Refine
Clear All
Your Track:
Live:
Search in:
The Academic Citizen
The Academic Citizen

The Academic Citizen

An independent podcast about critical issues in higher education. All episodes are free to download and share. ------ An academic citizen is anyone who is part of the higher education community. They are engaged in pedagogy or research or both, and are committed to furthering knowledge, education and the advancement of society from their disciplinary position. An academic citizen sees their work in higher education as a public project, both in terms of being partially funded by taxpayer money, and in terms of the contributions they wish to make to the world around them. Although citizenship implies an exclusive form of belonging, here we use it to signal the role of academic work in collective life in a non-exclusionary way, and to anchor it in a public project to which all humanity belongs. We create knowledge not only for our individual benefit but for the benefit of all. The Academic Citizen is an independent podcast series produced and funded in its second iteration by the South African Research Chair in Science Communication in 2022. It was originally supported by the Academic Staff Association of Wits University (ASAWU) when it was first established in 2016.

Available Episodes 10

What happens when you combine science with electrifying and nostalgic sonic experimentation? In this episode, we explore the ideal fusion of music and science as we share stories of scientific research with researcher, science communicator, and producer, Prof Alice Motion. Focusing on the psychological aspects of public understanding of science, this episode illustrates that, much like facts, emotions and social relationships play a significant role in how we create, share, and absorb knowledge. Music, much like science, holds epistemic authority, making the partnership between science and music immensely valuable for improving access to and understanding of scientific research in society. Come with us with the last episode of season.

Humans need to re-establish our connection with the Earth. In this episode, we explore the role of sound in helping us understand how waste has impacted the spaces and experiences of our planet with sociologist, filmmaker, and performer Dr. Julie Patarin-Jossen. Through feminist and queer perspectives, this episode helps us develop a new emotional relationship with the natural world, especially as we are called to protect our home, Earth. Come with us.

Similar to spoken and written language, clothing conveys important symbolic meaning and serves as a creative space for preserving daily traditions. In this episode, we highlight indigenous language and knowledge systems with independent fashion practitioner, researcher, and archivist Siviwe James. Through the use of sound, we emphasize the significance of traditional clothing as primary cultural materials, allowing for a deeper exploration of history and culture, particularly in relation to isintu and intlonipho. Listen to the episode on our website or on all streaming platforms. Come with us.

The sounds of nature can offer a unique listening experience and make us aware of our spaces and the species that exist. In this episode, we head deep into the green urban belts and wild spaces of Aoteroa with wildlife filmmaker, storyteller and host of Tune into Nature Podcast, Karthic SS. This episode guides our attention and appreciation to nature's soundscapes where listening can offer whole different modality to learning about the presence of species and growing conservation efforts. Come with us.

When we think of museums, we often envision a traditional building with objects and artefacts. In this episode, we challenge this notion with Dr. John Kannenberg from The Museum of Portable Sound. This episode delves into the concept of collecting and showcasing sound as cultural and museological heritage, offering a new perspective on traditional museum and music practices. By examining the portability of sound, this episode emphasizes that sound is an integral part of our cultural heritage and is not confined to a single space. Come with us.

Listening is dynamic, especially in recreating historical places. In this episode, we explore Willow Road in Fairview, Gqeberha with musician and sound artist Andrei Van Wyk. It focuses on using sound to evoke the lost homes and communities of Willow Road, destroyed by the Group Areas Act of 1950. By reconstructing the past through sound, this episode highlights how audio can revive aspects of lost spaces. Come with us.

In this episode, we take a journey through time to explore radio archives from the colonial era. Presented by Luc Marraffa, a PhD candidate at the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis at the University of Amsterdam, this episode focuses on the histories that have been erased from radio records. It examines these narratives through the interdisciplinary lenses of sound studies, critical archive studies, and decolonial approaches. By revisiting these colonial radio archives, this episode encourages us to rethink how we engage with archives, urging us to carefully uncover and give voice to unheard and non-verbal cues. Come with us.

On the premiere episode of Season 7, listeners are treated to an interstellar auditory experience in the form of an audio postcard. Narrated by Sarah Kane, a PhD researcher in Astronomy from Cambridge University, this episode offers a captivating exploration into the innovative realm of data sonifications. Kane, along with her esteemed team, sheds light on groundbreaking research insights concerning the effectiveness of utilising data sonification in astronomy outreach and communication, with a specific focus on reaching audiences with visual impairments. Come with us.

Are you interested in, passionate about or working on the possibilities of using audio to create, shape, and distribute scientific and academic research to the public? Submit a proposal/abstract for our upcoming virtual symposium "Sound Matters: Interdisciplinary Explorations Into Audio Knowledge Production" in collaboration with the South African Research Chair in Science Communication and the South African Journal of Science. To participate, submit a 300-word proposal and a 100-word bio (in one document) by 9 October 2023. We welcome suggestions for presentations of individual or collaborative contributions, panels, or showcases of audio scholarship. More info here: https://lnkd.in/dQiGY6Z4. No conference or registration fees!

Are you an academic, researcher or institution or department of higher education? Do you want to make a podcast to share your research with the world? Speak to us, we can help! We are open to being commissioned from 2023. Intro and Outro Music by The Academic Citizen Backing Music by Music Unlimited from Pixabay