Liberal Learning for Life @ UD

Support the show

Willmoore Kendall has been called a man against the world, a "maverick," an "iconoclast." He was also a professor of politics at the University of Dallas in during its early years, from 1962 to 1967. Kendall is the subject of today’s conversation with Christopher Owen, a retired professor of history at Northeastern State University and author of a new book: Heaven Can Indeed Fall: The Life of Willmoore Kendall. We discuss Kendall’s wisdom for today, how he intriguingly combined positions associated with both the political left and right, as well as the locally famous bust of Kendall you can still find the politics department at UD today. Link to photo: https://bit.ly/3FNMtqj Link to Heaven Can Indeed Fall: The Life of Willmoore Kendall ********************St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/   Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/Support the show

When you hear the word “pan-Americanism,” what comes to mind, if anything does, is probably a defunct airline. But back in its day, “much bitter controversy” was waged about the slippery idea of pan-americanism. Why? What was the controversy about? We discuss these and other questions with Dr. Mark Petersen, Associate Professor of History at the University of Dallas and the author of the recent book, The Southern Cone and the Origins of Pan America, 1888-1933. Dr. Petersen explains how pan-Americanism developed from its origins as a US-led form of regional cooperation, what “the Americas” look like when you begin from Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, instead of Washington; and why one photograph that he found in an archive made him sit back, stunned, in his chair. Link to photograph: https://drive.google.com/file/d/130Lo-N6d120vILgAdF0rZMDelceiGchB/view?usp=sharing More about Dr. Mark Petersen: https://udallas.edu/constantin/academics/programs/history/faculty/petersen-mark.php More about his book, The Southern Cone and the Origins of Pan America, 1888-1933: https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268202019/the-southern-cone-and-the-origins-of-pan-america-1888-1933/ *********************Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/   Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlife Support the show

Randy Boyagoda is a Catholic who has written four novels, most recently, Dante's Indiana. Though he loves reading Flannery O’Connor, he confesses that at one point he was thoroughly sick of hearing about her. We discuss why that is so in today’s conversation among Randy, myself, and Shannon Valenzuela of the University of Dallas. We also explore the pleasures of immersive reading and why it’s worth training oneself to read deeply, what happens when a writer doesn’t love her characters, and how stories can train both the mind and the heart.*********************Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/   Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlife Support the show

"The Lord has really stripped me clean,” says Bishop James Conley of Lincoln. Bishop Conley had lived a varied and exciting life: chaplain, pastor, longtime Roman resident, and now, a bishop. But when he took a yearlong medical absence because of depression and anxiety in 2019, he entered a new phase.In this Living The Quest podcast conversation, Dr. Shannon Valenzuela, writer and director of The Quest, speaks with Bishop Conley about his experience, the importance of silence, and how he came to see the truth that in giving ourselves away we discover who we really are. Learn more about The Quest: https://quest.udallas.edu/ ***************** Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/ St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/    Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_ud Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show

Six years ago, Ross Douthat had it all together: a growing family, a great job at the New York Times, and a beautiful house in the Connecticut countryside. Then he fell mysteriously ill, sometimes struggling even to get through a day without horrific pain. What happened? How did he go on? Where was God in all of this? In this Living The Quest podcast conversation, Dr. Shannon Valenzuela, writer and director of The Quest, speaks with Ross about his experience, his faith, and how his years-long illness brought him through unknown, difficult, deep places. Learn more about The Quest: https://quest.udallas.edu/Learn more about Ross Douthat : https://www.nytimes.com/column/ross-douthat*****************Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show

Immaculée Ilibagiza hid for 91 days with seven other women in a small bathroom during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when most of her family members were killed. How does someone who lived through such a horrible time continue to live, to forgive, and even to love?In this conversation, Dr. Shannon Valenzuela, writer and director of The Quest, speaks with Immaculée about her experience, her faith, and how she found her way to forgiveness by praying the Our Father. Watch the video version of this interview: https://quest.udallas.edu/living/immaculeeLearn more about The Quest: https://quest.udallas.edu/Learn more about Immaculée Ilibagiza: https://www.immaculee.com/*****************Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/   Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlife Support the show

Roosevelt Montas was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York City as a teenager. He’s now a professor at Columbia University and a proponent of the great books and liberal education. How this happened, and why, is the subject of today’s conversation. We also discuss whether books are essential for a liberal arts education, why we need other people to become liberally educated, and what he found captivating about Socrates.*********************Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/   Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlife Support the showSupport the show

Some people might receive dramatic messages from God, but what about the rest of us? How can we ordinary people discover our purpose? As we learn in today’s conversation with writer, speaker, radio host, and UD alumna Katie Prejean McGrady, our purpose sometimes becomes clear when we walk the path that God has laid in front of us. Dr. Shannon Valenzuela, writer, narrator, and director of The Quest, speaks with Katie about facing challenges in her own life, why God might close some doors to open others, and how perseverance can help us discover the joy in the ordinary things.Learn more about The Quest: https://quest.udallas.edu/Learn more about Katie Prejean McGrady: https://www.katieprejeanmcgrady.com/***************** Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/ St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/   Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/liberal-learning/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_ud Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlife Support the show

When you the hear the phrase “liberal arts” or “liberal learning,” the word “liberal” comes from the Latin word for “freedom.” But is this true? Are the liberal arts liberating? And if so, how? That’s the question I explore with Dr. Brad East, a theology professor at Abilene Christian University and a member of the Liberating Arts Project. We talk about the “utilitarian” and “activist” temptations on the Right and the Left, what it means to say that Shakespeare belongs to all of us, and what the liberal arts might liberate us from, and what they might liberate us for. Learn more the Liberating Arts Project: https://www.theliberatingarts.org/ Learn more about Dr. Brad East: http://www.bradeast.org/ ********************Learn more about the St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/Free video series, “The Quest”: quest.udallas.edu/Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show

Many people instinctively think of medieval ways of thinking as old, dusty, and out of date. But what if some of those ideas are anything but: not the opposite of modern, but hyper-modern: post-modern, even? That’s one of the ideas explored in a new book: The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis. Today’s guest is the book’s author: Dr. Jason Baxter, a UD alumnus and Associate Professor of Fine Arts and Humanities at Wyoming Catholic College. We discuss the book, which you can learn more about below, as well as particle physics, astronomy, Dante, and much more. Read the book: https://www.ivpress.com/the-medieval-mind-of-c-s-lewis Listen to the book: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Medieval-Mind-of-CS-Lewis-Audiobook/B09TCXSRFDAbout Dr. Jason Baxter: https://www.jasonmbaxter.com/ ********************Free video series, “The Quest”: quest.udallas.edu/Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show

Truth or tribe: which is more important? Should our loyalty be to the truth, or to our people? Philip Harold thinks that the right answer is both – truth and tribe – and he explains why in today’s conversation. Dr. Harold, the Dean of Constantin College of Liberal Arts at the University of Dallas, also explains why people, and not worldviews, clash with each other, and why if we really want to have free and open discussions with each other, we need to start by being loyal to each other.********************Free video series, “The Quest”: quest.udallas.edu/Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show

Today’s conversation is about the allure of unled lives: the lives that you might have had if you had made different decisions in the past. My guest is Andrew Miller, Professor of English at Johns Hopkins University and the author of the recent book On Not Being Someone Else: Tales of Our Unled Lives. We discuss why “unled lives are a middle aged affair,” why the career – rather than the vocation – is the typically modern form of work, and the moral status of daydreaming.Buy the book: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674238084********************Free video series, “The Quest”: quest.udallas.edu/Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show

I’m joined this week by Alexandra Hudson, the curator of the Civic Renaissance newsletter and the author of a forthcoming book about civility and civic politeness called “Against Politeness: Why Politeness Failed America and How Civility Can Save It.” We discuss why she thinks civility can do what politeness can’t, why the best education for the best is the best education for all, and why we shouldn’t assume that popular culture is all bad: stay tuned to the end of the episode to hear her recommendations of substantive works in our pop culture today.About Alexandra Hudson: https://www.alexandraohudson.com/ Civic Renaissance: https://www.civic-renaissance.com/ ********************Free video series, “The Quest”: quest.udallas.edu/Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show

Welcome, all wonders in one sight!Eternity shut in a span,Summer in winter, day in night,Heaven in earth, and God in man!That’s how the English poet Richard Crashaw speaks about the big event of December: the birth of the infant Christ at Christmas. Fortunately, I’m joined this week by Dr. Theresa Kenney, Professor of English at the University of Dallas, and author of a new book about poetry about the Christ Child: the book is called All Wonders in One Sight: The Christ Child Among the Elizabethan and Stuart Poets. Dr. Kenney and I discuss her book and a range of fascinating issues: why the Council of Trent promulgated new rules about Christian art in the 16th century, why the underappreciated English Renaissance poet, Jesuit Priest and martyr Robert Southwell is so important, and why many English Protestants were especially interested in the Gospel of John.You can find links to the poems we discuss here:Richard Crashaw’s “In the Holy Nativity of our Lord”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44058/in-the-holy-nativity-of-our-lord 'Learn to love as I love thee' (dialogue between Mary and Christ): https://aclerkofoxford.blogspot.com/2016/01/learn-to-love-as-i-love-thee.html Robert Southwell’s “The Burning Babe”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45183/the-burning-babe Dr. Kenney’s book: https://utorontopress.com/9781487509064/all-wonders-in-one-sight/ ********************Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/   Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlife Support the show

“The Quest” is a documentary-style miniseries produced by the University of Dallas that draws on stories from Scripture, history, and literature to explore the Christian life as a narrative of joyful courage in the gathering darkness of this world. We're joined for today’s conversation by Dr. Shannon Valenzuela, an Affiliate Assistant Professor of English at UD and the series’ writer, director, and producer. We discuss why good art is both true and beautiful, why music is so essential to good film, and how we make friends through the exchange of stories.You can learn more about the series at quest.udallas.edu.********************The Quest is Coming! quest.udallas.edu/Free video series: The Person: Action and Influence: www.catholicfaithandculture.udallas.edu/trailerLiberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/​Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_ud​Instagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show

Does living well mean just following the rules of the moral law? Some philosophers who study virtue propose that living well depends not just on conforming ourselves to rules. They understand living well to depend fundamentally on the cultivation of virtues, which are good habits that contribute toward human fulfilment. We discuss this and more in this episode of the Liberal Learning for Life @ UD Podcast with Dr. Angela Knobel, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas, and the author of a new book Aquinas and the Infused Moral Virtues.Buy the book: https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268201098/aquinas-and-the-infused-moral-virtues/********************The Quest is Coming! https://quest.udallas.edu/Free video series: The Person: Action and Influence: https://www.catholicfaithandculture.udallas.edu/trailerLiberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/​Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_ud​Instagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show

This week we have a conversation between Dr. Shannon Valenzuela of the University of Dallas and Dr. Jackson Crawford, a scholar of Old Norse who offers, in his own words, “real expertise and no agendas.” They discuss the wisdom literature of Old Norse, how is it that we know wisdom when we see it, and what cowboy wisdom might sound like today. They also talk about his consulting work for the movie Frozen and the video game Assassins Creed: Valhalla.*****************************Jackson Crawford: https://jacksonwcrawford.com/Free video series: The Person: Action and Influence: https://www.catholicfaithandculture.udallas.edu/trailerLiberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/​Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_ud​Instagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show

Think about objects that you might lose – a cell phone; a book; even a sock. You might be disappointed to lose these, but, assuming you have the money, they can be replaced: you can buy a new cell phone, a new book, a new pair of socks. But what can you do when you lose something that can’t be replaced - a friend, let’s say – when your loss occasions not mere disappointment, but something deeper: grief? That's the problem that the hero of the Iliad, Achilles, faces, and the subject of today’s conversation with Dr. Emily Austin, an alumna of the University of Dallas and an Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Chicago. Dr. Austin has written a book on the subject called Grief and the Hero: the Futility of Longing in the Iliad.Link to buy Grief and the Hero: the Futility of Longing in the Iliad: https://www.press.umich.edu/11647876/grief_and_the_hero*****************************Free video series: The Person: Action and Influence: https://www.catholicfaithandculture.udallas.edu/trailerLiberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/​Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_ud​Instagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show

Dr. Anthony Nussmeier is Associate Professor and Director of the Italian Program at the University of Dallas. He’s also UD’s point person for an exciting new project that kicks off tomorrow, September 8: 100 Days of Dante, which you can learn more about at 100daysofdante.com/. In our conversation we discuss why you should sign up for 100 Days of Dante, what Dante offers for those of us who aren’t in school anymore, and why in Dante’s time, poetry was considered a vehicle for truth.********************************Free video series: The Person: Action and Influence: www.catholicfaithandculture.udallas.edu/trailerLiberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/​Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_ud​Instagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show