The Tallinn University Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In our annual Pride episode, comedian and TLU alumni Jana Levitina joins our host Terry McDonald to discuss the role humour plays in activism. Jana has co-founded a FLINTA (female, lesbian, intersex, non-binary, trans, agender) comedy club in Estonia, and in this episode enlightens Terry on the importance of political humour, how is feminism related to LGBTQ+ rights, and the ongoing importance of Pride in 2023.

For more info on Baltic Pride:

https://www.balticpride.ee/

Jana is also an editor at Feministeerium:

https://feministeerium.ee/

Thank you for 3 great seasons - see you in season 4!

The reconstruction of Ukraine is going to be one of the biggest international development projects in history. Many partners - governments, NGOs, and in the private sector - will have a role to play. 

As in the war itself, the US government will have a leading role in these efforts. As the development arm of the US government, USAid will likely be at the helm. In this episode of the Tallinn University Podcast, Patrick J. Wilson - Senior Advisor on Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction for USAid, joins our host Terry McDonald in a unique episode format. 

As Terry is a Lecturer of International Relations in Tallinn University, this conversation takes place in Terry’s Global Development course lecture. Mr. Wilson joined Terry’s class via Zoom from Washington, taking questions from Terry and then from the students of the class. 

In the conversation, they first discuss the lessons learned since the Marshall Plan and through 70 years of success and failure in global development projects. Then, the topic moves to the reconstruction of Ukraine - the hopes, the challenges, who should bear the cost and how they will pay it, and what a potential US administration change might mean for the effort. 

As this was a ‘live’  episode, the usual studio perfection audio quality is not quite there - nonetheless, the opportunity to have one of the architects of Ukraine’s reconstruction in conversation makes the episode a must-listen.

In our final episode of season two, host Terry McDonald is joined by Anette Mäletjärv, Cooperation Officer in the Estonian LGBT Association, to discuss the history of the LGBTQ+ movement in Estonia, where it started, and what it has achieved. Happy Pride Month! 

From claims like "Made with recycled products" to pictures of a rainforest on the label, the image of environmentalism is everywhere in advertising today. Similarly, more consumers are trying to make environmentally conscious purchasing decisions than ever. To do so, though, they need to be able to know which products are actually produced in an environmentally-sustainable manner. Many products and events are advertised using 'green' themes while not actually using 'green' practises - in a process called "Greenwashing". In this episode, we have environmental policy expert Kadri Kalle join our host Terry McDonald to help us all learn the difference between environmentalism and environmental marketing.

This episode is our annual contribution to the Tallinn University Green Month initiative. To check out last year's, listen here: 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5o1flCTXMakcW0v6q5E5vM 

The arts have been essential to the survival of Estonian culture, through various occupations, up through the Singing Revolution, and in the revitalization of independence. Now, on Tallinn Music Week, our host Terry McDonald is joined by Shiftworks CEO and TMW Founder Helen Sildna to discuss the festival's history, and the meaning of the arts in times of repression and war. Then, Monika Tomingas - Project Manager at the Estonian Folklore Council and Lecturer at the Baltic Film, Media, and Arts School at Tallinn University - joins us to talk about the history and meaning of the arts in Estonian culture - and if Estonian society is doing enough to encourage the artistic community. Happy TMW! 

Thanks to Kadri Voorand for permission to use a clip of her performance from TMW in the show. If you are interested in Tallinn Music Week - you can find more information here:
https://tmw.ee/ 

Social Media and the rights and responsibilities that come with it shape so much of our world - politics, relationships, war and peace.  How can we have democracy in a world where people are living in different information realities? Who gets to choose what is acceptable discourse? In a wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Mart Susi - founder of the Digital Human Rights Network and Professor of Human Rights Law at TLU - joins Terry to discuss how we shape the conversation that shapes so much of our reality. 

If you would like to hear more from Dr. Susi and other experts on this issue, please join the webinar “Media freedom and freedom of expression at times of military aggression” Tuesday 19th of March 11am at the link below. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/653911495902479

Hacking. Cybercrime. Cyberwarfare. It cuts to the heart of modern life, and the essential functions of modern society. Now, as one of the major players in cyberwarfare engages in total war, we need to understand the vulnerabilities we have to cyberattack, and how we can deal with them without sacrificing the connectivity we depend on as a global society. Catlyn Kirna, Lecturer of International Relations at TLU and Cyber Security Consultant with CGI Estonia, join our host Terry McDonald to talk about cyberwar, cybersecurity, how you can do your part for cyber defence, and how some hackers are like the Wet Bandits from Home Alone. 

This episode is brought to you as part of the 10th Annual Tallinn University Symposium of International Relations, which received funding from the European Regional Development Fund through the institutional package measure for R&D institutions and higher education institutions (ASTRA project TLU TEE of Tallinn University; University of Tartu’s ASTRA project PER ASPERA)) and is organized by Doctoral School in Economics and Innovation. 

Pandemics. Climate change. Refugee crises. The problems we face in the era of globalization run deep. Despite layers of governance and a plethora of expertise, there are modern problems that simply do not have simple solutions. These are known as Wicked Problems - and how we learn to adapt to and deal with them will shape the future of human society. Dr. Benjamin Klasche is an expert in Wicked Problems, and in this episode joins our host Terry McDonald to discuss how we survive the era of wicked problems. 

With the invasion of Ukraine underway, we invited Dr. Matthew Crandall and Dr. Benjamin Klasche back on the podcast to speak with Terry about why Russia would do this, and what it means for the future of Europe, International Relations, and the world. We also discuss the events from each of an American, German, and Canadian perspective. 

This episode was done live on Twitter Spaces - and we are releasing it here for those who may have missed it. 

Half a world apart geographically, close partners in culture, economy, and security - in this episode we discuss the relationship between Canada and Estonia.  Estonian Ambassador to Canada Toomas Lukk joins our host Terry McDonald to talk about the history of Estonians in Canada, how the Estonian diaspora maintains their identity, what NATO security partnerships mean to Estonia, and tells us his favourite Canadian band. O Canada! 

In the episode we reference a visa-free work arrangement for citizens of the two countries - if you want to know more, check out the links below: 

https://ottawa.mfa.ee/youth-mobility-agreement/ 

https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/iec/eligibility.asp