Dr. Grant H. Potts serves as Dean of Curriculum Management at Austin Community College,, overseeing award plans and scheduling in accordance with state and federal reporting requirements. He is a Professor of Philosophy, former Chair of the Philosophy, Religion, and Humanities department, and has served in various leadership roles at ACC and in national organizations dedicated to the study of religion and to community college teaching and learning.

We discuss his approach to teaching, the value of religious studies as a preparation for a surprising range of personal and professional endeavors, and the cultivation of intellectual virtues as a goal for liberal arts education.

• (00:00:00) - Community Conversations
• (00:01:21) - What's in It for a College Student?
• (00:03:16) - Interim Dean Potts on the Different Roles
• (00:11:15) - Pushing the boundaries of higher education
• (00:18:13) - Denison College Student Experience
• (00:25:41) - Philosophy and curriculum management
• (00:29:31) - The Way Philosophy Prepared Me for Work
• (00:34:21) - How does religion help me understand the world?
• (00:41:57) - Discussing the Stakes of Religion
• (00:48:31) - Existential terror in philosophy
• (00:53:31) - The Limits of Knowledge in the Meno
• (00:59:24) - Exploring the Religion of Film
• (01:05:45) - The relationship between journal and classroom learning

Matty Martinez-Mandell serves as coordinator for the Peace and Conflict Studies Center at Austin Community College. We discuss the role that the center plays in promoting peaceful resolutions to conflicts of all kinds, the ways in which Matty’s distinctive academic background informs their work, and a few upcoming center events that merit your consideration.

• (00:00:00) - Austin Community Conversations
• (00:02:14) - Maddie Martinez Mandel Discusses the Center's Role
• (00:05:17) - What is Peace Tech? (
• (00:13:01) - The Peace and Conflict Studies Program at Austin Community College
• (00:17:46) - The PAC Center's programming
• (00:26:05) - How to Have Difficult Conversations
• (00:34:58) - The Difficult Conversations Series

Through poetry and prose, language becomes a vehicle for connecting readers directly with the thoughts, beliefs and lived experiences of authors.

My guest today is Prudence Arceneaux, who guides students as Chair of the Creative Writing Department at Austin Community College. In addition to teaching Creative Writing courses, Prudence directs ACC’s literary magazine, The Rio Review, as well as the annual Balcones Literary Prize. She is also an accomplished poet in her own right, having published several volumes including Proprioception, recently released through the Texas Review Press.

Our discussion addresses her academic journey, the risks and rewards of participating in a community of writers, and the role of creativity both within and outside of her discipline.

• (00:00:00) - Community Conversations
• (00:02:07) - Prudence Arsenault on Her Role as an Instructor
• (00:04:40) - When You Get To Know Your Students
• (00:06:40) - Exploring Your Specific Academic Pathway
• (00:08:36) - The Role of Creativity in Teaching
• (00:12:47) - The Division Between Art and Creativity
• (00:19:03) - Writing and the Creative Process
• (00:24:46) - How to Get Out of Math Class
• (00:30:42) - How to Get Out of the Trap of 'Writing'
• (00:32:15) - Why Poetry Is So Scary
• (00:36:27) - The Voices of Non-Traditional Poets
• (00:41:22) - A Poem for a Friend
• (00:42:03) - What should I expect to be in for if I attend a reading
• (00:46:56) - The Future of Censorship
• (00:48:52) - A message about the Rio Review