Best On The Dial Podcasts (2024)

1
Teaching to Live - Almeda M. Wright 23:14

4d ago23:14

23:14

Almeda M. Wright is Assistant Professor of Religious Education at Yale Divinity School. Her research focuses on African American religion, adolescent spiritual development, and the interesections of religion and public life. We discuss Wrights' latest book entitled, Teaching to Live: Black Religion, Activist Educators and Radical Social Change. The…

1
Digital Dialogs (Episode 4 | S2) - Revolutionizing Industrial Robotics: A Vendor-Agnostic Platform for Developers 30:21

12h ago30:21

30:21

In this episode, Georg Püschel introduces Wandelbots' latest innovation—a platform that revolutionizes the programming of industrial robots by enabling manufacturer-independent operation. He discusses the platform’s three key pillars and explains how their platform, positioned as the First Vendor-Agnostic Robot Operating System, differs from establ…

1
Mindy McGarrah Sharp: Silhouette Interview 29:55

2h ago29:55

29:55

Mindy McGarrah Sharp is Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Pastoral Care as well as Lead Faculty in the Master of Arts in Practical Theology Program at Columbia Theological School.By The Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion

1
Plato's Laws - Book XII, Part 2: The Nocturnal Council Guarding Virtue 2:01:24

2d ago2:01:24

2:01:24

Our final meeting on Plato’s longest dialogue, The Laws, concluded with readings from Book XII, where the Athenian expounds on the operation of a special Nocturnal Council that will act as the head and intellect for Crete’s new colony, Magnesia. On August 4, 2024, members of the Toronto, Calgary, and Chicago Philosophy Meetup groups considered many…

1
Disappointed! in Scholarly Job: Willie James Jennings 31:39

6d ago31:39

31:39

Willie James Jennings is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. The disappointment is real! Early career colleagues report their disappointment after joining a faculty. Many excel during the doctoral program only to feel deflated, marginalized, or overlooked as a “junior” scholar. Many fe…

1
Digital Dialogs (Episode 3 | S2) - System Integration in Humanoid Robotics with OpenRMF 25:23

15d ago25:23

25:23

In this episode, we delve into the critical role of system integration in humanoid robotics with Simone Voto. Simone shares insights into OpenRMF, an open-source framework that enables robots from different manufacturers to communicate and work together seamlessly. He discusses his experience with forking OpenRMF to integrate a remote-controlled do…

1
Anti-Racism As Daily Practice: Jennifer Harvey 34:03

13d ago34:03

34:03

The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Harvey is the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean at Garrett Evangelical Seminary. The New York Times bestselling author discusses why her scholarship of religion focuses upon issues of race and anti-racism. She suggests that the work of translation, interpretation and meaning making (good teaching and good f…

1
Administration - Not for Everyone: Willie James Jennings 30:16

27d ago30:16

30:16

Willie James Jennings is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Administrative duties are a work of care for the thriving of all in the community. Being a good administrator requires the ability to think organizationally, and the willingness to prioritize nurturing faculty, students, and …

1
Plato's Laws - Book XII, Part 1: Who Guards the Guardians? 1:51:35

2M ago1:51:35

1:51:35

Book XII is the final chapter of Plato’s longest and last dialogue, The Laws, and addresses the challenge of how a community can thrive when its leaders act against the collective interest. Having set out a novel constitution that promotes the virtue of citizens and leaders in Crete’s new colony, Magnesia, the three characters in the dialogue turn …

1
Plato's Laws - Book XI: Property and Punishment in Magnesia 1:52:09

2M ago1:52:09

1:52:09

Book XI of Plato's last and longest dialogue represents a dramatic shift in tone from Book X, where we began our series on The Laws eleven episodes ago. On July 7, 2024, members of the Toronto, Calgary, and Chicago Philosophy Meetup groups convened to consider the thirty-three laws that the Athenian proposes to Clinias and Megillus for the regulati…

1
Plato's Laws - Book IX: Legislating the Good for Unjust Acts Committed 1:59:01

3M ago1:59:01

1:59:01

In our eleventh meeting on Plato's longest and final dialogue, we set aside Book VIII and moved from Book VII to read selections from Book IX. In Book IX, the Athenian, Clinias from Crete, and Megillus from Sparta address the practical questions of administering justice for those in Crete's new colony who might commit evil acts. On June 23, members…

1
About Contract Faculty: Roger S. Nam 21:03

3M ago21:03

21:03

Roger S. Nam is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Emory University Candler School of Theology. What are the constructive aspects of being contract faculty? If you spend your career as a contract faculty person have you failed as a scholar? How do you find your place on a faculty with tenure-track and tenure…

1
Unchanged Demographics of Faculty 28:42

4M ago28:42

28:42

Dr. Steed Davidson is the Executive Director of the Society of Biblical Literature. Data show that the kinds of persons we bring into doctoral programs and hire onto faculty remain relatively unchanged. In what ways can directors of graduate divisions of religion attend to atrophying doctoral programs? What is the future of religious scholarship if…

1
Plato’s Laws – Book VII: Teaching and Legislating for Harmony 1:56:26

4M ago1:56:26

1:56:26

In our series on Plato’s longest and last dialogue, The Laws, on June 9, 2024 members of the Toronto, Calgary, and Chicago Philosophy Meetup groups turned to Book VII. There, the three characters – the Athenian, Clinias from Crete, and Megillus from Sparta – discuss the raising of children in Crete’s new colony, Magnesia. They begin by exploring th…

1
Studying the Institutional Ecology: Roger S. Nam 33:48

4M ago33:48

33:48

Roger S. Nam is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Emory University Candler School of Theology. When at the dawn of your career, how do you learn the institutional power dynamics, the unspoken social and professional obligations, the ways conflict is resolved or left open? How do you acquire agency, get accu…

1
Bible in the Public Square: Steed Davidson 27:46

4M ago27:46

27:46

Dr. Steed Davidson is the Executive Director of the Society of Biblical Literature. What does it mean to examen the influences of the bible upon contemporary society? In what ways can classrooms encourage understandings of the bible's complex roles in culture, now and into the future?By The Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion

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Plato's Laws - Book VI: Founding and Governing a Virtuous Society 1:59:33

4M ago1:59:33

1:59:33

In Book VI of his last dialogue, The Laws, Plato has the Athenian, Clinias from Crete, and Megillus from Sparta discuss the governing structure for Crete’s new colony, to be called Magnesia. It’s a mixed system involving elements of democracy and monarchy, and one that places responsibility on every citizen to perform duty for the community and to …

1
Coping with Professional Grief: Phillis Sheppard 30:37

4M ago30:37

30:37

Phillis Sheppard is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Religion, Psychology, Culture and Womanist Thought, and Executive Director of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at Vanderbilt University. Our careers will have disappointments, injustices, events which are unfair and, even shaming. How do w…

1
Misperceptions About Administration - Roger S. Nam 25:01

5M ago25:01

25:01

Roger S. Nam is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Emory University Candler School of Theology. What makes for mediocre, good, and exceptional administrators? Who should consider administration as an occupation, and who should remain on faculty? How do you balance the call for transparency in communication a…

1
Administration as Vocation: Steed Davidson 26:00

5M ago26:00

26:00

Dr. Steed Davidson is the Executive Director of the Society of Biblical Literature. In what ways do faculty positions prepare you for administrative jobs? What kind of professional formation is needed to be an administrator? How important is your team to achieving an organizational vision? What if imagination is the best skill of an administrator?…

1
Plato’s Laws – Book V: The Soul in Communal Harmony 1:44:56

5M ago1:44:56

1:44:56

In Book V of Plato’s Laws, only the unnamed Athenian speaks while the other two characters, Clinias from Crete and Megillus from Sparta, listen to his presentation on the power of the soul, harmony in human behaviour, and the just division of property for Crete’s new colony to be called Magnesia. On May 12, 2024, Plato’s Pod held its eighth meeting…

1
Transitions in Life & Mental Health: Phillis Sheppard 28:15

5M ago28:15

28:15

Phillis Sheppard is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Religion, Psychology, Culture and Womanist Thought, and Executive Director of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at Vanderbilt University. Life is a series of transitions. Transitions of an academic career can leave one feeling overwhelmed, …

1
Artificial Intelligence, Theology and Teaching: Philip Butler 24:19

5M ago24:19

24:19

Philip Butler is Assistant Professor of Theology and Black Post-Human Artificial Intelligence Systems at Iliff School of Theology. What if teaching had the audacity to pose questions which disrupts reality? What if the disruption was generative, imaginative, and healing? This conversation grapples with what it means to teach at the intersection of …

1
Understanding Neurodivergence & Accommodations: Phillis Sheppard 25:38

6M ago25:38

25:38

Phillis Sheppard is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Religion, Psychology, Culture and Womanist Thought, and Executive Director of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at Vanderbilt University. When adult learners have learning styles and processes which are not expected, what is the role of the…

1
Plato's Laws - Book IV: Leadership by Reason 2:04:46

6M ago2:04:46

2:04:46

Book IV of Plato's longest dialogue, The Laws, places the spotlight on the qualities of virtuous leadership as the three characters - the unnamed Athenian, Clinias from Crete, and Megillus from Sparta - discuss the establishment of Crete's new colony. The skill of the leader, says the Athenian, must help guide the colony through the risks and rewar…

1
What Counts as Teacher Failure?: Angela Parker 24:01

6M ago24:01

24:01

Angela Parker, PhD is Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek with Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology. Adult students sometimes feel confronted or disrespected when their personal faith is disrupted in bible and theological courses. In what ways does a professor prepare students for deeper learning? How do professors cope with bel…

1
Questioning to Make Connections: Richelle White 23:39

6M ago23:39

23:39

Richelle White, PhD is Professor of Youth Ministry and Director of Field Practicum and Internships and Kuyper College. Questioning as a tool of teaching is a skill to be developed and honed. Facilitating dialogue with provocative, poignant, even powerful questions takes consideration and practice. Connecting students with the right questions, espec…

1
Plato’s Laws – Book III: Finding Unity and Reason in the Balance of Reason 2:06:52

6M ago2:06:52

2:06:52

Our discussion on Book III of Plato’s longest dialogue, The Laws, began by considering the consequences of natural cataclysms that invariably befall humanity. Plato opens the book with the emergence of early human communities that begin with goodwill when people are few and resources are relatively abundant, and many fascinating observations emerge…

1
Taking Scholarship to the Public: Angela Parker 22:10

6M ago22:10

22:10

Angela Parker, PhD is Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek with Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology. People in the public are curious about, and hungry for, conversations on bible and religion. What if scholars intentionally created public-facing scholarship on, of all places, social media? What if public policy and national dis…

1
Justice Agendas in Theological Education: Sarah F. Farmer 13:59

7M ago13:59

13:59

Sarah Farmer is Associate Director of the Wabash Center. What happens when scholarship is the work of passion and social change? What happens when learning mobilizes persons for liberation? What if theological education focused upon who we are to become - what then, would that curriculum look like?By The Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion

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Teaching and Restorative Hope: Sarah Farmer 16:41

7M ago16:41

16:41

Sarah Farmer is Associate Director of the Wabash Center. A conversation on Dr. Farmer's latest book pointing toward the ways hope is life giving. Hope is not sanitized - not a luxury. Hope is about possibility, survival, creativity and resilience. Learning from and with incarcerated women is life changing.…

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Plato's Laws - Book II: Learning the Pleasure of the Good and Beautiful 2:12:21

7M ago2:12:21

2:12:21

Our coverage of Plato’s longest dialogue, The Laws, continues with a discussion on Book II, building on the connection of virtue and happiness that was emphasized in Book I. As the Athenian, Cretan, and Spartan proceed in considering the ideal framework for a constitution, the theme of harmony in the soul and in the community is central to Book II.…

1
Classroom Dynamics: Emily O. Gravett 26:30

7M ago26:30

26:30

Emily O. Gravett is the Assistant Director of the Teaching Area in the Center for Faculty Innovation and Associate Professor of Religion at James Madison University. The power dynamics of classrooms are as varied as the teachers and the learners. Building classroom communities means being attentive to and curious about students, while allowing stud…

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Embracing Diverse Learners and Complex Classrooms: Aizaiah G. Yong 25:36

8M ago25:36

25:36

Rev. Dr. Aizaiah G. Yong is Assistant Professor of Spirituality at Claremont School of Theology. What does it take to create a classroom experience where the relational ethos among diverse learners is that we belong to one another? Learner-centered pedagogies become especially complex when learners are from a wide range of backgrounds, theologies, …

1
Teaching, Spirit & Prisons: Luke Powery 28:14

8M ago28:14

28:14

The Rev. Dr. Luke Powery is Dean of Duke University Chapel and Professor of Homiletics and African and African American Studies at Duke Divinity School. In this conversation, hear stories of what happened when teaching spirituals in a federal prison, and the ways prisoners became teachers and "outside" teachers and students became learners. Hear ho…

1
Dreaming - Returning to Ancient Pedagogies - Kenneth Ngwa 33:24

8M ago33:24

33:24

Dr. Kenneth Ngwa is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Director of Religion and Global Health Forum at Drew University Theological School. Dreams are states of the awake and the asleep. Dreaming is a pedagogical space for vibrancy, nurturing, healing, new knowledges, creativity, and protection and should be centered inside the development of new pedagog…

1
Plato's Laws - Book I, Part 2: Mastering Pain and Pleasure in a Virtuous Society 1:53:22

8M ago1:53:22

1:53:22

If the constitution for Crete’s new colony, Magnesia, is to succeed in setting the conditions for virtue among its citizens, self control and courage will be required to conquer the pains but equally the pleasures that visit every human life. This is the conclusion of the Athenian, Clinias, and Megillus in the second part of Book I of Plato’s dialo…

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Plato's Laws - Book I, Part 1: A Constitution for Peace and Virtue 1:57:58

8M ago1:57:58

1:57:58

Plato’s Pod began discussing Book I of Plato’s longest dialogue, the Laws, which advances the argument for the constitution of Crete’s new colony to cultivate the virtue of its citizens. It’s unlike the war-focussed constitution of Crete itself, represented in the discussion by the character Clinias, and the laws of Sparta whose spokesman is Megill…

1
Plato's Laws - Book X, Part 2: Reason as the Cause in the Middle of It All 1:53:00

9M ago1:53:00

1:53:00

Plato's Pod continues its series on Plato's longest work, The Laws, picking up where we left off two weeks ago with the second part of Book X, near the end of the dialogue. In Book X, the three characters - an unnamed Athenian speaking with Clinias (from Crete) and Megillus (from Sparta) - set out the logic for reason as the primary cause of the un…

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Plato's Laws - Book X, Part 1: Universal Patterns 2:03:17

10M ago2:03:17

2:03:17

On January 21, 2024, Plato's Pod began its extended series on Plato's longest and perhaps most enigmatic and impenetrable dialogue, The Laws, which is said to have been his final work. Members of the Toronto, Calgary, and Chicago Philosophy Meetup groups began by discussing Book X, near the end of the dialogue, which features Plato's cosmology. The…

1
The End of Theological Education: Ted A. Smith 27:12

10M ago27:12

27:12

Dr. Ted A. Smith is Associate Dean of Faculty and the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Divinity. What could happen if several scholars, writing in community, grappled with the shifting of theological education then made their learnings accessible? The book series Theological Education Between the Times, is just that. Hear one of the series' edit…

1
Writing Better: Sophfronia Scott 30:28

10M ago30:28

30:28

Sophfronia Scott is Director of the Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Alma College in Alma, MI and author a numerous books including Wild Beautiful and Free and The Seeker and the Monk. Teaching scholars to write better undoubtedly fosters better teaching. What does it take to pivot away from the stale conventions of scholarly writing, an…

1
Teaching to Impact Society: Elías Ortega 36:26

10M ago36:26

36:26

Elías Ortega is President and Professor of Religion, Ethics, and Leadership at Meadville Lombard Theological School. What would it take for theological education to become an agent of social impact? How could theological education help us learn to be better human beings? What would it mean for theological education to teach students to meet the cha…

1
Educating and Crisis: Jennifer Harvey 30:10

10M ago30:10

30:10

Rev. Dr. Jennifer Harvey is Vice President of Academic Affairs and Academic Dean and Professor of Christian Ethics at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary In an aching world, what does it take to make education accessible, meaningful, affordable, and relevant? What is the role of educational leadership when institutions are faltering, and peopl…

1
Aim of Teaching?: Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi 27:24

11M ago27:24

27:24

Rev. Dr. Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi is Assistant Professor of Leadership and Formation Director of the Office of Professional Formation at Iliff School of Theology. Education is a formational endeavor. Explicit and implicit teaching outcomes are operative in our classrooms, and yet a concise agreement of the aim of teaching is too often illusive and to…

1
Plato's Critias Revisited: The Tale of Atlantis and the Harmonics of Memory 1:53:22

11M ago1:53:22

1:53:22

Plato brought the legend of Atlantis to the world in the Timaeus, and in the Critias provided many details of the fabulously wealthy and technologically advanced society that fell into disharmony and disappeared in a great earthquake 9,000 years earlier. As the character Critias relates the story, over time the Atlanteans gradually forgot their div…

1
Wisdom in Retirement: Alton B. Pollard, III 37:25

11M ago37:25

37:25

Dr. Alton B. Pollard, III is President Emeritus of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Now in retirement, President Pollard shares his reflections, considerations, musings and convictions on the practice of rest, the benefit of pacing one's work, the place of stillness for deeper knowing in community and the necessity of embracing the gen…

1
From Faculty to Dean-ing: Kenyatta R. Gilbert 22:14

11M ago22:14

22:14

Rev. Dr. Kenyatta Gilbert is Dean of Howard School of Divinity. Shifting from being a longtime faculty member to the role and responsibility of dean can be gratifying and terrifying. Hear the story of becoming a dean who successfully raises funds, supports a diverse faculty, listens to students, and keeps the faith.…

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Plato's Timaeus Revisited: Part IV - The Soul's Perceptions in the Universal Middle 1:52:14

12M ago1:52:14

1:52:14

Plato’s Pod concluded its revisiting of Plato’s Timaeus, covering from 53(a) to 72(d) with a focus on sensory perception in relation to triangles and what have come to be known as the five Platonic solids because of this dialogue. It was 2,400 years ago, when Plato wrote Timaeus, that he revealed to the world knowledge of the only five regular soli…

1
Play - an Approach to Teaching: Samantha Miller 24:31

12M ago24:31

24:31

Samantha Miller, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Theology at Whitworth University. How do you give permission to adult learners to drop their intellectual guard and engage openly in the complex thinking of your course? How do you assist students with pushing past those fears which keep them self-conscious and hinder their learning? Making use of gam…

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