Odyssey—July 30, 2004

Americans have a complicated relationship to Wall Street; it is a symbol of rapacious greed but also of hope and security for the middle class. What role has Wall Street played in shaping America? Legal scholar Joel Seligman and economist Howard Wachtel join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Seligman is author of The Transformation of Wall Street: A History of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Modern Corporate Finance. Wachtel is the author of Street of Dreams, Boulevard of Broken Hearts: Wall Street’s First Century.

Odyssey—July 29, 2004

Odyssey—July 28, 2004

Odyssey—July 27, 2004

Odyssey—July 26, 2004

Palestinian National Identity
Naseer Aruri—Chancellor Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts
Ilana Feldman—Mellon Teaching Fellow and Lecturer, New York University

Palestinian protests against the leadership of the Palestinian Authority belie a strong sense of shared identity, one that has endured despite the absence of a state. What forces have shaped Palestinian national identity? Political scientist Naseer Aruri and historian and anthropologist Ilana Feldman join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Aruri is the author of the book, Dishonest Broker: The U.S. Role in Israel and Palestine. Feldman is the author of the book manuscript, Governing Gaza: Bureaucratic Service and the Work of Rule, 1917-1967.

Odyssey—July 23, 2004

Film Forum: Comedy and Masculinity
Ron Gregg—Programming Director, Committee on Cinema and Media Studies, University of Chicago
Susan White—Director of Undergraduate Studies, English Department, University of Arizona

Films like Dodgeball and Anchorman deliver laughs from characters best described as stupid white guys. Among others, Jerry Lewis and Peter Sellers also capitalized on this kind of character. What do these images say about masculinity? Film scholars Ron Gregg and Susan White join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Gregg's article, "Gay Culture, Studio Publicity, and the Management of Star Discourse: The Homosexualization of William Haines in Pre-Code Hollywood" appeared in the Quarterly Review of Film and Television. Susan White is the author of the book The Cinema of Max Ophuls.

Odyssey—July 22, 2004

Black Holes and the Universe
Sean Carroll—Cosmologist, University of Chicago
Juan Maldacena—Theoretical Physicist, Princeton

Black holes have been described as interstellar vacuum cleaners or gravity whirlpools. But now some physicists are rethinking what happens to matter that enters black holes. What can studying black holes tell us about the nature of the universe? Cosmologist Sean Carroll and physicist Juan Maldacena join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Carroll is author of the book Space-Time and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity. Maldacena is a theoretical physicist at the Institute for Advanced Study; his research focuses on black holes and string theory.

Odyssey—July 21, 2004

The Public Life of Classical Music
Martha Feldman—Associate Professor of Music, University of Chicago
Ivan Hewett—Music Critic, Daily Telegraph, London

These days, classical music is struggling to maintain its audience. Once a dominant cultural form, the classical repertoire has lost ground to new musical styles and technologies. Why is the public experience of classical music in decline? Music historian Martha Feldman and music writer Ivan Hewett join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Feldman is the author of the book, City Culture and the Madrigal at Venice. Hewett teaches music at London's Royal College of Music, and is author of Music: Healing the Rift.

Odyssey—July 20, 2004

Exploitation
Ruth Sample—Associate Professor, University of New Hampshire
Alan Wertheimer—John G. McCullough Professor of Political Science, University of Vermont

Exploitation is one of those words that tend to be tossed around liberally. It’s used to describe sweatshop labor, payday loans, the sex trade, even housework. But what is it, exactly, that renders a situation exploitative? Philosopher Ruth Sample and political scientist Alan Wertheimer join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Sample is the author of the book, Exploitation: What It Is and Why It's Wrong. Wertheimer is the author of the book, Exploitation.

Odyssey—July 19, 2004

These days superheroes can be found at the cineplex, on television, or in novels. In his comic book heyday, the superhero embodied a particular notion of American justice. How has the meaning of the superhero changed? Joining host Gretchen Helfrich for the conversation are Scott Bukatman and Bradford Wright. Bukatman is the author of the book Matters of Gravity: Special Effects and Supermen in the Twentieth Century. Wright is the author of the book Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America.

Odyssey—July 16, 2004

Odyssey—July 15, 2004

Odyssey—July 14, 2004

Odyssey—July 13, 2004

Odyssey—July 12, 2004

Odyssey—July 9, 2004

Film Forum: The Life and Career of Marlon Brando
James Naremore—Chancellor's Professor of Communication and Culture, Indiana University, Bloomington
Virginia Wright Wexman—Professor of English, University of Illinois, Chicago

Marlon Brando transformed American acting, but his influence extended beyond the marquee: his performances and personae ushered in a new model of American masculinity. What is Brando's legacy? Film scholars James Naremore and Virginia Wright Wexman join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Naremore is the author of Acting in the Cinema and More Than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts. Wexman is the author of Creating the Couple: Love, Marriage, and Hollywood Performance.

Odyssey—July 8, 2004

Cuisine and National Identity
Hasia Diner—Professor of American Jewish History, New York University Priscilla Ferguson—Professor of Sociology, Columbia University

Since the emergence of the modern nation-state, cuisine has played a part in how we understand who we are—and how we conceive of other peoples. How does cuisine link a person to the nation? Historian Hasia Diner and sociologist Priscilla Ferguson join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Diner is author of Hungering for America: Italian, Irish, and Jewish Foodways in the Age of Migration. Ferguson is author of Accounting for Taste: The Triumph of French Cuisine.

Odyssey—July 7, 2004

Order and the City
Deborah Fausch—Assistant Professor of Art History, University of Illinois, Chicago
Max Page—Associate Professor of Architecture and History, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Municipal officials use tools such as zoning regulations, traffic laws, and noise ordinances to direct the behavior of a city's residents. But urban dwellers often use space in unexpected ways. How do these forces interact to organize a city? Architectural historians Deborah Fausch and Max Page join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Fausch is editor of Architecture: In Fashion. She's also working on the book, An Analytic of the Real in the Work of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. Page is author of The Creative Destruction of Manhattan and The City's End: Two Centuries of Fantasies, Fears, and Premonitions of New York's Destruction.

Odyssey—July 6, 2004

Islam in America
Amaney Jamal—Professor of Political Science, Princeton University
Karen Leonard—Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine

Muslims have a diverse and extensive history in the United States, and American Muslims have long confronted questions of race, class, and citizenship. How has Islamic identity evolved in the U.S.? Anthropologist Karen Leonard and political scientist Amaney Jamal join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Leonard is author of Muslims in the United States: The State of Research.

Odyssey—July 5, 2004

Democracy and Allegiance
Originally broadcast 4.1.04
Matthew Crenson—Professor of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University
Gary Gerstle—Professor of History, University of Maryland, Baltimore

Rituals of national loyalty flourish in our country. They become more visible in times of crisis, but they're a constant part of our culture. What do our demonstrations of allegiance reveal about American democracy? Political scientist Matthew Crenson and historian Gary Gerstle join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Crenson is co-author of Downsizing Democracy: How America Sidelined Its Citizens and Privatized Its Public. Gerstle is author of American Crucible: Race and Nation in the Twentieth Century.

Odyssey—July 2, 2004

Supreme Court Update
Thomas Merrill—Charles Keller Beekman Professor, Columbia University School of Law
Dennis Hutchinson—Senior Lecturer, University of Chicago Law School

Although several landmark rulings mark a departure from the Supreme Court's characteristically conservative path, narrow majorities and sharp dissenting opinions continue to divide the Court. Where does the law stand at the end of the 2003-04 term? Legal scholars Thomas Merrill and Dennis Hutchinson join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Hutchinson is author of The Forgotten Memoir of John Knox: A Year in the Life of a Supreme Court Clerk in FDR’s Washington.

Odyssey—July 1, 2004

Our Puritan Heritage
Philip Gould—Professor of English, Brown University
Michael Winship—Professor of History, University of Georgia, Athens

The Puritans have been both celebrated and vilified in American culture. They can signify political liberty, but they can also represent religious intolerance and sexual repression. On what grounds do we connect to our Puritan past? Historian Michael Winship and literary scholar Philip Gould join host Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Winship is author of Seers of God: Militant Providentialism in the Restoration and Early Enlightenment. Gould is author of Covenant and Republic: Historical Romance and the Politics of Puritanism.