The Academic Citizen The Academic Citizen

The Academic Citizen

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.
Occasionally English South Africa Philosophy · Social Sciences Narrated by Victoria Landey & Taryn Mackay
32 Episodes
1 – 20

70. Music As Science

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,…
14 Nov 23 min

69. Reclaim The Ground

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…
12 Sep 29 min

68. Imiphindo kwaXhosa

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…
22 Aug 19 min

67. Nature Soundscapes

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…
8 Aug 25 min

66. The Museum Of Portable Sound

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…
18 Jul 20 min

65. Historical Soundscape

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…
12 Jun 21 min

64. Listening For Emotions

What is the significance of engaging with colonial archives, which are laden with historical power imbalances and misrepresentations? In this episode, we embark on a journey through time to explore radio archives from the colonial era. Luc Marraffa, a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam, helps us rethink how…
22 May 23 min

63. NASA Sonifications

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…
9 May 23 min

54: New Universities

[FROM THE ARCHIVE - 2018] Carina Truyts is part of the pioneers at South Africa’s newest university, Sol Plaatje University in Kimberly. She has established the Anthropology department there. Her teaching and research is focused on contextual knowledge production, sharing and engagement. Truyts’ Masters Research was on Nourishment in the…
4 Apr 41 min

50: Young People and HIV Research Discourse

[FROM THE ARCHIVE - 2018] Dr. Beth Vale is a researcher at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection. She is a Mandela Rhodes and a Rhodes Scholar. Dr. Vale was a postdoctoral fellow under the NRF Chair in Local Histories, Present Realities at Wits University. Her research explored Johannesburg nightclub…
16 Feb 52 min

39: Cycle-Versities

[FROM THE ARCHIVE] South African universities suffer from serious traffic congestion, lack of parking spaces and high pollution levels. Even though many staff and students aspire to own a car, arguably the bicycle offers huge potential to transform the environment and culture of campuses. In this episode Dr Mehita Iqani…
9 Jan 44 min

33: Universities and Medical Aids

[FROM THE ARCHIVE - 2018] Despite policy initiatives aimed at structuring affordable low cost health care funding products, medical schemes have remained unaffordable, and therefore inaccessible, to the majority of South Africans. Universities, through insurance companies, provide medical aid with high premiums to their staff. Coupled with high tuition, international…
22 Nov 2023 46 min

Sound Matters Virtual Symposium - Call for Participation

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…
3 Oct 2023 5 min

52: Politics of Academic Publishing

[FROM THE ARCHIVE - 2018] Writing for academic journals is highly competitive. The common saying in academic circles is, “get published or perish!” There’s no simple formula for getting published, expectations vary both between and within subject areas. But there are some challenges that will confront all academic writers regardless…
5 Sep 2023 1 hour

37: Community-Engaged Scholarship

[FROM THE ARCHIVE - 2017] Are universities stuck in an ivory tower, cut off from day to day reality? In this episode, Prof Mehita Iqani discusses how research should and could be engaged with “communities”. The guest is University of Cape Town Associate Professor, Tanja Winkler, deputy dean of the…
18 Jul 2023 46 min

43: Economic Inequality & Pay

[FROM THE ARCHIVE - 2017] Most universities are at the forefront of denouncing social injustices and inequality yet, in 2013 for instance the highest paid chancellor earned an annual salary of 3.2 million more than what the President of South Africa earns. These figures reflect shocking high salary discrepancies between…
29 May 2023 45 min

51. Mental Welnness in Academia

[FROM THE ARCHIVE - 2018} In the Netherlands, a study revealed that 1 in 3 academics suffer from mental health disorder. This then begs the question if the same applies to Academics here in South Africa? If so what could be the reasons? Is mental wellness an Institutional problem? Is…
30 Mar 2023 38 min

42: The Art of Language

[FROM THE ARCHIVE - 2018]Dr Hleze Kunju wrote his four-year-long PhD thesis in isiXhosa, about Xhosa people who settled in Mbembesi, an area outside of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He graduated with his PhD in April 2017 and is a lecturer at Sol Plaatjie University. Hailing from rural Mqanduli in the Eastern…
12 Feb 2023 40 min

62. Journeys PART 2

In this episode, we explore three ways of understanding journeys from movement as knowledge with A/Professor Harmony Signaporia, to the ethics of flying and climate change with Dr Henri-Count Evans and to the elusiveness of nature and the wild by Dr Gabriella Leighton. Journeys is the final episode of Season…
23 Dec 2022 45 min

62. Journeys PART 1

In this episode, we explore three ways of understanding journeys from movement as knowledge with A/Professor Harmony Siganporia, to the ethics of flying and climate change with Dr Henri-Count Evans and to the elusiveness of nature and the wild by Dr Gabriella Leighton. Journeys is the final episode of Season…
23 Dec 2022 27 min
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