Category Archives: The Very Short Introductions Podcast

Infinity – The Very Short Introductions Podcast – Episode 65

May 4, 2023The Very Short Introductions PodcastAnaximander, calculus, galileo, geometry, georg cantor, ian stewart, infinite, infinity, mathematics, pi, the very short introductions podcast, vsi, whole numbers, zeno's paradoxesoxfordacademic

In this episode, Ian Stewart introduces the concept of infinity and discusses its application to mathematics, science, and everyday life.

Learn more about Infinity: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/infinity-a-very-short-introduction-9780198755234

Ian Stewart is Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Warwick University. He is a well-known and highly successful writer on mathematics and its applications and has authored over 80 books including Symmetry: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2013), and the bestselling series The Science of Discworld I, II, III, and IV with Terry Pratchett and Jack Cohen.

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Marine Biology – The Very Short Introductions Podcast – Episode 64

April 27, 2023The Very Short Introductions Podcastalgae, climate change, coral bleaching, coral reef, fisheries, marine biology, marine life, ocean ecosystems, ocean health, overfishing, philip mladenov, plankton, the very short introductions podcast, vsioxfordacademic

In this episode, Philip Mladenov introduces marine biology, a field whose importance is ever growing as our oceans undergo rapid and profound changes due to human influence.

Learn more about Marine Biology: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/marine-biology-a-very-short-introduction-9780198841715

Philip Mladenov has 40 years of professional experience in marine and environmental research, teaching and exploration and is retired from his position of Professor of Marine Science at the University of Otago. He has worked with government agencies, politicians, and large companies to build awareness and strategic responses to climate change, environmental degradation, and resource over-exploitation.

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Development – The Very Short Introductions Podcast – Episode 63

April 20, 2023The Very Short Introductions Podcastdeveloped world, developing world, development, economic progress, ian goldin, imf, social progress, the very short introductions podcast, vsi, world bankoxfordacademic

In the first episode of Season 6, Ian Goldin introduces development, the process by which nations escape poverty and achieve economic and social progress. This crucial process has been the subject of extensive examination for hundreds of years.

Learn more about Development: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/development-a-very-short-introduction-9780198736257

Ian Goldin is Director of the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford, and Professor of Globalisation and Development. From 2001 to 2006, he was Vice President of the World Bank and the Bank’s Director of Development Policy, and following the end of apartheid, Ian was economic adviser to President Mandela.

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Happiness – The Very Short Introductions Podcast – Episode 62

December 15, 2022The Very Short Introductions Podcastdaniel haybron, ethics, good life, happiness, how to be happy, morality, philosophy, pursuit of happiness, the very short introductions podcast, vsi, well-being, what is happinessoxfordacademic

In the final episode of Season 5, Daniel Haybron introduces the emotion most of us aspire to have—happiness—and how our pursuit of it impacts our well-being.

Learn more about “Happiness: A Very Short Introduction” here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/happiness-a-very-short-introduction-9780199590605

Daniel Haybron is is the Theodore R. Vitali C.P. Professor of Philosophy at Saint Louis University. His research focuses on ethics, psychology and political philosophy, particularly issues of well-being. He is the author of The Pursuit of Unhappiness: The Elusive Psychology of Well-Being.

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British Cinema – The Very Short Introductions Podcast – Episode 61

December 8, 2022The Very Short Introductions Podcastalfred hitchcock, british cinema, carol reed, charles barr, david lean, dickens on film, ealing studios, film history, hitchcock and truffaut, powell and pressberger, shakespeare on film, the very short introductions podcast, vsioxfordacademic

In this episode, Charles Barr introduces British cinema, the home of Ealing Studios and Alfred Hitchcock, and delves into its global significance.

Learn more about “British Cinema: A Very Short Introduction” here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/british-cinema-a-very-short-introduction-9780199688333

Charles Barr worked for many years at the University of East Anglia, helping to develop one of the first UK programmes in Film Studies at graduate and undergraduate level and is currently Emeritus Professor at the University of East Anglia.

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