Humanities (Audio)

  1. Oct 10

    A Conversation with Kristin Hannah - Writer's Symposium By the Sea 2026

    Kristin Hannah is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels, including The Nightingale. Her 2024 novel, The Women, is a historical fiction about female nurses in the Vietnam War. Hannah wrote it during the Covid pandemic lockdown, seeing similarities to the nation's political division of the Vietnam era. A theme of Hannah's writing is the marginalization of women and the power of female friendship. In front of a packed house, Hannah joins host Dean Nelson for a lively conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 41658]

  2. Sep 14

    Students Experience Shakespeare in Virtual Reality

    UC Davis students are experiencing Shakespeare's plays in a new world — a virtual world. English professor Gina Bloom is teaching “Interactive Shakespeare: From VR to AI,” a class where students learn about Shakespeare and perform his plays in the virtual reality game "Play the Knave VR." Watch as students act out a scene from "Romeo and Juliet" in the virtual world. Series: "UC Davis News" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 41732]

  3. Sep 5

    The Great Philosophers: Utilitarianism of Bentham and Mill

    Utilitarianism affects law, public policy, and social justice in important ways. Professor Peter Bolland explains how Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill’s focus on the greatest good for the greatest number shaped modern ethical decision-making. Bolland examines women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and animal welfare, helping clarify how Utilitarian ideas influence debates about justice and equality. This work helps explain the philosophy’s lasting impact and points toward a clearer understanding of the moral choices that shape everyday life. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 41699]

  4. Aug 13

    Rising Beyond Circumstance: Faith Resilience and the Power of Community with Jolinda Wade

    Drawing from her remarkable life journey and her memoir, Conquering Me: A Memoir of Courage, Faith, and Transformation, pastor and author Jolinda Wade shares powerful reflections on overcoming adversity, embracing purpose, and the mentors, opportunities, and communities that help shape our futures. The mother of NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, she talks about how, before becoming an advocate for personal transformation, she spent years battling addiction, homelessness, incarceration and profound self-doubt. This presentation is part of the UC San Diego Earl W. Edwards Lectureship on Athletics and Society, a public dialogue initiative that brings together influential voices from athletics, education, business and public life. [Humanities] [Education] [Show ID: 41565]

  5. Jul 3

    From Talking Tools to Metahumans: Social Interaction Semiotic Skill and the Authority of AI Chatbots

    As chatbots trained on Large Language Models become more sophisticated, their responses can sometimes seem uncanny, as if they come from a source that is mysterious, inexplicable, or even divine. Webb Keane, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan, examines what happens when people treat artificial intelligence as a kind of “metahuman.” He explains how this reflects a broader human tendency to project authority onto technologies we do not fully understand. Keane explores how that sense of authority emerges through social interaction, and how the unequal ways humans and metahumans address one another can make AI’s power feel intuitively real. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 41542]

  6. Jul 1

    The 2000-Year History of Rome and Its Lessons Today

    Rome survived for 2,000 years. Edward Watts explores the long history of the Roman state and the lessons it offers for the modern world. From its beginnings as a small Italian city-state to its transformation into a Christian empire centered in Constantinople, Rome maintained a remarkable sense of political continuity across centuries of cultural and religious change. Watts examines how Roman institutions adapted over time and how the Fourth Crusade and capture of Constantinople ultimately destroyed the foundations that sustained the state for generations. Watts highlights the importance of resilient institutions and the dangers of disrupting the systems that preserve political stability and continuity. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 41602]

  7. Jun 23

    How to Not Know with Simone Stolzoff

    In an age obsessed with expertise, certainty, and endless self-optimization, author and journalist Simone Stolzoff invites audiences to rediscover the power of curiosity, humility, and not having all the answers. His new book, How to Not Know, challenges the cultural pressure to define ourselves by what we do or what we know—and instead celebrates the richness of uncertainty as a pathway to creativity, empathy, and authentic connection. [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 41267]

  8. Jun 2

    Religion in Motion: The Identity and World-Creating Powers of Religious Action

    What does it mean to rethink religion from the ground up? University of Colorado's religious studies professor Sam Gill draws on biology, philosophy, and decades of research and dance practice to argue that we are moving, whole organisms before we are divided into mind and body. Gill proposes that humans possess a biologically enabled capacity to hold together what we know to be different as if it were the same—a dynamic that underlies the powers of metaphor, masking, dancing, ritual action, symbol, and language. Through vivid examples from Hopi initiation, Javanese shadow puppetry and dance, and Navajo prayer ceremonials, Gill shows how religious actions create worlds, identities, and enduring cultural coherence. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 41541]

  9. May 23

    Climate Faith and Collective Responsibility with Bill McKibben

    Environmentalist and author Bill McKibben has helped shape how the world understands climate change. In this conversation with Marco Werman, host of The World, McKibben offers a clear-eyed look at the climate crisis and the solutions that could help reduce the damage of a warming planet. As part of the Burke Lectureship at UC San Diego, McKibben also explores the moral and spiritual questions at the heart of climate change. More than three decades after The End of Nature brought climate change to a broad audience, his work continues to connect science, ethics, and grassroots action, including the global climate campaign 350.org and the fossil fuel divestment movement. Series: "Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 41265]

  10. May 12

    Protecting Patients: Privacy-Preserving Computing in Patient Data

    Privacy-preserving computation can help hospitals and researchers use sensitive health data without exposing it. Farinaz Koushanfar, Ph.D., UC San Diego, explains how secure computation and distributed learning make it possible to collaborate on medical data while protecting patient privacy. Koushanfar examines secure multi-party computation, zero-knowledge proofs, and federated and split learning, helping clarify how health systems can work together despite data silos, incompatibility, security threats, and re-identification risk. This work helps explain how medical AI can learn from private data more safely and points toward more secure, robust, and trustworthy healthcare systems. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 41367]

  11. May 2

    The Audacity of Listening with Carol Gilligan 2025 Kyoto Prize Laureate in Arts and Philosophy

    Carol Gilligan, professor at New York University, received the Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy, specifically in the field of Thought and Ethics, for pioneering a new horizon for the “ethic of care” while pointing out the distortions and limitations of conventional psychological theories pertaining to women’s thoughts and behaviors. By offering research-based insights into women’s moral reasoning, especially in contrast to men’s moral reasoning, Gilligan showed how women are more likely than men to prioritize human connections and seek solutions that preserve relationships. She called this relationship-oriented reasoning the “ethic of care” and contrasted it with the “ethic of justice,” which often entails imposing universal principles or rights, even forcefully, to resolve conflict. Gilligan does not merely contrast these differently positioned ethical frameworks; rather her life work has been deeply concerned with an enmeshment of the two for a more fully realized understanding of human maturity and development. Her work offers a new academic foundation for addressing global societal challenges like women’s empowerment and the welfare of the elderly and disabled. Series: "Kyoto Prize Symposium" [Humanities] [Show ID: 41118]

  12. Apr 20

    A Conversation with George Saunders - Writer's Symposium By the Sea 2026

    New York Times bestselling author George Saunders is an American writer who won the Booker Prize for his novel Lincoln in the Bardo. Saunders is known for his sharp wit, moral insight, and inventive storytelling. A longtime contributor to The New Yorker and a creative writing professor at Syracuse University, Saunders is admired for exploring kindness, consumerism, and the human condition with humor and humanity. Saunders joins host Dean Nelson for a lively conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 41205]

  13. Apr 20

    Where Are We Now? Bias in Health AI

    Bias in health AI can shape who gets care, how fairly risk is measured, and whether automation helps or harms patients. Karandeep Singh, M.D., M.M.S.C. explains that predictive AI can reflect historical, representation, measurement, learning, evaluation, and deployment bias, especially when models are trained on limited populations or use flawed proxies for illness and access to care. Singh also describes generative AI as a system trained first to predict text and then to follow instructions, with bias entering through training data, instruction tuning, prompts, and outside information sources. Alongside these risks, he highlights practical uses such as AI-assisted sepsis quality review and patient outreach workflows, while emphasizing governance, human oversight, disclosure, and careful measurement of whether these tools actually improve care. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 41365]

  14. Apr 17

    Is This Your Only Life?

    Embodiment affects how we understand personhood, moral status, and whether this life is our only life. Mark Johnston, Henry Putnam University Professor, Princeton University, explains how competing theories of mind and matter shape the question of whether a will could have an embodiment other than its present one. Johnston examines the failures of functionalism, reductive and non-reductive materialism, and strong emergence, along with the role of will, awareness, and evolved animal life, helping clarify what embodiment really is. He explains why the will matters for moral respect and points toward the possibility that embodiment may not be limited to a single life. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Humanities] [Show ID: 41446]

  15. Apr 13

    A Conversation with Jamaica Kincaid - Writer's Symposium By the Sea 2026

    Jamaica Kincaid is an Antiguan-American writer known for her vivid, poetic prose and exploration of themes like colonialism, family, identity, and the legacy of the Caribbean. Her deeply personal and reflective style has made her one of the most influential voices in contemporary literature. Born Elaine Potter Richardson on May 25, 1949, in St. John’s, Antigua, she moved to the United States as a teenager and began her career writing for The New Yorker. Her acclaimed works include Annie John, Lucy, A Small Place, and The Autobiography of My Mother. Kincaid joins host Dean Nelson for a lively and funny conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 41204]

  16. Apr 13

    Artificial Intelligence in (AI-Driven) Healthcare

    AI in healthcare raises urgent questions about bias, privacy, and power. Safiya U. Noble, Ph.D., examines how AI systems can reproduce social and racial inequities when they rely on incomplete data, hidden assumptions, and proxies such as healthcare spending. Noble points to problems in search engines, image generation, facial recognition, and medical algorithms, including cases where systems mislabel darker skin, fail more often on Black women, or favor white patients over sicker Black patients. She also highlights the risks of turning sensitive public and patient data over to large technology companies. Rather than treating AI as a neutral solution, Noble emphasizes the need for human judgment, community participation, stronger data protections, and smaller expert models with local control so healthcare decisions better reflect people’s real lives and social context. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 41364]

  17. Mar 30

    A Conversation with Judy Woodruff - Writer's Symposium By the Sea 2026

    Widely regarded as one of the most respected figures in American broadcast journalism, Judy Woodruff is known for her decades-long career covering politics and current events. She is also the author of the book, This Is Judy Woodruff at the White House. Renowned for her calm, balanced reporting and commitment to journalistic integrity, Woodruff has covered every U.S. presidential election since 1976. A former anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour, she now travels the country reporting for America at a Crossroads. Woodruff joins host Dean Nelson for a engaging conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 41203]

  18. Feb 18

    Three Ages and Three Intelligences: Exploit Explore Empower with Alison Gopnik

    A common model of AI suggests that there is a single measure of intelligence, often called AGI, and that AI systems are agents who can possess more or less of this intelligence. Cognitive science, in contrast, suggests that there are multiple forms of intelligence and that these intelligences trade-off against each other and have a distinctive developmental profile and evolutionary history. Exploitation, the pursuit of goals, resources and utilities, is characteristic of adult cognition. Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the UC Berkeley, and a member of the Berkeley AI Research Group, argues that two very different kinds of cognition characterize childhood and elderhood. Childhood is characterized by exploration. In particular, children seek out information about the world. However, forgoing reward for exploration requires support, care and teaching from others. Care and teaching are particularly characteristic of elders and the intelligence of care has a distinctive structure – it involves empowering others – giving them the resources they need to be effective. The combination of these different kinds of intelligence across the course of a life explains human success. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 41068]

  19. Jan 28

    Indigenous Religious Traditions and Law in the Current Political Moment

    How are Indigenous communities in the U.S. facing challenges to their ways of life in the current political moment? Focusing on questions concerning repatriation, land access, education, and diverse forms of sovereignty, our panelists explore the intersection of Indigenous religious traditions and law. The discussion begins at the regional level, with specific reference to Chumash contexts, and then expands outward to borderland settings, Oklahoma, the Great Lakes, and the Pacific. The panelists are Greg Johnson, Director, Walter H. Capps Center, Cristina Gonzales, Registrar, Santa Rosa Rancheria, Amrah Salomón, Assistant Professor of English, UCSB, Walter Echo-Hawk, Former President of Pawnee Nation, and Vicente Diaz, Professor of American Indian & Indigenous Studies, UCLA. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 41294]

  20. Jan 7

    Paola Capó-García: Poet Laureate on Humor Intimacy and Voice in Poetry

    Poetry becomes more approachable when it reflects everyday language, humor, and lived experience. San Diego Poet Laureate Paola Capó-García explores how graduate study, mentorship, and workshops shape her writing and sense of voice. Capó-García describes building poems through experimentation, including physically cutting and rearranging pages, and links her work to family stories and identity. As poet laureate, she focuses on widening access through public readings, workshops, and multidisciplinary projects that mix poetry with visual art, zines, music, and experimental short films. She also advocates teaching beyond a narrow canon so more students can hear themselves in poems and view arts and humanities training as a foundation for communication skills. Series: "Education Channel" [Humanities] [Education] [Show ID: 41024]

  21. 12/27/2025

    Incivility: Stress and Consequences

    Rudeness is not just annoying. John O’Brien, psychologist and author of "Rudeness Rehab," links everyday rudeness to stress and even broader health outcomes, including differences in life expectancy. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 41296]

  22. 12/20/2025

    The Soul – Spirit is My Altar with Marta Moreno Vega

    Espiritismo traces its roots to the sacred knowledge of West and Central African peoples carried into the Americas by enslaved ancestors between the 15th and 19th centuries. Marta Moreno Vega, Ph.D., scholar and co-founder of Corredor Afro, explores how these traditions—sustained in Cuba, Haiti, Brazil, Puerto Rico, other Caribbean islands, and U.S. urban centers—function as systems of memory, survival, and continuity. Drawing on personal and family experiences, Moreno Vega reflects on the challenges of centering African Diaspora spiritual practices in academia, which often privileges “objective” distance over embodied knowledge. She emphasizes the resilience of these ancestral practices and the ways they continue to manifest in contemporary life through remembrance, ritual, and cultural expression. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40425]

  23. 12/06/2025

    Evolution and Animal Minds with Peter Godfrey-Smith

    Peter Godfrey-Smith, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney, explores the evolutionary roots of consciousness by surveying animal evolution and the emergence of felt experience in several lineages. He examines two central philosophical questions: how such experience might arise gradually, existing in partial forms, and whether it represents a single unified feature with variations or instead a cluster of distinct traits. Author of "Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection," and "Living on Earth: Forests, Corals, Consciousness and the Making of the World," Godfrey-Smith brings his expertise in philosophy of biology and mind to illuminate how consciousness may have emerged and why its origins remain a profound puzzle. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 41065]

  24. 11/15/2025

    Dealing with Difficult People

    If you feel like there's more rudeness in the world, you're not alone. According to John O'Brien, psychologist and author of "Rudeness Rehab," there's a pandemic of incivility. O'Brien says we're seeing bad behavior everywhere, from the streets to the workplace to even the operating room. As part of our Osher Author Talk series, host Henry DeVries talks with O'Brien about the physical and mental toll of experiencing rudeness. O'Brien says we have the power to be our own superhero when dealing rude and difficult people. He calls his approach BAM, which stands for breathing, active listening and mindfulness. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 40599]

  25. 11/08/2025

    A Conversation with R.F. Kuang - Writer's Symposium by the Sea 2025

    Writer R.F. Kuang has quickly become one of today’s most daring and original voices in fiction, blending sharp social critique with rich storytelling. Her most recent novel, Katabasis, takes readers on a darkly witty descent into the underworld, where academia, ambition, and myth collide. Known for tackling power, politics, and the human cost of ambition, Kuang first captivated audiences with The Poppy War and later with the wildly successful Babel, both of which showcased her ability to fuse historical depth with page-turning drama. As part of the 30th anniversary of the Writer's Symposium by the Sea, Kuang joins host Dean Nelson for a delightful conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40781]