99 episodes

Interested in human behavior and how people think? The Measure of Everyday Life is a weekly interview program featuring innovations in social science and ideas from leading researchers and commentators. Independent Weekly has called the show "unexpected" and "diverse" and says the show "brings big questions to radio." Join host Dr. Brian Southwell (@BrianSouthwell) as he explores the human condition.

Episodes air each Sunday night at 6:30 PM in the Raleigh-Durham broadcast market and a podcast of each show is available online the Wednesday following. The show is made possible by RTI International.

Have thoughts on the show? Let your voice be heard by rating us. You can also join the conversation on Twitter by following @MeasureRadio.

The Measure of Everyday Life WNCU public radio

    • Society & Culture
    • 5.0 • 24 Ratings

Interested in human behavior and how people think? The Measure of Everyday Life is a weekly interview program featuring innovations in social science and ideas from leading researchers and commentators. Independent Weekly has called the show "unexpected" and "diverse" and says the show "brings big questions to radio." Join host Dr. Brian Southwell (@BrianSouthwell) as he explores the human condition.

Episodes air each Sunday night at 6:30 PM in the Raleigh-Durham broadcast market and a podcast of each show is available online the Wednesday following. The show is made possible by RTI International.

Have thoughts on the show? Let your voice be heard by rating us. You can also join the conversation on Twitter by following @MeasureRadio.

    Media Technology and Our Children

    Media Technology and Our Children

    Parents often talk with family and friends about the roles of media in their children's lives, for better or worse. What can academic research tell us about what is ok for our kids? On this episode, we talk with Dr. Katie Davis of the University of Washington, author of a new book for MIT Press called Technology’s Child: Digital Media’s Role in the Ages and Stages of Growing Up.

    • 29 min
    Depopulation and the Future of Cities

    Depopulation and the Future of Cities

    The idea that we have more and more people on this planet has been prominent in recent decades but some researchers now project a future of declining population in some parts of the world, including the United States, which has implications for our physical infrastructure. On this episode, we talk with engineering researchers Sybil Derrible and Lauryn Spearing of the University of Illinois Chicago about a depopulated future. 

    • 29 min
    How Fatal Use of Force Affects Communities

    How Fatal Use of Force Affects Communities

    We sometimes hear about fatal use of force by police officers and yet we tend to not talk about the potential long-term effects of those tragedies on community members who were not directly involved. On this episode, we talk with Kevin Strom and Sean Wire of the Center of Justice at RTI International about new research which investigates community and police department response to fatal use of force incidents. 

    • 29 min
    Pandemic Resilience in Secondary Education

    Pandemic Resilience in Secondary Education

    Although the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged and complicated school administration across the U.S. and around the world, we also are starting to hear stories of resilience. On this episode, we talk with Beth Glennie and Zach Smith of RTI International about their study of school enrollment and online achievement patterns in Hawai'i in the face of the pandemic. 

    • 29 min
    The Experiences of Black and Hispanic Science Researchers

    The Experiences of Black and Hispanic Science Researchers

    As recently as 2021, more than 30,000 U.S. citizens earned a PhD and yet the demographics of that group do not reflect the U.S. population overall, particularly in the case of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. On this episode, we talk with Erin Velez and Ruth Heuer of RTI International and Lorelle Espinosa of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation about a new report documenting the experiences of Black and Hispanic science PhD candidates in the U.S.

    • 29 min
    Encouraging Organizations to Go Above and Beyond

    Encouraging Organizations to Go Above and Beyond

    At the end of each calendar year in the United States, many people talk about charity and voluntary contributions, much of which involves non-profit organizations. In recent years, U.S. government agencies and funders have asked non-profits for more formal evaluation of their work than ever before. On this episode, Aaron Horvath of Stanford University discusses surprising non-profit behavior to not only meet evaluation obligations but to voluntarily do more to share their stories.

    • 29 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
24 Ratings

24 Ratings

Katie Joy B. ,

Sociology Supreme

Brian and his highly knowledgeable guests are making sociology fun again! The wide variety of topics they cover and the engaging way in which they deliver them had me hooked from my very first listen. They’re also personable and funny, which let’s be honest; isn’t always the easiest to find in the Sociology world. Thanks for putting out such a great show Brian - keep up the great work!

WuKAZUKI ,

Hurray for Social Science Podcasts!

The Measure is the best interview podcast for social science topics. I’ll let that previous sentence sink in for a moment to appreciate where we are as a civilization technologically-speaking.

Dr. Brian Southwell speaks with researchers and the resulting interviews are informative, insightful, and exceptionally interesting. My brain feels like it’s exercising (in the best way possible) when I listen.

Oh, and because I know it matters to me... don’t worry, the sound quality is beautiful.

ChristiePS ,

Straightforward, diverse topics, great interviews

Brian Southwell is an excellent interviewer, and his guests are not only expert but great storytellers. These episodes are short on time and long on information that is interesting to both those knowledgeable about the social sciences and those unfamiliar. In particular, the topics are usually those relegated to the halls of academia, but Brian and his guests make them interesting and accessible to the broader public. If there is any issue you think you'd like to know more about, I recommend finding it in the back catalogue and giving a listen. You're sure to find it, and sure to enjoy.

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