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75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

A Few Reasonable Words

Professors Casey Dominguez, Cory Gooding, and Timothy McCarty, University of San Diego

A Few Reasonable Words…A weekly podcast from three professors trying desperately to soothe the frayed nerves of the American public with the comforting balm of political science. With every episode we include a segment called "Civics for Grownups" and some "Recommended Reading." Want more information? https://afrwpodcast.wordpress.com/

news & politics higher education

All Episodes

15:55

Ep. 68: Automatic/Same-Day Voter Registration (Reform...

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2018/08/24

Why does voter registration to be a hassle? Can reforms like Automatic Voter Registration or Same Day Voter Registration make it easier for folks to vote? Is there any downside to making it easier for folks to register to vote?

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21:30

Ep. 67: Vote By Mail (Political Science Reform Corner...

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2018/08/14

Vote By Mail: Is it a good idea? We take a trip to the Political Science Reform Corner to find out.

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44:53

Ep. 66: Corruption!

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2018/07/25

Everyone complains about corrupt politicians, but what does corruption really mean in democratic politics? What is the difference between the complicated, messy, and unsatisfying business of everyday politics, and truly problematic political corruption? Is it reasonable to expect moral virtue and total honesty from our elected leaders, or are our complaints somewhat naive?

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37:29

Ep. 65: What Does it Mean to be an American?

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2018/07/03

It's America's birthday! But what exactly does it mean to be an American? We explore theories of what it means to be an American - is it a kind of national identity, a commitment to particular ideas, a set of civic practices, or something else entirely?

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40:15

Ep. 64: A Primer on Primaries

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2018/06/25

What's the deal with primaries? Why do they happen? Why do they matter? Do we really have to pay attention to them? Do I really have to vote twice this year? (Hint: Yes!) And what is the role of political parties in primaries? What should it be? Can a party really "meddle" in its own primaries? (Hint: No!)

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41:04

Ep. 63: Politics of the Census

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2018/05/26

What's political about the census? Everything from the apportionment of representatives to the distribution of public resources to the construction of racial, ethnic, & civic identities. It's a big deal, and recent changes are worth paying attention to.

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45:14

Ep. 62: How to Think About the Media (Part 3:...

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2018/05/17

We're back (finally)! In our third installment of our long-gestating media discussion, we look at the professional norms of the political media and how understanding them can help us comprehend and critique the media.

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39:13

Ep. 61: How to Think About the Media (Part 2:...

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2018/02/28

The news media in America has a complicated relationship to partisan politics and political ideology. The mainstream news media continues to prize ideals of objectivity & neutrality, but countless outlets offer an explicitly partisan takes on the news. We should be worried? Is partisan media a problem for democracy, or is it fitting in a democracy with robust protections for freedom of the press? And what are news consumers to make of claims about bias in the ostensibly neutral news media? Is the

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33:36

Ep. 60: Guns, NRA, & the Politics of Interest Groups...

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2018/02/20

Despite enjoying popular support, federal gun control legislation seems all but impossible. Is the NRA really bribing representatives? Not exactly, but they have an awful lot of influence, and we explore the politics of interest groups to understand why.

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34:37

Ep. 59: How to Think about the Media (Part 1: The...

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2018/02/12

In the first of our series on how to think about the media, we explore the economics of the news business. Who owns the media? How does the profit motive explain much of what you see, hear, and read? And what--if anything--can we do about it?

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37:04

Ep. 58: What is FISA Anyway?

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2018/02/03

In light of FISA reauthorization earlier this year and the FISA-related accusations leveled against the FBI & the Obama Administration in the Nunes memo, it’s a good time to remind ourselves what exactly FISA is, where it came from, what Americans should and should not be worried about, and what it means that both parties in Congress and the President just decided to reauthorize it without much public discussion or controversy.

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33:42

Ep. 57: Why are Government Shutdowns a Thing?

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2018/01/19

What happens when there's a government shutdown? Why do we shut the government down, anyway? Do all countries shut down their governments, or is this just a silly thing America does?

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27:52

Ep. 56: Our Political Science Christmas Wishes

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2017/12/25

In our special holiday episode, we share our Christmas wish lists: what we're asking to get from Political Science Santa. That's a thing, right?

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49:52

Ep. 55: Tax Cut Fever Hits Washington!

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2017/12/22

Congress met their goal of passing a tax cut bill before Christmas, which means its to talk about the basics of taxation, the highlights of the bill, and what is likely to follow from the most significant piece of tax legislation since 2001.

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33:48

Ep. 54: Alabama elects a Democrat?

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2017/12/14

Alabama elected a Democratic Senator! Democrats ran the tables in Virginia! How did that happen? What does this mean for the Democrats? What does this mean for the Republicans? Did Doug Jones really win this, or was Roy Moore just a singularly weak GOP candidate? Was this an aberration, or might it signal something bigger afoot?

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34:40

Ep. 53: Diplomacy!

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2017/12/04

What is diplomacy, why is it important, and how does it work? How can we know if diplomacy has been successful? Is it just when we’re not currently at war, or is it more complicated than that? Special guest Dr. Emily Edmonds-Poli helps us answer all your diplomacy-related questions.

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34:32

Ep. 52: Russian Interference

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2017/11/04

What exactly do we know about Russian interference in the election? There is a lot of news about Russian interference, shady dealings, meetings, fake news, bots, and all manner of complicated goings on about our last election. In the wake of tech companies like facebook and twitter coming before congress to give an account of their behavior, we thought it might be nice to take stock of what we know about Russian interference and ask some questions about how Americans should feel about foreign

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29:16

Ep. 51: Lobbying!

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2017/10/28

What's the deal with lobbying? How powerful are lobbyists, really? Nobody seems to like it, but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Should we be mad about that, or is the public image of lobbying as an all-powerful enemy of democracy inaccurate?

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32:23

Ep. 50: Guns, NRA, & the Politics of Interest Groups

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2017/10/17

Despite enjoying popular support, federal gun control legislation seems all but impossible. Is the NRA really bribing representatives? Not exactly, but they have an awful lot of influence, and we explore the politics of interest groups to understand why.

en

41:24

Ep. 49: How Free Should Speech Be?

A Few Reasonable Words ·

2017/10/03

What do NFL Players & tiki-torch wielding Nazis have in common? They put our ideas of freedom of speech to the test! How far do (or should) the legal protections of free speech extend? What exactly is the relationship between the first amendment and the principle of freedom of expression? Does the first amendment really protect speech that many believe by its very nature can harm vulnerable people? What are the best arguments for and against restricting hate speech? Should we try to stop the Nazis

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