Omnia Podcast

Our new podcast series, Ampersand, features faculty from different disciplines discussing a topic they have in common. In our first episode, Sophia Rosenfeld, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, and Sudeep Bhatia, Associate Professor of Psychology, explore the ramifications of choice in everyday life and society as a whole.***Produced and edited by Alex Schein Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Illustration and logo Andrew Nealis The Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most fundamental way to support the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn. Donations mean immediate, unrestricted dollars for the School to use on its top priorities, including the path-breaking faculty and research featured in this podcast. Show your support today: www.sas.upenn.edu/annual-fund

Our final episode of this Omnia podcast season offers a conversation between Stephanie Perry, Executive Director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies, and Rogers M. Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Political Science. They discuss the implications of Trump’s second term as president, as well as what the future of democracy may look like in the United States and so much more.***Produced by Alex Schein and Michele Berger Hosted by Stephanie Perry Edited by Alex Schein Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Illustration and logo by Nick MatejDemocracy and Decision 2024 is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences in collaboration with the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES). Visit our website to listen to every episode of the Omnia Podcast: https://omnia.sas.upenn.edu/podcastThe Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most fundamental way to support the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn. Donations mean immediate, unrestricted dollar

The results of last week’s presidential election are in and Donald Trump will have a second term after earning 312 Electoral College votes and some 75 million votes overall. Republicans also re-gained a majority in the Senate and are poised to maintain control of the House of Representatives. In the fifth episode of Democracy and Decision 2024, the Omnia podcast that has been dissecting the state of U.S. democracy in the context of the election, PORES Executive Director Stephanie Perry spoke with John Lapinski, Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Political Science, PORES Director, and Director of Elections at NBC News. They offered some post-election analysis.The pair talked about seeing Trump’s advantage early on at the NBC News Decision Desk. “What we started to see at a granular level was that Harris was under-performing in key places,” Lapinski says. They also discussed how the polls measured up to election night results, exit polling results—which showed the economy as the most important factor for man

In this season of Democracy and Decision 2024, we take a close look at the state of U.S. democracy in the context of the 2024 election. The fourth episode, “The Gears of Democracy,” features Marc Meredith, Professor of Political Science, in conversation with podcast host Stephanie Perry, Executive Director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES) and the Fox Leadership Program. Both Meredith and Perry are members of the NBC News Decision Desk Team.The pair talked before Election Day, though the episode focuses on what will happen today at the polls. Plus they discuss why voting laws are so complicated, what has changed since the last election, voter turnout, mail-in ballots, poll workers, and why some races take longer to call than others. Check back after the election for our fifth episode, in which Perry speaks with John Lapinski, Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Political Science, PORES Director, and Director of the Elections Unit at NBC News.***Produced by Alex Schein and

In this season of Democracy and Decision 2024, we take a close look at the state of U.S. democracy in the context of the 2024 election. The third episode, “The Fight for Democracy,” features Matthew Levendusky, Professor of Political Science and Stephen and Mary Baran Chair in the Institutions of Democracy at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, in conversation with podcast host Stephanie Perry, Executive Director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES) and the Fox Leadership Program, who is also a member of the NBC News Decision Desk Team.The pair spoke about the myths and realities of political polarization, what got Levendusky interested in this field, what has changed over time with people who consider themselves “moderates” and “independents,” whether this election will end up being an “election of vibes,” and so much more.Next week—on Election Day—we’ll release our fourth episode, “The Gears of Democracy,” featuring Professor of Political Science Marc Meredith. And check back

In this season of Democracy and Decision 2024, we take a close look at the state of U.S. democracy in the context of the 2024 election.The second episode, “The Voice of Democracy,” features Diana Mutz, Samuel A. Stouffer Professor of Political Science and Communication, in conversation with podcast host Stephanie Perry, Executive Director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES) and the Fox Leadership Program, who is also a member of the NBC News Decision Desk Team.They spoke about a range of media-related topics, like the institution’s influence on how the public understands government and politics, how people interact with others who don’t share their political viewpoint, media consumption, and more.Check out a new episode of Democracy and Decision 2024 from the Omnia Podcast every two weeks starting on October 1, 2024. We'll explore topics like the myths and realities of political polarization, how media is shaping our understanding of the issues and candidates, and how state vo

Our new season of Omnia, Democracy and Decision 2024, examines the state of U.S. democracy in the context of the upcoming presidential election. The first episode, “Truth and Democracy,“ features Sophia Rosenfeld, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, in conversation with podcast host Stephanie Perry, Executive Director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES) and the Fox Leadership Program, who is also a member of the NBC News Decision Desk Team. They discuss some of the big questions at the heart of American democracy, like whether common sense has changed in the context of politics, how a healthy democracy works, who decides what’s true in democracy, and much more.Check out a new episode of Democracy and Decision 2024 from the Omnia Podcast every two weeks starting on October 1, 2024. We'll explore topics like the myths and realities of political polarization, how media is shaping our understanding of the issues and candidates, and how state voting laws have changed. And we’

Many people know Philadelphia for the Declaration of Independence, Rocky, and cheesesteaks. Philly’s deep musical history is less familiar, but its influence continues to inspire audiences and artists across the globe. For Carol Muller’s graduate-level ethnomusicology field methods class, students focused on documenting the city’s Black music history, interviewing figures ranging from Grammy-award winning hip-hop producer Jahlil Beats to Mark Christman and Anthony Tidd of the Ars Nova Worskhop to radio icon Dyana Williams. The class also produced a podcast based on the book There’s that Beat Guide to The Philly Sound by Dave Moore. Each student created an episode based on a chapter of the book, including music samples to make the material more accessible to all audiences. The class was part of the Paideia program at Penn, which is focused on educating the whole student. Paideia funded some of the guests, and other research interviews were supported by a Klein Family Social Justice Grant. Muller, a professor o

After the enormous success of her translation of Homer’s The Odyssey, Emily Wilson spent another five years translating The Iliad. The book was released this fall, again to tremendous acclaim.Wilson is the College for Women Class of 1963 Term Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Classical Studies. She is the recipient of two prestigious fellowships, the MacArthur “Genius Grant” and the Guggenheim, and was chosen to judge the Booker Prize competition. She’s been invited to speak across the United States and Europe.Wilson’s translations are notable because they are in straightforward, common English, but she also uses a poetic meter to echo that of the originals. To do so, she read both the ancient Greek version and her translation aloud repeatedly as she worked.For this episode, we asked Professor Wilson to select and read a few passages from The Iliad in Homer’s original Greek and then from her English translation, after first sharing her thoughts about why she chose the passages she did.***Produced,

This July, global temperatures soared to the warmest ever recorded. Ocean surface temperatures hit record highs. Extreme weather-related events are becoming ever more common, seen this spring and summer with the wildfires in Canada and Hawaii, flooding in Vermont, and a tropical storm in Los Angeles dumping almost three inches of rain in one day.Renowned climate scientist Michael Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science and the Director of Penn’s Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, has been following the changing climate for decades, starting with his doctoral work, which focused largely on natural climate variability. In the ’90s, he and colleagues published the now iconic hockey-stick curve, an estimate of how temperatures varied in the past using natural sources like tree rings, corals, and ice cores. His new book, Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis, publishes at the end of September.OMNIA spoke with h

The 2022 midterm elections took place on Tuesday, November 8th in the United States, and are still being decided in many parts of the country. Historically, the president’s party loses in the midterms. And yet this year, Democrats – the party of President Joe Biden – maintained their control of the Senate and may only lose their majority in the House of Representatives by a slim margin. So what happened? In this episode, we speak with political science professor, Daniel Hopkins, about why this year’s midterms were so different than the historical trend and what the next two years might look like in American political life.Guest:Daniel Hopkins, Professor of Political Science***Produced, Narrated, and Edited by Alex ScheinTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions Illustration by Nick MatejPodcast Logo by Hemani KapoorVisit our editorial magazine, Omnia, for more content from Penn Arts & Sciences faculty, students, and alumni: omnia.sas.upenn.edu

The pandemic has had a pronounced impact on mental health. Participating in activities that benefit well-being is crucial, but Katherine Cotter and James Pawelski, experts in the field of positive psychology, say being conscious of these benefits, and optimizing participation, is the end goal.In this final episode of the season, we speak with both researchers from the Positive Psychology Center about how art museum visitation and museum program participation impact flourishing-related outcomes.Guests:James O. Pawelski, Professor of Practice and Director of Education, Positive Psychology Center and Director of the Humanities and Human Flourishing ProjectKatherine Cotter, Postdoctoral Fellow, Positive Psychology Center***Produced by Blake ColeNarrated by Alex ScheinEdited by Alex Schein and Brooke SietinsonsInterview by Blake Cole Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions Illustration and logo by Marina MuunIn These Times is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences. Visit our se

Music is undeniably one of oldest and most essential art forms. The power of song and dance has been the pulse of social movements throughout the world and a source of collective and individual healing during difficult times for millennia. In this episode we speak with ethnomusicologist Carol Muller about the power of song and dance during the apartheid era in South Africa, and Nicholas Escobar, C'18, about his process composing music for the screen, and our very own OMNIA podcast. ***Produced, Edited, and Narrated by Alex ScheinInterviews by Alex ScheinTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Nicholas Escobar; Randy Newman, "You've Got a Friend in Me" (from Toy Story 4); Thomas Newman, "May" (from The Shawshank Redemption); Dollar Brand aka Abdullah Ibrahim, "Whoza Mtwana" and "Mannenberg Revisited"; Miriam Makeba, "Soweto Blues"; Duke Ellington, "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)"; Sathima Bea Benjamin, "Lush Life" and "Solitude"; The O'Jays, "I Love Music" (Mike Maurro Mix).Illustration an

For as long as humans have had voices, trauma has been told and processed through stories, poetry, and music. In this episode, we speak with author Lorene Cary, Senior Lecturer in English, and poet Fatemeh Shams, Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, on the ability of words to move people, create a community, and help us to heal.Guests:Lorene Cary, Senior Lecturer, Department of EnglishFatemeh Shams, Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations***Produced by Susan AhlbornNarrated by Alex ScheinEdited by Alex Schein and Brooke SietinsonsInterviews by Jane Carol and Alex ScheinTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and MG & Ma’tthue Raheem for “Vote that Jawn” rapIllustration and logo by Marina MuunIn These Times is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences. Visit our series website to learn more and listen to the first three seasons of In These Times: web.sas.upenn.edu/in-these-timesVisit our editorial magazine, Omnia, for mor

The legacy of trauma resulting from more than 200 years of slavery in North America, and colonialism abroad, has yet to be fully comprehended. In this episode, Breanna Moore discusses her engagement with fellow student collaborators to recreate the history of Penn’s connections to slavery, which began with a memory book and a journey through her own family’s history. And Deborah Thomas explains how the many mediums of art, including film, dance, and photography, have helped her promote healing within communities marked by trauma in Jamaica and beyond.This episode includes excerpts from Four Days in May: Kingston 2010 featuring Jacqueline Gordon, Shawn Bowen, and Aaliyah Levy. The documentary film was directed and produced by Deanne M. Bell, Junior “Gabu” Wedderburn, and Deborah A. Thomas.Guests:Breanna Moore, C’15 and Ph.D. candidate, Department of HistoryDeborah Thomas, R. Jean Brownlee Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Experimental Ethnography***Produced by Blake ColeNarrated by Alex

In coping with the stresses of recent times, many people are finding respite in connecting with nature. Writers extolling the virtues of wellness travel, ecotherapy, and going for a long walk are just one spin on a long tradition of reflections on how to find health, happiness, and wisdom through nature in any of its manifestations, from herbs and flowers, to animals and crystals.In this episode, Rebecca Bushnell, a noted Shakespeare expert and scholar of early modern literature, discusses nature writing from the past, along with thoughts on why we garden and what we talk about when we talk about nature.Guest:Rebecca Bushnell, School of Arts and Sciences Board of Advisors Emerita Professor of English***Produced by Loraine TerrellNarrated by Alex ScheinEdited by Alex Schein and Loraine TerrellInterview by Loraine TerrellTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions Illustration and logo by Marina MuunIn These Times is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences. Visit our series websi

In 1346, bubonic plague began to spread through northern Africa and Eurasia. In seven years, it had become the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, killing between 75 and 200 million people. In this episode, we hear from a specialist in medieval literature about the bubonic plague and how artists like Boccaccio and Chaucer documented the horror of the Black Death but also the joy found in art and creation.Guest:David Wallace, Judith Rodin Professor of English***Produced by Susan AhlbornNarrated by Alex ScheinEdited by Alex Schein and Brooke SietinsonsInterview by Susan AhlbornTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Francesco Landino's "Ecco la primavera" performed by Hortus MusicusIllustration and logo by Marina MuunIn These Times is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences. Visit our series website to learn more and listen to the first three seasons of In These Times: web.sas.upenn.edu/in-these-timesVisit our editorial magazine, Omnia, for more content from Pe

In Mary Shelley’s novel, The Last Man, the protagonist—one of the few survivors of a plague—searches for meaning in a world of loss, concluding that, “there is but one solution to the intricate riddle of life; to improve ourselves, and contribute to the happiness of others.”In 2022, as COVID-19 lingers on, the climate threat looms larger, and war returns to Europe, there seems to be no answer to when this era, defined by loss, will end. And many of us are finding that making sense of “the intricate riddle of life,” and extracting meaning out of adversity, is one of the things that art does best.In this season of In These Times, we talk to scholars, musicians and poets, and other members of creative communities, to explore the link between making art and making meaning, and how creativity shines a light on the way out of adversity, past and present.In this episode, Aaron Levy, a lecturer in English and Art History, talks about how the arts and humanities can serve as tools for life. Then, Dr. Levy is joined by

This is an episode about big things. Big like the ocean, which, thanks to its size, absorbs about 30% of all CO2 emissions. Big like the scale of our Earth’s 4.6 billion history, and big like our responsibility to future generations. Can an understanding of and appreciation for the size of our world and the scope of its history, from the beginning of time to dinosaurs to humans, help us take action against climate change and engage in acts of care for the future of our planet and its inhabitants? An oceanographer, a geophysicist, and a historian weigh in.Guests:Irina Marinov, Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental ScienceJane E. Dmochowski, Senior Lecturer, Earth and Environmental ScienceJared Famer, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History ***Produced by Lauren Rebecca ThackerNarrated by Alex ScheinEdited by Alex Schein, Brooke Sietisons, Evan SmithInterviews by Lauren Rebecca ThackerTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Blue Dot SessionsIllustration and logo by Dan Lee In These Ti

This episode addresses early concerns in the public sphere, the media, and even the scientific community, surrounding high-energy particle collision experiments at particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider. These concerns culminated in lawsuits accusing researchers of conducting experiments that could cause the creation of mini black holes or even spell the end of the world. We speak with a physicist who works on such projects about the realities of safety.Guest:Evelyn Thomson, Professor of Physics and Astronomy***Produced by Blake ColeNarrated by Alex ScheinEdited by Alex Schein and Brooke Sietisons Interview by Blake ColeTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Blue Dot SessionsIllustration and logo by Dan Lee In These Times is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences. Visit our series website to learn more and listen to the first two seasons of In These Times. Visit our editorial magazine, Omnia, for more content from Penn Arts & Sciences faculty, students, and alumni.