During the Inauguration in a few weeks, President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office. It's a practice that elected officials are taking part in across the country following the 2024 election. So what is the significance of this oath? This hour, we take a look at oaths, vows, and pledges. We'll discuss their history and their meaning, and explore the examples of marriage vows and the Pledge of Allegiance.

GUESTS: 
Joanne Pierce: Professor Emerita in the Department of Religious Studies at the College of The Holy Cross, who specializes in medieval Christianity, particularly liturgy and worship 
Cheryl Mendelson: Author of Vows: The Modern Genius of an Ancient Rite
Charles Dorn: Professor of Education at Bowdoin College, and co-author of Patriotic Education in a Global Age 

During the Inauguration in a few weeks, President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office. It's a practice that elected officials are taking part in across the country following the 2024 election. So what is the significance of this oath? This hour, we take a look at oaths, vows, and pledges. We'll discuss their history and their meaning, and explore the examples of marriage vows and the Pledge of Allegiance.
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Joanne Pierce: Professor Emerita in the Department of Religious Studies at the College of The Holy Cross, who specializes in medieval Christianity, particularly liturgy and worship&nbsp;</li>
<li>Cheryl Mendelson: Author of <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Vows/Cheryl-Mendelson/9781668021569">Vows: The Modern Genius of an Ancient Rite</a></li>
<li>Charles Dorn: Professor of Education at Bowdoin College, and co-author of <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo28179129.html">Patriotic Education in a Global Age</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

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