The End of the World

An ancient Maya prophecy supposedly pegs the end of the world for December 21, 2012. That apocalyptic prediction is just one of many that have filtered through society over the years. What makes people believe in the end of days? And how has this belief influenced life throughout history? Host Frank Stasio talks about the end of the world with Robert Sitler, director of Latin American studies and a professor of modern languages at Stetson University in Florida; Brett Whalen, an associate professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Gerry Canavan, a PhD candidate in literature at Duke University