In the third episode of Supreme Court Briefs, Mr. Beat examines the first of many Supreme Court cases dealing with the separation of church and state- Engel v. Vitale.
<
br/>
The state board of education said that...

In the second episode of Supreme Court Briefs, Mr. Beat makes one of the most boring Supreme Court cases in American history somewhat more interesting. It was, after all, QUITE A FREAKING BIG DEAL.
<
br/>
...

In episode 31 of Supreme Court Briefs, a game show gives away money and stuff, and the FCC gets all upset and tries to stop it.

In episode 11 of Supreme Court Briefs, a slave fights for his family's freedom after they live in free states for a while.

In episode 24 of Supreme Court Briefs, a man exposes dark government secrets about the Vietnam War, and gets in big trouble from the government for it. Should whistleblowers be protected?

Legal scholar Emilie Hafner-Burton (UC San Diego) discusses why the US should be a signatory to the International Criminal Court.

Legal scholar Emilie Hafner-Burton (UC San Diego) discusses American attitudes regarding the International Criminal Court.

Philosopher Brian Epstein (Tufts) describes the celebrated ontological thought experiment of the Supreme Court.

Linguist Carol Padden (UC San Diego), describes Bill Stokoe’s early work on analyzing sign languages and searching for the relevant parameters to characterize meaning.

Frans de Waal, Emory University’s award-winning primatologist discusses how the current anthropological thinking is that religious sentiment developed to control group behavior once societies reached a certain size.

Philosopher Scott Soames (USC) relates aspects of the spectrum of professional views on what philosophy should and should not be.

David Goldberg, Former Senior Rabbi Emeritus of London’s Liberal Jewish Synagogue, traces the roots of matrilineality to the times of Jewish persecution.

Philosopher Brian Epstein (Tufts University) describes academic philosophy's movement towards social engagement and responsibility.

UC San Diego linguist Carol Padden describes how, while we now recognize that gesture and sign language are structurally very different, linguists are now carefully examining how gesture might have originally given rise to sign languages.

Linguist Carol Padden (UC San Diego) describes how recognizing the difference between gesture and sign language shouldn’t prevent us from investigating how gesture helps brings languages into being.

Historian Nile Green (UCLA) describes how his invocation of the model of religious economy for Islam gives benefits to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Marine biologist Edie Widder at the Ocean Research & Conservation Association laments how we’re woefully underusing one of our most valuable resources: the passion and energy of today’s youth.

Poet and independent scholar Jennifer Michael Hecht questions whether eliminating pain would be in our collective long-term interest.

Historian Nile Green (UCLA) describes how the model of religious economy explains both the evolution and diversity of organized religion, and some of the benefits of applying it to Islam.

University of Michigan business professor Andrew Hoffman describes how his research investigates the cultural aspects of climate change, focusing on the question, What comes to people’s minds when they hear the words “climate change”?

Political scientist Mark Bevir (UC Berkeley) describes the importance of regular dialogue between policymakers and the populace.

Chinese scholar and literary translator Michael Berry (UCLA) describes how many publishers demand original works be changed to fit American sensibilities.

David Bellos, Director of the Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication at Princeton University, describes the extraordinary flexibility that language possesses to convey different shades of meaning.

Linguist Carol Padden (UC San Diego), gives us a taste of the extraordinary geographical diversity of sign languages throughout the world.