University of the Air

Even as some Americans were still moving into the frontier, others were planning ways to preserve the country’s wilderness. Aldo Leopold understood that in order to preserve one part of the landscape, you have to work with the area around it, too. We’ll find how his definition of wilderness changed and why the Yellowstone fire of 1988 was allowed to burn and how the reintroduction of wolves reshaped the plant and animal community. And we’ll see what role humans play in the preservation of wilderness and what he meant when he said that we should “think like a mountain.”

Among those who have first-hand experience with history’s most famous shipwreck is Tamara Thomson, Wisconsin State Archaeologist who talked to us three years ago about her work with The Titanic. We’ll find out what kind of equipment had to be developed to survey the debris field of the famous wreck and what discoveries emerge through lab work, how the wreck has been affected by its visitors, and what advantages come with the breaking of the ship in two. We’ll also explore some notable shipwrecks preserved in cold freshwaters of Wisconsin. Along the way, we’ll find out how new techniques are teaching us new things about the Titanic and other ships.

Words like cuisine, rendezvous, buffet, and chauffeur fill our English language, so we may be speaking more French than we know. Why are the French known for being snobbish about their language? How different is French in France from French in Quebec, Senegal, and other parts of the Francophone world? Why is "thinking in French" worthwhile? In this hour, Continuing Studies Professor Sage Goellner celebrates the linguistic and cultural richness of French.

As we approach the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, how obvious is the outcome? At what point did the war become unwinnable for the Confederacy? What part did the war play in solidifying the Union? Historian Stephen Kantrowitz describes how the post-war policies of Andrew Johnson differed from those of Abraham Lincoln. We’ll also find out about the “forty acres and a mule” policy intended to help put the South back on its feet. And we’ll look at the politics that led to the ratification of the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery.

When the founding fathers realized that the rights of individuals could be threatened by the executive and legislative branches of the planned government, they decided to establish a judiciary system that would be independent of them. What were the English judicial shortcomings they were trying to correct? What were the first cases to test the independence of American’s judiciary? Even though he was one of America’s great constitutional minds, James Madison had two great failures when it came to how the judiciary would be set up. We’ll find out what they were and who influenced the system as it is today.

Sardis was the capital city of the fabled Lydian king Croesus, whose wealth in gold and silver were beyond the imagination. Recent archaeological discoveries have told us a lot about the teeming life and mysterious death of the great city. And from archaeologist Nick Cahill we’ll find out where the wealth came from, how the city failed when it was at the peak of its power, and how it fared under the Persians, under the Greek empire of Alexander the Great, and the Romans. We’ll discover a pyramid bigger by far than anything the Egyptians built, encounter an invention from Sardis that’s with us everyday today, and learn hear the stories of the men and women who inhabited the lost city.

In the late 19th century, Lavinia Goodell became the first woman licensed to practice law in Wisconsin, despite objections from the state's Chief Justice that a woman's "delicacy and emotional impulses" made her unsuited for a legal profession. Join Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, playwright and director Betty Dimond, and five cast members from "Lavinia" as they highlight scenes from a commissioned drama about an inspiring pioneer. See http://bartelltheatre.org/2015/lavinia/ for information about the Madison premiere of the play.

His picture isn't on a coin and there aren't many schools or cities or counties named after him, but he played a critical part in the founding of the American republic. After four, on University Of The air, the legacy of the often forgotten Founding Father John Jay.

Escaping from Hitler, Stalin, and other dictators and disasters, many musicians fled Europe and came to the United States, changing the American musical scene forever. How did America respond to these European maestros, virtuosos, and composers? New York Times music critic, historian, and author Joseph Horowitz discusses his book Artists in Exile: How Refugees from 20th century war and revolution transformed the American Performing Arts.

Samuel Johnson was a major force in 18th century English writing and a fascinating man in his own right, the subject of a landmark biography by his friend James Boswell, and a literary critic given to colorful pronouncements. Of the celebrated novel Clarissa he said, "if you read it for the plot you would hang yourself." And in his famous dictionary he wasn't above putting personal opinions in some of the definitions. In the hour to come, UW English Professor Howard Weinbrot will tell us about the coloful life and opinions of Samuel Johnson.

Much less known than Martin Luther King, Jr, , women such as Diane Nash and Fannie Lou Hamer played a crucial role in the Civil Rights movement. In this hour, Professor Craig Werner (along with guest reader Sagashus Levingston) will introduce listeners to inspiring women activists fighting for racial equality during turbulent times.

She was large and loud and sometimes lewd, and for much of the 20th century she was among America's most popular entertainers. During U of the A, biographers Susan and Lloyd Ecker will tell us about Jewish comedy, Vaudeville and the rise of Sophie Tucker. Listen for Michele Good's reading from "I am Sophie Tucker" on Chapter A Day in February.

Fort Atkinson poet Lorine Niedecker paid a price for living in Wisconsin instead of New York, where she would've found it easier to get her writings published, and while she worked at a variety of menial jobs, years passed between one publication and the next. But in the 1960s, her poetry of twenty and thirty before attracted new audiences, which rekindled her creativity in her last years. In the hour to come, biographer Margot Peters will tell us about the choices Niedecker made and how they affected the poet's life and writing.

UW-Madison alumna Jen Rudin, author of The Confessions of a Casting Director, will go into the do’s and don’ts of film auditions. Drawing on her experience with Pixar, Walt Disney, and other production companies, Rudin will go into what it takes to pull off a successful audition, the difference between auditioning for animation versus on-camera roles, how to prepare for being in a casting director’s office, the basics of audition etiquette, the dynamics between casting directors, directors, and studio executives, and stories about some of the many actors she’s worked with.

Some of those familiar Christmas carols had a different sound when they were new. Trevor Stephenson and guest performers will do some musical restoration for us.