Public opinion / political beliefs
Podcasts
"Extreme Listening," with Deeyah Khan, from a bit of optimism with Simon Sinek
"Where are all the moderate politicians?" from Not Another Politics Podcast (University of Chicago's Center on Effective Government), 21 October 2021 -- added 11.20.22
"How a Rising Star of White Nationalism Broke Free From the Movement," from Fresh Air, 24 September 2018
"'Soul of America' Makes Sense of Nation's Present by Examining Its Past," from Fresh Air, 2 May 2018
"The American Women Who Joined ISIS," from The Daily, 22 February 2019
"#185: Why the reason some people refuse to wear masks during a pandemic has little to do with the masks themselves," from You Are Not So Smart, 31 July 2020
"#197: Steven Novella and Jesse Walker discuss the history and psychology of conspiracy theories," from You Are Not So Smart, 29 January 2021
"#171: How partisan identities affect our ability to reason, rationalize, and recall," from You Are Not So Smart, 29 January 2020
"Capitol Siege Has Been a Success for Recruiting Extremists, Former DHS Staffer Says," from Fresh Air, 25 March 2021
"Reporter's Video From Inside Senate On Jan. 6 Shows A Crowd Prepared for Violence," from Fresh Air, 25 February 2021
"Conspiracy," from Throughline, 21 May 2020
"The Opposite of Addiction," from Your Undivided Attention, 22 October 2019.
"How Political Language is Engineered," with Drew Westen and Frank Luntz, from Your Undivided Attention, 2 June 2022.
Videos
The Reunited States, streaming on Amazon Prime
United States of Conspiracy, from PBS Frontline, streaming via web for free
American Insurrection, from PBS Frontline, streaming via web for free
Documenting Hate: New American Nazis, from PBS Frontline, streaming via web for free
JIHAD, streaming on YouTube for free (by Deeyah Khan, see podcast option #1 above)
"A black man goes undercover in the alt-right," a TED Talk with Theo E.J. Wilson, July 2017
"How to have better political conversations," a TEDx Talk with Robb Willer, September 2016
"What you can learn from people who disagree with you," a TED talk with youth leader Shreya Joshi -- added 10.30.22
Alt-Right: Age of Rage, streaming on Netflix (subscription required)
Explained: Cults, streaming on Netflix (subscription required)
"Are You Biased?" episode of 100 Humans series, streaming on Netflix (subscription required)
"Two incompatible sacred values in American universities," a lecture by Jon Haidt at Duke University, available on YouTube (free)
15 Minutes of Shame, a documentary on HBO (produced by Monica Lewinsky) about "cancel culture" (HBO subscription required) -- watch the trailer here
Readings
This SPECIFIC Oatmeal Cartoon (ONLY this one!)
"Do you live in a political bubble?" interactive + article from The New York Times, 3 May 2021
"Why is Big Tech Policing Speech? Because the Government Isn't," from The New York Times Magazine, 26 January 2021
"The Coddling of the American Mind," from The Atlantic, September 2015 [NOTE: This article became a book, linked below, and also inspired the OpenMind activity listed on this page]
"The Science of Reasoning with Unreasonable People," from The New York Times, 31 January 2021
"Americans are Self-Censoring at Record Rates," from Persuasion, 31 July 2020
"Why Do We Love to Hate?" from Psychology Today, 12 February 2021
"A Pennsylvania Mother's Path to Insurrection," from The New Yorker, 1 February 2021
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided By Politics and Religion, by Jonathan Haidt (each chapter = 1 learning activity), Amazon link
The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up A Generation for Failure, by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt (each chapter = 1 learning activity), Amazon link
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do, by Jennifer Eberhardt (each chapter = 1 learning activity), Amazon link
The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others, by Tali Sharot (each chapter = 1 learning activity), Amazon link
Predisposed: Liberals, Conservatives, and the Biology of Political Differences, by John Hibbing, Kevin Smith, and John Alford (each chapter = 1 learning activity), Amazon link
Braving the Wilderness, by Brene' Brown (each chapter = 1 learning activity except the required chapter in week 1), Amazon link