SODcast: Recent Episodes

Maeve McGuire

Students for Open Discussion is a student organization at Iowa State University in its 3rd year of existence. We’re a diverse group of students on campus who are interested in facilitating open and honest discussions about complex worldly topics while encouraging understanding and dialogue between individuals with differing opinions. We want to create a positive environment where people can effectively communicate their views and listen to others. Find us on Twitter, we're @StudentsOpen!

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In this week’s episode of SODcast, members dive into a great conversation on vaccines and the anti-vax movement.

Disclaimer: Some of these videos and articles show information that is unverified and conflict directly with the great majority of scientific literature. Also, some videos may show images and clips that some people may find disturbing. Such videos are marked with an *.

Questions

  1. How do you feel about people who refuse to vaccinate themselves and their children?
  2. How do anti-vaxxers respond to mainstream scientific data and literature?
  3. Why are anti-vaxxers so afraid of vaccines?
  4. Should the federal government require everyone to vaccinate?
  5. Is being anti-vaccine a free choice or is it a belief that is directly or indirectly harmful to the rest of society?

Resources

  • Debunking Anti-Vaxxers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b03U6BYF9L0
  • *Real people being truly afraid of vaccines https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DEnX2RKbxU
  • An anti-vaccine health website https://vaccines.mercola.com/
  • Anti-vaccine influenced COVID-19 perspective https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4qdiY936gY&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3iMXTKs-83JQXTdKLSg5enOWovqEwkLUMMej_GcttlaEOC7zLUDBypkc8
  • Anti-vaccine influenced COVID-19 perspective 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2KtgSnk3XE

Find us on our website: https://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/site/opendiscussion

Visit us on our Twitter page: https://twitter.com/StudentsOpen

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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In this week’s episode of SODcast, members dive into a great conversation on COVID-19 and our thoughts, feelings, and personal experiences.

Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on social distancing and isolation?
  2. Is the $2 trillion dollar relief package recently signed by the president enough, not enough, or too much?
  3. How can we stop the outbreak?
  4. How do you think this will affect the presidential race?
  5. How do you think this will affect globalization and relations between countries?

Sources:

  1. Our personal experiences!

Find us on our website: https://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/site/opendiscussion

Visit us on our Twitter page: https://twitter.com/StudentsOpen

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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On this week’s episode of SODcast, members dive into a great conversation on the reparation of cultural artifacts. Our discussion questions and resources are below.

Questions:

  1. Should we return cultural artifacts to their geographic location of origin?
  2. What role do cultural artifacts play?
  3. What role should museums play in an ever globalizing world?

Sources:

  1. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=should+we+return+artifacts

Find us on our website: https://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/site/opendiscussion

Visit us on our Twitter page: https://twitter.com/StudentsOpen

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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On this week’s episode of SODcast, members dive into a great conversation on the effects of superheroes and princesses on our children. Our discussion questions and resources are below.

Questions:

  1. Overall, are our superhero and princess movies positive for our youth?
  2. What issues (both individual and societal) can be traced back to these movies?
  3. What positive lessons can we draw from them?
  4. If these movies cause harm in any sort of way, what should we do about it, if anything?

Sources:

  • How movies can teach manhood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueOqYebVhtc

  • The following two videos are just long compilations of clips from different movies.

    • This was the first video that popped up when I searched "best MCU moments:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9gW3Ejg2uY
    • This was the first video that popped up when I searched "best disney princess moments:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9HkZ3ZSFTw

Find us on our website: https://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/site/opendiscussion

Visit us on our Twitter page: https://twitter.com/StudentsOpen

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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This our introductory episode to the podcast and Students for Open Discussion, or SOD. Here, we'll be explaining the context around who SOD is, why we exist, and why we chose to branch out into podcasting. So, let’s dive in together! 

Find us on our website: https://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/site/opendiscussion

Visit us on our Twitter page: https://twitter.com/StudentsOpen

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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On this week’s episode of SODcast, members dive into a great conversation on safety ethics in sports. Our discussion questions and resources are below.

Questions:

  1. How should sports associations handle sport safety?
  2. Should athletes be able to knowingly harm themselves and others (like in boxing or MMA).
  3. How should coaches be held responsible for playing injured players or overworking players, if at all?
  4. How should we address the safety of youth in sports?
  5. How are normal spectators responsible for lack of safety in sports?
  6. How should we address sports safety in youth leagues? Should youth be allowed to participate in sports with a high chance of long term injury?

Sources:

  • What Is The Most Dangerous Sport In The World? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfIAXqZvE60
  • The NFL's concussion crisis, explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnAmddi52Y8
  • This is why fighting is allowed in pro hockey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie-MWjkHXhU
  • Living With CTE: Inside MMA Catches Up With "Big Daddy" Gary Goodridge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5OUt53-6YM
  • The Life and Death of a High School Football Player Killed by Concussions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TrCZcsSyA8
  • I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBwtCf2X5jw

Find us on our website: https://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/site/opendiscussion

Visit us on our Twitter page: https://twitter.com/StudentsOpen

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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On this week’s episode of SODcast, members dive into a dynamic conversation on the electoral college. Our discussion questions and resources are below.

Questions:

  1. Should we have the electoral college?
  2. Was the electoral college ever useful?
  3. What would the election process be like if we didn't have the electoral college?
  4. Is it fair for someone to not get the popular vote yet still win the election?

Sources:

  • A neutral explanation of the electoral college: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9H3gvnN468
  • An argument against the electoral college: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wC42HgLA4k
  • An argument for the electoral college:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6s7jB6-GoU

Find us on our website: https://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/site/opendiscussion

Visit us on our Twitter page: https://twitter.com/StudentsOpen

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app