

The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour
Hillsdale College
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 9, 2021 • 43min
Kyle Murnen, John Daniel Davison, & Dwight Lindley
TOPICS: Constitution 101, media malpractice and "fact checking," & Victorian poet Matthew ArnoldHost Scot Bertram talks with Kyle Murnen, Director of Online Learning at Hillsdale College, to discuss the upcoming six-week study group on the free "Constitution 101" course. John Daniel Davidson, a Hillsdale graduate and Political Editor at The Federalist, analyzes media coverage of the Biden administration and the concept of "fact checking." And Dwight Lindley, Associate Professor of English at Hillsdale, returns for his occasional series on Victorian poetry, this time focusing on Matthew Arnold.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 2, 2021 • 48min
David Azerrad, Kenneth Calvert, & William Happer
TOPICS: The case against reparations, the life of Alexander the Great, and how to think about climate changeHost Scot Bertram talks with David Azerrad, Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at Hillsdale College’s Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, D.C., about his recent essay at Newsweek, "Contra Reparations". Ken Calvert, from Hillsdale's history department, returns for Part Two of his look at the life of Alexander the Great. And we hear excerpts from a Hillsdale lecture given by William Happer, Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at Princeton University, explaining how to think about climate change.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 25, 2021 • 47min
Robert Norton, Arthur Herman, & D.G. Hart
TOPICS: The hidden costs of electric cars, the life of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, & Protestantism in AmericaHost Scot Bertram talks with Robert Norton, Vice President and General Counsel of Hillsdale College and former Assistant General Counsel at Mercedes/Chrysler, about the hidden costs of electric vehicles. Arthur Herman, historian and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, discusses the life of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, And D.G. Hart, Distinguished Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale, tells us what Americanization has done to Protestantism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 18, 2021 • 52min
Mollie Hemingway, Sohrab Ahmari, & Benjamin Beier
TOPICS: Political journalism and bias, discovering the wisdom of tradition in an age of chaos, and a look at the concept of definitionHost Scot Bertram talks with Mollie Hemingway, Senior Journalism Fellow at Hillsdale College, Senior Editor at The Federalist & Fox News Contributor, about some recent controversies regarding media coverage and how we should consider stories as we read them. Sohrab Ahmari, op-ed editor of the New York Post and a columnist for First Things, joins us to discuss his recent book, THE UNBROKEN THREAD. And Benjamin Beier, from Hillsdale's education department, is back for his occasional series on the concept of definition.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 11, 2021 • 50min
Ronald Pestritto, Kelly Scott Franklin, & Elliot Gaiser
TOPICS: The rise and legacy of American progressivism, a great moment in The Odyssey, & a Hillsdale alumnus spotlightHost Scot Bertram talks with Ronald J. Pestritto, Dean of the Graduate School, Professor of Politics, and Charles and Lucia Shipley Chair in the American Constitution at Hillsdale College, about his new book AMERICA TRANSFORMED. Kelly Scott Franklin, from Hillsdale's English department, returns for his series of Great Moments in the Great Books, this time turning to THE ODYSSEY. And Elliot Gaiser '12 talks about his time at Hillsdale and his legal career.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 4, 2021 • 51min
Charles Steele, Jason Riley, & David Whalen
TOPICS: Keynesian economics, a new biography of Thomas Sowell, and liberal educationHost Scot Bertram talks with Charles Steele, Chairman of Economics, Business, and Accounting and Associate Professor of Economics at Hillsdale College about John Maynard Keynes and Keynesian economics. Jason Riley dives into MAVERICK, his new biography of one of America's most influential conservative thinkers, Thomas Sowell. And David Whalen, Associate Vice President for Curriculum and Professor of English at Hillsdale, outlines what we mean by a "liberal education."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 28, 2021 • 52min
Larry Arnn, Matthew Spalding, Carol Swain, Ryan S. Walters, & Tom Conner
TOPICS: The 1776 Commission reconvenes, how the Apollo 1 tragedy helped put the U.S. on the moon, and a tour of Normandy American CemeteryHost Scot Bertram shares excerpts of a conversation among Dr. Larry Arnn, chairman of The 1776 Commission, Dr. Matthew Spalding, vice president of The 1776 Commission, and Dr. Carol Swain, vice chair of The 1776 Commission following a reconvening earlier this week of committee members. Ryan S. Walters discusses his new book APOLLO 1: THE TRAGEDY THAT PUT US ON THE MOON. And on this Memorial Day weekend, Dr. Tom Conner, former professor of history at Hillsdale College, takes us on a tour of Normandy American Cemetery.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 25, 2021 • 27min
The 1776 Commission: Update, May 2021
On May 24, 2021, The 1776 Commission met at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. campus to discuss civic education curricula, state civic education reform efforts, pending federal legislation and executive actions, and future activity of the Commission. Following the meeting, Dr. Matthew Spalding, executive director of The 1776 Commission, Dr. Larry Arnn, chairman of The 1776 Commission, and Dr. Carol Swain, vice chairman of The 1776 Commission recorded this update to share with America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 21, 2021 • 48min
Stephen Smith, Jack Phillips, Christopher Heckel, & Nick Searcy
TOPICS: New online course on Dante's DIVINE COMEDY, the Colorado baker whose case made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, raising chickens, and politics in HollywoodHost Scot Bertram talks with Stephen Smith, Dean of Humanities, Temple Family Chair in English Literature, and Professor of English at Hillsdale, who also serves as your instructor for the College's new online course on Dante's DIVINE COMEDY. Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker whose case made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, discusses his new book, THE COST OF MY FAITH. Christopher Heckel, Assistant Professor of Biology at Hillsdale, talks about raising chickens and living off the land. And we hear excerpts from a lecture given by actor/director Nick Searcy at a Hillsdale NLS event on "Politics In Hollywood"See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 14, 2021 • 45min
Matthew Mehan, Hans von Spakovsky, & Dwight Lindley
TOPICS: Good poetics and good politics, the details of HR1, and Robert BrowningHost Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Mehan, Director of Academic Programs for Hillsdale in D.C. and Assistant Professor of Government, about the importance of good poetics to good politics. Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, describes the dangerous details inside HR1, the election reform bill now being discussed in the U.S. Senate. And Dwight Lindley, Associate Professor of English at Hillsdale, returns for his occasional series on Victorian poetry, this time profiling Robert Browning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.