Podcasts and Pandem
History students create ‘The Health A deadly virus swept through world, infecting and killing millions. People were required to wear masks and avoid mass gatherings, schools and businesses were temporarily shut down, and governments grappled with how best to address the pandemic. But we’re not talking about COVID-19. A little over 100 years ago, the Spanish Flu raced across the globe with such virulence that the pandemic still lives in collective memory. What’s interesting, said UWM assistant professor of history Christopher Cantwell, is that the disease changed, but between 1918 and 2020, the pandemic response hasn’t. “In some ways, this is one of the few times that history literally repeated itself,” he said. “We have new technologies and better ways of caring for people who are sick. But the principles, the public health policies, and the problems are all the same.” So, Cantwell and his students set out to explore that déjà vu. They did so in a 7-part podcast called, “The Healthiest City.”
Public history students in professor Christopher Cantwell’s “History and New Media” class created a podcast exploring Milwaukee’s response to another pandemic - that of the 1918 Spanish Flu. Image courtesy of “The Healthiest City” podcast.
Podcast pedagogy During a normal academic year, Cantwell’s “History and New Media” class would have met in-person to explore new ways to present historical information with a focus on podcasting. Of course, 2020 was anything but normal. For the safety of everyone during the coronavirus pandemic, UWM shifted most of its classes, including Cantwell’s, online. “I knew this academic year would be a challenge in general,” he said. “So I 4 • IN FOCUS • April, 2021
asked myself, what can I do for my students to give them something real to point to at the end of it? I told them early on, rather than talk about podcasting, let’s just make a podcast.” Podcasts are enjoying a hey-day at the moment, and high-quality podcasts rely on extensive research and clear, articulate writing to present stories and information – exactly the kind of skills Cantwell wants his students to develop in his class.
And learning about producing podcasts might just make his students more attractive when they hit the job market. “Part of the goal for the class is to train students both in the tools and techniques of podcasting so they can develop these kinds of shows at the museums, libraries, or cultural centers they may end up in. That is a skill set they can bring with them,” he said.
