In this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," we take a behind-the-scenes look at a debate currently roiling classical scholarship and pedagogy. It’s a debate about how the field should be approached now and in the future, about privilege and access and the very aura of classics. To get into this story, we talk with spring 2021 American Academy fellow Nandini Pandey, who teaches classics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research is bringing to light a more detailed picture of the heterogenous makeup of the ancient Roman world. And as an Indian American, she represents the changes that are occurring in classical scholarship itself. 
 
Host: R. Jay Magill
Producer: Tony Andrews
Production Assistance: Denise Gamon
Music: Machinery by Kai Engel
Image: Triumph of Dionysus by Sophie Hay

Who Is Classics for?

During her stay at the American Academy as the Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellow in Fiction in fall 2021, Lan Samantha Chang gave the finishing touch to her much-anticipated new novel "The Family Chao," to be published by W.W. Norton & Company in February 2022. 

On today's episode, you can find out how rediscovering Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" has shaped Chang's own writing, what it means to be an immigrant, or the child of immigrants, in the Midwest, and why two Chinese-American brothers have to visit an American diner to find some privacy.

Host: Denise Gamon
Producer: Juliane Schallau
Music: Valium by nothanks
Photo: Juliane Schallau

"The Family Chao:" Lan Samantha Chang on How to Narrate a Community

In fall 2021, New Orleans-based writer Ladee Hubbard spent her time as Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellow in Fiction working on her new novel, "The Descendants." 

On this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," Hubbard talks about her novel-in-progress, the 1980s war on drugs, and, as a special treat, reads a story from her forthcoming collection "The Last Suspicious Holdout" (Amistad, March 8).

Host: Denise Gamon
Producer: Juliane Schallau
Music: Valium by nothanks
Photo: Ralph K. Penno

Threats from the Margin? - Ladee Hubbard's novel "The Descendants"

With the Russian attack on Ukraine, the Academy's spring 2022 Daimler fellow Lawrence Douglas's project on aggressive war, atrocity and the "Verbrecherstaat" suddenly became very current.

On this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," Douglas talks about the origin of the term "Verbrecherstaat," considers Russia's actions in light of the categories of aggressive war and atrocity, and explains the options and limitations of international law.

Host: Denise Gamon
Producer: Juliane Schallau
Music: Valium by nothanks
Photo: Annette Hornischer

Is Russia a "Verbrecherstaat?" - A Perspective from International Law

Our “Beyond the Lecture” podcast is back! In this episode, spring 2024 Nina Maria Gorrissen fellow and expert in comparative political behavior Noam Lupu talks about his research into how intergenerational trauma shapes political identity. Touching on his own family's experience and those of his research subjects, he opens new ways of understanding this transfer.

Visit https://www.americanacademy.de/person/noam-lupu/ for more information about Lupu and his work at the American Academy in Berlin. 

Host: Kristen Allen
Producer: Tony Andrews
Music: “Valium,” by nothanks
Photo: Annette Hornischer

Children of Violence – Intergenerational Trauma and Political Identity

Taiwan is frequently in the news, but context is scarce. In this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," journalist and spring 2024 Holtzbrinck Fellow Michael Meyer talks about his research and writing on the colonial history of the island, the immense changes  it has seen in recent decades, and what’s at stake for residents when their now thriving democracy is treated like a geopolitical pawn between superpowers.

Visit https://www.americanacademy.de/person/michael-meyer-2/ for more information about Michael Meyer and his work at the American Academy in Berlin. 

Host: Kristen Allen
Producer: Tony Andrews
Music: “Valium,” by nothanks
Photo: Annette Hornischer

Why It’s So Hard to Talk About Taiwan

Today’s German-based Jewish writers navigate complex identities that encompass Holocaust migration history and diverse diasporic narratives. In this episode of “Beyond the Lecture,” literary scholar and spring 2025 Carol Kahn Strauss Fellow in Jewish Studies Agnes Mueller speaks to three prominent authors who are bringing such stories to life: Olga Grjasnowa, Julia Franck, and Dana Vowinckel. It’s a rare chance to hear them speak about their work in English. 

Visit https://www.americanacademy.de/person/agnes-mueller/ for more information about Agnes Mueller and her work at the American Academy in Berlin.

For more information about the authors:
Olga Grjasnowa: https://www.hanser-literaturverlage.de/personen/olga-grjasnowa-p-802
Julia Franck: https://juliafranck.de/ and https://www.mothbooks.co.uk/julia-franck
Dana Vowinckel: https://danavowinckel.com/

Host: Kristen Allen
Producer: Tony Andrews
Music: “Valium,” by nothanks
Photo: Annette Hornischer

Migration Stories: The Evolution of German-Jewish Identity

Two powerhouse authors from each side of the Atlantic: American Jeffrey Eugenides -- a former Academy fellow -- and German-Austrian Daniel Kehlmann discuss the craft, challenges, and joys of novel writing at a literary salon in Aspen, Colorado, hosted by Academy trustee Leah Zell. On July 1, 2025, Zell hosted this fifth annual summer salon, bringing the work of the American Academy in Berlin to the Rocky Mountains.  

Host: Kristen Allen
Producer: Tony Andrews
Music: "Valium," by nothanks
Photo: Hal Williams

Jeffrey Eugenides & Daniel Kehlmann: The Craft of Novel Writing

What was it like to be the first black person at an all-white private school in the American South? The very first, that is. In this episode, we explore this question through the work of investigative journalist and fall 2020 Holtzbrinck fellow, Mosi Secret, who's currently writing a book about a philanthropic initiative to integrate black children into elite Southern schools in the 1960s and '70s. We also invite Secret to consider his own experience as part of a black minority at a similar school in Atlanta in the 1990s. Did the first generation make it any easier for those who followed?
 
Host: R. Jay Magill; Producer: Tony Andrews with help from Denise Gamon; Special thanks to Nisha Simama; Music: Mystery Blues by Squire Tuck, Jolenta Clears The Table by Doctor Turtle, Distilled by Nctrnm, Meekness by Kai Engel,
Midnight in the Green House by Kevin MacLeod, and Chad Crouch by The Pond Instrumental.

Next Generation

Beyond the Lecture is a podcast from the American Academy in Berlin featuring short interviews with our residential fellows and guest lecturers from a range of academic disciplines, journalism, and the arts.

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"The Family Chao:" Lan Samantha Chang on How to Narrate a Community

Beyond the Lecture

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