Episodes

In this episode of This Anthro Life, host Adam Gamwell talks with Janine de Novais about her new publication on Brave Community and teaching for a post-racist imagination. They explore the concept of "grounding for learning" as a method to enhance and sustain empathy to facilitate effective learning. Grounding for learning is described as the cornerstone of the classroom environment, empowering individuals to be more empathetic and intellectually courageous. Moreover, Janine talks about her book titled “Brave Community” and explains that Brave Community is a teaching and learning method that helps foster empathy and intellectual bravery. In this conversation we discuss: 👉 The importance of pedagogy in education and the Brave Community method 👉 The role of content and culture in meetings and discussions 👉 Grounding for learning and the importance of content and culture Here are a few of our favorite quotable moments: “The method of Brave Community is a teaching and l…

Intro: In this episode of This Anthro Life, host Adam Gamwell talks with Emily Kennedy about the intersection of journalism and ethnography. They explore how ethnographic methods can help address challenges faced by journalists, such as trust, online harassment, and the business model of journalism. They discuss the importance of empathy, rapport building, and the evolving concept of objectivity in interviews. Kennedy also shares insights on the benefits and drawbacks of AI, and the need for cross-disciplinary collaboration in storytelling. In this conversation we discuss: 👉 Challenges in journalism 👉 The importance of ethnographic methods 👉 Balancing advocacy and bias in reporting Here are a few of our favorite quotable moments: 1. "Ethnographic methods can help journalists conduct more in-depth, empathetic interviews and allow people to tell their own stories from their perspective." 2. "Journalists can benefit from learning to recognize and code abbreviations used in in…

In a world where technology is advancing at an exponential pace, we can already see that artificial intelligence (AI) will have a profound impact on our lives. But AI is far from perfect. Too often, we end up grappling with a variety of problems when we bring AI into the real world, from increasing mental health issues in young girls and boys to anxiety for workers whose jobs are changing.

Contemporary AI systems are typically created by many different people, each working on separate parts or “modules.” This can make it difficult to determine who is responsible for considering the ethical implications of an AI system as a whole — a problem compounded by the fact that many AI engineers already don’t consider it their job to ensure the AI systems they work on are ethical.

Just a little trailer for 2023 new listeners to This Anthro Life! Learn more about the podcast here: https://thisanthrolife.org

People with disabilities often face accessibility issues in physical environments, such as a lack of ramps, narrow doorways, and inaccessible transportation. Every barrier is a reminder that designs are choices, ones made without people with disabilities at the decision-making table.

In this episode, Angela Saini, award-winning science journalist and author of “The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule,” traces the material and social roots of patriarchy with host Adam Gamwell. The duo explores how anthropology can help us better understand the patriarchy and patriarchal power by contextualizing and breaking down big ideas.

When we think of robots, we tend to think of things like R2-D2, the Terminator skeleton, or a piece of machinery that automates the construction of goods in an assembly line. But that’s not all there is to robots — something anthropologist and roboticist entrepreneur Lora Koycheva understands perfectly well.

Daughter of “Cosmos” co-writer Ann Druyan and astronomer Carl Sagan, Sasha talks with host Adam Gamwell about the power of ritual for making meaning across life, death, nature, and more. She also shares how she learned to ask questions, the value of finding awe in the most mundane of rituals, and how turning our attention anew to the natural world can help us add wonder back into our lives.

How to Build a More Resilient World The COVID-19 pandemic leveled the playing field between those who have the privilege to avoid or mitigate disasters and those who don’t. But the pandemic is just one of many ongoing challenges and crises that people are and have been facing for years.

In today’s episode of This Anthro Life, anthropologists Elizabeth Briody and Phil Surles join host Adam Gamwell to discuss their latest project: Anthropologists on the Public Stage, a self-paced video course for social scientists who want to increase...

Consumers today find brands through many online sources, including search engines and social media. And with the rise of hyper-personalized ads, consumers are constantly being bombarded with brands that seem to speak to their needs and interests....

Indigenous cultures around the world have a trickster god or figure in their mythos. For example, the Pacific Northwest Native Americans have the Raven, a selfish, hungry, and mischievous figure who transforms the world. Stories tell how the Raven...

The vast majority of published scientific literature and new research is hidden behind paywalls. Worse, what few accessible papers available online are oftentimes written in jargon, i.e., specialist language that can alienate non-expert readers. natural language processing-based startups are working to change the conversation around access to scientific knowledge in impactful ways. One such startup is Consensus, an AI-powered search engine designed to provide users a view into what the research says with the click of a button.