In this episode of the BG Ideas podcast, we’ll be sitting down with Dr. Bill Mullen, a renowned scholar and professor of African American Literature and American Studies. As the author of James Baldwin: Living in Fire, Dr. Mullen believes Baldwin is more than a liberal figure: he was a radical revolutionary. Listen how he explains Baldwin’s suggestion that racism and homophobia harm not only those who suffer perpetration, but also the perpetrators themselves. Finally, Dr. Mullen discusses the relationship between class and race within academia, with an emphasis on Baldwin’s thoughts on this matter. Did you know that James Baldwin taught at BGSU? Listen to this episode to find out more!

In this new episode of BG Ideas, Dr. Valeria Grinberg Pla sits down with previous ICS director Dr. Jolie Sheffer and founding director Dr. Vivian Patraka to look back on the foundation of ICS in 1996 and what ICS means today. As founding director, Dr. Patraka built ICS from the ground up and through many challenges saw how it evolved from an idea to a desk and a copy machine, to now a public humanities center. Listen along, as Dr. Sheffer shares her motivation to introduce the ICS internship program, allowing students to build research, communication, and media production skills while working for ICS. Find out how the BG Ideas Podcast fits into the mission of ICS as a public humanities center, and how both, Dr. Patraka and Dr. Sheffer envision the future of the institute.

A transcript for this episode can be found here.

In this episode of the BG Ideas Podcast hosted by Halima Lul Ali, a graduate research assistant with ICS, we’ll be sitting down with Dr. Erik Garabaya Casado, a teaching professor of Spanish at BGSU’s World Languages and Cultures department, as he discusses the future of language learning in relation to the rise of generative AI. Listen along as Dr. Garabaya explains how generative AI can help raise critical language awareness. Also, find out why he has an open mind when it comes to translanguaging. Dr. Garabaya also brings light to how teachers can navigate discussions about dialects and how they are stigmatized by English and Spanish speakers alike, as well as by Large Language Models. Finally, dive into students' surprising responses to AI’s integration into language classes and what the future of language learning will look like at the college level if generative AI continues to grow in popularity amongst teachers.

A transcript for this episode can be found here.