Until recently, few student radio programs tried to bring discussions of academic work to air in an interview format because it is so difficult to make esoteric and complicated research coherent. Brown Student Radio's innovative "Not Your Classroom," an interview-based talk show aimed at exposing the work of professionals to the student community, is looking to change that.
The 28-minute program, now in its second semester of production, features Kath Connolly '89, a senior associate director at the Swearer Center for Public Service, conducting in-depth interviews with academic figures from Brown and nearby institutions. The focus is not only on getting guests to discuss what they do, but also to highlight their work's current implications in society.
The first guest this season was Peter Johnson, a professor of English at Providence College, who appeared on the Oct. 18 episode to discuss prose poetry. The show's guest list will include people from the greater Rhode Island area, including faculty from Providence College, the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College.
Previous "Not Your Classroom" topics have included dark matter, smell, eco-studies, masculinity, computer music, totalitarianism, colonial Mexico and most recently, hospice.
Executive Producer and creator Paul McCarthy originated the idea of presenting powerful information in a casual and approachable manner. A veteran of radio, McCarthy worked for public radio programs such as "This American Life," "All Things Considered" and "Weekend Edition." About a year ago, McCarthy decided to fuse a NPR-style show into BSR and include Brown community members.
During the show's beginnings, the staff realized that it would be crucial to have a laid-back approach to facilitation if the show was to appeal to the largest population of unprofessional, interested listeners, according to McCarthy and Associate Producer Kate Osborn '05.5.
The result, aptly named "Not Your Classroom," debuted in February.
The funding for the series came from the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities at Brown, the Office of Student Life and the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities.
As explained by McCarthy, "Not Your Classroom" would be aimed at "swinging open the gates of the University."
The show, similar in style to NPR's "Fresh-Air," needed to find a strong and skilled personality to ask the questions. Connolly took on this role, and she became key in guiding the conversation while keeping it light - essential to the show's casual tone, Osborn said.
Through its simple structure and straightforward language, the show can reach those who are embittered with academia, Osborn said.
"For a lot of people it's just a waste of time," she said. "There is a lack of appreciation for learning, or studying for the sake of study." "Not Your Classroom" is aimed at making academia a little bit more accountable, she added.
Since its creation, the show has also addressed the gap between upper-level professional learning and average students.
Donald Jackson, professor of medical science in the Medical School's Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Phys-iology and Biotechnology, works in an obscure corner of the Biomedical Center. He was asked to be on the show last March to discuss his research on how turtles survive for long amounts of time underwater without oxygen.
"The format (of the show) encourages you to put it into language everyone can understand," Jackson said. He stressed the importance of letting students know about the interesting work going on around them, and he supported getting more professionals to discuss their lives.
"There is a lot of antiscientific and anti-intellectual sentiment today," he added. "A lot of people just don't understand it - and it is important for scientists to communicate more often with people outside of their group."
Since his "Not Your Classroom" interview, Jackson said co-workers and several students in his BI 80: "Principles Physiology" class have commented on his appearance, and he said an acquaintance heard the interview and encouraged Jackson to pursue a book on his work.
In the future, "Not Your Classroom" producers hope to expand the spectrum of guests the show attracts, while at the same time looking into broadcasting on other Rhode Island stations, McCarthy said.
"Not Your Classroom" airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m. BSR is broadcast on 88.1 FM and at bsrlive.com; an archive of previous shows is available online.
