April 06, 2006
In a new reality TV show called Black.White., two families --one black and one white -- are put under heavy make-up and set out into the world to experience life with a different skin color. The verdict on racism in America ends up being a shade of grey -- much to chagrin of some of the show's participants. Kurt Andersen spoke with Black.White.'s executive producer R.J. Cutler.
It wasn't long ago that minstrel shows featuring white actors in blackface were all the rage in America. These shows were offensive, hokey and slapdash -- but some of them were based on the greatest plays in the English language. Richard Paul examines the troubled relationship between African-American actors and William Shakespeare.
Kurt Andersen talks with law professor Kenji Yoshino, author of Covering: The Hidden Assault On Our Civil Rights, about how we all distort our identities at some point in our lives—even if it's just concealing a tattoo or pretending to like sports.
Hospital architecture usually stirs up feelings of anxiety and dread—which may not encourage patients to recover quickly, according to several new studies. Jocelyn Gonzales reports on the architects and medical professionals who are designing a new wave of feel-good hospitals, as part of our on-going series on science and creativity.
Architect Charles Jencks explains what makes a building like the Eiffel Tower or the World Trade Center more than just a building, but a lasting image that redefines a city.
The members of Refugee All Stars met in a refugee camp in Guinea, near their native Sierra Leone, a country shattered by civil war. KUT's Michael May met up with the band during their visit to South by Southwest festival in Austin, TX.
Studio 360 is a co-production of
Public
Radio International and
WNYC New York Public Radio, and is funded in part by
Ken and Lucy Lehman, the
National Endowment for the Arts, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and
DK Eyewitness Travel. Studio 360's American Icons series is supported in part by the
National Endowment for the Humanities. Our series on creativity and science is supported in part by the
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Our series on Underground Heroes is supported in part by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. 
