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New Books in Higher Education

New Books in Higher Education

By: New Books Network
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 This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetworkNew Books Network Social Sciences
Episodes
  • A Light in the Tower: A New Reckoning with Mental Health in Higher Education

    A Light in the Tower: A New Reckoning with Mental Health in Higher Education
    Feb 26 2026
    A Light in the Tower argues that excellent education and radical support for mental health struggles can coexist, and provides detailed advice for how to do so. Dr. Katie Rose Guest Pryal debunks claims that supporting student mental health harms educational rigor (coining the term “rigor angst” to discuss the fear that rigor is declining). She outlines actionable steps professors and administrators can take, including abandoning ableist and exclusionary campus culture; replacing “bad-hard” work that creates unnecessary logistical difficulties for students in favor of “good-hard” work that challenges them intellectually; providing an easy path to disability accommodations; and teaching accessibly for neurodivergent students. Dr. Pryal examines the anxiety that plagues campuses as a result of exploited and overworked contingent faculty and students, the systemic and institutional burnout that affects higher education at every level, and the market-driven culture of toxic overwork. Addressing the stigma that haunts mental disability on campus, the ableism that hounds our teaching, and the cascade of mental health struggles that far too many faculty and students face, Dr. Pryal provides straightforward solutions to complex challenges. Our guest is: Dr. Katie Rose Guest Pryal, who is an author, neurodiversity expert, and adjunct professor of law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the author of A Light in the Tower, and other works including the award-winning Even If You’re Broken: Bodies, Boundaries, and Mental Health. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who is an academic writing coach and editor. She is the producer and creator of the Academic Life podcast. Playlist: Sitting Pretty Navigating the pandemic in college Designing & Facilitating Workshops With Intentionality A Pedagogy of Kindness How To Organize Inclusive Events and Conferences Contingent Faculty and the Remaking of Higher Education The Power of Play in Higher Education Disabled Ecologies Teaching While Nerdy Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! Please join us again to learn from more experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 300+ Academic Life episodes? Find them here. And thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Preacher, Teacher, and Founder: On Princeton's famous President, John Witherspoon

    Preacher, Teacher, and Founder: On Princeton's famous President, John Witherspoon
    Feb 26 2026
    Madison’s Notes is back and with a new host, Ryan Shinkel. In this episode to start off Season 5, I interview Dr. Kevin DeYoung, a popular author, Presbyterian pastor, as well as noted theologian and historian. Drawing on DeYoung’ book, The Religious Formation of John Witherspoon (2020), we dive into Witherspoon’s fascinating life as a Scottish preacher and Reformed apologist who became the president of Princeton University, one of America’s Founding Fathers and signers of the Declaration of Independence, and a teacher and mentor to James Madison. We examine the place Witherspoon takes in the history of American and religious thought, as well as how he models a spirit of religious devotion with republican self-government in an example that is still relevant for us today. The transcript for this interview is available on our new Substack page. Madison’s Notes is the podcast of Princeton University’s James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • Karen Schupp and Sherrie Barr eds., "Stories We Dance / Stories We Tell: Essays on Dance in Higher Education" (McFarland, 2025)

    Karen Schupp and Sherrie Barr eds., "Stories We Dance / Stories We Tell: Essays on Dance in Higher Education" (McFarland, 2025)
    Feb 15 2026
    Higher education continually mediates long standing traditions while seeking new ways of thinking, creating a quiet tension as institutions respond to shifting and multiple socio-cultural values. Dance programs, not immune to these currents, must consider intersecting obligations to build a more equitable curriculum, meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population, and prepare students for a wider array of dance-based careers. In view of their critical role in stewarding the next generation of dance artists-educators-scholars-leaders and fostering change in higher education, faculty must give more attention to the experiences of those committed to dance in higher education.Stories We Dance / Stories We Tell: Essays on Dance in Higher Education (McFarland, 2025) articulates and considers these lived experiences, revealing the inner workings of dance in higher education. Autoethnographic essays varying in style and scope illuminate the pressures encountered across one’s career trajectory. By unearthing and contextualizing hidden challenges, expectations, and opportunities, the authors speak to possibilities for how proactive change in dance education can occur. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    40 mins
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