
The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour
The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour is a one-hour, weekly radio show/podcast advancing the efforts of Hillsdale College in radiating its knowledge and teaching to the world outside of campus. Listeners will hear the arguments and debates that make up the liberal arts education and will experience the learning and teaching that happens on campus. Hosted by Scot Bertram.
Latest episodes

Mar 3, 2023 • 45min
Adam Carrington on the Democrats' New Primary Calendar
Guests: Adam Carrington, Kevin Gutzman, & Kelly Scott Franklin Host Scot Bertram talks with Adam Carrington, Associate Professor of Politics at Hillsdale College, to explain the consequences of the Democrats' new primary calendar for 2024. Historian Kevin Gutzman takes us inside his latest book, The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. And Kelly Scott Franklin, Associate Professor of English at Hillsdale, returns for another edition of "Great Moments in the Great Books," this time focusing on Dante's Purgatorio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 24, 2023 • 48min
Steve Krakauer Analyzes America's Broken News Industry
Guests: Paul Moreno, Steve Krakauer, & Lauren Scott '24 Host Scot Bertram talks with Paul Moreno, William and Berniece Grewcock Chair in Constitutional History and Professor of History at Hillsdale College, about the Marbury v. Madison case, decided 220 years ago this week. Media critic and former CNN executive Steve Krakauer takes us inside his new book, Uncovered: How the Media Got Cozy with Power, Abandoned Its Principles, and Lost the People. And Hillsdale student Lauren Scott '24 tells us about a student-produced documentary titled Hillsdale Student, American Hero: How Elizebeth Smith Friedman Beat the Mob & Won the War.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 17, 2023 • 45min
Spencer Klavan Tells Us How to Save the West
Guests: John J. Miller, Spencer Klavan, & Mardi Billman Host Scot Bertram talks with John J. Miller, Director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College, about the idea of media literacy requirements for K-12 students. Spencer Klavan, associate editor at the Claremont Institute, takes us inside his new book, How to Save the West:Ancient Wisdom for 5 Modern Crises. And Mardi Billman, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Hillsdale, joins us to discuss the death of alchemy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 10, 2023 • 46min
Mollie Hemingway on Election Integrity & Objectivity in Journalism
Guests: Mollie Hemingway, Brent Cline, Scott Stewart Host Scot Bertram talks with Mollie Hemingway, Senior Journalism Follow at Hillsdale College and Editor-in-Chief at The Federalist, about a recent House committee report on election integrity and weighs in on a recent op-ed on the state of journalism. Brent Cline, Associate Professor of English at Hillsdale, returns to continue his series on author Cormac McCarthy, looking this time at The Crossing. And we hear excerpts from a lecture by Scott Stewart, Solicitor General for the State of Mississippi, from a Hillsdale Constitution Day celebration, discussing his work in the Dobbs v. Jackson case that overturned Roe v. Wade.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 3, 2023 • 49min
Kevin Slack on The American Left Since the 1920s
Guests: Kevin Slack, Joel Kotkin, & Timothy McDonnell Host Scot Bertram talks with Kevin Slack, Associate Professor of Politics at Hillsdale College, to preview his brand-new online course, "The American Left: From Liberalism to Despotism". Joel Kotkin, a fellow in urban studies at Chapman University, takes us inside his latest book, The Coming of Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class. And Timothy McDonnell, Director of Sacred Music at Hillsdale, tells us what sacred music is and how it's used at the College.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 27, 2023 • 50min
Larry Correia Defends the Second Amendment
Guests: Korey Maas, Larry Correia, & John Grant Host Scot Bertram talks with Korey Maas, Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale College, about the long history of religious liberty. Author Larry Correia joins us to discuss his latest book, In Defense of the Second Amendment. And John Grant, Associate Professor and Chairman of Politics at Hillsdale, returns for another installment in his series of the life and work of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 20, 2023 • 43min
Khalil Habib on the Political Philosophy of Montesquieu
Guests: Timothy Dolch, Joel Salatin, and Khalil Habib Host Scot Bertram talks with Timothy Dolch, Associate Professor of Physics at Hillsdale College, about last year's discovery by the Hubble Telescope of the most distant star ever seen. Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia, joins the show to discuss local food as potential parallel agriculture. And Khalil Habib, Allison and Dorothy Rouse Professor in Politics at Hillsdale, teaches us about the writings and philosophy of Montesquieu on the 334th anniversary of his birth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 13, 2023 • 52min
Adam Carrington on the Supreme Court's Embrace of Self-Government
Guests: Adam Carrington, Mark Hemingway, James Brandon, and Anna Bassols '24 Host Scot Bertram talks with Adam Carrington, Associate Professor of Politics at Hillsdale College, about his recent essay on the Supreme Court's recent embrace of self-government. Mark Hemingway, senior writer at RealClearInvestigations, joins the show to discuss his piece on the rising number of federal bureaucrats now granted the authority to carry guns and make arrests. James Brandon, Chairman and Professor of Theatre at Hillsdale, returns to tell us about American theatre in the age of film. And Anna Bassols '24 recounts what it was like to uncover Charger artifacts from more than 100 years of Hillsdale athletic history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 6, 2023 • 54min
Mark Moyar on Triumph Regained in the Vietnam War
Guests: Mark Moyar, Sally Pipes, Ken Calvert, and Daniel Himebaugh '04 Host Scot Bertram talks with Mark Moyar, William P. Harris Chair in Military History at Hillsdale College, about his new book Triumph Regained: The Vietnam War, 1965-1968, the second of his planned three-part series on the War. Sally Pipes, President, CEO, and Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy at the Pacific Research Institute, discusses what to expect in 2023 from the health care sector. Ken Calvert, Professor of Ancient History at Hillsdale, takes us back to talk about Cicero, Cato and the defense of the Roman Republic. And Hillsdale grad Daniel Himebaugh '04 tells us about his experiences at the College and working as Leadership Counsel for the Republican Caucus of the Washington State Senate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 30, 2022 • 11min
Holiday Greetings & Most Popular Shows of 2022
Holiday Greetings from The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, counting down the most-listened-to episodes of 2022, and a very special preview announcement regarding 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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