Social Science for Public Good

In this episode, we explore how the imagination is used in developing rhetorical strategies. We talk about how rhetoric is based on our values and our ability to think about future possibilities. Our guest scholar in this episode is Dr. Carolyn Commer, Associate Professor in the Department of English at Virginia Tech and Director of the Rhetoric and Writing PhD program.

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Carolyn Commer is an Associate Professor in the Department...

In this episode, we explore the role of imagination in social movements and the ongoing fight for justice. We investigate both how the imagination helps us think of how the world might be better and identify the problems of the moment. Our guest scholar in this episode is Dr. Michele Moody-Adams, Joseph Straus Professor of Political Philosophy and Legal Theory at Columbia University.

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Michele Moody-Adams is Joseph Straus Profess...

In this episode, we look into how our imagination develops over the course of our lives, starting as children. This includes thinking through how education influences our imaginative capacity. Our guest scholar in this episode is Dr. Paul Harris, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Education at Harvard University.

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Dr. Paul Harris is interested in the early development of cognition, emotion, and imagination. After studying psychology ...

In this episode, we focus on how our imaginations are essential to moral decision-making and help us evaluate the possible outcomes of our actions. As part of this, we also discuss the shortcomings of rigid moral systems and the necessity of maintaining humility. Our guest scholar in this episode is Dr. Mark Johnson, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Philip H. Knight Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Emeritus at the Univer...

In this episode, we focus on how the narrative imagination helps us make sense of the world. Additionally, we dig into the connection between story and imagination. Our guest scholar in this episode is Dr. Richard Kearney, Charles B. Seelig Chair of Philosophy at Boston College

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Richard Kearney holds the Charles B. Seelig Chair of Philosophy at Boston College and has served as a Visiting Professor at University College Dublin, t...

In this episode, we look into how we can learn from intentionally guiding our imagination while also looking into how much of the imagination operates outside of our conscious control. We also continue to explore the limits of imagination and how it can be used for both good and ill. Our guest scholar in this episode is Dr. Tamar Gendler, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy, and Profe...

As we continue our exploration, we spend some time this week thinking about how we use our imaginations and what limits we might place upon them. We also delve into whether we should think of our imagination as a skill. Our guest scholar in this episode is Dr. Amy Kind, Russell K. Pitzer Professor of Philosophy & Director of the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies at Claremont McKenna College.

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Dr. Amy Kind, the Russell K. P...

As we embark on our exploration of the imagination, we start by exploring just how we should conceptualize and talk about this phenomenon. We also begin to think through just how useful the imagination is. Our guest scholar this episode is Dr. Anna Abraham, E. Paul Torrance Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Georgia and the Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development...

Join cohosts Amin Farzaneh and Brad Stephens as they explore the imagination as both a fascinating phenomenon/concept and an absolute necessity for social change. They will talk with some of the leading scholars in the field to explore the nuances of this most human of abilities.

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The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the ⁠Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance⁠ and ⁠VT Publishing⁠ intended to mak...

In this special bonus episode, we seek to bring together the subjects of our first two arcs, trust and power, and look at how they might concretely manifest in the bid to create social change. We are guided through this discussion by Dr. Lawrence Susskind, Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Susskind shares how both trust and power play out in his work to build ...

As we end our discussion of power, we look more practically at how power manifests in our everyday lives and how we might think about resistance to injustice within this understanding. We think through how social change practitioners engage with, mobilize, and build power in their efforts to build a better world. Having explored a number of theories of power, we look at how these theories might be part of a toolbox that advocates o...

We continue to explore the concept of power by asking how neoliberalism might be both informing our understanding of power and changing how it manifests. Combining a number of insights from previous guests, we wade into the myriad ways power manifests in our neoliberal world and why we need to consider the many different kinds of power both distinctly and collectively. We were honored to be led in this conversation by Dr. Wendy Bro...

This week, we delve into how the influential theorist Michel Foucault challenged and changed our conceptions of power. We also begin to plumb how a feminist understanding of power can help inform our efforts to perpetuate social change. Our guest scholar for this conversation is Dr. Amy Allen, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Penn State University, who helps us deepen our under...

In this episode, we introduce two new conceptualizations of power. First, we look at the urban regime framework, which suggests that groups (regimes) come together to govern collaboratively around collective interests. Second, we discuss democratic understandings of power, which suggests that power should be shared and distributed. Dr. Max Stephens, Professor of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech, joins us for the co...

In this episode, we start to add nuance to our understanding of power by investigating the three dimensions of power, as identified by Dr. Steven Lukes. Dr. Lukes, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at New York University, joins us for the conversation and walks us through his understanding of decision-making power, agenda-setting power, and ideological power. He encourages us to look more deeply into how pervasive and nuanced power c...

In this episode, we start our exploration of power. We seek to introduce the concept and begin to frame how individuals interested in social change might start to think about power in their own work. To explore how power operates in our world, we look at how revolutionary movements of the past have both confronted and utilized power. Our guest scholar for this conversation is Dr. Michael Hardt, Professor of Literature at Duke Unive...

We finish our exploration of trust theory in this episode with a conversation about what the future of trust research might look like and how we might think about applying these theorizations in our daily lives. Our guest scholar is Dr. Joe Hamm, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Environmental Science at Michigan State University.

Joe's program of research lies at the nexus of governance and the public, where he ...

In this episode, we continue our exploration of trust theory with a conversation about how we should understand political trust and trustworthiness. We look at how we might understand trust in this specific context. Our guest scholar is Dr. Margaret Levi, Professor of Political Science, Stanford University

Dr. Levi is also Senior Fellow, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Freeman Spogli Institute for Interna...

We continue our exploration of trust theory in this episode with a conversation about what constitutes a violation of trust and how trust might be repaired following such a violation. Our guest scholar is Dr. Edward Tomlinson, Professor of Management in the Chambers College of Business & Economics at West Virginia University.

Dr. Tomlinson's research is widespread but includes examinations of...

-Building and Repairing...