Episodes

  • Animal Farm: Sowing Seeds of Doubt in the Russian Revolution
    Jan 23 2024

    Why do we still read Animal Farm today? Where did the idea for Animal Farm even come from? What can Animal Farm teach us about the hopes and harms of socialism and communism?


    Written and recorded by Troy Ashkinos and Audrey Thorne.


    If you want to help me with a future episode, you can email me at athorne@alumni.harvard.edu and cc a family member if you’re under 18. With their permission, we may even record one together!


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    12 mins
  • Jury Duty: The Moral Implications of a Real Life Truman Show
    Jan 14 2024

    What if your life is really a tv show and everyone you know are paid actors? Amazon's new hit show Jury Duty puts the question to the test.


    Written and recorded by Troy Ashkinos and Audrey Thorne


    If you want to help me with a future episode, you can email me at athorne@alumni.harvard.edu and cc a family member if you’re under 18. With their permission, we may even record one together!

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    14 mins
  • This Barbie is a Feminist
    Dec 31 2023

    What makes Barbie so controversial? Is Barbie a feminist film? What do most people miss on the first watch? All this and more!


    Episode written and recorded by Nathan Lu and Audrey Thorne.


    If you want to help me with a future episode, you can email me at athorne@alumni.harvard.edu and cc a family member if you’re under 18. With their permission, we may even record one together!

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    28 mins
  • In the Heights and Out of College: How to Afford Your Degree
    Nov 28 2023

    College is expensive, financial aid is limited, and student loans are burdensome, as Nina from In The Heights plainly shows us. How can you afford the college experience you so deserve and the credentials for your dream career? Quinton Lampkin can help!


    Written and recorded by Quinton Lampkin and Audrey Thorne.


    If you want to help me with a future episode, you can email me at athorne@alumni.harvard.edu and cc a family member if you’re under 18. With their permission, we may even record one together!

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    23 mins
  • 1984 & Modern High Tech Surveillance
    Nov 7 2023

    What is government surveillance? Why is 1984 still so relevant today? Written and recorded by Troy Ashkinos and Audrey Thorne If you want to help me with a future episode, you can email me at athorne@alumni.harvard.edu and cc a family member if you’re under 18. With their permission, we may even record one together!


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    17 mins
  • Shawshank Redemption: Can We Redeem Our Prison System
    Sep 21 2023

    What does Shawshank Redemption warn about prisons? How true are these concerns about our prison system in the United States? Should we look to Scandinavian countries as a model for prison reform? Written by Troy Ashkinos and Audrey Thorne


    Sources from this episode can be found here.


    If you want to help me with a future episode, you can email me at athorne@alumni.harvard.edu and cc a family member if you’re under 18. With their permission, we may even record one together!


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    13 mins
  • To Kill a Mockingbird: The Destruction of Ignorance
    Aug 28 2023

    What do the lead characters in To Kill a Mockingbird represent? What can they teach us about how we should act in our own lives?

    Written by Troy Ashkinos and Audrey Thorne


    Sources from this episode can be found here.


    If you want to help me with a future episode, you can email me at athorne@alumni.harvard.edu and cc a family member if you’re under 18. With their permission, we may even record one together!

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    22 mins
  • Lord of the Flies: King of Morality and Human Nature
    Aug 12 2023

    What does the classic novel and film, Lord of the Flies, teach us about morality? Are people naturally good or bad? What is the role of government in our lives? How can we make the world a better, less chaotic and harmful place?


    Written by Troy Ashkinos and Audrey Thorne


    Sources from this episode can be found ⁠here⁠.


    If you want to help me with a future episode, you can email me at athorne@alumni.harvard.edu and cc a family member if you’re under 18. With their permission, we may even record one together!

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    13 mins