Wolftrax

Many Voices, One Planet (Earth Day Compilation 2025)

Welcome to the Third Annual Earth Day Compilation titled Many Voices, One Planet. This episode showcases semester-long student research from Dr. Kristen Brown's ENGL 201 Environmental Stewardship and Social Advocacy course.  Join us in celebrating both academic excellence and environmental stewardship as we hear from the next generation of sustainability leaders on this Earth Day. “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver read with the permission of The Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency as agent for the author. Copyright 1986, 2003, 2006, 2017 by Mary Oliver with permission of Bill Reichblum The host and creator of Wolftrax is Professor of Government Kenneth Blanchard. Kristen Brown is an assistant professor of English who focuses on Indigenous Literatures of North America.

The Power of the Funny

In this episode I talk with Assistant Professor of Sociology Pamela G. Monaghan-Geernaert and Associate Professor of Communications Liz Sills about Native American political humor.  Professors Monaghan-Geernaert and Sills have an article published in the volume Political Humor Worldwide: The Cultural Context of Political Comedy, Satire, and Parody, (ed. Ofer Feldman, Springer 2024).  The title of their article is "The Power of Funny: Indigenous High Art as Quiescence and Rebellion".  Here is an excerpt from the article. "In 2006 Apsáalooke artist Wendy Red Star released a print entitled The Last Thanks. Reminiscent of da Vinci’s The Last Supper, the piece features Red Star (in a traditional elk tooth dress) seated amid plastic skeletons wearing stereotypical Native headdresses at a table littered with unhealthy, prepackaged food...  The Last Thanks uses funny imagery to address this history with a message of looking toward the future with resilience while realistically confronting the horrors of the past.  The host and creator of Wolftrax is Professor of Government Kenneth Blanchard. Kristen Brown is an assistant professor of English who focuses on Indigenous Literatures of North America.

The Cop on the Corner

In this episode I interview newly minted PhD Lucas Wiscons and Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at NSU.  In this episode find out what real encounters between the police and civilians are like.  I also learn that there are such things as "ethnomethodology (the sociology of everyday life/commonsense knowledge) and conversation analysis (talk in interaction as the locus of social organization)".  If you are interested in how the police and the people they encounter view the interaction later, this is the show for you.   The host and creator of Wolftrax is Professor of Government Kenneth Blanchard. Kristen Brown is an assistant professor of English who focuses on Indigenous Literatures of North America.

All the President's Wins

Intrepid professor of government Jon Schaff and I discuss President Trump's amazing week.  Topics include DOGE, whether the Chief Executive will regain control over the executive branch, the state of the southern border, and the President's recent (not) State of the Union speech.   The host and creator of Wolftrax is Professor of Government Kenneth Blanchard. Kristen Brown is an assistant professor of English who focuses on Indigenous Literatures of North America.

Ukraine! Gaza! And Tariffs! Oh my!

In this episode, Professor Jon Schaff, Steven Usitalo, and myself discuss politics beyond our national borders.  President Trump is attempting to end wars in Southern Europe and the Middle East.  Will he be successful and if so, what will the peace look like?  Will aggression have turned a profit for Putin and Hamas?  How serious and how effective will President Trump's tariff strategy be?  And finally, some movie suggestions from out intrepid trio.   This is the audio version of Spotlight@northern.  The video version airs on NSUtv, on both Midco and NVC.  You can also view it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@northernstateuniversitytel9984 [https://www.youtube.com/@northernstateuniversitytel9984]. The host and creator of Wolftrax is Professor of Government Kenneth Blanchard. Kristen Brown is an assistant professor of English who focuses on Indigenous Literatures of North America.