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It's time for the bonus World's Smartest Politics Roundtable from the hosts of the World's Smartest Podcast Network! We had a great conversation about some of the lesser talked-about goings-on in the world, including geothermal energy, America's hegemony, and North Korea's plan to vaccinate us all!Be sure to subscribe to all three podcasts in the World's Smartest Podcast Network: The Political Orphanage with Andrew Heaton, Lost in America with Turner Sparks & Michael Ira Kaplan, and, of course, this one!And: Happy (finally!!) New Year!!

Election Day is almost here and it's all come down to this -- voting!!What motivates someone to show up to the polls? What kinds of outreach work to increase turnout, especially among marginalized voters? What can we all do in the next few days to make a difference?!In this episode, we speak with political scientist Chinbo Chong, Ph.D. (Indiana) and Cate Mayer, Founder & CEO of Friends Vote Together about what we can all do to get more people to the polls!This is an audio recording of our live-streaming YouTube show, which aired on Oct. 29, 2020. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch our live shows and ask questions in real time: bit.ly/askaps.P.S. Episodes 4 & 5 are coming, I just wanted to get the voting one out fast!

Having conversations with people with whom we disagree about politics is pretty painful, but these two brilliant scholars are here to help us figure out how (and why) to do so more effectively. Specifically, we discuss how to have conversations that can reduce prejudice based on their research on transphobia and LGBTQIA+ rights more broadly. It includes concrete tips and some actual gosh darn hope in some spots, even!Tune in to learn from the brilliant Melissa Michelson, Ph.D. and Brian Harrison, Ph.D.!This is an audio recording of our live-streaming YouTube show, which aired on Oct. 22, 2020. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch our live shows and ask questions in real time: bit.ly/askaps.

"Race is a central organizing principle in American politics," is one of the many things I learned from Prof. Vincent Hutchings, Ph.D., in our conversation in this episode.We're also joined by the incredible Chinisha Scott, an artist, activist, and candidate for office, for a discussion of the influence of race, racial attitudes, and racism on American politics, how the field of political science has studied race and politics over the last few decades, and what we can all do for racial justice in the US.This episode is a must-listen, and one of my favorite episodes to date.This is an audio recording of our live-streaming YouTube show, which aired on Oct. 15, 2020. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch our live shows and ask questions in real time: bit.ly/askaps.

Misinformation seems like the worst thing ever -- is it as bad and dangerous as it seems? What exactly is it, how do we know we are facing it and what works to correct it (anything?!)?In this episode, we speak with political scientist Adam Berinsky, Ph.D. (MIT) and comedian & science writer Kasha Patel (NASA, DC Science Comedy) about these questions -- and what we can do about them.This is an audio recording of our live-streaming YouTube show, which aired on Oct. 8, 2020.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch us live (and submit your questions in real time) every Thursday, 7p ET, between now and Election Day: bit.ly/askaps.

The media seems like it plays a big role in politics -- but how, exactly, does it affect us? Does the media ever change our mind about things, or do we all just seek out information we already agree with? Is "new media" -- with its partisan bubbles and echo chambers -- to blame for polarization?In this episode, we speak with legendary media expert Prof. Shanto Iyengar, Ph.D. (Stanford) and brilliant journalist Walt Hickey (Insider, Numlock News) about these questions -- and what we can do about them.This is an audio recording of our live-streaming YouTube show, which aired on Oct. 1, 2020.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch us live (and submit your questions in real time) every Thursday, 7p ET, between now and Election Day: bit.ly/askaps.

This is episode 1 of Ask a Political Scientist's special election series! We're talking polarization with Prof. Neil Malhotra, Ph.D. (Stanford) and comedian & teacher Sarah Garner! Join us to discuss what it is, how bad it is, how we got here -- and what to do about it.This is an audio recording of our live-streaming YouTube episode, which aired live on Sept. 24, 2020, at 7p ET.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch us live (and submit your questions in real time) every Thursday, 7p ET, between now and Election Day: bit.ly/askaps.