Welcome to Faculty 101, a podcast that offers a listen into the pursuits and perspectives of Husker faculty.

Listen: Faculty 101 with Kevin Smith

With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting normal routines and shifting so many personnel and activities off campus, host Mary Jane Bruce has adapted with a temporary spinoff named Faculty 101: Five Things. True to its name, each episode will ask a faculty member to address five aspects or questions related to a specific topic.

Kevin Smith, chair and Olson Professor of political science, talks with Bruce this week about the institutional stress test that is 2020. He explains how our current environment is tailor-made for further polarization and how it builds on genetic predispositions toward political ideology. Smith also delves into his research on the physiological effects of political polarization, and he discusses how the unique political landscape of 2020 will be studied by political scientists in the future.

Faculty 101 episodes will be featured here on Nebraska Today, but you can also subscribe via iTunes and Stitcher. Additional podcast delivery systems will be announced as they come online.

As always, we welcome your feedback. If you like the podcast, please subscribe and share it via a favorite social media channel. You can also offer us feedback and story ideas by sending email to nebraskatoday@unl.edu or calling 402-472-8515.