African Unity

Classical 89 Thinking Aloud: http://www.classical89.org/thinkingaloud/past.asp?d=10/2/2008

The United States of America has been around since 1776. The European Union was established formally in 1993. What about a United Africa? This year, this decade, or even this century? If it ever happens, should it? In other words, what might such an alliance mean both for Africans themselves and on the world stage generally? We're talking with one of the world's premiere scholars in the area of African studies about the prospect of a United Africa.

• What are some of your thoughts on today turmoil across the globe?
• What do you think we can do in our own lives to increase unity?

Mobile Phones and Forbidden Romance

Classical 89 Thinking Aloud Interview: http://www.classical89.org/thinkingaloud/past.asp?d=8/14/2008

Romance in Morocco may look like a dream on film but for Moroccan teenagers, romance means straddling the fence that lies between cultural norms and Western influence. In the last decade or so, cell phones have dramatically affected gender and generational relations in the Middle East and North Africa, specifically in Morocco. BYU Researchers published the article Globalization, Mobile Phones and Forbidden Romance in Morocco, in the June 2008 issue of the Journal of North African Studies. They will join us to discuss this increasing rift between globalization and forbidden romance in Morocco.

Emigrant Nation

Classical 89 Thinking Aloud Interview: http://www.classical89.org/thinkingaloud/past.asp?d=7/25/2008 Thirteen million Italians didn’t “get the boot” but “left the boot” between 1880 and 1915. The story of this massive emigration is epic by reason of sheer scale. But it’s also a quirky story, for a very curious reason. If you were an Italian emigrant, your country let you go, but at the same time held onto you. By calculated strategy, Italy became more idea than just place. Scholar Mark Choate traces the intentions and politics that pursued these travelers in his new book, Emigrant Nation: The Making of Italy Abroad. That’s the premise of our story, with historian Mark Choate, on our Thinking Aloud.

Scots in Utah

Classical 89 Thinking Aloud Interview: http://www.classical89.org/thinkingaloud/past.asp?d=11/24/2006

Like their nostalgic melody, the Scots themselves have rooted themselves abroad, far from home but always longing for it. Even though countless Scottish emigrants have set up shop in Utah over the years, just try to find a community of émigrés, a Scottish neighborhood or enclave. Independently minded Scottish emigrants to Utah can be found only where they are; and you’ll find two of them on Thinking Aloud.

International Adoptions

Classical 89 Thinking Aloud Interview: http://www.classical89.org/thinkingaloud/past.asp?d=4/18/2008

American citizens are seeking to adopt children in ever increasing numbers. Recently, the controversy in Eldorado, Texas has brought to light the question, who will nurture, foster, and rear our children? But far away from the media spotlight on the FLDS church, the so called "baby trade"-perhaps a cynical phrase perpetuated by the clever assonance of baby and trade-goes on day after day. On today's Thinking Aloud, we're talking to BYU Professor Jini Roby. Roby has been involved in key legislation in the area of adoptions, particularly international adoptions. The U.S. State Department reports that with the reduction in children available for adoption in the United States, more and more U.S. citizens are adopting children from other countries. We're discussing what's at stake, what's the impact and who's paying what price in the baby trade?

The Growing Interest in the Arabic Language

Listen to this Interview: http://www.classical89.org/thinkingaloud/past.asp?d=4/21/2008
For the first time ever, the Arabic language has reached the Top Ten List of Most Studied Languages according to the Modern Language Association, with student enrollment jumping 127% from 2002 to 2006. On today's Thinking Aloud, Director of the National Middle East Language Resource Center, Kirk Belnap, discusses the rising national trends in learning Arabic and the details on the furious national debate over the best way to learn this difficult language.

German Latter-day Saints in WWII

Listen to this Interview: http://www.classical89.org/thinkingaloud/past.asp?d=5/30/2008
BYU professor Roger Minert explores the untold stories of Latter-Day Saint soldiers and civilians in his forthcoming book, German Latter-Day Saints in WWII . Join us as we discuss the harrowing experience of Nazi Germany from the perspective of a small religious minority. For more information on this subject visit German LDS in WWII

The Fall of Constantinople

Classical 89 Thinking Aloud Interview: http://www.classical89.org/thinkingaloud/past.asp?d=5/29/2008
On May 29, exactly 555 years ago, Mehmet the Conqueror marched into Constantinople. We're talking with Professor Glen Cooper about how the Byzantine Empire influenced the modern world. If it weren't for Muslim scholars, it's likely we wouldn't be discussing people like Plato, Herodotus, or Homer today. From the ancient world to the modern, we'll discuss this particular flow of ideas and how the fall of Constantinople helped bridge the gap.