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Quick Studies

Learn, Stanford style, without going back to class. Presenting Quick Studies, a monthly collection of articles, videos and podcasts curated exclusively for you.

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The Great Depression, Revisited
In 1936, photographer Walker Evans and author James Agee (Let Us Now Praise Famous Men) ventured to Alabama on a journalistic endeavor to document the lives of three tenant farmer families during the Depression. In the process, they redefined photojournalism.
Learn more about the Walker exhibition »

Left versus Right? That's Too Simple
Stanford philosophy professor and Philosophy Talk co-host John Perry explains why at least three dimensions are needed to deal with today's political reality.
Read the New York Times Opinionator column »

Tide Pools and Terrorists
Research scientist Raphael Sagarin, '94, has some unlikely advice for national security policy makers: go tide pooling.
Get the scoop in STANFORD magazine  »

Watch

Multitasking Takes a Toll on Tweens video
Does your tween have the digital blues? Sociology professor Clifford Nass explores the social and emotional repercussions of multitasking with digital devices, and offers a simple solution.
Get the scoop on YouTube » (2 and a half min.)

Gloria Steinem on the Fight for Equality video
On January 26 in a packed auditorium at Stanford, author, activist and Ms. magazine cofounder Gloria Steinem urged her audience to continue the fight for equality.
Listen to the talk on YouTube » (3 min.)

What Expressive Paralysis Sounds Like video
Stanford music professor Mark Applebaum explores the notion of nonsense with Aphasia, a composition of mangled voice samples and hand gestures.
Watch the performance on YouTube » (9 min.)

Listen

Kelly McGonigal on the Science of Willpower audio
Psychology instructor, health educator and Psychology Today blogger Kelly McGonigal, PhD '04, talks about how you can exercise willpower like a muscle to make it stronger; she also discusses common self-control pitfalls and strategies to overcome them.
Tune in to the People's Pharmacy »

Bubbles, Bits and Bytes audio
Bioengineering professor Manu Prakash explains how bubbles can be used to make a computer.
Hear how it works on an NPR podcast »

An Introduction to Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea audio
"If you think graphic novels are only about wizards and superheroes, then prepare yourself for this true account of the author's time in North Korea," says Stanford English professor and novelist Adam Johnson.
Listen to Stanford Book Salon interview  »