Sound is all around us. It carries meaning through speech, and emotion through tone and music. The invention of radio, more than a century ago, changed the world, and the Internet gave this medium a new form through podcasts. Social science researchers, historians and anthropologists also use sound and recordings as research data or as the subject of their research, whether for oral histories or qualitative analysis.
The theme for this year’s UNESCO Week of Sound (January 20 – February 2) is “Sound and policies”, which fits closely to the activities of the Geneva Graduate Institute. The Communications office, the Research office, and some research centres broadcast the work and expertise of the Institute’s researchers through podcasts. Students are now frequently asked to record interviews or audio essays rather than submit drab traditional papers.
The Library and its staff support this evolution through an offer of recording equipment (microphones and more) as well as books on podcasting, oral research methods, and science popularisation through media. You can learn more by checking our podcasting guide and checking out the titles currently on display in the entrance of the Library.
Geneva Graduate Institute Library Blog 