Season 2 (May 2019 - May 2020)

Episode 26 - Prison Creative Arts Project from the Artists' Perspective (21:43) April 3, 2020

Listen to the latest episode of the RC Podcast and celebrate the 25th Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners put on by the Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP). It is one of the largest exhibitions of art by incarcerated artists in the country. Hear from formerly incarcerated artists, now on the outside, and members of the curatorial team about the founding of the exhibition, the process of and criteria for artwork selection, and what making art does for incarcerated people. Where is the most common place to make art in prison? How far - and deep - does the PCAP network span? Listen to find out.

Episode 25 - Food at Michigan: RC Students Discuss the Dining Experience on Campus (21:00) March 2, 2020

Honestly, how is the food at the University of Michigan? Can you survive on the meal plan? Hint: you can. But is the food good? What do students really think? Listen to the episode to find out ;-). From meal plans, to the seven all-access dining halls, to the East Quad Blue Cafe, to the EQ kitchens, to Ann Arbor restaurant recommendations, we’ve got you covered. You’ll hear from current RC Students—Mecca Durhal, Hayden Graves, Jasmin Lee, Arjun Thakkar, and Hannah Glass-Chapman—as they each describe their own dining experiences as U of M students.

Read the transcript of this episode at this link. 

Episode 24 - Being STEM in the RC, imposter syndrome, and meeting RC people everywhere (21:50) February 4, 2020

Sometimes prospective students ask us if they can pursue studies in STEM as an RC student. Our answer is always a resounding, "YES!" To set the record straight, Maeve Pascoe and Rachel Hurwitz from the class of 2018 talk on the latest episode of #theRCPodcast about their experiences in STEM research and premed coursework while studying in the Residential College. We discuss how they've felt being women in the field, what imposter syndrome can look like, and how even a bad grade in organic chemistry can't stop you from a successful career in medicine. 

Episode 23 - Student-facilitated learning spaces at U-M: RC Forums (22:07) January 2, 2020

"When else are you going to have this opportunity where a world-class university is giving you credit on your transcript to talk about sex with your peers? When does that happen?" The answer is the RC Forums program, a fully student-initiated and -led learning space open to all U-M that grants Residential College participants credit to learn about a topic like diversity in politics, feminism, art, and dance, without a faculty or staff member in the room. There are currently 12 active forums, but students create new ones or retire legacy ones as their interests fluctuate like their major declarations. This episode features five student forum leaders and the RC student affairs coordinator, Esha Biswas. 

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Episode 22 - The RC Social Theory & Practice Major (19:52) December 2, 2019

Have you ever wondered how displaced people develop a relationship to the physical land in their new home region, or how school-age youth are responding to rising gun violence today? The RC Social Theory & Practice Major (STP) gives U-M students the latitude to design their own interdisciplinary plan of study, culminating in capstone projects like these. In this episode of #theRCPodcast, you'll meet Mani Samei and Ruby Schneider, two RC students currently at work on their senior projects, and you'll hear from Associate Head of STP, Jane Lynch. Explore the possibilities that this inter-, multi- and cross-disciplinary major offers, and what curiosities it can lead you to. 

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Episode 21 - The RC Review with Hannah Brauer, Editor-in-Chief (27:16) November 1, 2019

RC Senior Hannah Brauer introduces listeners to the RC Review, an annual student-run magazine for writers and artists in the Residential College community. Bonus: you'll hear from multiple writers and current RC Review staff members members reading recently published work, à la an open mic at a coffee shop. Hear about the new developments in digital content coming to the RC Review this year, and get ready to prep your submissions and send 'em along to [email protected]. 

Read the transcript of this episode here. 

Episode 20 - The Community of Food, Society & Justice Conference (23:29) October 1, 2019

The ways that we meet the nutritional needs of our communities, while also protecting the planet, promoting healthy lives, and ensuring food justice are among the greatest challenges facing our nation and the world today. Get to know the planning committee for the Community of Food, Society & Justice Conference, coming to the Residential College in October 2019. Listen up to learn about the conference panels and keynotes, student- and institution led-changes to food on campus, and about the lasting impacts that a group of farmers, academics and activists aim to create together in SE Michigan. 

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Episode 19 - Catherine Badgley on the Fossil Record, Baking Bread, and the RC (30:30) September 1, 2019

On July 1, 2019, Catherine Badgley became the 11th director of the Residential College, and the 3rd woman in the role. She is no stranger to the halls of East Quad; she's been teaching in the RC since the late 1980s. In this interview, Catherine discusses her research in the fossil records of Pakistan and the American southwest. She lays out her view of her role as Director of the RC, balancing innovation with continuation. She giggles a bit remembering her bread-baking entrepreneurial venture in her undergrad days. Get to know our new Director - and take her up on her offer to let her know what's on your mind. 

Read the transcript of this episode here. 

Episode 18 - Carmen Bugan '96 and the Language of Freedom (32:47) August 1, 2019

RC alumna Carmen Bugan, '96 Creative Writing, had a happy childhood in a small Romanian town. Little did she know then that her family was under 24-hour surveillance by Ceausescu's totalitarian regime due to her father's pro-democracy activism. In this episode, Carmen tells why her family's story is a dominant subject in her poetry, and how writing gives her a pathway to freedom. She explores how abandoning one language and adopting another - and being adopted by it - gave her a rebirth as an artist and a human being. Part shop-talk and part memoir, this interview was recorded when Carmen was on campus as the Helen L. DeRoy Visiting Professor in Honors in the fall of 2018. 

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Episode 17 - Camilla Lizundia '20 and Laura Chen-Lizundia '87 (26:17) July 1, 2019

It's fun to hear an RC alumna and a current RC student chat about changes in the RC over a 30 year period, but it's even more fun when you're privy to this conversation between Mom and daughter. Camilla Lizundia videoconferences with her Mom (and Robby) to talk about the RC philosophy about grades, building community in a learning environment, being out-of-state at U-M, and growing up with an RC alumna parent. Laura shares some advice useful for any student - not just her daughter - and we have a few hearty laughs along the way. 

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Episode 15 - Hank Greenspan and His Retirement (26:15) June 10, 2019

We bid bon voyage to "Uncle Hank" as he completes a fulfilling and rich 32 year career in the Residential College. In this interview, Hank touches on how he accidentally wound up in the RC, how he accidentally happened upon his scholarly passion for interviewing and "learning with" Holocaust survivors, and how he hopes we all can slow down to listen to each other more fully. Tune in for laughs, balance, and at times, poignancy. 

Episode 16 - Cindy Sowers and Her Retirement (10:33) June 19, 2019

Cindy Sowers, the venerated RC Arts and Ideas in the Humanities faculty member, has retired. We knew this would come but that knowing doesn't shield us from the shock and disorientation of the event itself! To pay homage to Cindy and her incredible 46 year career in the Residential College, I coaxed her into appearing on the RC Podcast. In this June episode part 2, Cindy delivers an address similar to the one she gave at the RC Commencement in May 2019, in which she makes a case for taking the plunge into a liberal arts educational journey with breadth, curiosity, and deep respect. Read the transcript of this episode here.

Episode 14 - Semester in Detroit at its 10th Anniversary (32:00) May 1, 2019

Semester in Detroit (SiD) is a cohort-style immersion experience created and based in the RC that takes place in the Cass Corridor. The program celebrated its 10th anniversary in April 2019, and the occasion gave us a chance to reflect on its student-led genesis, core elements of the SiD experience, and questions about how Detroit - and the program - have evolved since the first cohort in winter 2009. Get to know the founders, instructors, community partners and the enduring themes that are integral to a Semester in Detroit. 

Read the transcript for this episode here.