The Civics Lab
The Civics Lab at St. Edward's University (Austin, TX) is a student and faculty collaborative podcast on civics life in America. We interview guests and discuss issues around the intersection of politics, economics, society, public policy, religion and other important issues to the civics life in the United States and Texas. Dr. David Thomason, on the faculty at St. Ed's, is the director of the Kozmetsky Center of Excellence and project manager of the Civics Lab. Students at St. Ed's produce, research and comment on the podcast. The Civics Lab team is led by St. Edward's University students Jacob Zivin, George Reyes, Charlie Mossberger, Paige Kennedy, Tori Fleming and Janie Herring. The podcast is brought to you by the Kozmetsky Center. Some of the podcasts are also funded by a Civics Engagement grant from Pi Sigma Alpha.
The Civics Lab
Diplomacy and Democracy Interview with Mirek Konvalina - Ep 7
Back in early December of 2020, The Civics Lab had a discussion with Mirek Konvalina; director of the Czech Center in New York and a seasoned diplomatic professional. In addition to the work Mirek has done at the Czech Center, he has also served as the Director of the American Center - US Embassy Prague, worked as Czech Radio's correspondent in D.C. and at the United Nations, served as Director for both Czech Radio Journal and Czech Radio, served as Vice President of the European Union Cultural Institute, and has authored two books on American democracy. In our discussion we talk about the cultural importance his work at the Czech Center plays, how beer could be considered soft diplomacy, cultural ties between the Czech Republic and the U.S., and much more.
Respond to this weeks episode of The Civics Lab @TheCivicsLab on Instagram and Twitter. Stay tuned for our next episode featuring James Barragan, journalist for The Dallas Morning News. We will be covering how accessible the Texas Legislature has been amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, top issues he is following this session, and how reporting from the Texas Legislature differs from other states.
