Mother Courage, Death Do Us Part, Beyonce's Police Boycott

Guest: Jacob Hickman, PhD, Professor of Anthropology at BYU  Donald Trump has been criticized for incidents of violence against protesters and the press at a number of his rallies. Trump says he doesn’t condone violence, and blames protesters for being so “dangerous” they need to be controlled or ejected.  We’ve heard recently on Top of Mind how 2015 saw an increase in hate group participation, fueled partly by angry political rhetoric. There was also a rise in anti-government groups like the militia that occupied a wildlife refuge in Oregon for more than a month. Hateful threats against Muslims are increasing, too. Experts say the anger is driven by lots of things—including a sense of economic disenfranchisement, toxic political partisanship and the fear that terrorism is an increasing threat in our communities.

Guest: Barta Heiner, Founder and Director of BYU’s Bachelor of Fine Arts Acting Program 

Guest: Kyle Bourassa, PhD Candidate in the University of Arizona’s Clinical Psychology Program  Nearly 14 and a half million Americans have been widowed by the death of a spouse, according to Census data. And even though the common marriage vow is “until death do us part,” many people who’ve lost a partner in this life continue to be influenced by them. Psychologists at the University of Arizona found the influence can be both positive and negative. But what’s most surprising is that the association between a deceased and surviving spouse is just as strong as the association between partners who are both living.

Guest: Darlene Kertes, PhD, Assistant Professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Psychology  Being pregnant is stressful. And unborn babies seem to pick up on that – not that they’re prone to making things any better with their kicking and shifting and basically taking over much of mom’s insides. But just how does the stress a mother experiences affect the health of her baby at birth? To gauge this, researchers from the University of Florida went to one of the most stressful places in the world to be a woman: the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Guest: Kristin Matthews, Program Coordinator of BYU's American Studies Program  When she performed the new song Formation at the Super Bowl, she ignited heated debate about her overtly political messages and role as a black female icon.