With Good Reason

In 1951 a group of African American students at Robert R. Moton High School in Prince Edward County, Virginia, organized a strike to protest the substandard school facilities provided for black students. The walkout, led by 16-year-old Barbara Johns, is one of the great stories in the struggle for Civil Rights—a story of courage and persistence against what seemed at the time like overwhelming odds. Larissa Smith Fergeson (Longwood University) provides the historical context to the walkout; Lacy Ward Jr. (Moton Museum) interviews two students who participated in the strike; and Mildred Robinson (University of Virginia) describes the effects on students and families when the Virginia government closed the schools rather than succumb to the federal mandate to integrate them. The closure lasted five years and was part of a larger policy enacted by the state called Massive Resistance. Smith Fergeson speaks to people who were students in Prince Edward County at that time about their experience of being locked out and the difficult decisions parents made to ensure education for their children. And Lucious Edwards (Virginia State University) and Allison Robinson discuss efforts to create an archive of research material that accurately reflects the era.

Eight out of 10 children born in America today will never know a night sky dark enough to see the Milky Way. In our modern world, where nights are getting brighter, most of us no longer experience true darkness. Paul Bogard (James Madison University) is the author of the new book “The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in the Age of Artificial Light.” He believes we now suffer from light pollution and that the lack of darkness at night is affecting our physical, mental, and spiritual health. Plus: When women compare themselves to other people, they actually lose IQ points. Read Montague (Virginia Tech) completed a study that suggests being in groups can have a dumbing-down effect on certain individuals. Later in the show: Centuries ago, nighttime was a scary and dangerous time. A moonless evening could be filled with both real and imagined perils. In his book, At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past, historian Roger Ekirch (Virginia Tech) sheds light on how pre-Industrial Revolution farmers, tradesmen, and laborers spent their nights. Also featured: Classical guitar music was a constant in the Renaissance and Baroque eras of England, France and Italy. Music professor and guitarist Tim Olbrych (The College of William and Mary) offers a brief history of this instrument and plays selections from his CD, 500 Years of the Spanish Guitar.

An author challenges prevailing notions that grief is an emotion experienced only by humans. In her new book, How Animals Grieve, Barbara King (College of William and Mary) shows there is ample evidence of many species experiencing loss, love, and mourning. Also: Most Americans who own pets treat them like family members and grieve when they die. Psychologist Sherman Lee (Christopher Newport University) has conducted a study of how different people mourn the loss of beloved pets. He finds that religion and personality are major factors. And: Temple Grandin is known as an expert in the livestock industry and as an eloquent leader for autistic rights. She spoke recently at the University of Virginia College at Wise. Later in the show: One in every 150 American-born children is diagnosed with an autism-spectrum disorder. Christofer Foss (University of Mary Washington) has examined how autism is portrayed in contemporary literature and film and says it’s time to rethink difference, dignity, discrimination, and other disability issues. Also featured: Nicole Myers (University of Mary Washington) says with proper training, teachers can make significant strides with high-functioning autistic children in the mainstream classroom.

Eight out of 10 children born in America today will never know a night sky dark enough to see the Milky Way. In our modern world, where nights are getting brighter, most of us no longer experience true darkness. Paul Bogard (James Madison University) is the author of the new book “The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in the Age of Artificial Light.” He believes we now suffer from light pollution and that the lack of darkness at night is affecting our physical, mental, and spiritual health. Plus: When women compare themselves to other people, they actually lose IQ points. Read Montague (Virginia Tech) completed a study that suggests being in groups can have a dumbing-down effect on certain individuals. Later in the show: Centuries ago, nighttime was a scary and dangerous time. A moonless evening could be filled with both real and imagined perils. In his book, At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past, historian Roger Ekirch (Virginia Tech) sheds light on how pre-Industrial Revolution farmers, tradesmen, and laborers spent their nights. Also featured: Classical guitar music was a constant in the Renaissance and Baroque eras of England, France and Italy. Music professor and guitarist Tim Olbrych (The College of William and Mary) offers a brief history of this instrument and plays selections from his CD, 500 Years of the Spanish Guitar.

Aristotle said that there were three kinds of friendships--those of utility, pleasure, and virtue. But what about Facebook friendships? One Virginia scholar is studying the philosophy of what it means to be “friends” in the era of social media. Allison Quantz reports.

In the age of Facebook, “friend” is now a verb. Dylan Wittkower (Old Dominion University) says the concept of friendship has changed with the advent of social media, but sites like Facebook can facilitate communication and expand the ties between people. Also featured: Radical apocalyptic thinking is often directly related to terrorism. Frances Flannery (James Madison University) says from Al Qaida to Timothy McVeigh, many terrorists are influenced by the radical apocalyptic idea of bringing on “the end of days.” She argues that we need to think about long-term solutions, which involves a kind of “cultural counter-terrorism.” Later in the show: James Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses follows its main character, Leopold Bloom, around Dublin during the course of one day. Every June, fans around the world gather for “Bloomsday” to celebrate the works of Joyce. Jolanta Wawrzycka (Radford University) speaks about the life of Joyce, his writings, and her experiences attending “Bloomsday” celebrations. And: Irish scholar and critic Theo Dorgan discusses the joys and challenges of reading Ireland’s greatest literary son.

Within seconds of hearing someone speak, we make judgments about that person and their background, just based on their accent. Linguistics professor Steven Weinberger (George Mason University) explains how and when we develop accents and how they affect our identity. Also featured: Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th century writings may seem impenetrable, with strange pronunciation and incomprehensible phrases. But retired English professor Alan Baragona (Virginia Military Institute) says the best way to approach Chaucer is to read it out loud and listen to the musicality of the words. Later in the show: Real life fights are always sloppy and chaotic. The trick to staging a good fight in a play (or film) is to “order chaos.” Gregg Lloyd (Christopher Newport University) is a professional actor and fight director who has mastered the art of creating the illusion of violence on stage, making it look effortless. Plus: An “aural landscape” created for a movie or the stage may work well and be essential, but people tend not to notice background sounds that reinforce theatrical experience. Sound designer Michael Rasbury (University of Virginia) has composed scores and created sound effects for major theatrical productions across North America. He also co-wrote and scored the music for the play “Max Understood,” about a day in the life of a young boy with autism.

Contrary to popular belief, regional accents are still very much a part of the American cultural landscape. Allison Quantz has the story of a Virginia linguist who is “collecting” accents.

all it affordable, sustainable transportation. Call it public health. Ralph Buehler (Virginia Tech) has looked at who is riding bikes and why, and the infrastructure cities need to make cycling safer and more convenient. Buehler’s book City Cycling emphasizes that bicycling shouldn’t be limited to those who are highly trained, extremely fit, and daring enough to battle traffic on busy roads. Also featured: In an effort to curb pollution and congestion, cities across the U.S. have adopted bike share programs, and now colleges and universities are following suit. Eddie Hill and Bridget Nemeth started a bike share program on the campus of Old Dominion University, which offers free bikes to students. And: The electric bicycle, or e-bike, is growing in popularity and creating jobs. Jerry Franklin (Danville Community College) takes us on a spin through the world of e-bikes. Plus: Many runners today are taking off their shoes in favor of barefoot running. Silvia Blemker (University of Virginia) is mapping the muscles to learn how running barefoot compares to running with shoes. Later in the show: Psychologist Andrew Velkey (CNU) describes the foraging behavior of men and women drivers searching for parking spaces. There are the “perchers” and then there are the “soarers.” Plus: The song “John Henry” is one of the most popular in American history, but for years nobody knew whether the legendary railroad tunneler was a real person or simply a tall tale. Scott Reynolds Nelson (College of William and Mary) discovered a historic record of a railroad worker named John Henry, who was buried secretly by the Richmond Penitentiary.

Earlier this year, New York City rolled out the largest bike share program in the nation. But American cities still lag behind Europe when it comes to bike infrastructure. Allison Quantz reports.

We have a way of talking about STEM fields as the opposite of the humanities–but it’s hard to have one without the other. Debbie Sterling of Goldieblox believes that combining reading and engineering is the best way to get young girls interested in the subject. And if you’ve ever tried to put Ikea furniture together, you know how important it is that working engineers learn to communicate. Mohamed Gad-el-Hak (Virginia Commonwealth University) has designed a writing course specifically for engineering students. According to Daniel Becker, (University of Virginia) a focus on reading and writing makes better doctors, too. He’s a doctor and a writer, as well as mentor to Nitin Ahuja (University of Virginia) and Laura Kolbe (University of Virginia). Plus: It’s almost impossible to imagine modern life without the zipper. Yet for thirty years after its invention, it was so mechanically awkward that it had no real advantage over hooks and buttons. Robert Friedel, author of Zipper: An Exploration in Novelty, examines how new things become part of and actually shape our daily lives. Friedel and Professor of Business Administration Alexander Horniman–both with the Batten Institute at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business–show how the zipper illustrates the limitations and expectations of technology. The zipper, they say, is a wonderful example of technology looking for meaning: “Our technologies do not themselves contain their meaning. We impose meaning on our technology.” -

A new program the the University of Virginia encourages medical students to marry their passions for medicine and the humanities. Allison Quantz has the story of a second year who pulls poetry from treating patients.

Written in another time and in another country, the Russian classics—Tolstoy, Lermontov, and all the rest—are still relevant today. Andrew Kaufman (University of Virginia) and his students are proving that by teaching masterpieces of Russian literature to incarcerated youth. The readings prompt discussions: What makes for a “successful” life? How I can be true to myself? What is my responsibility to others? Given that I will die, how should I live? Also featured: Most incarcerated women are single mothers—and sole financial providers of one or more youngsters. Virginia Mackintosh (University of Mary Washington) says no kids are more at risk. She taught a parenting course for the mothers behind bars and leads some of her college students in a one-week summer camp for the children left behind. And: Southside Virginia Community College has started a pioneering program that enables inmates to obtain college credits, by creating a campus ‘pod’ within prison walls. It’s called “Campus Within Walls” and is made possible by funding from The Sunshine Lady Foundation. Chad Patton administers the program and says it is the product of an enormous amount of cooperation between the Department of Corrections, the Department of Correctional Education, and the Governor’s office. Later in the show: Why do people get so much pleasure from movies that frighten them out of their wits? Stephen Prince (Virginia Tech) says horror films allow us to explore the anxieties of our times along with questions about human nature, all from the safety of a darkened movie theatre. Also: Science fiction writer John Rosenman (Norfolk State University) says the genre has come a long way since the early days of Buck Rogers.

The power of logos and branding wasn’t lost on the ancients. Bruce MacDonald (Virginia Military Institute) says after William the Conqueror defeated Harold, the Saxon king, William wisely combined the crests of the two forces into a new British logo—two winged lions on a yellow field—which helped him unify and govern his new land. Also featured: Sequoyah, or as he signed his name, (ᏍᏏᏉᏯ Ssiquoya, is the great Cherokee Indian who invented the Cherokee alphabet that made reading and writing in Cherokee possible. Ken Smith (Radford University) is having the students in his typography and design class create new typeface designs for the Cherokee language. And: As summer comes to a close and incoming college freshmen gear up for their first fall semesters, we visit the College of William and Mary, where new students are welcomed with a unique and celebratory tradition. Later in the show: Brian Ulrich’s (Virginia Commonwealth University) new book Is This Place Great or What is a decade long photographic study of consumerism in America, post 9-11. His pictures portray shoppers and employees in “Big Box” stores and small thrift stores. He also documents abandoned shopping malls on the brink of demolition, holding a mirror up to our society’s love of the retail economy. Also featured: The story of America is a story of dreamers and defaulters and of dramatic financial panics that defined the nation and created its political parties. Scott Nelson (College of William and Mary) is the author of A Nation of Deadbeats, a fresh, irreverent look at our addiction to debt and how it has made us what we are today.

There is, believe it or not, only one recorded instance of a person from an illiterate people creating an effective written language. A Virginia scholar is combining that story with the challenge of graphic design. Allison Quantz reports.