Viveca Stucke ‘26
Chief Features Editor
- Professor Name: Alex E. Hindman
- Academic Department: Political Science
- Classes you teach: POLS 100 Principles of American Government; POLS 201 Const. Law: National Powers; POLS 202 Const. Law: Rights & Liberties; POLS 300 Law, Politics, & Society.
- Preferred music platform: Spotify
- What is your go to playlist?: I usually start with “Indie 2010s” because it’s the sound of my time in Southern California. But jazz and bluegrass playlists sneak in often too. It really depends on the mood.
- What’s your current favorite song?: Caamp’s “By and By” is on repeat lately, with The Decemberists’ “Burial Ground” close behind. Folksy, and oddly calming in the way I need this time of year.
- What was your favorite artist while in college?: I had a bunch of favorites from Stone Temple Pilots, Kings of Leon, and The Killers when in one mood. Alan Jackson, George Strait, Randy Travis, and Josh Turner, when in another too.
- Do you think your music taste has evolved with time?: Absolutely. I’ve always been a mood-based listener, and that hasn’t changed. These days I find myself going down rabbit holes like Bluegrass Covers or old jazz quartets more often than I expected.
- What song has the most emotional value for you?: It’s a three-way tie: Gustav Holst’s The Planets: IV. Jupiter ” Hillbilly Thomists “Floodwaters,” and Franz Shubert’s “Ave Maria”
- What’s a modern-pop song you like? Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” caught me the other day.
- Have any specific songs had an impact on your professional career?: Jazz has been my soundtrack for most writing sessions, so I probably owe something to Dave Brubeck, “Take Five,” John Coltrane, “How Deep is the Ocean,” and Sonny Rollins “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” for getting me across a few finish lines.
- Are there any songs you like that are connected to your academic field?: It’s hard to find a song that really captures constitutional law — it’s not exactly Top 40 material. But Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” stands out for its optimism in the face of tremendous suffering. That spirit runs through some of the most powerful moments in our constitutional history.
- If you could listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?: That’s nearly impossible for me. Gustav Holst’s The Planets: IV. Jupiter is pretty high on my list though.
Featured image courtesy of College of the Holy Cross
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