The Spotlight | Podcast in RSS.com

The Spotlight

di SDSU ISCOR

Stagione 4

The Global Implications of Ethnomusicology: A Discussion with Taras Filenko

This episode highlights an important conversation with Taras Filenko, a Ukrainian pianist and ethnomusicologist, to explore how music shapes cultural identity, political relations, and global understanding. Drawing from his extensive work in ethnomusicology, history, and performance, Filenko examines the ways music preserve cultural memory and connect communities across borders. This discussion offers insight into the power of music as both an artistic practice and a lens for understanding global issues, conflict, and cultural exchange.

Women in Latin America -- A Conversation with Professor Bayard de Volo

This episode features Lorraine Bayard de Volo, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, who explores the role of women in Latin America through her research and fieldwork experiences. In this episode, she discusses the complexities of conducting fieldwork, her experiences in various regions, and her interactions with gender in those areas. Throughout the episode, she reflects on key lessons learned, emphasizing the value of listening to the lived experiences of the women she studies.

Remembering Tiananmen Square: A Conversation with Fengsuo Zhou

In this episode, we reflect on one of the most pivotal moments in modern history, the Tiananmen Square Protest. Joined by student leader and activist Fengsuo Zhou, we explore the legacy of the 1989 protests, the personal and political stakes of dissent, and the enduring struggle for democratic reform in China. Through firsthand insight and thoughtful dialogue, this conversation sheds light on the human story behind the headlines, the impact of the movement, and what this means today.

Free Speech in Crisis | Dr. Tom Alter

Hosts Alexis Briggeman and Parker Allard sit down with Texas State University Professor Tom Alter who was recently and illegally terminated from his tenure position with the University. Follow along as they discuss what academic freedom looks like today and what this means for the University system.

Stagione 3

From JAG to Justice: The Leadership Journey of Matt Benson

In this episode, I sit down with Matt Benson—a Navy JAG Corps veteran, former federal prosecutor, and national security law practitioner who now leads his own private law firm—to trace a career built at the intersection of service and law. We talk about how his path from professional basketball in Germany to the JAG Corps, to the Navy Reserves, and finally to founding Benson Law APC reveals the unexpected ways leadership and legal expertise evolve across sectors. For listeners exploring public policy, military service, or government work, Matt offers a rare, grounded look at how a life of service can transform into meaningful impact in and beyond uniform.

Threat Multiplier | Sherri Goodman

Hosts Chandria Arboleda and Sophia Hansen sit down with Sherri Goodman, the Pentagon’s first deputy undersecretary of defense for environmental security, to discuss how climate change became understood as a “threat multiplier.” Goodman’s career—shaping the intersection of environmental sustainability and national security, and demonstrating feminist leadership in traditionally male-dominated institutions—offers a compelling lens on climate, resilience, and global cooperation, aligning closely with the forward-looking work of the ISCOR program.

SDSU's Graduate Program in Homeland Security | Professor Robert Harkins and Alice Wilshire

Hosts Chandria Arboleda and Sophia Hansen sit down with Professor Robert Harkins, former DEA agent turned SDSU Faculty Lecturer, and Alice Wilshire, Homeland Security master’s student, about AI in security, post-grad opportunities, and the reminder that the day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit. Together, they explore how real-world experience, academic insight, and student perspectives intersect to prepare the next generation of security professionals.

International Diplomacy and Exchange on the Subnational Level | Benjamin Moore

Hosts Chandria Arboleda and Sophia Hansen sit down with Benjamin Moore, Global Affairs Strategist for Mayor Todd Gloria, to explore San Diego’s growing role in international diplomacy and exchange. Together, they discuss how local engagement, global partnerships, and how student voices can shape the city’s future on the world stage through big, bold ideas

Stagione 2

Sanctuary Cities and Contemporary Immigration Policies | Benjamin Gonzalez O'Brien

In this episode, Josie and Purnell engage Professor Benjamin Gonzalez O'Brien in a comprehensive discussion covering the historical roots of sanctuary cities, their present-day struggles, and the effects of the second Trump administration's immigration policies on immigrant communities across the United States.

50 Years After the Vietnam War | Gregory Daddis

Fifty years after the Vietnam War, co-hosts Purnell Strom and Josie Hall engage SDSU Professor Gregory Daddis in a discussion about the conflict and its surprisingly timely lessons for today.

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