In the latest edition of Short Talks from the Hill, a podcast from the University of Arkansas, David Tolliver, doctoral student in public policy at the University of Arkansas, discusses his recently published book, Student Activism As A Vehicle For Change On College Campuses.

Student activism today is much the same as it was in the 1960s and 1970s, when students were protesting the Vietnam War and fighting for civil rights and the rights of women, Tolliver says. But there is one major exception: Technology. The new generation of activists have used modern communications technology, specifically social media, as an efficient and effective way to organize and communicate opinions.

"The advancement of technology is definitely a huge change," Tolliver says. "It also allows students to respond and to organize quickly. … It gives many people an opportunity, not just activists, but people that may not have participated in activism, it gives them another avenue to really engage themselves in a conversation with a particular issue."

To hear Tolliver talk more about historical and contemporary student activism, go to ResearchFrontiers.uark.edu, the home of research news at the University of Arkansas. Listeners can also find Short Talks From the Hill podcasts under the "Local & Podcast" link at KUAF.com.

Short Talks From the Hill highlights research and scholarly work at the University of Arkansas. Each segment features a university researcher discussing his or her work. For more information and additional podcasts, go to the multimedia section of ResearchFrontiers.uark.edu.