13Podcasting during thePandemic and Beyond
Tristan R. Grunow

The coronavirus pandemic has had an undeniable impact on higher education.
Many schools have quickly pivoted to online teaching as a way to prevent thespread of the virus through vulnerable student populations, forcing educators
to adapt their courses to unfamiliar online teaching platforms and techniques,
sometimes with limited institutional infrastructure or support. The results havenot been entirely encouraging. At the same time, many academics have found it
impossible to stay productive during the pandemic, overwhelmed by demandsof adjusting to new teaching environments, increased caregiving responsibilities
at home, and the heightened stress and anxiety of a deadly global virus. With somany more pressing issues—caring for sick relatives; social distancing; having
enough toilet paper, food, or prescription medications—teaching and staying
productive naturally took a back seat. To make things worse, the closure of primaryand secondary schools has placed new burdens on parents, especially mothers.
Statistics from journal editors have borne out the labor inequities many havelong suspected: even as the number of overall manuscript submissions increased
during the pandemic, submissions by women decreased precipitously. In manyways, the pandemic has highlighted and intensified long-existing inequalities inhigher education, from differing levels of reliable access to high-speed internet, togender imbalances in labor demands.
Yet, we should not too quickly assume that systemic shortcomings within
academia will go away once the pandemic is over. Even after medical experts

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develop a vaccine for COVID-19, scholars will still need to address the lack ofadequate training in digital skills or online teaching resources that has made thetransition to distance learning so difficult, along with rigid tenure and promotion
guidelines that do not accommodate the unique personal circumstances that haveaffected both teaching and scholarly productivity. In other words, the current
pandemic has exacerbated a number of crises that already beset Asian Studies
and are still in need of collective responses. As educators and scholars consider
best practices for teaching about Asia in this moment, we should be mindful that
our ideas and solutions do not simply address the pandemic, but also tackle moredeep-seated problems within the field and lay the groundwork for improving ourlarger academic environment.
With this in mind, one digital tool scholars can use to maintain rigorous
learning environments, whether during a time of global pandemic or not, ispodcasting. I have actively employed podcasting both inside and outside myclassroom since 2017: assigning podcast episodes as substitutes for course readings,
giving students opportunities to produce their own episodes as alternatives towritten work, and producing multiple podcast series as platforms for presenting
new research in Japanese Studies to both specialists and the broader publicaround the world. In this chapter, I offer preliminary thoughts on the benefits ofincorporating scholarly podcasting into our pedagogy, suggesting that podcasts
can offer highly accessible conduits for asynchronous online learning and unique
exercises for students to explore new methods of scholarly creativity. In this way,
podcasting not only allows scholars to remain active and engaged during momentsof crisis, but also to learn new digital skills that will enhance their teaching andresearch beyond the pandemic.
The popularity of podcasts as a media form has exploded in recent years. Asof April 2020, the Apple podcast store boasted over one million individual podcast
series, with the total number of available podcast episodes surpassing twentynine million. For comparison, just two years ago, there were only 550,000 active
podcasts on Apple podcasts. Likewise, the percentage of the US population whohas listened to at least one podcast has more than doubled in the last ten years,
reaching 55 percent this year. Today, not only has 37 percent of the population
reported listening to podcasts within the last month, but the average podcast
consumer regularly listens to as many as six different podcasts each week. And
podcasts are most popular amongst the student-aged population, with nearly half
(49 percent) of twelve to thirty-four-year-olds reporting in 2020 that they had
listened to a podcast within the last month.1With so many of our students already consuming podcasts on a regularbasis, scholars should make the most of this previously untapped pedagogicalresource in our classrooms. This is especially important when considering how

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Photo courtesy of the author.
we as educators can maintain rigorous learning environments when teaching
asynchronously or from a distance. Writing for the Podcast Host website in 2017,professional podcaster and podcasting advisor Colin Gray outlined a number ofpedagogical benefits to incorporating podcasts into the classroom, noting thatstudents will listen longer than they will read and can use podcasts for lecture
review or to make up missed classes. First and foremost among the benefits,according to Gray, is the “flexible availability” of podcasts: students can choose
to listen to lessons when it is convenient for them, and they have the extra levelof autonomy that comes from being able to stop and rewind when necessary forreview.2 Writing for Education about Asia in the same year, Jared Hall added that
podcasts might serve as “a jumping-off point for further individual exploration”
by students pursuing new research topics.3 But these are only the beginning of thebenefits of incorporating podcasts and podcasting into the virtual classroom.
In my own courses before the pandemic, podcasts were most effective whenused as (1) substitutes for traditional print-based reading assignments, and (2) as
flexible, virtual alternatives to written assessments. Teaching for several years at amajor urban R1 institution with only a small percentage of on-campus residents,
I quickly learned that many of my students commuted long distances to school bycar, bus, subway, or some combination of private and public transit—as long as
one-and-a-half hours or more each way for some students! What’s more, becauseof unprecedented extracurricular demands on students’ time in the form of jobs,
caregiving, athletics, and other activities, students had very tight commuting and134 : TEACHING ABOUT ASIA IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC

class schedules. Indeed, more than one student sheepishly confessed to me thatthey took one of my classes simply because it was the most intriguing optionthat fit into their narrow window of availability. Such demands greatly limited
the amount of time students could devote to scrutinizing assigned readings or
meeting in person with classmates for collaborative projects.
Needless to say, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbatedthese demands and presented new challenges in online teaching and learning forboth educators and students. Now students are spread across different time zones,
attending lectures asynchronously, finding time to review lecture recordings
and assigned materials while navigating unfamiliar routines. How can we as
educators make our lecture content and course materials more flexible and mobile
to fit students’ new daily schedules? How can we assign collaborative work forstudents living in different parts of the city or the country? How can students
complete assigned readings or review lectures while they are in their car, doing
daily household chores, or walking around their neighborhood? Or, how can they
contribute to group projects virtually using a medium they are already familiar
with and excited about? Podcasting fits the bill on all accounts.
To be sure, substituting podcast episodes for traditional print readings
entails some challenges. First is the availability of relevant episodes. As a Japanese
historian, I have been lucky. Not only are there several expertly produced and welldocumented, lecture-based podcasts about Japanese history, such as Isaac Meyer’s
History of Japan Podcast, but there are also several interview-based series covering
a wide range of topics, including the Japan Forum and Michigan Talks Japan
podcast series. My own Meiji at 150 Podcast includes 120 episodes of interviews
with scholars of Japanese Studies discussing their recent publications, ongoing
research projects, and teaching methods. In other words, there is no shortage ofrelevant content to choose from for Japanese Studies, while the New Books in East
Asian Studies, East Asia for All, and East Asia Now podcasts are just a few series
that will be useful for those outside Japanese Studies (See Appendix 1 for a partial
list of Asian Studies podcast series). A second challenge concerns how muchstudents engage with and retain the podcast content. However, this is no different
than any assigned reading, and podcasts are most effective as learning resources
when educators directly address the content in classroom lectures, discussions,and exercises.
I also brought podcasting into my classroom even before the pandemic byoffering students the opportunity to produce their own episodes as an alternative
to written assessments. In this regard, I have experimented with a number ofstudent podcast formats, listed in order of the time commitment and studentteaching interaction required: (1) one-on-one interviews about pop culture topicsof the students’ own choosing, such as J-Pop, horror movies, and video games;

PODCASTING DURING THE PANDEMIC AND BEYOND : TRISTAN R. GRUNOW : 135(2) thematic podcasts covering current events, including homelessness in Tokyo,
the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, or ongoing territorial disputes in East Asia,
which I assigned to individual groups and published on Japan on the Record; andfinally (3) individual episodes groups produced under my direction for a longer
documentary-style series about the 1907 Anti-Asian Riots in Vancouver that
we published as The Wildest Night in Vancouver. Each format requires different
amounts of coordination, from agreeing on questions beforehand for one-on-one
pop culture interviews to revising episode scripts multiple times for documentary
episodes. While I was present in the university sound studio to facilitate therecording, students were responsible for conducting their own research, writing
and revising scripts, recording the audio, doing the sound editing, and producing
the final episodes.
Without question, the pandemic has changed how such collaborative podcast
production exercises will work. For one, students will no longer have access to
professional-quality recording studios or equipment on campus, nor will they
be able to work in groups during class time to author and revise scripts. Still,students will be able to work together to draft and revise narrative scripts using
Zoom and Google Docs from a distance on their own time. They can then record
audio clips using their phones or built-in computer microphones and share files
with groupmates online using cloud-based services like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Meanwhile, free VOIP recording websites like Zencastr make remote interview
recording simple, while free audio editing software like Audacity allows students
to efficiently produce high-quality podcast episodes with zero associated costs. In
short, because of its digital nature, collaborative podcasting is an exercise that canbe easily adapted to asynchronous online completion.
As with any nontraditional exercise, using podcasts as an alternative to written
work raises questions about the pedagogical value and learning outcomes of suchassignments. Below, I outline six pedagogical benefits of introducing podcasting
exercises into the classroom based on my own experiences and on feedback fromstudents:
1. Because the “nuts and bolts” are the same when writing either an essay
or narrative podcast script, podcasting builds research skills in a way nodifferent than conducting research for a written essay. Students analyze
primary and secondary sources to construct an original argument andthen marshal evidence to support their arguments.
2. Listening to podcasts reminds students to think critically about source
material and media credibility, offering opportunities for classroomreflection on how to assess the reliability of provided evidence andarguments.

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3. In writing their own podcast scripts, the spoken format allows students
to practice verbalizing their arguments cogently and concisely in amore conversational tone. This enhances writing skills by encouraging
students to consider their audience and how to most powerfully organize
and convey their arguments.
4. In a related way, producing a scholarly podcast episode encourages
students to reflect on different modes of scholarly production and how
different forms of scholarship target different audiences.
5. Producing a podcast episode provides students an opportunity to learn
new digital skills, or to apply skills they already have, that they might
not expect to experience in a classroom. In this way, podcasting not onlyengages students’ interests, but also builds new skills applicable outside
the humanities classroom.
6. Finally, because of the public-facing nature of podcasts, students cantake ownership and pride in a memorable finished product that they canimmediately share with friends around the world in a way they might not
feel compelled to with a traditional written report.
Assigning podcast exercises also requires the articulation of a detailed
rubric for evaluating the finished product. Because students will be unfamiliar
with nontraditional assessments such as podcasts, the absence of such a rubric
will cause unnecessary confusion and anxiety, particularly around grading.
Much like traditional assessments, podcasting exercise rubrics should prioritize
the originality and strength of the argument, along with the effectiveness of thedelivery. Yet, where podcasting rubrics differ is that delivery will be evaluated not
on writing style, but on the organization and “listenability” of the episode in termsof sound quality, sound editing, and other factors (see Appendix 2 for a rubric
template for podcasting exercises).
Now that the pandemic has brought to light the systemic challenges scholars
and educators of Asian Studies at all stages and career levels have faced in recent
years and forced many of us around the world to “go virtual,” podcasts are evenmore vital as pedagogical resources. Not only do podcasts allow for asynchronous
instruction in the form of recorded lectures, but they also afford students a new levelof flexibility in their learning. Because of their digital format, moreover, podcasts
can be quickly integrated into the virtual classroom, both as required listening
for group discussion and as collaborative exercises students can contribute toremotely. Engaging with podcasting also encourages the acquisition of new digitalskills that will allow us as scholars and educators of Asian Studies the agility torespond to the ever-evolving circumstances and expectations of higher educationand to alleviate some of the long-standing inequities afflicting the profession. As

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we confront a new academic environment, one where distance learning, social
distancing, and self-quarantine are regular parts of our academic identities, Iurge scholars of Asian Studies to consider podcasting as a tool to maintain theirrigorous classroom learning environments and active research portfolios, both
now and beyond the pandemic.

Acknowledgments
The author would like to sincerely thank Paula R. Curtis and Jooyeon Hahm for
helpful comments on an earlier draft of this chapter.

Notes
The Podcast Host, “Podcast Stats in 2020: Latest Industry Growth & Listening Trends,”
https://www.thepodcasthost.com/listening/podcast-industry-stats (accessed July 14,2020).

1

The Podcast Host, “Podcasting in Education: What Are the Benefits?”
https://www.thepodcasthost.com/niche-case-study/podcasting-in-education (accessedJuly 14, 2020).

2

Jared Hall, “Podcasting Asia,” Education about Asia 22:3 (Winter, 2017),
https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/podcasting-asia (accessedSeptember 7, 2020).

3

Appendix 1: Partial List of Asian Studies Podcasts
Inter-Regional
New Books in East Asian Studies
https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/east-asian-studiesEast Asia for All
https://www.eastasiaforall.com
East Asia Now
https://eastasia.wisc.edu/podcast
East Asia Hotspots
https://nrc.elliott.gwu.edu/east-asia-hotspots-podcast
Postcards from Asia
http://ceas.ku.edu/postcards-asia
New Books in Central Asian Studies
https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/peoples-places/central-asian-studies
New Books in South Asian Studies
https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/peoples-places/south-asian-studies

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Southeast Asia Crossroads Podcast
https://soundcloud.com/seacrossroads
Center for Advanced Study of India Podcast
https://casi.sas.upenn.edu/podcasts
University of Chicago East Asian Studies Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/east-asian-studies/id391209825

ChinaHarvard on China Podcast
soundcloud.com/fairbank-center
UPenn Center for the Study of Contemporary China Podcast
https://cscc.sas.upenn.edu/podcasts
Chinese Literature Podcast
https://www.chineseliteraturepodcast.com

JapanThe Meiji at 150 Podcast
https://meijiat150.podbean.com
Japan on the Record
https://jotr.transistor.fm
Hokkaido 150
https://hokkaido150.transistor.fm
Michigan Talks Japan
https://ii.umich.edu/cjs/podcast.html
Japan Forumhttps://soundcloud.com/soas-university-of-london/sets/japan-forum
History of Japan Podcast
http://isaacmeyer.net/category/podcasts/history-of-japan-podcast

Appendix 2: Podcast Exercise Grading Rubric Sample
30% Research and Argument
The episode presents an original argument supported by sufficient evidence
drawn from primary and secondary sources. Contains a balance of analysis anda citation of sources.

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20% Presentation
The episode is compellingly organized, content is cogently presented, and theepisode contains all required elements (introduction, content, “sign-off ”).
20% Listenability
Is the podcast well edited, removing gaps, extraneous noises/sounds, avoiding
blips, etc.? Does the episode use background music and sound effects topunctuate topics? Are the music/sounds relevant to the content?
15% Groupwork
Did each group member contribute to the episode in some way (research,scripting, editing)? This score may change depending on individual
contributions.
15% Referencing
Does the podcast write-up correctly list consulted sources and provide citations
for quoted materials? Have appropriate sources been consulted?