Critical Connections

Pockets of Care: Conflict as a Tool to Build Community

We need community now more than ever...but what does that look like?  As we navigate connecting with others and learning from other ways of knowing, we’re likely not going to learn them from people who look or live like us, and certainly we’re not going to learn them from people we agree with on everything. We are likely going to disagree and argue; we will have conflict.  But is there a way to do that doesn’t cause harm? Can conflict be productive, or generative even?  Can conflict pull us closer to care, closer to solutions, closer together?  Emily Taylor, an expert conflict mediator and an ombudsman at Utah Valley University, joins us as we discuss how to have conversations that matter, and how we can use them to build the connections we need to survive and thrive.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed within this podcast do not necessarily reflect Utah Valley University, UVU's Ombuds Office, or UVU's Center for Social Impact.
References:
brown, a.m. (2017). Emergent Strategy. (pp. 3). AK Press.
Needelman, J. (2023, March 14). Forget Utopia. Ignore Dystopia. Embrace Protopia! The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/special-series/protopia-movement.html
Limón, A. (2022). The End of Poetry. The Hurting Kind. Milkweed Editions.
Taylor, E. (2021). Conflict Fluent.

BONUS EPISODE: Dezi Lynn Full Interview - Hózhǫ

BONUS EPISODE: Listen to the full interview with Dezi Lynn, and get new insights into how the Diné worldview inspires an approach of balance and harmony known as Hózhǫ.  Dezi also shares upcoming events and opportunities for UVU students and the local Orem community to get involved.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect Utah Valley University or UVU's Center for Social Impact.

Surviving the Apocalypse: Looking to Other Ways of Knowing to Survive and Thrive

The Critical Mass Podcast returns for it's third season with a reinvigorated focus, and a new name; Critical Connections. We're going to talk about the new name, what it means, and honor the name we came from. We also turn our eyes to the future, to confront what can feel like an apocalyptic time in our history. We're joined by Dezi Lynn, a Diné educator whose expertise in pattern-recognition and empowering ways of knowing and learning will help us consider potential pathways to surviving, and maybe thriving, through the future.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed within this podcast do not necessarily reflect Utah Valley University or UVU's Center for Social Impact.
References:
brown, a.m. (2017). Emergent Strategy. (pp. 3). AK Press.
Kimmerer, R.W. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass. (pp. 207). Milkweed Editions.

Thinkers and Makers: STEM vs Humanities Part 2

Dani wants to know what goes on in STEM departments at UVU. She talks to students of all walks of life to understand how narratives about STEM--who belongs, and who doesn't--affect those who study the 'hard' sciences.Due to the nature of this episode, the interviews are sprinkled throughout rather than sectioned off as in previous episodes. While our intention was to have every interviewer introduce themselves once at the beginning and then rely on listeners to recognize their voice later in the episode, about half of the introductins were lost, and listeners reported difficulty knowing who was talking when. I've provide timecodes below for the interviewees, and I apologize to them--especially those who provided me with beautiful introductions which were not used in the final cut--and to listeners who have a difficult time following the narrative. Thank you all for a wonderful year, and I hope you enjoy the final episode.Timecodes:Diana Molina 6:20, 18:50, 32:31Pedro Del Valle 12:55, 30:30, 35:55Abigail Gutierrez Carmona 16:38Tayler Fearn 17:39, 29:28NOTE: The opinions expressed are those of the podcast participants alone, and do not necessarily represent Utah Valley University or the UVU Center for Social Impact.

Bonus Episode 7: Dr. Kyle Kamaiopili Full Interview

Dani and Kyle talk about artNOTE: The opinions expressed are those of the podcast participants alone, and do not necessarily represent Utah Valley University or the UVU Center for Social Impact.

Bonus Episode 6: Hula Kalua-Santiago Full Interview [Fixed Audio]

Dani and Hula talk about art and its role in social and personal change.NOTE: The opinions expressed are those of the podcast participants alone, and do not necessarily represent Utah Valley University or the UVU Center for Social Impact.Other Note: Due to an audio issue, this has been reuploaded.

Bonus Episode 5: Dr. Hilary Hungerford

Dani chats with Dr. Hilary Hungerford, a UVU Earth Science professor who specializes in sustainability issues. She and Dani chat about the Great Salt Lake climate crisis, Utah Lake, and other environmental issues.NOTE: The opinions expressed are those of the podcast participants alone, and do not necessarily represent Utah Valley University or the UVU Center for Social Impact.Link to Dr. Hilary Hungerford's instagram, where she posts about her research project in Mongolia:https://www.instagram.com/a_geographer_in_mongolia/

An Overthought Narrative: Humanities vs STEM Part 1

Would you like fries with that English degree? Dani pits the Humanities and STEM against each other in this double feature to settle once and for all which arm of education ought to be amputated in the name of cost-effective efficient synergetic return on investment DBA incentive.Dani interviews UVU Doctor-professors Zan Cammack, an English Literature professor and host of "The Thing About Austen," Ezgi Sertler, and Leslie Simon to figure out why someone would devote their entire life to studying the humanities.The Thing About Austen:https://open.spotify.com/show/7iqMz2b039yva3AQXjRH3O?si=8408b64dbf734b61SOURCES: 
https://www.britannica.com/topic/humanities 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanities 
https://www.rep.routledge.com/articles/thematic/humanism-renaissance/v-1#:~:text=Renaissance%20humanists%20understood%20by%20studia,The%20dominant%20discipline%20was%20rhetoric. 
https://www.uvu.edu/visitors/history.html 
https://www.uvu.edu/chss/#departments *includes sub-pages (i.e., “English & Literature” page, etc.) for the specific departments. These sub-pages can be accessed through this page. 
 Personal experience. Trust me on this. Also https://www.uvu.edu/undergrad-research/uvu-journals.html 
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/03/us/liberal-arts-college-degree-humanities.html 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/willarddix/2018/03/28/eliminating-the-humanities-decimates-every-students-education/?sh=79741075803e 
https://president.mla.hcommons.org/2022/08/10/the-humanities-crisis-is-a-funding-crisis/ 
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jun/29/the-guardian-view-on-arts-and-humanities-under-threat-on-campus 
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-decline-of-liberal-arts-and-humanities-western-philosophy-college-students-major-degrees-progressive-conservative-odysseus-6f327963 
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/12/the-real-reason-the-humanities-are-in-crisis/282441/ *First two paragraphs in the free preview of the article. 
https://corriganliteraryreview.wordpress.com/2017/03/11/want-a-job-with-that-english-degree/ 
https://time.com/3964415/ceo-degree-liberal-arts/ 
https://www.businessinsider.com/successful-liberal-arts-majors-2012-12#jerry-brown-governor-of-california-and-classics-major-at-uc-berkeley-27 
https://www.uvualumni.org/s/1045/bp21/interior.aspx?sid=1045&gid=1&pgid=320 
NOTE: The opinions expressed are those of the podcast participants alone, and do not necessarily represent Utah Valley University or the UVU Center for Social Impact.

Bonus Episode 4: Full Interview with Eriona and Eugene

In this double-feature bonus episode, Eriona and Eugene discuss their art, activism, and indigeneity with Dani.NOTE: The opinions expressed are those of the podcast participants alone, and do not necessarily represent Utah Valley University or the UVU Center for Social Impact.

Bonus Episode 3: Full Interview with Camlyn and Carl

Carl and Camlyn, practitioners from Provo's mindfulness community "Awakening Valley Sangha" chat with Dani about mindfulness, spirituality, the dangers of appropriation, and responsible practice. Listen to the full interview here!