather Andolina, President of the Melungeon Heritage Association and host of the Melungeon Voices Podcast, and Dr. Muhammad Sheeraz Dasti, a literary scholar and translator, specializing in linguistic criticism. Both were presenters at ClassCon, a conference hosted at BGSU, inspired by Ray Brown, that seeks to give, “education a broader base and greater richness” through the exploration of the intersections between cultural and class studies.   Together, Andolina and Sheeraz  take listeners through their experiences planning and hosting conferences, offering a look into the challenges and logistics of conference planning and the complexities of cross-cultural organization when curating meaningful events. They reflect on the personal significance of their work, discussing the transformative impact that these gatherings, which work to foster connectivity, identity exploration, and provide a forum for critical dialogue amongst diverse groups of people, have on communities.  A transcript for this episode can be found here.

    58 min

  8. 10/29/2025

    From the Page to Performance: An Exploration of Libretti across the Atlantic

    In this exciting episode of BG Ideas, we sit down with Jay Grummel, a BGSU creative writing student and recipient of the Hoskins Global scholarship, as well as BGSU creative writing Professor and Jay’s research advisor, Abby Cloud, to delve into her transatlantic exploration of opera libretti in Europe. Their conversation brings light into the specifics of writing libretti and how it requires a different approach than writing poetry and fiction. Jay outlines the steps of co-creating, along with BGSU alumnus Steven Naylor the opera Souls for Abigail which premiered at BGSU in Spring 2025, detailing their experience working abroad under Iain Bell in London and the collaborative process that made the journey both challenging and rewarding. Listen as Jay explains what adaptation and music can do to a story, and she gives insights into the role of the libretto within an opera production. Together, our guests reveal the advantages of cultural immersion in change-making creative work conducted by a college student.  A transcript for this episode can be found here.

    32 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

BG Ideas, from the Institute for the Study of Culture and Society at Bowling Green State University, brings innovative, interdisciplinary research to the public.

Information

  • Creator
    Bowling Green State University
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    128
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Bowling Green State University
  • Show Website
    BG Ideas