Humanities Minutes

Series produced by Victoria Davis

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Short, focused pieces on all things having to do with the humanities, including philosophy, literature, history, and education. These pieces are written for the Humanities Media Project by graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin.

Ever wondered where your mind ends and the world begins? Ever questioned the idea of morality or tried to challenge a widely held assumption? Listen up! We're making the same kinds of queries here, from a variety of perspectives within the humanities--literary, philosophical, historical, and cultural.

This series offers episodes on all things relevant to the humanities, from philosophical quandaries to pop cultural musings and beyond. Each piece is written by a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin and produced on campus in the College of Liberal Arts.


116 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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This episode--our 100th!--updates an episode we published on February 24, 2016, to reflect current events and changes in the meaning of the Pepe me...

  • Added: Mar 23, 2017
  • Length: 04:58
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Today's episode explores the history of anxiety about nakedness.

  • Added: Feb 22, 2017
  • Length: 04:29
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Today's episode explores the nuances of how historians research, think about, and explain history.

  • Added: Feb 15, 2017
  • Length: 06:03
Caption: Yap stone money at the village of Gachpar on Yap. , Credit: Photograph taken by Eric Guinther in May 2002 and released under the GNU Free Documentation License. {{GFDL}}
Today's episode is part of our series on the current state of currency. It will have you questioning if cash truly is king.

  • Added: Feb 08, 2017
  • Length: 04:49
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This episode will explore the power of narrative in diagnosing patients.

  • Added: Jan 24, 2017
  • Length: 05:00
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This episode explores the shifts taking place in the food industry to advocate for cage-free eggs.

  • Added: Jan 18, 2017
  • Length: 03:27
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In this episode we explore our artistic love affair with our feline friends.

Bought by KCPW Salt Lake City


  • Added: Jan 10, 2017
  • Length: 04:35
  • Purchases: 1
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In this episode, we explore how pajamas relate to class, culture, and colonialism.

  • Added: Jan 04, 2017
  • Length: 04:21
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This episode explores what we want from our public schools, and why we don’t always get it.

Bought by KFOI Radio and KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio


  • Added: Dec 14, 2016
  • Length: 05:05
  • Purchases: 2
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This episode explores how the memory of our history changes over time.

Bought by RadioStPete Florida and RadioStPete Florida


  • Added: Dec 07, 2016
  • Length: 05:08
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Campus Carry protest at UT Austin, 2015., Credit: Austin American-Statesman
This episode explores why arguments so often fall apart.

Bought by WRST-FM Oshkosh


  • Added: Nov 30, 2016
  • Length: 04:28
  • Purchases: 1
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Today's episode will have you questioning what makes you YOU.

  • Added: Nov 22, 2016
  • Length: 05:07
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This episode explores how historical fiction teaches history.

  • Added: Nov 09, 2016
  • Length: 04:31
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This episode explores makeshift memorials and long-term memory.

  • Added: Nov 03, 2016
  • Length: 04:55
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This episode explores what dolls can teach us about history.

Bought by KFOI Radio


  • Added: Oct 26, 2016
  • Length: 04:13
  • Purchases: 1
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This episode will have you questioning the nature of our legal and moral relationships to our fellow animals.

  • Added: Oct 19, 2016
  • Length: 03:54
Caption: Automaton in the Swiss Museum CIMA
This episode looks at the philosophy of René Descartes and the tale of his “Clockwork Daughter”

  • Added: Oct 12, 2016
  • Length: 04:19
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This episode is about art and imagery that’s gone to the dogs.

  • Added: Mar 23, 2017
  • Length: 04:19
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This episode explores the intertwined history of politics and rhetoric

Bought by KFOI Radio


  • Added: Mar 23, 2017
  • Length: 05:02
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Erin Heatherton, Kweku Mandela, Ndaba Mandela & Paul Kagame speak at 2014 Global Citizen Festival to end poverty by 2030 in Central Park on September 27, 2014 in New York City.
This episode examines Paul Kagame’s 2017 bid for reelection in Rwanda.

Bought by KFOI Radio


  • Added: Sep 07, 2016
  • Length: 05:22
  • Purchases: 1