Over 44 million people in the US have student debt, according to the Federal Reserve. The class of 2017 owes, on average, nearly $30,000 in student loans, according to the Institute for College Access and Success. This kind of debt can be a hug

Dr. Bacevich and the Niebuhrian Critique of American Power

Jul 4th, 2018 1h 8m

Professor Emeritus Andrew Bacevich, a veteran of the Vietnam and Gulf wars, has spent his academic career writing about American imperialism. He gave a well-regarded university lecture in 2007 about the "illusions of managing history," arguing

William McKeen on Hunter S. Thompson

Apr 20th, 2018 1h 6m

William McKeen is the a professor of journalism and author of 7 books, one of which includes "Outlaw Journalist," a biography of gonzo journalism maverick Hunter S. Thompson. McKeen helps paint the broader picture of Hunter S. Thompson from his

Lawrence O'Donnell on the 1968 Election

Apr 14th, 2018 33m 25s

Lawrence O'Donnell is the host of MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell and the author of the new book Playing With Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics. We speak with him about his book, the enduring rele

Brother Larry Part 2: Protestantization of Confucianism

Mar 26th, 2018 49m 30s

In the first part of our conversation with Brother Larry, University Chaplain for Community Life, we discussed the phenomenon of protestantization. Here we look at the case study of Confucianism that he addresses in his work. First, we take you

Brother Larry Part 1: Protestantization

Mar 26th, 2018 29m 30s

Lawrence Whitney, better known on campus as Brother Larry, is the University Chaplain for Community Life. His academic work is in comparative theology, focusing on Christianity and Confucianism. In this episode we discuss Prote

A Veteran's Transformation: The Story of Steven J. Mandile

Mar 23rd, 2018 59m 30s

Steven J. Mandile is an Iraq war veteran who was injured at the age of 27. He came home with Traumatic Brain Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and a spinal cord injury. He couldn't find help in the army medical system, and the Veterans Adm

WBUR's Meghna Chakrabarti

Mar 6th, 2018 33m

Radio Boston host Meghna Chakrabarti's career has coincided with one of the most fast-paced periods of change in the journalism industry. She began her career in the years where the post-9/11 world took shape, and has since seen field transform

Foreign Aid as Enforcement Power

Mar 3rd, 2018 35m 15s

What do we get for our foreign aid money? Even the cynic can admit that some part of our foreign aid is given to ease human suffering, but we also must consider the power foreign aid projects over the recipient nation states and how it advances

Just Cannabis Regulation

Mar 2nd, 2018 55m 55s

Legal cannabis is soon to come to Massachusetts, but ensuring the launch goes well is key to its success. We sat down with Dr. Marion McNabb (SPH '17) who started the Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN) to advocate on Beacon Hil

BU's 30 Under 30: Me Too, Part 2

Feb 27th, 2018 39m 46s

“BU’s 30 Under 30” is a Boston University bi-weekly podcast featuring a panel of the brightest Boston-area scholars under the age of thirty (30). Panelists represent a wide array of disciplines and specialties, and offer insightful, relevant,

BU's 30 Under 30: Me Too, Part 1

Feb 20th, 2018 30m 30s

Current Affairs Magazine — Part 2

Feb 11th, 2018 47m 27s

Part 2 of Patrick's talk with Nathan J. Robinson, editor in chief of Current Affairs Magazine, a publication dedicated to staying true to "what actually affects people." Here, Nathan and Patrick discuss the shortcomings of other print media suc

Spanish Regional Nationalisms and Political Strategies — Part 2

Feb 6th, 2018 34m 15s

This discussion is the second segment of an episode with Professor Oscar Martinez-Tapia Nebrija University and IE [Instituto Empresa] in Madrid. Here we move from regional nationalisms in Spain to a broader look at how populism is shaping weste

Spanish Regional Nationalisms and Political Strategies — Part 1

Feb 6th, 2018 57m 15s

We sit down with Professor Oscar Martinez-Tapia of Nebrija University and IE [Instituto Empresa] in Madrid to discuss his work on political party formation in two of Spain's autonomous regions––Basque Country, also referred to as País Vasco in

Current Affairs Magazine — Part 1

Nov 28th, 2017 46m 17s

Part one of Patrick's phone call with Current Affairs magazine editor in chief Nathan J Robinson. Here they discuss the recent state of the media and the problems and responsibilities Nathan and Current Affairs are trying to solve in the portra

Lata Nott — Washington DC Series

Oct 31st, 2017 53m 28s

See background information at www.commonthreadpodcast.com/washington-dc. Lata Nott is the Executive Director of the Newseum’s First Amendment Center. At the Newseum, a museum dedicated the history of media and free expression, her role is to ed

Luke Hartig — Washington DC Series

Oct 31st, 2017 1h 14m

See background information at www.commonthreadpodcast.com/washington-dc. Luke Hartig, an alum of Boston University, is the former Senior Director of Counterterrorism for the National Security Council during the Obama administration. He is curre

Nora Bensahel — Washington DC Series

Oct 31st, 2017 58m 37s

See background information at www.commonthreadpodcast.com/washington-dc. Nora Bensahel is a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at American University. She is an expert in defense policy, military operations and force structure. She has also hel

Katie Zezima — Washington DC Series

Oct 31st, 2017 55m 10s

See background information at www.commonthreadpodcast.com/washington-dc. Katie Zezima, a Boston University alum, is a national correspondent for the Washington Post. In her career she has covered some of the most important stories in the countr

Terri Tanielian — Washington DC Series

Oct 31st, 2017 36m 58s

Terri Tanielian, a Boston University alum, is a Senior Behavioral Scientist for the RAND Corporation. She focuses on the psychological effects of war, with a particular focus on the veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Oper

Adrian Atizado — Washington DC Series

Oct 31st, 2017 1h 17m

See background information at www.commonthreadpodcast.com/washington-dc. Adrian Atizado is a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. He has spent the last 17 years working for Disabled American Veterans, a veterans service organization (VSO) dedicated

Ethan Glick — Washington DC Series

Oct 31st, 2017 57m 30s

Ethan Glick is a Foreign Service Officer in the State Department. Currently he is the Deputy Director of the Office of Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism within the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. He has served tours o

Aaron Frank — Washington DC Series

Oct 31st, 2017 1h 5m

Aaron Frank, a Boston University alum, works on war games at RAND Corp., intelligence and other security issues. He has also worked at BAE Systems and Booz Allen Hamilton. We discuss his work in computational social science at RAND Corp, which

Mika'il Petin — Washington DC Series

Oct 31st, 2017 1h 14m

Mika’il Petin, formerly a professor of Cultural Studies at George Mason University, is now the associate Dean of Student Success at Illinois College. He has focused heavily on the representation of black muslim males in media in the post-9/11 e