Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description
Podcasting History
Instructor(s): Murat C. Yildiz, History
What insights can podcasts about history offer into public discussions about the past
and present? “Podcasting History” is structured around this question. From professional
podcasters with larger research budgets to independent donor-funded outlets, organizations
and people have created podcasts to chime into conversations about history. These
developments reflect the growing popularity of podcasts as an audio medium of communication
in the daily lives of Americans. It is in this context that this class seeks to offer
a deep investigation of a specific genre of podcasts: English-language podcasts that
focus on investigating the past. This course seeks to help students develop the intellectual
tools needed to analyze the content of a diverse array of podcasts as well as to produce
their own podcasts about the topic. Our approach to podcasting history in this course
is interdisciplinary— interweaving the podcasts of historians, professional podcasters,
and journalists. Engaging these podcasts and articles about podcasts will enable us
to analyze the different narratives that podcasters have crafted about the past.
Course Offered: 2026