A podcast for curious people! Shanny Luft, administrator and professor of religion at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, talks with experts about a broad range of topics from the sciences, pop culture, media, politics, and the arts. "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." - Dorothy Parker
…
continue reading
Of the Earth is a podcast created by Cortney Chaffin and Ellen Larson, two art historians who have dedicated themselves to the study of over 5,000 years of material culture from China. The program’s title comes from the Chinese word 本土 (bentu), meaning “native soil.” In each episode, Of the Earth digs into a wide range of topics, introducing listeners to the many connections, complexities, and contradictions of Chinese art and culture, across time and space.
…
continue reading
This bodacious episode of No Cure for Curiosity was supported by Magic Mind. Magic Mind really helped with my productivity during this cold, dank Wisconsin weather. You can receive 20% off your next order by going to magicmind.com and entering the fly promo code "curiosity20". Please rate and review No Cure for Curiosity in your favorite podcast ap…
…
continue reading
If you are in a show hole, this episode is for you! Shanny talks with several guests who share their favorite movies, tv shows, and books from 2023. He also continues his conversation with media studies professors Kelly Wilz and Cary Elza about the biggest media news from last year. Movie and TV Suggestions: "Past Lives," a romantic drama film writ…
…
continue reading
Shanny Luft is curious about Barbie so he invited professors Cary Elza and Kelly Wilz in Media Studies at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, to talk about it. Why was Barbie the most successful movie of 2023? We also talked about the films that inspired Greta Gerwig's directing, the doll's effect on body image, our favorite (and least favor…
…
continue reading
In this episode, Cortney & Ellen interview Dr. Yiwen Liu a research assistant at the Cleveland Museum of Art about the special exhibition China's Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta (open till January 7, 2024). If you are in the Cleveland area, be sure to check out this extraordinary exhibition! The exhibition catalogue is curr…
…
continue reading
The power of curiosity compels you! On this episode, we talked about William Friedkin's The Exorcist with Cary Elza, (Associate Professor of Media Studies from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point) and Kathryn Lofton (the Lex Hickson professor of American studies and religious studies, professor of history and divinity at Yale University.) Whe…
…
continue reading
On this episode of No Cure for Curiosity, I spoke with Stephen Prothero, author, religion scholar, and now retired professor from Boston University. Throughout his career Stephen Prothero has promoted thoughtful public consideration about religion. He has been published in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street, and many other new…
…
continue reading
On this episode of No Cure for Curiosity, I asked five people to share their favorite media of the last year! If you are in a show hole or looking for a new novel for your book club, this episode is for you! Lauren Gantz, Associate Professor English at UWSP Everything, Everywhere All at Once (Movie) Reservation Dogs (Streaming on Hulu) What We Do I…
…
continue reading
In our first episode of 2023, Shanny talks with Cary Elza and Kevin Obsatz, two media studies professors at UWSP, about the career of James Cameron and his latest movie, Avatar: The Way of Water. We talked about the themes that have dominated Cameron's career, his particular skill for getting audiences pumped up, and what we thought of the second f…
…
continue reading
Part 2 of our conversation with award-winning director and producer Violet Du Feng. We talk about her recent documentary film Hidden Letters, which follows the stories of two millennial Chinese women connected by their love of Nushu, a secret language of sisterhood that dates back hundreds of years. For more on Feng's film see: www.hiddenlettersfil…
…
continue reading
In part 1 of this two-part conversation, we sit down with award-winning director and producer Violet Du Feng to talk about her most recent film Hidden Letters, a documentary that follows the stories of two millennial Chinese women connected by their love of Nushu, a secret language of sisterhood that dates back hundreds of years. For more on Feng's…
…
continue reading
November 2022 would have been the 100-birthday of Charles Schulz. To wrap up the second year of No Cure for Curiosity, we were curious about Schulz and his strip, Peanuts with Rob Stolzer, Professor of Art, and Neil Prendergast, U.S. Historian, from UWSP. What made Peanuts such an iconic comic strip in the second half of the 20th century? What is P…
…
continue reading
For Halloween, Shanny Luft speaks with Robert Jadin, an evolutionary biologist, and Chris Diehm, an environmental ethicist, about SNAKES! How did snakes evolve? Why do they scare us? What do snakes taste like? (Plus, we talk about snake sex if you're curious about that sort of thing.) Check out this creepy episode of No Cure for Curiosity! (And tel…
…
continue reading
Shanny Luft speaks with Vera Klekovkina (Department of World Languages), Joshua Horn (Department of Philosophy), and Tomi Heimonen (Department of Computer Science) about their thoughts and concerns about robots. This episode was inspired by UW-Stevens Point College of Letters and Science Community Engagement series, "When Robots Rule the World." Fr…
…
continue reading
What does Bodhidharma (founder of Zen Buddhism) have to do with Van Gogh? In this episode Cortney & Ellen sat down to talk about NYC-based artist Zhang Hongtu, political pop, and a series of ink paintings where Zhang Hongtu merges Bodhidharma and Van Gogh to challenge "East" and "West" dualities. The question "Why did Bodhidharma come from the West…
…
continue reading
In 2021, Ken Burns released a 3-part documentary about Ernest Hemingway, which inspired my conversation about Hemingway with English professor Ross Tangedal and PhD candidate Katie Warczak. Should we still care about Hemingway? Or should he be canceled? If you do not learn new things about Hemingway from this conversation, you can have your money b…
…
continue reading
In this episode of Of the Earth we chat about one our all time favorites, contemporary artist Xu Bing 徐冰. We share our experiences co-curating his 2012 exhibition at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, along with the artist's many Wisconsin connections. Considering works like Book from the Sky (1987-1991) and Background Story: A New Approach…
…
continue reading
In December 2021, writer and director Lana Wachowski delivered the fourth movie in the Matrix universe, The Matrix Resurrections, after a 20-year wait. Shanny invited Kelly Wilz, Professor of Communications, and Cary Elza, Associate Professor of Media Studies, to chat about the the new film and the entire Matrix saga. What made the original film so…
…
continue reading
With the Super Bowl a week away, and the Olympics playing out now, Shanny invited Robert Sirabian, professor of English at UWSP, and Art Remillard, professor of Religious Studies at St. Francis University in Pennsylvania, to talk about sports, community, narrative, heroes, transcendence, and politics. Readings referenced in this podcast: Arthur Rem…
…
continue reading
Shanny talks with Andy Felt, mathematics professor at UWSP, about ranked-choice voting. What is it? How does it work? Where is it already being used? And how would it change the culture of extreme partisanship in the United States? Share your thoughts about the video on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/NoCureforCuriosityPodcast. Send comments to…
…
continue reading
Just in time for Halloween, Cortney & Ellen sit down with New York Times Bestselling author Yangsze Choo to talk about her debut novel The Ghost Bride. We dig deep into the origins of this ghostly murder mystery that takes us on a journey from late 19th century Malaya into the Plains of the Dead and beyond. How would you feel if you received a prop…
…
continue reading
Shanny talks about Zombies with Kelly J Baker, a religious studies PhD, editor, and award-winning author of five books, including The Zombies are Coming, and Cary Elza, professor Media Studies at UWSP, who teaches courses on screenwriting, film and media analysis, history and genre. Share your thoughts about the video on our Facebook page, www.face…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Bonus Episode: The Politics and Pyrotechnics of Cai Guo-Qiang's "Sky Ladder" with Shanny Luft
35:07
Recently, Cortney & Ellen sat down with Shanny Luft, host of podcast No Cure for Curiosity and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, to talk about contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang and the Netflix documentary Sky Ladder. We discussed the impact and scale of Cai's explosion events, the collaborative nature of his work, and the prec…
…
continue reading
Shanny talks with Cortney Chaffin, an art historian at UWSP, and Ellen Larson, a PhD candidate at the University of Pittsburgh, about Cai Guo-Qiang. Cai is a Chinese artist renowned for his firework art you have to see to believe. We watched the documentary Sky Ladder, available on Netflix, which documented Cai's effort to complete an art piece he …
…
continue reading
Shanny talks with Kimiko Matsumura, an art historian, and Chad Seales, a scholar of religion and culture, about Lizzo and the video for "Rumors." Why was the video set in an ancient Greek and Roman visual world? How does the song and video reflect Lizzo's message of body positivity? And did Cardi B have her baby yet?! All this and more is covered o…
…
continue reading
In the first episode of the second semester, we are curious about Stephen Colbert and American Catholicism. So we invited Stephanie Brehm, author of America's Most Famous Catholic (According to Himself): Stephen Colbert and American Religion in the 21st Century. And joining us is Mary Ellen O'Donnell, author of Ingrained Habits: Growing up Catholic…
…
continue reading
In this episode, Cortney & Ellen dig into one of the earliest existing records of writing found anywhere in the world. Once believed to be dragon bones, these objects have evoked fascinating, even controversial links between the past and the present. So settle in as we discuss prophetic tortoises. Show notes: Curious about King Wu Ding's favorite w…
…
continue reading
In this episode, Cortney & Ellen discuss everyone's favorite 2,000 year old Chinese mummy who dreamed of immortality. How was this ancient Han dynasty woman's body so well preserved? Why did she drink mercury regularly and how do we know? What do objects in her tomb have to do with lunar exploration and Netflix? Tune in to find out! If you enjoy th…
…
continue reading
Ever felt overwhelmed by how many Chinese dynasties there are to learn?! In this bonus episode, Cortney & Ellen introduce the "Chinese Dynasties Song," an incredible tool for learning the names of the Chinese dynasties. Impress your friends at the next cocktail party! Fair warning--this tune is an earworm. Before you know it, everyone will be singi…
…
continue reading
In Episode 1, Cortney and Ellen discuss contemporary artist Cao Fei's latest retrospective organized by UCCA Center for Contemporary Art. Link to "Cao Fei: Staging the Era" virtual guided tour with UCCA's director and CEO Philip Tinari and Cao Fei : https://www.theartnewspaper.com/interview/cao-fei-ucca.…
…
continue reading
Series introduction to Of the Earth--A podcast that digs into the connections, complexities, and contradictions of Chinese art across time and space.
…
continue reading
Shanny talks with Political Science John Blakeman about the Supreme Court. What have been some of the most interesting and important cases from this past term? How have the three new justices impacted the rulings of the Supreme Court? Shanny is curious. How would you rule in these cases? Continue the conversation on our Facebook page at www.faceboo…
…
continue reading
Please rate and review No Cure for Curiosity in your favorite podcast app. And tell your friends who might also enjoy No Cure for Curiosity! It helps other people find the show. And continue the conversation on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NoCureforCuriosityPodcast. Our intro music was written by UWSP music student Derek Carden and our log…
…
continue reading
In our fifth episode of Season 1, Shanny talks with Cary Elza and Valerie Barske about Godzilla and King Kong. We had such a great and wide-ranging conversation, we're splitting it into two parts. In part I, we primarily focus on the original Godzilla and King Kong films. In part 2, which will be released May 10, we focus on the new film, Godzilla …
…
continue reading
In our fourth episode of Season 1, Shanny talks with Kelly Wilz and Cary Elza, two UWSP professors in The Department of Media Studies, about Netflix's Big Mouth! If you are enjoying No Cure for Curiosity, please tell a friend about us. It helps other people find the show. And please continue the conversation on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com…
…
continue reading
In our third episode, Shanny talks with Chris Diehm, Professor of Philosophy and program director of Environmental Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and Ella Janson, a UWSP alum who holds degrees in Environmental Ethics, Drama, and History. In this episode, we talk about the study of Deep Ecology, our own relationships with natur…
…
continue reading
In our second episode, Shanny talks with Dona Warren, the Director of the Critical Thinking Center at UWSP, and Ross Tangedal, Assistant Professor of English and Director of the Cornerstone Press at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, about swear words. In 1972 (49 years ago!) George Carlin released his famous bit "Seven Dirty Words." I want…
…
continue reading
In our first episode, Shanny talks with Lindsay Bernhagen, the Director of the Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning at UWSP, and Wyatt Cross, a graduate from UWSP, about Wonder Woman 1984. Send your comments to nocureforcuriosity@outlook.com. Some texts referenced in this podcast: Allison Bechdel's Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic Jill Lapore's …
…
continue reading
No Cure for Curiosity is a podcast promoting educational curiosity. Every two weeks, Shanny Luft, Associate Dean of General Education at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, will invite friends and colleagues to talk about things we are curious about, from Netflix's Big Mouth to the Supreme Court, from God to Godzilla. Send your comments t…
…
continue reading