Imagine a world where the latest academic research is not just confined to scholarly journals but is readily available in an engaging, understandable format. Thanks to professors turned podcasters, that world is already here. Lifelong learning can be as convenient as tuning in while commuting, exercising, or even tackling a honey-do list.
“Raising awareness about the implications of your work from your niche academic world to the broader public can be challenging,” explains Brenden Rensink, history professor and associate director of the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at BYU. “But even more difficult is trying to find venues in which you can explain to nonexperts why your work matters—and why it matters for them.” Podcasting offers just such a venue.
Not only is podcasting accessible to a wide variety of audiences, but it’s also a great platform for in-depth conversations. Since 2018, Rensink has hosted the Writing Westward podcast, where he converses with authors of books on a variety of topics related to the North American West—politics, geography, people, culture, ecology, art, and more.
“The idea of the podcast was to highlight work that’s being done in any discipline that’s relevant to the American West,” Rensink says.
Exploring the nuances of the West isn’t the only purpose of the podcast. Rensink also wants to get people involved in their own area and local community. That’s a habit Rensink hopes listeners will apply wherever they settle—the West or otherwise.
Turning research into applicable skills is an underlying purpose of another podcast from the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences. Courtney Evans-Stout, associate professor in the School of Family Life, oversees a team of students working on monthly episodes of Family Perspectives: School of Family Life. The podcast gives professors an outlet to translate family life research into tools listeners can use in everyday situations, but the students select the topics and lead the conversations.
“I think that students bring a unique understanding and real-world perspective to how family life professors are able to translate their research,” says Evans-Stout. “Students are just starting to grasp family life concepts, so they remember a time when they didn’t know the subject matter, and that helps them ask the professors questions that will translate to real-world needs.”
The theme students chose for the podcast in 2024 was “Family Life Fact Check: Uncovering Reality in a World of Misinformation.” To identify topics for each episode, students collected questions from everyday people outside academia by sharing a survey on their social media accounts. They then matched those questions with in-house experts.
“This process makes the podcast feel really grounded in what people are asking, what people need, and how we can use what we know in the School of Family Life to meet those needs,” says Evans-Stout.
Take a minute to tune in and see whether some of the latest research can boost your ability to better serve your family and community.
| Writing Westward Podcast | Family Perspectives Podcast |
