TCU AddRan College of Liberal Arts Featured on NPR’s Academic Minute
What can the liberal arts reveal in just a few minutes?
Texas Christian University researchers will be featured on NPR’s Academic Minute, a national program that brings university research to a wide audience, one idea at a time.
In the AddRan College of Liberal Arts, research takes many forms. It means exploring the ideas, histories and cultural forces that shape how we understand the world and our place within it. From examining the stories we tell about identity to analyzing the impact of media, language and technology, this work offers insight into the human experience
Throughout the week, faculty share research that sparks curiosity, invites reflection and connects big ideas to everyday life. Each two-and-a-half-minute segment highlights the depth and relevance of research in the liberal arts.
The lineup:
Monday, April 27: Ariane Balizet, assistant provost for faculty success and professor of English, considers what Shakespeare can teach us about leadership, showing how the skills used to interpret his plays, like empathy, perspective-taking and storytelling, are the same ones needed to lead in times of change.
Tuesday, April 28: Jeannine Gailey, professor of sociology, shares research on how rewriting the stories people tell about their bodies can improve women’s well-being, offering new hope for those struggling with body image.
Wednesday, April 29: Melissa Reynolds, assistant professor of history, takes us back more than 500 years to reveal that medical misinformation didn’t start with social media and shows how each new form of media reshapes who people trust and why.
Thursday, April 30: Amina Zarrugh, associate professor of sociology, explores the rise of at-home DNA testing and why many people walk away believing race is written into their biology, raising important questions about identity, belonging and the stories people tell about themselves.
Friday, May 1: Xiaolu Zhou, associate professor of geography, examines how artificial intelligence is transforming the way we learn about the world, from interactive maps to real-time conversations that make global geography more dynamic and personal.
Week of May 25: Charlotte Hogg, professor of English, explores what sororities can reveal about belonging, examining how traditions and symbols shape identity and signal deeper ideas about womanhood and community.
These features highlight the range of perspectives and questions being explored across TCU and AddRan. Listen to all Academic Minute segments by visiting NPR’s Academic Minute podcast and hear how each day brings a new perspective.
