With new podcasting initiatives on the horizon at Brock, the popular Faculty of Humanities podcast Foreword is kicking off its fifth and final series.

Hosted and produced by Strategic Initiatives and Outreach Officer Alison Innes, the podcast launched in 2020 the goal of the podcast was to share the diverse research happening in the Faculty.

Since then, more than 40 Foreword episodes have explored topics such as video games, sport, violence, populism, decolonization, war crimes, journalism, masculinity, food, disability and luxury.

Alison Innes, Strategic Initiatives and Outreach Officer for Brock’s Faculty of Humanities, has hosted and produced 40 episodes of the Foreword podcast.

“We have highlighted research by our faculty members, graduate students and undergraduate students as well as checking in with some of our alumni to see where their Humanities degrees have taken them,” Innes said.

For Innes, being able to share timely stories has been a highlight of producing the podcast. From reflecting on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with Associate Professor of European History Gregor Kranjc to exploring populism with Canadian Studies instructor Ibrahim Berrada in the wake of violence in the U.S. capitol in 2021, the podcast has brought academic research to a popular audience.

“As podcast researcher Siobhán McHugh says, audio can take us places we would otherwise be unwilling to go. Without the ability to make judgements on visual appearance, we are more likely to set our biases aside and listen to other perspectives,” Innes said.

The first episode of series five features visual artist Linda Carreiro, Professor and Associate Dean of Fine and Performing Arts in the Faculty of Humanities, and was recorded on location in the Visual Arts gallery at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. The episode explores Carreiro’s interdisciplinary art practice and recent exhibition “Afterthoughts.”

Listeners can also look forward to a compelling conversation with Taylor McKee, Assistant Professor in Sport Management, discussing how his history degree led him into the world of sport management and how studying the history of sport helps to better understand society.

Although Foreword is wrapping up after this year’s episodes, podcasting in the Faculty of Humanities has a bright future. Innes will continue to grow and enhance the Podcast Learning Network in addition to pursuing new initiatives to support podcasting at Brock and in the wider community.

Foreword is publicly available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Transcripts of the episodes are also available here.