Best Gustavus Podcasts (2025)

1
Have you been to the Taj Mahal? 4:35

3M ago4:35

4:35

I blundered and started working on the wrong episode. I can't cover the Red Fort without having first talked about the Taj Mahal because that's getting Shah Jahan, Mughal Emperor's life all caddywampus, and we can't have that. If you have been to the Taj Mahal, please let me know!! I'd love to chat with you!…

1
109 - The High Passes of Ladakh and the Himalaya 39:23

5M ago39:23

39:23

The Himalaya are the highest and greatest mountain range on earth, and their importance to Asian culture and history cannot be overstated. 1.6 billion people rely on fresh water that drains from the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau. In this episode, we focus on Ladakh, the northernmost territory in India, the "Land of High Passes" where the most pr…

1
108 - The Safavid Family and the Naqsh-e Jahan Square 52:40

6M ago52:40

52:40

The Naqsh-e Jahan Square is a remarkable example of urban planning, the centerpiece of the grand imperial capital of Esfahan, Iran. The capital was built by hundreds of thousands of people for the glory of Shah Abbas the Great of the Safavid Dynasty. While I'm sure the story of his military triumphs is interesting, I find the drama of his family to…

1
107 - Gustavus Adolphus and the Aurora Borealis 39:52

8M ago39:52

39:52

Perhaps the most ethereal and beautiful astronomical sight available to regular old humans, the auroras borealis and australis, the Northern and Southern Lights have amazed and inspired us for our whole existence on earth. One of the better places to see the Northern Lights is northern Sweden, and this episode covers the five years in which Sweden …

1
Come See Me at Intelligent Speech Online! 2:01

10M ago2:01

2:01

February 8th! Got to https://intelligentspeechonline.com/ for tickets! And use the promo code WONDERS to get 10% off! It'll be great!

1
106 - The Valley of the Middle Rhine and the 30 Years War 55:43

11M ago55:43

55:43

The Rhine River flows through the heartland of western Germany, through a gorge passing an average of one castle per mile. Reisling vineyards, charming villages, and castle after castle after castle surround you as you drift along the river. But almost 400 years ago, this idyllic valley was caught up in the most devestating war in pre-20th century …

1
“Greg Kaster: A Legacy of Learning and Leadership" 1:07:36

1y ago1:07:36

1:07:36

Professor Greg Kaster's love for learning and deep appreciation for the people around him left an indelible mark on Gustavus Adolphus College, creating a lasting legacy beyond the classroom. This past summer, on June 22, 2024, Greg unexpectedly passed away. In this episode, Carley, who worked closely with Greg on his podcast, interviewed professors…

1
105 - Český Krumlov and the Defenestration of Prague 55:46

1y ago55:46

55:46

Nestled on a bend of the Vltava River, the beautiful town of Český Krumlov is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe. It's also the site of a horrific true crime! (Oo, let's get those true crime junkies in on this!) Rudolf II had troubles, and the mental illness of his son Julius only adds to the load. But the decline and fall of Rudolf…

1
104 - The Old New Synagogue of Prague and the Golem 1:03:52

1y ago1:03:52

1:03:52

They say a giant man of clay sits in the attic, waiting for centuries for his instructions. The story of the Golem in Prague is one of the classics of western storytelling, yet did you know that the temple where the Golem is rumored to be is a real place? The Old New Synagogue, one of the oldest active synagogues in the world, sits in the heart of …

1
103 - The Leaning Tower of Pisa and Galileo Galilei 46:55

1+ y ago46:55

46:55

You've seen it on a million pizza boxes, in a thousand Italian restaurants, and in photos of your Dad pretending to hold it up. It's the Leaning Tower! Why does it lean? And why is it so gracefully elegant in its leaning? Most of this episode, however, is about the most famous person to be associated with the tower: the astronomer Galileo. Did he r…

1
102 - The Harmandir Sahib of Amritsar and the Beginning of Sikhism 27:21

1+ y ago27:21

27:21

The youngest of the world's seven largest religions is Sikhism, founded in Punjab in the 16th century. Nanak, a guru, or teacher, from outside Lahore, spent three days lost along a river and returned with an undestanding of one God: the Ultimate Reality. Nanak created a religion founded on equality, service, and openness, yet his successors would s…

1
"Studying and Countering Hate" 1:10:58

1+ y ago1:10:58

1:10:58

In this last episode of the 2023-24 academic year, Kenneth S. Stern, JD, Director of his alma mater Bard College's Center for the Study of Hate, leading expert on antisemitism and hate, and past speaker at Gustavus talks about his path from Brooklyn (NY) to Bard to Willamette Law School in Oregon; becoming involved in American Indian Movement co-fo…

1
"Be Curious (and Play Hockey)" 1:05:25

1+ y ago1:05:25

1:05:25

International student, graduating senior, and Management major Thomas Patterer, ’24, has combined academic excellence with athletic success at Gustavus, earning him Academic All-Conference honors from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. In this episode Thomas talks about growing up in his native Klagenfurt, Austria; coming to the Uni…

1
"Grief, Loss, and Identity" 1:05:38

1+ y ago1:05:38

1:05:38

Dr. Patricia English-Schneider of the Gustavus Communication Studies Department talks about her background and love of musicals; her not exactly straight path to undergraduate and graduate degrees in her field; how she came to be a Com Studies prof at Gustavus; the genesis and content of her recent award-winning co-edited book, Narrative and Grief:…

1
“I Have Become the Person I Was Meant to Be” 1:04:51

1+ y ago1:04:51

1:04:51

Helena Shanks, ‘12, co-owner of River Rock Coffee and Tea, a fair-trade coffeehouse in St. Peter and Mankato, MN, on her family background and path from the Fargo-Moorhead area to Gustavus; majoring (for a time, uncertainly) in Chemistry; what she learned while working as an employee at River Rock both before and after graduation; how and why she e…

1
101 - The Uffizi Gallery of Florence and Cosimo I de' Medici 47:09

1+ y ago47:09

47:09

One of the world's great museums of Renaissance art: the Uffizi. Meaning "the offices," the Uffizi were quite literally built as an office buidling for the growing administration of Cosimo I de' Medici, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, the leader who brought authoritarian rule, if also stablity, to Florence. Bry Rayburn from the Pontifacts podcast,…

1
“I’m Not Just Changing What I’m Putting on Television Screens” 1:05:57

1+ y ago1:05:57

1:05:57

Jillian Hiscock, Gustavus class of 2005 and owner of the newly-opened (as of March 2024) A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis, the only bar in Minnesota devoted entirely to women’s athletics, speaks about her background and path to Gustavus; some of her formative experiences there, including a philosophy course on schools and society; her work in coll…

1
Bonus - The Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 7:35

1+ y ago7:35

7:35

A quick bonus episode about how eclipses connect with human historyBy Caroline Vahrenkamp

1
"From Small-Town Pharmacist’s Daughter to Leading Global Investment Professional" 1:05:42

1+ y ago1:05:42

1:05:42

150 episodes and counting! For this 150th unique episode of the podcast, Greg speaks with special guest Marcia Page, Gustavus Class of ‘82 and Chair of the Board of Trustees, about growing up in Olivia, MN, where her dad was a pharmacist and drugstore owner; what she learned at a young age from both her parents; her path from Olivia to Gustavus; he…

1
099 - The Meenakshi Amman Temple of Madurai and the Fall of Vijayanagar 33:54

1+ y ago33:54

33:54

Towering above the city of Madurai, the gopurams or gateways of the Meenakshi Amman Temple are medieval skyscrapers, awash in color, writhing in movement, beautiful and otherworldly at the same time. In this episode we'll discuss the rise of the Mughal Empire, the fall of Vijayanagara, and of course, masala dosa, that most incredible of South India…

1
"In-Betweenness, Boxing, Philosophy, and Buddhism" 1:07:36

1+ y ago1:07:36

1:07:36

Dr. John Cha, faculty member in the Department of Religion and Japanese Studies program at Gustavus, talks about the challenges and impact of growing up Asian-American on Chicago's South Side and in Quincy, Illinois; the influence in his teen years of Huey Newton and Bruce Lee; his academic path to philosophy and religion; being hired by Gustavus; …

1
“It All Comes Back to the Liberal Arts Education” 1:13:41

2y ago1:13:41

1:13:41

Sarah Calhoon Cuthill, ’85, on her path to Gustavus from the south Chicago suburbs; her love of music and fascination with France and international relations; studying abroad in high school and college; majoring in international economics; the twists and turns of her career path, eventually leading to her partnership status with Deloitte Global; he…

1
"Making My Life Count through the People I’ve Met at Gustavus" 1:02:35

2y ago1:02:35

1:02:35

Communication Studies major Abigail (Abby) Vizenor, ’25, talks about her background and path to Gustavus; a memorable January Term in St. Maarten; interning for CADA, Inc., which supports survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence; her research and articles about the myth of "false reporting" and, most recently, teen dating violence; her enjoy…

1
“Childhood Poverty: Uniting Voices to Empower Tomorrow” 1:05:45

2y ago1:05:45

1:05:45

Gustavus students Ainsley Langerud, ’24, and Alex Dillon, ’25, co-chairs of this year’s annual student-run Building Bridges (BB) Conference at the College on Saturday March 2, 2024, talk about their backgrounds and paths to Gustavus, the conference’s focus on childhood poverty, the work and rewards of planning BB and (without giving too much away) …

1
"It’s Only Useless If You Make it Useless” 1:08:45

2y ago1:08:45

1:08:45

Allie Skjerven Boyd, Gustavus Class of 2010, talks about her background and path to Gustavus, why she majored in History and Russian Studies, her path from graduation to working in the private sector with Fortune 500 companies Nestle and Clorox, how she obtained her current position with the Minnesota-based global firm Datasite, the nature, challen…

1
"The Liberal Arts College I Went to Changed My Life" 1:02:46

2y ago1:02:46

1:02:46

Dr. Pamela Kittelson of the Biology Department and Environmental Studies program at Gustavus talks about growing up in Colorado, her path to college and eventually an unanticipated PhD in plant biology, coming to Gustavus, teaching Gustavus students in the field and abroad in India and Bangladesh, the ingredients of teaching excellence, directing t…

1
“You Need to Constantly Stay Uncomfortable” 1:00:14

2y ago1:00:14

1:00:14

Lt. Col. Jess Langerud, ’96, on his path to Gustavus and its nursing major, and from there to nursing and medical-related work in both the civilian and military (U.S. Army) sectors, the nature of his work and what he loves about it—including a major project with Poland’s military and his newest position as commander of an Army Reserves civil affair…

1
From Physics Major to Editor at the New York Times 54:10

2y ago54:10

54:10

Kevin Quealy, ’03, majored in Physics at Gustavus and is currently editor of The Upshot, the online data visualization feature of the premier U.S. news organization. In this episode, Kevin talks about his path to Gustavus and physics, how and why he went from there to the Peace Corps in South Africa, then the Missouri School of Journalism, and even…

1
From History Major to Park Ranger 56:22

2y ago56:22

56:22

Laura Abbott, ’06, on her early love of history, her path to Gustavus, how and why she became a ranger with the National Park Service, her work as a ranger on the National Mall in Washington, DC, including at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, leading running tours focused on various aspects of DC history, her subsequent posting at the pre-Civil War Fo…

1
Researching Glacial Melt in the Ecuadorian Andes 1:05:29

2y ago1:05:29

1:05:29

Dr. Jeff La Frenierre of the Gustavus Environment, Geography, and Earth Sciences Department at Gustavus on his path to the discipline of Geography, how and why he decided to research glacial melt and its impact on people and communities, the process and challenges of conducting research outdoors at high elevations in the Andes, including Gustavus s…

1
Students Are Here to Do Things Bigger than Themselves 58:55

2y ago58:55

58:55

Senior Abby Joy Neptun, ’24, talks about her path from Chicagoland to Gustavus, majoring in Communication Studies and minoring in Political Science, her summer 2023 internship experience with World Chicago (a nonprofit organization dedicated to “citizen diplomacy”), her current fellowship with Emily’s List, her co-curricular involvement on campus, …

1
100 - The Wieliczka Salt Mine and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth 52:41

2+ y ago52:41

52:41

In the late 1500s Poland and Lithuania joined to create the Commonwealth, a remarkable, if flawed, experiment in constitutional monarchy that would last more than 200 years. Its legacy of religious tolerance and representative republicanism is strangely overlooked in American history books - and I would guess in other histories as well. One of the …

1
098 - The Süleymaniye Mosque of Istanbul and Suleiman the Magnificent 44:10

2+ y ago44:10

44:10

Suleiman the Magnificent? Suleiman the Lawgiver? Suleiman the Bisexual Poet? No matter how you label him, Suleiman was a fascinating sultan of the Ottoman Empire who strode upon the world stage, and his private life was worthy of a scandalous Netflix show. Among his greatest legacies was commissioning this phenomenal mosque, designed by Mimar Sinan…

1
Bridging Town and Gown 56:35

2+ y ago56:35

56:35

Bridging Town and Gown: Shanon Nowell, Executive Assistant to the Provost of Gustavus and Mayor of St. Peter, Minnesota, where the Collegeis located, on her background in theater, path to Minnesota and Gustavus, position in the Provost’s office and what she enjoys about it, decision to run for mayor, successful campaign, her priorities for the city…

1
Unseen Passages: Refugees and the Collective Fight for Vitality 55:23

3y ago55:23

55:23

Ashley Ley '23 and Tessa Yeager ’24, co-chairs of the 2023 Gustavus Building Bridges Conference on March 4, talk about their backgrounds and paths to Gustavus, how and why they became involved in Building Bridges, the rewards of their involvement, developing this year’s conference topic and title, highlights of the conference program, their experie…

1
From Young Namibian Reader to Gustavus Professor of Comparative Literature 1:03:56

3y ago1:03:56

1:03:56

Dr. Martha Ndakalako joined the Gustavus English Department in 2021 and talks in this episode about growing up in the De Beers mining town of Oranjemund in Namibia, her early love of reading, her “complicated” (aka interesting) path to a PhD in comparative literature at the University of Oregon with a focus on Namibian women’s digital literatures, …

1
Meet the Leaders of Gustavus’s Pan African Student Organization 57:35

3y ago57:35

57:35

Jenesis Tompkins ’23 and Zachary Gbor '23, co-presidents of the Pan African Student Organization (PASO) at Gustavus, talk about their backgrounds and interests when younger, how they found themselves, somewhat unexpectedly, attending Gustavus, being students of color there, the place and purpose of PASO, the organization’s spring 2023 events, and f…

1
097 - Machu Picchu and the Rise and Fall of the Inca 1:28:29

3y ago1:28:29

1:28:29

The world-famous "lost city of the Inca". It wasn't a city, and it wasn't lost, but yes, it was made by the Inca. The incredibly scenic former estate of kings is a true marvel, as I can personally attest, but this episode is about so much more than the ruins that people come from all over the world to see. Joined by Nick Machinski of the History of…

1
The Complicated and Poetic Bible 1:03:14

3y ago1:03:14

1:03:14

Gustavus Religion Professor Blake Couey talks about growing up working class in Georgia, his path from there to Princeton Theological Seminary and then Gustavus, his scholarship on the Hebrew Bible and the poetry of Isaiah in particular, the Bible’s complicated and even contradictory meanings (as, for example, around women and gender), teaching its…

1
Compassion and Belonging at Gustavus 55:29

3y ago55:29

55:29

Kate Dario, class of 2024, talks about her background as an adoptee from India growing up in St. Paul, her path to Gustavus and her major in Communication Studies and minors in Art Administration and Theater Design and Technology, the campus Compassion Initiative which she organized, the Gustavus Adoption, Recognition, Community organization, her i…

1
“A Passion for Asking Questions” 50:42

3y ago50:42

50:42

Happy Holidays, dear listeners! New episodes of the podcast will begin in January 2023. Until then we are offering some memorable past episodes. In this one, Katherine (Katie) Aney ’18 talks about her path to Gustavus and from there to the Harvard/MIT Health, Science and Technology program, her love of science and tennis, her research into pancreat…

1
A Global Gustie in Public Health 56:26

3y ago56:26

56:26

While Greg is absorbed in teaching and grading the last weeks of fall semester 2022, we are offering some memorable past episodes of the podcast. In this one from January 2021, Katie Schlangen ’14 talks about her challenging background and path to Gustavus, living and teaching in Seoul and Hong Kong, working and traveling internationally for a Minn…

1
"Degrees of Freedom" 1:05:11

3y ago1:05:11

1:05:11

While Greg is absorbed in teaching and grading the last two weeks of fall semester 2022, we are offering some memorable past episodes of the podcast. In this one, lawyer, professor of history, award-winning author, and Gustavus graduate William Green ’72 talks about coming to Gustavus from New Orleans as an African American student in 1968, his tim…

1
Mental Health Hiatus 3:51

3y ago3:51

3:51

It's all too much for me to take - the Beatles, 1969By Caroline Vahrenkamp

1
“A Covenant with Death” 1:08:57

3y ago1:08:57

1:08:57

While Greg is absorbed in teaching and grading the last two weeks of fall semester 2022, we are offering some memorable past episodes of the podcast. In this one, Dr. Paul Finkelman, distinguished historian of slavery and the law and the spring 2023 Rydell Professor at Gustavus, talks about the pro-slavery U.S. Constitution, Chief Justice John Mars…

1
Assisting Student Wellbeing 1:02:05

3y ago1:02:05

1:02:05

Eliza Scherschligt ’23 and Kathleen Grube ’24 on their backgrounds and paths to Gustavus, their choice of majors, attending college amid the COVID-19 pandemic, how and why they became campus Peer Assistants, the work of the assistants in promoting student wellbeing, what they have gained from that work, student stress and coping with it, and their …

1
Wittgenstein, Addiction, and Recovery 1:15:56

3y ago1:15:56

1:15:56

Dr. Peg O’Connor, Professor of Philosophy and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at Gustavus, talks about teaching amid the COVID-19 pandemic, her background and fascination with the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and his thought, what it means to be a philosopher, her alcoholism and sobriety, bringing philosophy to bear on addiction and recover…

1
“You Have to Be Prepared to Be Surprised” 1:26:04

3y ago1:26:04

1:26:04

Dr. Bernard Powers ’72, Professor Emeritus of History at the College of Charleston, talks about his family background and growing up in Chicago, his path to Gustavus and experiences as a Black student there, why he majored in history, his PhD focus at Northwestern University, the significance of Charleston and South Carolina in the history of ensla…

1
“Purity, Protection, and Preservation” 1:05:29

3y ago1:05:29

1:05:29

Dr. Hagar Attia of the Gustavus Communication Studies Department on growing up as an Egyptian American, her path from sociology to graduate work in communication, the focus and findings of her recently completed doctoral dissertation on “fundamentalist argumentation,” public deliberation (including her department’s co-curricular program in public d…

1
“Apply the Facts to the Law” 1:03:46

3y ago1:03:46

1:03:46

History and political science double major Eric O’Denius ’94 talks about his path to Gustavus and experience there, how he embarked on an eventual distinguished career in immigration enforcement with the United States government, the work of an Immigration Enforcement Agent and Deportation Officer, a particularly gratifying case involving a son and…

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