The Very Short Introductions Podcast

In this episode, Michael Wert introduces samurai, whose influence in society and presence during watershed moments in Japanese history are often overlooked by modern audiences. Learn more about Samura...

20 Maj 202110min

In this episode, Susan Blackmore introduces the last ‘great mystery for science’ – consciousness and the questions it poses for free will, personal experience, and the link between our mind and body. ...

13 Maj 20219min

In this episode, David Gerber introduces immigration, one of the most contentious issues in the United States today which has shaped contemporary American life and fuels strong, divisive debate. Learn...

6 Maj 202111min

In this episode, Kathryn Kalinak introduces film music, which began as an accompaniment to moving pictures and is now its own industry, providing a platform for expressing creative visions and a comme...

29 Apr 20217min

In this episode, Donald Wright introduces Canada, a country of complexity and diversity, which isn’t one single nation but three: English Canada, Quebec, and First Nations. Learn more about “Canada: A...

22 Apr 20218min

In this episode, Jon Balserak introduces Calvinism, which has gone on to influence all aspects of contemporary thought, from theology to civil government, economics to the arts, and education to work....

15 Apr 20216min

In this episode, Barbara Graziosi introduces Homer, whose mythological tales of war and homecoming, The Iliad and The Odyssey, are widely considered to be two of the most influential works in the hist...

8 Apr 20218min

In this episode, Jim Fraser introduces forensic science, a subject of wide fascination and importance, as a criminal case can often hinge on a piece of evidence like a hair, a blood trace, half a foot...

31 Dec 20205min