Big World
Big World

Big World

Big World

Overview
Episodes

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Big World shines a spotlight on complex ideas and issues that matter. Each episode features an expert from the School of International Service at American University in Washington, DC, breaking down a big, important topic into small bite sizes.

Recent Episodes

How to Get a Job in International Affairs
SEP 3, 2024
How to Get a Job in International Affairs

Sara Jones, the director of the SIS Office of Career Development joins Big World to discuss the topic at the forefront of many international affairs students’ minds: how to get a job. Jones oversees career development support for SIS undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni, including events, advising, and employer relations.

Jones begins our conversation by sharing the best kinds of internships for international affairs students (1:35). She also explains how international experiences and foreign language skills can help prepare students for the job search (4:21).

How has the job search process changed in recent years (8:42)? What are some common mistakes that students make on application materials (14:02)? Jones answers these questions and ends our discussion by offering practical advice for students who don’t know where to start their job search (19:22).

In the “Take 5” segment (12:01) of this episode, Jones answers this question: What are the top five job sites for students to utilize in their job searches?

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24 MIN
Abortion Access in a Post-Roe World
JUL 1, 2024
Abortion Access in a Post-Roe World

*Note: This episode was recorded before the US Supreme Court in Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine unanimously rejected a lawsuit challenging the FDA's rules for prescribing and dispensing the abortion medication mifepristone on the issue of standing.

American University School of Public Affairs professor, lawyer, and reproductive rights and policy expert Jessica Waters joins Big World to discuss the status of abortion access and bodily autonomy in the US. The discussion takes places two years after the Supreme Court overturned the nearly 50-year precedent established in Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, authored by Justice Samuel Alito.

Waters begins our conversation by discussing global abortion access (1:57) and explaining the impact of “heartbeat bills” that several states have implemented (3:26). She also describes the importance of protecting access to abortion medications such as mifepristone and misoprostol (5:41).

What is fetal personhood and how does it affect other reproductive healthcare like IVF (8:45)? What is the rationale for restricting abortion medications (18:53)? Waters answers these questions and ends our discussion by highlighting the impact that limited abortion access and the need to travel—often long distances—for reproductive care has on women across the country (22:24).

In the “Take 5” segment (14:33) of this episode, Waters answers this question: What are five policies the government can enact to protect reproductive health? 

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25 MIN