‘W&L After Class’ Podcast Releases New Episode Featuring Stu Gray Stu Gray, associate professor of politics, discusses philosophy, teaching collaboratively with students and being mindful in a technological world.

By Kelsey Goodwin
July 16, 2025

“Technology takes us into a way of living where I think we’re constantly entertained or constantly consuming, but I think we’ve lost our grip on being.”

~ Stu Gray, associate professor of politics

Stu Gray, associate professor of politics, joins associate director of Lifelong Learning and host Ruth Candler on “W&L After Class” to discuss identity, technology and the benefits of risk-taking – all from the perspective of an educator and scholar who has explored all of the above throughout his academic career.

In this episode, Gray shares how a conversation with a smokejumper during his senior year of college set him on the road to studying and teaching political theory and how his fascination with both Western and Eastern thought traditions reshaped his understanding of identity, meaning and what it truly means to live a good life. Candler also delves into the philosophy behind Gray’s popular courses, including one inspired by the hit Netflix program “Black Mirror,” which explores the dystopian side of technology and its human impact, and how he invites students to unplug, look inward and critically examine the role technology plays in shaping modern identity.

Gray also provides a sneak peek into his next Spring Term course, which will explore how and when we experience the feeling of awe in everyday life. Gray says he imagines the course as a complement to his course on “Black Mirror,” asking students to explore their surroundings and contemplate life offline.

“Technology takes us into a way of living where I think we’re constantly entertained or constantly consuming, but I think we’ve lost our grip on being,” Gray says. “The [ancient] Greeks were all about this. They were in awe of the world. Sometimes they were surprised by things, pleasantly surprised, and they got inspiration, especially from non-human nature and the world around them, things that weren’t constructions of the human hand. And I think that’s a very healthy orientation. A way to combat this sort of technological society that we’re in is finding ways to locate sources of awe in the world around us, in non-human nature, non-human entities, in other human beings, even, but not mediated through that lit screen. And so, this course is going to be an exploration into how and where do we find that.”

This episode marks the sixth episode in the sixth season of “W&L After Class,” which launched on Jan. 14. The previous episode featured a conversation with W&L President Will Dudley about his role as an educator and the unique features of the liberal arts. This season also includes conversations with Holly Pickett, professor of English, on the universal impact of William Shakespeare; Matthew Loar, director of fellowships and student research, on the transformative nature of collegiate research in shaping individuals; and Beth Staples, editor of Shenandoah and assistant professor of English, on the power of imagination and the legacy of Shenandoah Literary Magazine.

“W&L After Class” began in the spring of 2020 and is a collaborative effort of Lifelong Learning, Alumni Engagement and the Office of Communications and Public Affairs. Each episode invites listeners to experience conversations with W&L’s expert faculty, giving listeners worldwide a chance to stroll the Colonnade in the comfort of their homes. W&L faculty members discuss their teaching, research and special interests. Previous topics include chemistry, advertising, witches, AI and free speech.

Listeners in the W&L community and beyond are invited to listen to past episodes and seasons or wherever they listen to podcasts.