With Good Reason

Today when we vote, we enter a private space, secretly make our choice, and go about our day. Don Debats (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Fellow) explains that early voting wasn’t just public; it was a raucous, drunken community festival. Plus: It’s hard to find a smile in a 19th century photograph—instead, you’ll see stern faces and stiff poses. Historian Richard Straw (Radford University) tells the story of one early photographer who broke the formal rules and took candid shots instead. Later in the show: During the Civil War, the residents of Winchester witnessed some of the bloodiest battles of the conflict—for control of the Shenandoah Valley—and suffered under Union occupation. Jonathan Noyalas (Lord Fairfax Community College) tells how the return of Union veterans to the Valley in 1883 sparked a spirit of reconciliation between former enemies. Also: Spencer Crew (George Mason University) looks back at the “Underground Railroad” and makes a connection to activism in the modern world. And James Robertson (Virginia Tech) lists many modern conveniences that have their origin in the Civil War.

In the late 19th century, German medical practices were considered to be the best in the world. But by the start of World War II, German physicians were directly involved in the mass killings of the Holocaust. Theodore Reiff (Christopher Newport University) looks at the subversion of German doctors in the Nazi era. Also featured: The movie The Great Escape dramatizes the experience of American and European prisoners of war in Germany during World War II. But little known is that there were more than 400,000 German prisoners of war in 700 camps across America. Charles Ford (Norfolk State University) and Jeffrey Littlejohn (Sam Houston State University) look at the 4,000 German prisoners in Huntsville, Texas and efforts to “de-Nazify” them. Later in the show: More than 20 years after Germans tore down the Berlin Wall, they are still negotiating how to deal with the stigmas of a formerly divided country. Jason James (University of Mary Washington) says there are still divisions within German culture—between the “good” former West Germans and the “bad” former East Germans—and both sides struggle with a problematic past that includes Nazi and Fascist associations that persist, even in a united country. Also featured: In the years leading up to World War I, Germany joined other world powers in colonizing parts of Africa. Christian Davis (James Madison University) says there’s a relationship between the racial subjugation that occurred in Germany’s African colonies and the rise of an anti-Semitic movement back home—a movement that would later form the ideological core of Nazism.

With seven unpublished novels wasting away on his hard drive, Tony Vanderwarker was astonished when world-renowned author John Grisham offered to take him under his wing and mentor Tony on the art of thriller writing. Plus: Novelist Carrie Brown (Hollins University) draws inspiration from her years as a small-town America journalist, and from the mysteries of the cosmos. Her new book The Stargazer’s Sister tells the story of two remarkable sibling astronomers whose work led to the discovery of the planet Uranus. Later in the show: When Jack Beck and Wendy Welch (University of Virginia at Wise) decided to move to the small mountain town of Big Stone Gap, they hadn’t planned on opening a used bookstore. But a big Victorian house captured their imaginations and before they knew it they were setting up shop. Despite the growing popularity of e-readers and a downturn in the national economy, Jack and Wendy’s small-town bookstore is thriving—and fostering community. Wendy’s book about their experience is called The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: a memoir of friendship, community, and the uncommon pleasure of a good book.

There is an extreme shortage of nurses in “bush” Alaska, a stunningly beautiful part of the world only reachable by plane or barge. Maria DeValpine (James Madison University) has spent the last three years learning why nurses elect to stay in this challenging environment on the edge of the earth. And: Courses that include service learning projects can have a profound effect on the relationships students have with their communities. While at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, James Curiel (Norfolk State University) had his students, who were predominately from the wealthiest Egyptian families, work with members from the most impoverished families in that society who were illiterate and made their living by recycling materials from the rubbish they collected. The lessons learned were invaluable. Later in the show: In spite of the current state of the economy, the next 25 years will see an unprecedented rise in human wellbeing. That’s the argument Philip Auerswald (George Mason University) makes in his book The Coming Prosperity. He argues that four centuries of technological change are spreading prosperity to new populations in the world and that this transformation will create large-scale opportunities in both rich and poor nations. Also featured: We spend billions each year on foreign aid. Sometimes it works, but often it is ineffective and may even cause resentment on the part of countries we are trying to help. Michael Gubser (James Madison University) talks about the importance of history in international development. He says solutions that work in one country often get airlifted to another country that has a very different social and cultural history.

The tribulations of Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, are depicted in the popular film 12 Years a Slave. In a soon to be published book, Calvin Schermerhorn (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Fellow) documents how the business of slavery gave rise to American capitalism. Also featured: With Good Reason producer Kelley Libby checks in on a log cabin-building workshop on the grounds of Montpelier, the former home of President James Madison. The cabin is a replica of a dwelling that once housed enslaved people on Madison’s plantation. Later in the show: The contributions that Irish nuns made to help destitute immigrant Catholic children in New York City were instrumental in developing modern American social institutions like foster care and welfare. Maureen Fitzgerald (College of William and Mary) says before the nuns aided these children, they were being sent to live with Protestant families outside NYC, often never seeing their parents again. Also: Cindy Hahamovitch (College of William and Mary) compares the history and experience of guest workers in the United States to other countries.

The tribulations of Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, are depicted in the popular film 12 Years a Slave. In a soon to be published book, Calvin Schermerhorn (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Fellow) documents how the business of slavery gave rise to American capitalism. Also featured: With Good Reason producer Kelley Libby checks in on a log cabin-building workshop on the grounds of Montpelier, the former home of President James Madison. The cabin is a replica of a dwelling that once housed enslaved people on Madison’s plantation. Later in the show: The contributions that Irish nuns made to help destitute immigrant Catholic children in New York City were instrumental in developing modern American social institutions like foster care and welfare. Maureen Fitzgerald (College of William and Mary) says before the nuns aided these children, they were being sent to live with Protestant families outside NYC, often never seeing their parents again. Also: Cindy Hahamovitch (College of William and Mary) compares the history and experience of guest workers in the United States to other countries.

The tribulations of Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, are depicted in the popular film 12 Years a Slave. In a soon to be published book, Calvin Schermerhorn (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Fellow) documents how the business of slavery gave rise to American capitalism. Also featured: With Good Reason producer Kelley Libby checks in on a log cabin-building workshop on the grounds of Montpelier, the former home of President James Madison. The cabin is a replica of a dwelling that once housed enslaved people on Madison’s plantation. Later in the show: The contributions that Irish nuns made to help destitute immigrant Catholic children in New York City were instrumental in developing modern American social institutions like foster care and welfare. Maureen Fitzgerald (College of William and Mary) says before the nuns aided these children, they were being sent to live with Protestant families outside NYC, often never seeing their parents again. Also: Cindy Hahamovitch (College of William and Mary) compares the history and experience of guest workers in the United States to other countries.

Nobody knows their exact price tag, but the Sochi Olympics were widely hailed as the most expensive Olympic games ever. And the real question: is it worth the cost? Political science professor Patrick Rhamey (Virginia Military Institute) says hosting the games doesn’t actually give countries a political advantage, but winning the medal count can. Plus: The United States is the only country that attaches big-time sports to universities. Alan Levinovitz (James Madison University) says it’s time to get big sports out of schools. And: Any proposal to end college athletics would get a big pushback from fans. Kiran Karande’s (Old Dominion University) MBA class recently completed a study looking at exactly who the football fans are at their university—and what keeps them coming back. Later in the show: Sports Illustrated recently published an astounding statistic: one out of every 14 players in top college footballs programs has a criminal record. Many of these crimes involved violence toward women. Chris Kilmartin (University of Mary Washington) believes a new kind of motivation is needed on the field. Chris says anti-feminine taunts—like “let’s go ladies; take off your skirts and play like a man”—reinforce a fiction that men are sexually indiscriminate. Also featured: We tend to associate hazing with the humiliating, sometimes violent, initiation rituals of sororities and fraternities. Tod Burke and Stephen Owen (Radford University) say the phenomenon occurs elsewhere, too—even workplaces. They also say that people who have experienced hazing often view it positively.

Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison was born Chloe Wofford in 1931. She was 39 when she published her first novel about a black girl’s painful coming of age in a white society. The Bluest Eye and many subsequent works have earned Morrison the highest accolades in literature and established her as one of America’s leading fiction writers. Nikki Giovanni (Virginia Tech) and Joanne Gabbin (James Madison University) paid tribute to Morrison with an extravaganza at Virginia Tech that included nationally renowned writers, singers, and poets, including Maya Angelou. With Good Reason interviewed Morrison and shares highlights from the night of tributes. Later in the show: The author of Equal Time: Television and the Civil Rights Movement explores how the newly created evening news shows shaped attitudes about race relations during the Civil Rights Movement. Aniko Bodroghkozy (University of Virginia) investigates the network news treatment of events including the 1965 Selma voting rights campaign, integration riots at the University of Mississippi, and the March on Washington. Also featured: Stephen Alcorn (Virginia Commonwealth University) is the illustrator of the children’s book Odetta: The Queen of Folk, which tells the story of the legendary singer and social activist known as “the Voice of the Civil Rights Movement.” The book follows her renowned career and her influence on many of the most important singers of the folk revival of the 1960s.

The Civil Rights Movement was the United States’ first major domestic news story to be televised. The author of a book exploring television’s relationship to the movement says that Civil Rights leaders adapted quickly to the medium. Allison Quantz reports.

During the 1910s and 1920s, the question of whether one was “highbrow” or “lowbrow” became a concern in the minds of modernist Americans. Brooks Hefner (James Madison University) says this “brow anxiety” dominated the career of Willard Huntington Wright, who fancied himself an intellectual aristocrat while secretly writing a series of wildly popular detective stories under the pseudonym S.S. Van Dine. And: When Christopher McGee (Longwood University) first discovered the Hardy Boys books as a child, he had no idea the author, Franklin W. Dixon, was fictitious and that the books were written by ghostwriters. McGee, who now teaches children’s mystery, tells the story of this popular series’ creation and changes through the years. Later in the show: The Golden Age of Radio refers to a period lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until television’s replacement of radio as the primary home entertainment medium. During this period, entire families would gather round and listen together to their favorite shows. Bill Kovarik (Radford University) looks at the history of radio and its effects on American politics and popular culture. Also featured: Local sports segments have been a mainstay on television news for decades, but they might be disappearing. Former sportscaster Jeff Halliday (Longwood University) recently surveyed network-affiliated TV sports personnel across the country and found a bleak picture—one that includes fewer jobs, reduced air time, and lots of anxiety.

Sonali Gulati’s (Virginia Commonwealth University) new film, I Am, chronicles her personal journey to Delhi, India, where she confronts the loss of her mother whom she never came out to as gay. And: For parents who are gay or transgendered, the act of coming out to their adult children can be scary. Jennifer Apperson and Sarai Blincoe (Longwood University) conducted a survey that found adult children are more accepting than their parents might think. Later in the show: In their book, Waking up Together: Intimate Partnership on the Spiritual Path, Ellen and Charles Birx (Radford University) explore how a spiritual practice can enhance intimacy and partnership. As they say in the first chapter: “In one sense we journey alone, but in another we wake up together.” Also: On the flip side of Valentine’s Day, Nina Brown (Old Dominion University) has written a new book of advice called Coping with Infuriating, Mean, Critical People. These people might include colleagues, bosses, friends, parents, and lovers who boast and brag constantly, take credit for other people’s work, expect favors, and never listen.

American teens spend approximately two million minutes in high school. Producer Sandy Hausman talks with Bob Compton about how kids in America, China, and India are using those two million minutes. And: There’s a difference between hands-on science that asks kids to make models out of Jell-O and hands-on science that puts kids in front of microscopes. Molli Logerwell (George Mason University) is part of an initiative called VISTA that’s helping teachers understand how to get kids involved while staying serious about science. Plus: Science education doesn’t stop after schooling is finished. Michelle Prysby (University of Virginia) created a “science café” where community members can eat, drink, and talk about science. Later in the show: The ink’s been dry for 160 million years—but scientists have now confirmed pigment in two fossilized ink sacs from squid-like animals. John Simon (University of Virginia) examined the Jurassic ink sac from the floor of a long-gone sea in the United Kingdom. Also featured: The benefits of taking Fido to work may not be far-fetched. In a new study, Sandra Barker (Virginia Commonwealth University) found that dogs make a positive difference in the workplace by reducing stress and making the job more satisfying for other employees.

The spice turmeric may be the spice of life. Aarthi Narayanan (George Mason University) is studying the power of curcumin, a molecule found in turmeric, in stopping the spread of potentially deadly viruses. Narayanan grew up in India, where turmeric has long been used to treat illness and inflammation. Also: A new method of fighting melanoma using electric pulses is proving effective on cancer patients in a trial at the University of South Florida. Richard Heller (Old Dominion University) pioneered the cancer killing treatment. And: Sleep apnea can interfere with the rehabilitation of heart patients, but often the patients don’t realize they have sleep apnea. Adrian Aron (Radford University) has helped devise a simple diagnostic test. Later in the show: In the 1970s, only 3% of patients with pancreatic cancer survived for five years. Today the fatality rates are still high. Todd Bauer and Kimberly Kelley (University of Virginia) hope to begin clinical trials that would allow earlier detection of the cancer, and increase survival rates. Also featured: Latinos share an increased incidence of diabetes. Some, like Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor, have learned to live well with the disease. Exercise physiologist Sheri Colberg-Ochs (Old Dominion University) focuses on this unique segment of the population in her latest book on diabetes Diabetes? No Problema! A Latino’s Guide to Living Well with Diabetes.

What if you could change not just how much you know, but your actual intelligence? Psychologist Oliver Hill (Virginia State University) believes that special cognitive training can rewire the way brains work and help kids succeed in math and science. And: Stereotypes affect the way others see us and the way we see ourselves. They can also lead to lower test scores. Claude Steele (Stanford University) and Margaret Shih (University of California, Los Angeles) explain that stereotypes about math and science can self-handicap. Plus: Cheryl Talley (Virginia State University) is helping students overcome self-handicapping through things like journaling and text-messages. Later in the show: You know what it’s like to have a song stuck in your head. But what if your brain was constantly making music of its own without your knowledge? “Brainwave Chick” Paras Kaul (George Mason University) has found a way to tap into the natural melodies of her mind, convert them to digital sound, and make brain music. She explains how using music to alter one’s mental state can heighten concentration and problem-solving ability. Also: Dennis Proffitt (University of Virginia) is developing technology that allows the brain to express itself artistically without the use of any muscles. He hopes to facilitate the participation of fully paralyzed or “locked-in” individuals in society through the use of “brain painting.”