{"id":72519,"date":"2021-06-07T10:20:15","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T14:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=72519"},"modified":"2021-06-08T14:13:19","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T18:13:19","slug":"humanities-launches-second-season-of-foreword-podcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2021\/06\/humanities-launches-second-season-of-foreword-podcast\/","title":{"rendered":"Humanities launches second season of Foreword podcast"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a successful first season, Foreword has returned to again connect listeners with researchers in Brock\u2019s Faculty of Humanities.<\/p>\n

The podcast, which recently passed the 1,000-downloads mark, features interviews with professors and graduates from across the Faculty, exploring not only what they do, but also why they do it and why it matters.<\/p>\n

The second season returns with 11 episodes. Each one-hour episode is released each Wednesday until the end of August.<\/p>\n

Similar to a foreword in a book, the podcast acts as an introduction to the Humanities and the diverse and impactful research being conducted at Brock, said Alison Innes, the Faculty\u2019s Social Media Co-ordinator, who produces and hosts the show.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to convey the forward momentum \u2014 how the humanities are relevant and important both today and as we move forward,\u201d Innes said.<\/p>\n

Listeners can expect to dive into topics such as literary journalism, the connection between art and engineering, the need for a global perspective on the ongoing pandemic and how societies have responded to plagues and unrest in the past.<\/p>\n

The season kicked off with a conversation with Nina Penner, Assistant Professor in the Department of Music, who specializes in opera, musical theatre and film music.<\/p>\n

In the June 2 episode, Penner helps to demystify the world of opera for listeners and shares how modern opera is responding to social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do not need to be an opera aficionado to appreciate the conversation,\u201d Innes said. \u201cAll of the episodes are geared towards people who don\u2019t necessarily have an academic background in these topics. They\u2019re meant to feel accessible and be engaging.\u201d<\/p>\n

The episodes, she said, are \u201cmade to sound as though we\u2019re in a coffee shop and there\u2019s me, the researcher and the listener at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foreword also aims to \u201cpull back the curtain on the research and academic process,\u201d Innes said.<\/p>\n

For instance, an upcoming episode features Modern Languages Associate Professor Cristina Santos and her work on the Argentinian disappearances from 1977 to 1983.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talk about what it is like for researchers to deal with really difficult topics,\u201d Innes said. \u201cWe talk about how, as a researcher, you examine a topic that\u2019s traumatic without traumatizing yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The podcast helps listeners to understand the role the Humanities play in society, said Faculty Dean Carol Merriam.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe research and creative activity practised in the Faculty of Humanities is central to all of the questions and issues that confront us today,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re asking and answering the crucial questions, and the world needs to hear about those questions and answers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The podcast, Merriam said, is an \u201cinnovative way to take our work into the mainstream of people\u2019s lives and thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impressive performance of the podcast, and the audience that it has reached, demonstrates the importance and vitality of the Humanities in today\u2019s world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supported by the Dean\u2019s Discretionary Fund, the podcast is also made possible by the sound-editing skills of first-year Interactive Arts and Science student Nicole Arnt.<\/p>\n

Arnt said the experience has taught her that Brock \u201coffers opportunities for learning and connection beyond the obvious places,\u201d and she was thrilled to get involved with the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis podcast highlights how professors are not only teachers but also learners,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good reminder that universities in general and Brock’s Faculty of Humanities specifically, are places to stimulate thought, discussion and curiosity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foreword is more than just a \u201ctransfer of knowledge,\u201d she said, while encouraging her fellow students to tune in.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt allows listeners to get a sense of who some of the Humanities professors are outside the lecture hall: What motivates them, what they are concerned about and why they are passionate about a certain topic. It brings the humanity back to the Humanities and it will give us a connection point in class beyond marks and assignments.\u201d<\/p>\n

New Foreword episodes are released every Wednesday on Apple Podcasts<\/a>, Google Podcasts<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Transcripts of the episodes are also available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some upcoming episodes of Foreword include:<\/p>\n