Public Affairs (audio)

Contemporary populism is almost everywhere; a right wing phenomena that focuses on a politics of white working class grievance. A set of grievances that are to be addressed, when in power, with policies of expulsion, exclusion, and domination. Attempts by liberal states to deal with such movements paradoxically rely on a similar politics of exclusion, such as building so-called firewalls against the right, which are themselves deeply anti-democratic. Mark Blyth, professor of international economics at Brown University, says that given that these grievances are based on real social and economic problems that have blighted working class communities across the world, can a liberal polity address such grievances in a more positive way? Or must it, to protect itself, similarly exclude and dominate such parties, movements and such grievances? Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 41069]

The extractive linear economy and policies focused on endless growth have produced unparalleled socioeconomic inequality and the climate crisis. Communities around the world are calling for new economic models that are regenerative towards people, place, and ecosystems. Ancestral ʻŌiwi (indigenous Hawaiian) economic systems were built around people's relationships and understandings of wai (water). Kamanamaikalani Beamer, Director of the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi, explores the lessons that can be drawn from the Hawaiian Ancestral Circular Economy and the resurrection of peoples' ancestral relationships to love and protect water. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 41295]

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]

In an era of rapid political change, shifting global alliances, and deepening partisan divides, the Helen Edison Lecture Series is honored to welcome Ambassador Jeff Flake, former U.S. Senator from Arizona, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, and author of "Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle." Flake explores the challenges and opportunities of democratic governance in today’s volatile political climate. Hi career spanned pivotal moments in recent American history: navigating congressional gridlock, representing U.S. interests abroad amid global uncertainty, and advocating for principled leadership in the public square. His tenure offers a unique vantage point on the pressures within Washington and the larger questions of constitutional balance, institutional resilience, and civic trust. Moderated by Marco Werman, host and executive editor of "The World" and UC San Diego Journalist in Residence, this conversation invites reflection on how conviction, dialogue,

A collaborative effort examines how organizations confront religious intolerance, focusing on antisemitism and Islamophobia. It maps an ecosystem of practices across individual, community, and structural levels. Using surveys, interviews, and existing research, the project documents what people and organizations do and why. Approaches include education and skills training; supports for healing and wellbeing; bridging divisions, leadership, coalitions, safer online spaces, and civic engagement; work on policy and law; research and evaluation that advance evidence-based programs; and storytelling that promotes inclusion while challenging hateful speech. Together, these efforts clarify how combined work builds belonging, trust, understanding, and accountability. Findings are shared to help communities adapt effective practices locally, including on campus and across the region. The goal is to support practical, adaptable strategies that cultivate safer, more inclusive environments. [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 407

Wine down with Chancellor May as he meets up with some of the students, staff and faculty from the Department of Viticulture and Enology — recognized as one of the best programs in the world. Chancellor May tours the winery and vineyard, learns about the winery's cutting-edge technology and sustainability practices, and even helps crush grapes before sampling the final product with his "partner in wine." Series: "UC Davis News" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 41062]

What does it really mean to go zero waste? At UC Davis, the answer is both innovative and inspiring. Episode 4 of ‘Sustainably UC Davis’ explores how the university is moving toward a zero-waste future—from converting campus food scraps into renewable energy, to phasing out single-use plastics in food service. Featured in the episode are Joseph Yonkoski, Facilities Management superintendent of thermal infrastructure and former READ facility supervisor, Kelli O’Day, UC Davis Sustainability Assessment Program Manager, and Zero Waste Student Coordinators Grae Mordhorst and Sophie Fayet-Faber. Series: "UC Davis News" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 41059]

Language and the law is a field growing in size and importance. While some forensic linguistics applications -- e.g. authorship attribution -- have a wider tradition, this growth is particularly acute in the domain of legal interpretation, which is increasingly using corpus data and methods. Stefan Gries, Professor of Linguistics at UC Santa Barbara, discusses two recent applications. One is from recent work as an expert witness for a law firm; it is a more quantitative application and concerned with authorship attribution in an internet trolling case. The other is concerned with more quantitative and qualitative research for an amicus brief to the Supreme Court. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 41041]

How do you find hope in a deeply fractured and polarized world? In this timely and powerful conversation, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Nicholas Kristof pulls from decades of reporting from global conflict zones and overlooked American communities to bring a deeply human perspective to today’s most urgent moral and civic challenges. In an era marked by division and misinformation, this program explores how truth, empathy and ethical courage can shape a more just and compassionate world. This program is presented by the Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society, and moderated by The World's Marco Werman and UC San Diego Theater professor Allan Havis. Series: "Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 40914]

At the UC Davis Student Farm, students bring sustainable food systems to life. In Episode 2 of 'Sustainably UC Davis', we explore student-led efforts in sustainable agriculture. Environmental and social sustainability remain central to the Student Farm’s mission, from organic practices to food justice. Hear about these topics and more from Colin Dixon, Director of the Student Farm, as well as staff and student leads from the Market Garden, Fresh Focus, and Green Fellowship programs. Series: "UC Davis News" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Agriculture] [Show ID: 41057]

The Sleepy Lagoon case of 1942 became one of the most racially charged trials in U.S. history. Twenty-two Mexican American youths, mostly teenagers, were tried en masse for the death of José Díaz, though no witness placed them at the scene and the cause of death was never established. Denied fair treatment, they faced a biased judge and jury, with twelve sentenced to San Quentin. In this documentary film, UC Santa Cruz's Bob Giges highlights the work of Alice McGrath, who was moved by the injustice and dedicated herself to the defense effort, visiting the imprisoned youths, organizing community support, and coordinating national fundraising. In 1944, the convictions were overturned on appeal, marking a rare victory for the Mexican American community. The case, later dramatized by Luis Valdez in Zoot Suit, is remembered as a turning point in civil rights and Chicano identity. Series: "Arts Channel " [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 40985]

From sourcing ingredients to sorting waste, sustainability is baked into every part of campus dining. Episode 3 of ‘Sustainably UC Davis’ highlights how Student Housing and Dining Services (SHDS) makes on-campus dining more sustainable—from procurement, to waste audits, to educational programming. Featured in the episode are Chamayo Yniguez, Director of Dining Operations; Samuel Orellana, Sustainability Specialist; and April Engelmeier, Sustainability Peer Educator. Series: "UC Davis News" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 41058]

Explore the evolving identities, histories, and rights of farmworkers across Mexico and the United States. Panelists—including scholars, organizers, and agricultural leaders—discuss cross-border migration, labor conditions, cultural heritage, and the impact of policies on communities. The conversation highlights the role of indigenous and Catholic traditions, the legacy of the Bracero Program, and the continuing struggles and resilience of agricultural workers. It also examines how economic and environmental pressures shape migration, labor organizing, and efforts to create sustainable, dignified livelihoods for future generations. Series: "Future Thought Leaders" [Public Affairs] [Agriculture] [Business] [Show ID: 40584]

How should federal governments attempt to right, or at least remedy, past wrongs? Is it appropriate for victims of group-based harms or their descendants to press current generations to atone for the sins of their predecessors? Grace Kao, Professor of Ethics and the inaugural Sano Chair in Pacific and Asian American Theology at Claremont School of Theology, explores these questions by drawing upon the emerging human rights standard for reparations, theological resources from her Presbyterian faith tradition, and four case-studies of acknowledged wrongdoing against AAPI communities. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 40876]

Legal scholar Annabel Brett explores the idea of “moral possibility”—the boundary between what laws demand and what people can realistically or ethically be expected to do. Drawing from early modern thinkers like Aquinas, Suarez, and Hobbes, Brett shows how moral impossibility has long shaped debates about legal obligation, resistance, and political agency. Commentators Melissa Lane and David Dyzenhaus join the discussion, examining how this concept applies to everything from climate action and military conscription to unjust regimes and democratic norms. Together, they highlight how institutions, customs, and time shape the space between legal duty and human capacity—and why recognizing this gap is vital to both justice and legitimacy. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 40431]

Political theorist Annabel Brett of Cambridge University explores how the concept of “moral possibility” shapes law, politics, and public obligation. She explains that laws must be realistic for people to follow—what is morally possible varies by individual, culture, time, and circumstance. Drawing on early modern Catholic legal theory, Brett discusses how extreme demands (like enduring war or plague) may justify higher expectations, but only temporarily. She examines how colonial Spanish officials misused this framework to justify forced labor in Peru, wrongly claiming it aligned with indigenous customs. Brett contrasts this with more democratic approaches to law, like Domingo de Soto’s defense of beggars’ rights, which take individuals’ real conditions seriously. Ultimately, she shows how moral possibility is deeply tied to time, virtue, and justice. Commentary is provided by David Dyzenhaus of the University of Toronto. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 40430]

Is sacred space protective space? This question lies at the heart of the Sanctuary Movement. From the 1980s to the present, this practice has protected undocumented immigrants at risk of deportation by offering them refuge in churches, where federal immigration agents to this day still fear to tread. In this lecture, Lloyd Barba, Assistant Professor of Religion and Core Faculty in Latinx and Latin American Studies at Amherst College, asks how these houses of worship in the 1980s protected migrants from immigration enforcement authorities. What histories and testimonies rendered such spaces sacred and lent houses of worship qualities of safe refuge? And what is the applicability of these practices today? Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 40877]

It's time for a new narrative for the ocean, one that reflects current scientific knowledge and acknowledges innovative new partnerships and solutions that center the ocean in our future. In this program, Jane Lubchenco, Professor of Marine Biology at Oregon State University and with expertise in the ocean, climate change, and interactions between the environment and human well-being, talks about the two current dominant narratives for the ocean are anchored in the past. The older one considers the ocean to be so vast, bountiful, and resilient that it is simply too big to fail. This first narrative drives pollution and over-exploitation of resources. A second, more recent narrative is that the ocean is now so depleted, polluted, and disrupted, and the drivers of those outcomes are so powerful and complex, that the ocean is simply too big to fix. A third, new narrative is emerging, based on scientific findings, existing solutions, and innovative partnerships and policies. This new narrative acknowledges that t

Three major global challenges – climate change, loss of biodiversity and its benefits, and inequality and inequity among people – are typically tackled within three separate silos. However, scientific knowledge tells us that the three are inextricably linked. If the problems are not considered together, solutions to one may undermine solutions to the others. Moreover, more holistic, integrated solutions can deliver multiple co-benefits. Success requires integrated solutions. Jane Lubchenco, Professor of Marine Biology at Oregon State University, talks about the historically ambitious, innovative policies implemented by the Biden-Harris Administration to achieve this integration. Lubchenco is a marine ecologist with expertise in the ocean, climate change, and interactions between the environment and human well-being. From 2021-2025, she served as Deputy Director for Climate and Environment in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Scie

There's a powerful idea in the history of European legal and political thought: that laws must be possible for people to follow. Annabel Brett, professor of Political Thought and History at Cambridge University, describes how from ancient times through the Renaissance, thinkers believed that demanding the impossible—whether physically or psychologically—was a hallmark of tyranny. A classic example is Pharaoh in the Book of Exodus, who ordered the Israelites to make bricks without straw. Brett analyzes how legal thinkers balanced the need for law to be both realistic and aspirational, and how these ideas shaped the development of modern legal systems. Brett is joined by Princeton University's Melissa Lane for commentary. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 40429]