Season 4 Guests
Dr. Sally Pirie, Ph.D.
Sally Pirie is a comic artist, painter, illustrator, toymaker, and all-around good time. She is also Professor of Child and Family Studies and Director and Master Artist at the Comics-Based Research Lab at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. An award-winning newspaper cartoonist and an anthropologist of childhood and infancy, she
Sally Pirie is a comic artist, painter, illustrator, toymaker, and all-around good time. She is also Professor of Child and Family Studies and Director and Master Artist at the Comics-Based Research Lab at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. An award-winning newspaper cartoonist and an anthropologist of childhood and infancy, she received her PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder and is a graduate of Punahou School and Grinnell College. Her areas of expertise include comics-based research methods, ethnographic research and transgender childhoods. She was the 2020 Distinguished Visiting Professor of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota, Morris and the 2021 recipient of the Grinnell College Alumni Award in recognition of her lifetime of public service. She was the 2025 Teaching Fellow at the Craigardan International Artist Residence Program and has recently been appointed as the Storywork and Knowledge Mobilization Co-Lab Lead with the groundbreaking National Science Foundation Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledge and Science (CBIKS). She once went to New Year’s Eve fireworks dressed as an enormous blue pufferfish because life should be suffused with art and joy. You can learn about all of that and more at www.sallypirie.com
Invasion Alert! Battle Fake News with Killer Critical Media Literacy
Join the Outsider Within team for a lively and insightful conversation on the urgent topic of critical media literacy. In this episode, our hosts dive into Elise Gravel’s book, "Killer Underwear Invasion: How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories," exploring how children, families, and educators can navigate today’s
Join the Outsider Within team for a lively and insightful conversation on the urgent topic of critical media literacy. In this episode, our hosts dive into Elise Gravel’s book, "Killer Underwear Invasion: How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories," exploring how children, families, and educators can navigate today’s flood of misinformation.
Through real-life anecdotes, generational perspectives, and practical advice, the discussion unpacks the history of fake news, the impact of technology and AI, and the importance of questioning sources. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or lifelong learner, you’ll discover actionable steps to help young people—and yourself—think critically, check sources, and resist the spread of disinformation.
Perfect for anyone passionate about education, media literacy, and empowering the next generation to become thoughtful, informed citizens. Tune in for book recommendations, teaching strategies, and a few laughs along the way!
Making Good Trouble: A Conversation with Dr. Shirley Steinberg and Dr. William McCorkle
In the aftermath of the murder of Minneapolis resident, US citizen and poet, Renne Good, at the hands of ICE paramilitants, we talk with internationally renowned scholar, Dr. Shirley Steinberg, and immigrant advocate and immigration scholar, Dr. William McCorkle, about the political and social ramifications of her death. This podcast or
In the aftermath of the murder of Minneapolis resident, US citizen and poet, Renne Good, at the hands of ICE paramilitants, we talk with internationally renowned scholar, Dr. Shirley Steinberg, and immigrant advocate and immigration scholar, Dr. William McCorkle, about the political and social ramifications of her death. This podcast originates at ODU, and we recognize all the good that Renee did amid the tragedy of her loss, and to celebrate a life that was truly a brilliant light, not only at ODU but in her family and community.
A note from the hosts and producers:
As we were preparing this episode to air, ICE/CBP murdered another American citizen, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a Veteran’s Administration ICU nurse, while he was assisting another protester.
Mr. Pretti was shot in the back while restrained on the ground, posing no threat. We dedicate this episode and our efforts to his memory and the legacy of his care and quiet strength. May we always be prepared to make good trouble in the face of tyranny and oppression.
Dr. Anastasia Berg, Ph.D.
Anastasia Berg is a Philosophy professor at UC, Irvine, an editor of The Point magazine and co-author, with Rachel Wiseman, of What Are Children For? On Ambivalence and Choice. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Times Literary Supplement, Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, amon
Anastasia Berg is a Philosophy professor at UC, Irvine, an editor of The Point magazine and co-author, with Rachel Wiseman, of What Are Children For? On Ambivalence and Choice. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Times Literary Supplement, Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among others.
In this episode, Dr. Berg discusses how even basic AI use may harm students. She argues that AI hampers linguistic and cognitive growth, affecting mastery, interpretation, inquiry, and communication, and thereby undermining self-rule and democracy. She advocates for AI-scarce, tech-scarce spaces in education to help students build foundational skills for wise AI use.