Key Conversations with Phi Beta Kappa

Latest Episodes:

Dan Simon on the Intersection of Law and Psychology Nov 01, 2019

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While writing his dissertation, Dan Simon began to wonder how judges make decisions not from a legal, sociological, or economic perspective but rather from a psychological one. Today, the USC law professor has built a career investigating how factors of the mind—such as memory, false confessions, and the framing of interviews—influence rulings in the criminal justice system.

Alfred Spector Sees Tech Integration Everywhere Oct 04, 2019

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In this episode, Dr. Alfred Spector discusses the past, present, and future of data science. Through his experiences in creating a company, working for Google and IBM, and now diving into economic modeling, Spector provides a fascinating overview of how incorporate computer science changes our lives.

How Neuroscientist Susan Birren Is Mapping New Pathways from the Brain Aug 30, 2019

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The human brain has 100 million cells, and there's still so much to discover about it. Brandeis University neuroscientist Susan Birren has dedicated her distinguished career to decoding the mysteries of how the brain functions and how it communicates with the rest of the body. In this episode, she talks to Phi Beta Kappa Secretary and CEO Fred Lawrence about the challenges and triumphs of such a singular pursuit.

REPLAY: Economist Paula Stephan on Incentives and Gender Biases Aug 02, 2019

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As a college student, Professor Paula Stephan fell in love with economics as a way to understand and influence systems that impacted many people's lives. Years of documenting and analyzing the role of gender in academic performance and the impact of monetary and status incentives on scholars and universities have led her to startling conclusions. In this episode, PBK's Fred Lawrence asks the Georgia State University's to go beyond the research.

REPLAY: We Ask Literature Professor Ayanna Thompson "What Would Shakespeare Say?" Jun 28, 2019

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Fred Lawrence, Secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, welcomes professor Ayanna Thompson. Professor Thompson specializes in Renaissance drama and issues of race in performance. She discusses the universality of Shakespeare while honing in on how he would have reacted to racialized readings of his work. Would he recognize that race plays a role in his plays? Would he agree with Thompson that one of his characters delivers "the first Black-Power speech in English"? What would he think of "Hamilton" and its non-traditional casting? These and other fascinating questions make for a memorable conversation with one of the country's premiere Shakespeare scholars.

REPLAY: Former Diplomat Harold Koh Is Worried May 31, 2019

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In our first episode, Fred Lawrence, Secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, chats with his longtime friend, professor Harold Hongju Koh from Yale Law School. Professor Koh is a distinguished former diplomat and a renowned authority on public and international law. Their intimate and revealing conversation covers Koh's expansive knowledge of foreign affairs, his views on the state of our nation, and the lasting influence of a father whose curiosity and capacious mind still inspire him.

Middle East Scholar Lisa Anderson on Leading a University in Cairo During the Arab Spring May 03, 2019

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Her passion for Middle East studies was ignited during a college course with an intense teacher. She immersed herself in the region's history and language--and has never looked back. For this episode, Prof. Anderson retraces her growing enthusiasm for and deepening knowledge of the Arab world, which saw her break scholarly ground in Libya, take up residence as a professor at American University Cairo, and eventually landed her in the president's office mere weeks before the upheaval of the Arab Spring.

SPECIAL EXTENDED EPISODE: What Should We Make of the College Admissions Scandal? Apr 01, 2019

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In this special extended episode, Phi Beta Kappa Secretary and CEO Fred Lawrence invites two experienced colleagues to a frank discussion about the unfolding college admission scandal that has rocked higher education. There are no easy answers, and responsibility is spread around generously, but the exchange is one that will certainly spark discussions at home, in the classroom, and in vaulted academic halls around the country.

Historian Ed Larson Takes a Critical Look at the Presidency Feb 25, 2019

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Jefferson, Adams, Washington. Their names are synonymous with the bold experiment that was the United States in the late 1700s. But there is so much more to these men who wrestled with the notion of building a nation and battled one another politically. A Pulitzer Prize winner, Larson tears the pages of history to offer insight into what made these presidents tick. And what today's leaders can learn from them.

Economist Paula Stephan on Incentives and Gender Biases Jan 14, 2019

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