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10 Episodes

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Ep. 10: Cars

2017-11-0723:19

Elijah gets his first driving lesson from Neal, who is a professional automotive journalist. This comprehensive Driver's Ed curriculum includes talking to a vintage-car fanatic about classic Volkswagen Beetles, and learning about the car of the future from an electric-car advocate. If only they could teach Elijah how to steer.

Ep. 9: Mexican Americans

2017-10-3119:161

When a controversy erupts at the Texas State Board of Education over a racist anti-Mexican textbook, Neal becomes determined to expose Elijah to as much Mexican culture as possible. They interview an undocumented valedictorian and a Mexican-American history professor. Houston-based comedy rapper Chingo Bling calls in to teach Elijah some special vocabulary words.

Ep. 8: Comics

2017-10-2515:56

Elijah, a comic-book fan, interviews Sana Amanat, the creative director of Marvel Comics, about being a "Muslim-American super hero." And John Hodgman stops by to discuss his doomed plans to play a super villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Ep. 7: Poetry

2017-10-1716:08

Alarmed by what passes for a poetry curriculum at Elijah's middle school, Neal takes Elijah to New York City to meet some actual working poets. Back in Texas, they visit a "Typewriter Rodeo," and along the way, Neal reveals the secrets of his own strange, poetic past.

Ep. 6: Guns

2017-10-1019:27

Neal is terrified for Elijah's safety in Texas, where guns are as prevalent as popcorn. They visit a gun club in San Antonio to learn how to shoot responsibly, interview an anti-campus carry activist about how to protest guns using sex toys, and talk to a parent who lost her son to gun violence.

Ep. 5: Judaism

2017-10-1015:23

When Elijah decides not to have a Bar Mitzvah, Neal plans an emergency cultural trip to "The Jewish American Homeland" - New York City - with decidedly mixed results.

Ep. 4: Medical Marijuana

2017-10-0319:25

Neal and Elijah travel to Colorado for a more modern drug education. There, Elijah meets a marijuana journalist and a family of medical-marijuana activists, who teach him that there's more to learn about drugs than "just say no."

Ep. 3: Evolution

2017-09-2615:46

At a bar outside a convention of 1,700 biologists, Elijah learns about what he isn't hearing in school: evolution.

Ep. 2: Sex Ed

2017-09-1919:40

Neal sends Elijah to a sex ed program offered by a local church--one that involves practice midnight condom purchases, and lots and lots of lube.

Ep. 1: Slavery

2017-09-1218:04

After learning that some Texas schoolbooks refer to African slaves as "migrant workers," Neal takes Elijah on a road trip to Louisiana, where they visit a slavery museum on a former plantation.

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Darcy Jennings