New Books Network Podcast

Higher Education September 29, 2023

The Abundant University

Remaking Higher Education for a Digital World

Michael D. Smith

Hosted by John Emrich

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For too long, our system of higher education has been defined by scarcity: scarcity in enrollment, scarcity in instruction, and scarcity in credentials. In addition to failing students professionally, this …

Van Leer Institute Series on Ideas with Renee Garfinkel September 23, 2023

The Engaged Scholar

Expanding the Impact of Academic Research in Today’s World

Andrew J. Hoffman

Hosted by Renee Garfinkel

Society and democracy are ever threatened by the fall of fact. Rigorous analysis of facts, the hard boundary between truth and opinion, and fidelity to reputable sources of factual information …

Education September 22, 2023

Off the Mark

How Grades, Ratings, and Rankings Undermine Learning (but Don't Have To)

Jack Schneider and Ethan L. Hutt

Hosted by Max Jacobs

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Amid widespread concern that our approach to testing and grading undermines education, two experts explain how schools can use assessment to support, rather than compromise, learning. Anyone who has ever …

Critical Theory September 8, 2023

Moral Minefields

How Sociologists Debate Good Science

Shai M. Dromi and Samuel D. Stabler

Hosted by Dave O'Brien

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Where does morality fit into contemporary social science? In Moral Minefields: How Sociologists Debate Good Science (U Chicago Press, 2023), Shai Dromi, an Associate Senior Lecturer at the Department of Sociology …

General History September 7, 2023

The Student

A Short History

Michael S. Roth

Hosted by Benjamin Phillips

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In The Student: A Short History (Yale UP, 2023), Michael S. Roth narrates a vivid and dynamic history of students, exploring some of the principal models for learning that have …

Library Science September 6, 2023

On the Digital Humanities

Essays and Provocations

Stephen Ramsay

Hosted by Hallel Yadin

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Stephen Ramsey's On the Digital Humanities: Essays and Provocations (University of Minnesota Press, 2023) is a witty and incisive exploration of the philosophical conundrums that animate the digital humanities. Since its inception …

Education September 6, 2023

The Alienation of Fact

Digital Educational Privatization, AI, and the False Promise of Bodies and Numbers

Kenneth J. Saltman

Hosted by Joao Souto-Maior

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Today, conspiracy theories run rampant, attacks on facts have become commonplace, and systemic inequities are on the rise as individual and collective agency unravels. The Alienation of Fact: Digital Educational …

Education September 4, 2023

Unionizing the Ivory Tower

Cornell Workers' Fifteen-Year Fight for Justice and a Living Wage

Al Davidoff

Hosted by Thomas Discenna

Unionizing the Ivory Tower: Cornell Workers' Fifteen-Year Fight for Justice and a Living Wage (ILR Press, 2023) chronicles how a thousand low-paid custodians, cooks, and gardeners succeeded in organizing a …

Academic Life August 31, 2023

The Power of Play in Higher Education

A Conversation with Alison James

Alison James

Hosted by Christina Gessler

Why are academics encouraged to be rigorous and exhausted, instead of innovative and engaged? What learning outcomes are we sacrificing by being so serious? Dr. Alison James joins us to …

Academic Life August 24, 2023

Managing your Mental Health during your PhD

A Discussion with Zoë J. Ayres

Zoë J. Ayres

Hosted by Christina Gessler

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Can your graduate school affect your mental health? Dr. Zoe Ayres joins us to discuss what she wishes she had known before starting graduate school, including: What happens when you …

Education August 23, 2023

The Death of Public School

How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America

Cara Fitzpatrick

Hosted by Laura Kelly

America has relied on public schools for 150 years, but the system is increasingly under attack. With declining enrollment and diminished trust in public education, policies that steer tax dollars …

Scholarly Communication August 22, 2023

Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, and the Future of Academic Publishing

A Conversation with Avi Staiman

Avi Staiman

Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

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Avi Staiman, CEO of Academic Language Experts discusses the how advancements in artificial intelligence are shaping academic publishing. Avi offers various solutions and remedies to concerns around misuse, in addition to …

Library Science August 20, 2023

Trans and Gender Diverse Voices in Libraries

Kalani Adolpho, Stephen G. Krueger, and Krista McCracken

Hosted by Jen Hoyer

In the library profession, and in the world as a whole, the experiences of trans and gender diverse people often go unnoticed, hidden, and ignored. Trans and Gender Diverse Voices …

Scholarly Communication August 19, 2023

Academic Publishers Grapple with Advances in AI

A Conversation with Niko Pfund of Oxford University Press

Niko Pfund

Hosted by Avi Staiman

Niko Pfund joins the podcast to discuss the value of scientific content for building out Large Language Models and some of the challenges around tracking the quality and ownership of …

Higher Education August 17, 2023

The Making of Florida's Universities

Public Higher Education at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

Carl Van Ness

Hosted by Katie Coldiron

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In The Making of Florida's Universities: Public Higher Education at the Turn of the Twentieth Century (UP of Florida, 2023), Carl Van Ness describes the remarkable formative years of higher …

Public Policy August 16, 2023

On the Basis of Race

How Higher Education Navigates Affirmative Action Policies

Lauren S. Foley

Hosted by Stephen Pimpare

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Diversity in higher education is under attack as the Supreme Court limits the use of race-conscious admissions practices at American colleges and universities. In On the Basis of Race: How Higher …

Academic Life August 10, 2023

Academic Aunties

A Conversation with Dr. Ethel Tungohan

Ethel Tungohan

Hosted by Christina Gessler

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You’ve probably heard by now that there’s a hidden curriculum in academia. But it’s called hidden for a reason—only some [privileged] people are in the know about what it contains …

Education August 6, 2023

The Open System

Redesigning Education and Reigniting Democracy

Landon Mascareñaz and Doannie Tran

Hosted by Deidre Tyler

Landon Mascareñaz and Doannie Tran propose that, even as events of this decade have exposed stress points in existing top-down, closed systems within education and other public institutions, they have …

Scholarly Communication August 6, 2023

Thriving As a Graduate Writer

Principles, Strategies, and Practices for Effective Academic Writing

Rachael Cayley

Hosted by Daniel Shea

Listen to this interview of Rachael Cayley, Associate Professor in the Graduate Centre for Academic Communication at the University of Toronto, Canada. Rachael also blogs. Her Explorations of Style is …

Military History July 27, 2023

Drilled to Write

Becoming a Cadet Writer at a Senior Military College

J. Michael Rifenburg

Hosted by Boris Karpa

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Drilled to Write: Becoming a Cadet Writer at a Senior Military College (Utah State UP, 2022) offers a rich account of US Army cadets navigating the unique demands of Army …