In this episode, School of International Service (SIS) professor Jesse Ribot joins Big World to discuss his current research on migration, vulnerability, and the “hungry season” in West Africa. Ribot, a member of the SIS Department of Environment, Development, and Health , begins our conversation by discussing how a ship that sunk off the coast of Italy and killed hundreds of migrants on board was the precursory climate event that spurred his latest research in West Africa (2:02). Ribot then sha...
May 06, 2025•29 min
In this episode, School of International Service (SIS) professors Tazreena Sajjad and Maria De Jesus join Big World to discuss the history of US immigration policy and unpack how recent shifts are impacting our local DC community and beyond. Sajjad, a professor in the Department of Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations, begins our conversation by explaining common misconceptions surrounding the US immigration system and the evolution of immigration policy (2:03) before explaining the path...
Apr 04, 2025•38 min
In this episode, School of International Service (SIS) professor Michael Stanaitis joins Big World to discuss trade wars and tariffs during President Donald Trump’s second term. Stanaitis, a member of the SIS Department of Global Inquiry and professor for SIS online graduate programs, begins our conversation by defining tariffs and explaining how the United States has historically used them (2:01). Stanaitis also explains the difference between Trump’s tariff use in his first term versus his sec...
Feb 25, 2025•33 min
In this new episode, School of International Service professor and anthropologist Scott Freeman joins Big World to discuss development, displacement, and international aid in Haiti. Freeman, a professor in the Department of Environment, Development, and Health, begins our conversation by explaining the background of the 2011 Caracol Industrial Park development project that displaced more than 400 Haitian families (2:20). Freeman also explains how the displaced families reacted (6:02) and discuss...
Feb 03, 2025•26 min
In this new episode, School of International Service professor Johanna Mendelson Forman and University of Milan professor Andrea Borghini join Big World to discuss the power of the dining table. Mendelson Forman, who teaches and researches culinary diplomacy and social gastronomy, and Borghini, an expert in food philosophy, begin our conversation by discussing the symbolism of the dining table and its role in trust building (1:58). Mendelson Forman and Borghini also examine how issues like socia...
Jan 06, 2025•31 min
In this new episode, School of International Service professor Ken Conca joins Big World to discuss climate resiliency in the face of natural disasters. Conca, a professor in the Department of Environment, Development, and Health, begins our conversation by explaining why he wrote his new book, After the Floods: The Search for Resilience in Ellicott City (2:19). Conca also discusses the issues that communities face following natural disasters (6:28) and analyzes why prevention and recovery effor...
Nov 01, 2024•20 min
In this new episode, School of International Service Distinguished Diplomat in Residence and former US Ambassador to Mexico Earl Anthony Wayne joins Big World to discuss Mexico’s recent election and US-Mexico relations. Wayne, a professor in the Department of Foreign Policy & Global Security , begins our conversation by explaining why Mexico is important to the United States (1:55). Wayne also provides background on Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president (2:37), and discusses wha...
Oct 09, 2024•22 min
Sara Jones, the director of the SIS Office of Career Development joins Big World to discuss the topic at the forefront of many international affairs students’ minds: how to get a job. Jones oversees career development support for SIS undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni, including events, advising, and employer relations. Jones begins our conversation by sharing the best kinds of internships for international affairs students (1:35). She also explains how international experiences and f...
Sep 03, 2024•25 min
Cue the fanfare: in this new episode, School of International Service professor Robert Kelley joins Big World to talk about sports diplomacy and the soft power of the Olympic Games. Kelley, an expert in new diplomacy studies who researches at the intersection of politics and culture, begins our conversation by defining and explaining the objections of both sports and public diplomacy (1:45). Kelley, an Olympics enthusiast, also discusses this year’s Opening Ceremonies in Paris (3:54) and explain...
Aug 01, 2024•34 min
*Note: This episode was recorded before the US Supreme Court in Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine unanimously rejected a lawsuit challenging the FDA's rules for prescribing and dispensing the abortion medication mifepristone on the issue of standing. American University School of Public Affairs professor, lawyer, and reproductive rights and policy expert Jessica Waters joins Big World to discuss the status of abortion access and bodily autonomy in the US. The disc...
Jul 01, 2024•25 min
SIS online programs professor and intercultural consultant Melissa Hahn joins Big World to discuss the importance of fostering strong interpersonal relationships in the global workforce. Hahn is the author of a recent book titled, Forging Bonds in a Global Workforce: Build Rapport, Camaraderie, and Optimal Performance No Matter the Time Zone. Hahn, who teaches intercultural communication, begins our conversation by sharing her inspiration for writing this book with her colleague, Brandeis Univer...
May 30, 2024•17 min
School of International Service professor Patrick Thaddeus Jackson joins Big World to discuss imperialism, post-conflict societies, and the parallels between the Star Wars universe and our own. Jackson, the chair of the SIS Department of Global Inquiry, begins the discussion by describing how the original movie trilogy depicts the struggles of organizing a resistance movement (5:26). He also discusses how Star Wars shows such as Andor explore the lived experiences of everyday citizens under auto...
May 01, 2024•38 min
School of International Service professor Claudine Kuradusenge-McLeod joins Big World in this episode marking the 30th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. In 1994, a roughly 100-day massacre by Hutu militias targeting the Tutsi minority ethnic group resulted in the death of about 800,000 people, including Tutsis, moderate Hutus, and Twa. Kuradusenge-McLeod, who is a scholar-activist specializing in genocide studies, begins our discussion by describing, in broad strokes, the events that led up t...
Apr 01, 2024•38 min
In this episode, School of International Service professor Shadi Mokhtari joins Big World to discuss the history of protests in Iran, the unprecedented international reaction to Mahsa Amini’s death, and the greater impact of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests. Over a year has passed since Mahsa Amini was detained and died in Iran after being detained by Iran’s morality police for improperly wearing a hijab in September 2022. Her death sparked massive protests around the world and was the catalyst...
Mar 01, 2024•39 min
Organized labor is having a moment. In this episode, School of International Service professor Stephen Silvia joins Big World to discuss the evolution of the labor movement, the significance of the recent United Auto Workers strike and recent organizing attempts by both Starbucks and Amazon employees, and what the future holds for unions. Silvia, who researches comparative labor employment relations with a focus on the US and Germany, begins our conversation by discussing how union organizing ha...
Feb 01, 2024•37 min
Can you think of a stereotype or lie you’ve heard about Black people? Do you know how or when that stereotype came to be? In this episode, SIS professor Omekongo Dibinga joins Big World to discuss his new book, Lies About Black People: How to Combat Racist Stereotypes and Why it Matters, and explain how we can improve on our antiracist journeys. Dibinga begins our conversation by explaining the original idea and his research and writing process for the book (2:14), then moves to discussing how l...
Jan 02, 2024•31 min
Does throwing tomato soup at a famous painting force the world to respond to climate change? In this episode, Dana Fisher, School of International Service professor and director of American University’s Center for Environment, Community & Equity, joins Big World to discuss the evolution of climate activism, the demographic of people participating in climate protests, and the goal of more radical climate action. Fisher, whose research interests include climate activism, environmental stewards...
Dec 01, 2023•33 min
In this episode, School of International Service professor Tazreena Sajjad joins Big World to discuss the difference in global responses to Rohingya and Ukrainian refugees. Sajjad, an expert on refugees and forced displacement, begins our discussion with a brief overview of the history of the Rohingya refugee crisis (2:53). Sajjad also discusses life inside the refugee camps in Bangladesh (7:26) and explains how other countries and international aid organizations are working to help Rohingya ref...
Nov 01, 2023•35 min
In this episode, Guy Ziv, School of International Service professor and associate director of American University’s Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies, joins Big World to discuss democracy in Israel, the political longevity of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and current protests over Netanyahu’s attempts to limit the power of Israel’s highest court. Ziv, who teaches courses on US foreign policy, international negotiations, US-Israel relations, and Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, ...
Oct 02, 2023•35 min
In this episode, SIS professor Samantha Bradshaw joins Big World to discuss the spread of disinformation online in the US. Over the last decade in the United States, disinformation is a topic that has dominated discussions surrounding elections, political campaigns, COVID-19, and more. Bradshaw, who is a leading expert on new technologies and democracy, begins our discussion by explaining her definition of disinformation (1:41) and overviews the factors that have contributed to the rise of disin...
Sep 05, 2023•32 min
“Disinformation” and “misinformation” are two words we often hear, but how many people know what those words mean? How do we identify disinformation? How is it spread? The disinformation issue is not unique to the US, as countries around the world are facing the consequences of the spread of false and sometimes even harmful information. In this episode of Big World, SIS professor Sumitra Badrinathan joins us to discuss disinformation and misinformation in India (1:17) and the ways in which the s...
Aug 01, 2023•25 min
This July marks 33 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed — a landmark law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, communications, and government resources. The ADA is meant to protect people with disabilities from discrimination in everyday life, and the law’s signing made the US the first country in the world to adopt a declaration of equality for persons with disabilities. The legacy of th...
Jul 05, 2023•35 min
Together, Pakistan and India account for nearly a quarter of the world’s population. The two nations and their peoples also have made innumerable contributions to the world’s great religions, history, and culture. In this episode of Big World, SIS professor Akbar Ahmed joins us to talk about the interfaith dynamics within and between India and Pakistan; their global roles and influence; and his own influential career as a diplomat, scholar, and author. Ambassador Ahmed briefly explains the origi...
Jun 01, 2023•36 min
Classified information is utilized by nearly every agency in the government, but what happens when that information is leaked or mishandled? After classified documents were discovered in the private residences of both former and current presidents, and classified Pentagon documents were leaked online, classified documents and their handling have become a hot topic of discussion. In this episode of Big World, former FBI intelligence analyst Jorhena Thomas, SIS/MA ’04, joins us to discuss the clas...
May 01, 2023•25 min
Whenever we hear the word corruption, we always think that it’s others who are corrupt; it’s never the people we support, and it’s certainly never us. In this episode of Big World, SIS professor Malini Ranganathan and AU’s College of Arts and Sciences professor David Pike join us to talk about corruption, the stories we tell about it, and the narratives to which we cling. Professors Ranganathan and Pike discuss the inspiration behind their recent book, “Corruption Plots,” and explain why the sto...
May 01, 2023•31 min
Since its inception in 1949, NATO has expanded both its size and role to keep up with a changing world. Its initial role as a counterweight to the Soviet Union was both reenforced and updated when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In this episode of Big World, SIS professor and former dean Jim Goldgeier joins us to discuss the enlargement and role of NATO from its inception to today. Professor Goldgeier discusses the thought process behind his latest book about NATO enlargement and explai...
Apr 03, 2023•32 min
The United States military is the most powerful in the world; it is ordered from within by a strict hierarchy—people in uniform—and from without by civilian leadership, or people in suits. The Joint Chiefs of Staff bridge the gap between the military and executive branches to maintain the balance between military and civilian leadership. In this episode of Big World, SIS professor Sharon Weiner joins us to discuss the roles of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs ...
Mar 01, 2023•33 min
The continent of Europe has been home to every conceivable type of government over thousands of years, with democracy being the dominant force since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Yet, with the elections of far-right politicians across the continent in recent years, the landscape has changed. In this episode of Big World, SIS professor and Transatlantic Policy Center co-director Garret Martin joins us to evaluate what this shift toward right-...
Feb 01, 2023•35 min
The United States has been the leader in digital technology and innovation for decades. However, in recent years, the race between countries to control this space has become closer than ever. In this episode of Big World, SIS professor Daniel Gerstein joins us to explore the global technology war and the power that comes from being its winner at every stage. Gerstein discusses his new book “Tech Wars: Transforming US Technology Development” (1:25) and how the US rose to the top of the global tec...
Jan 03, 2023•31 min
December 1 is World AIDS Day, and January 2023 marks 20 years of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which provides for groundbreaking AIDS treatment, prevention, and research. In this episode of Big World, SIS dean Shannon Hader, an expert in infectious diseases and epidemiology and a global leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS, joins us to explore how the AIDS response informed policies during the outbreak of COVID-19 and how politics impacts the public perception of publi...
Dec 01, 2022•36 min
