What's the Point‪?‬ Bryony Armstrong

We tend to see medicine as a strictly scientific sector, but the arts and humanities are essential when it comes to educating our doctors and caring for patients and the planet. Doctor and Professor of Medical Education Ian Fussell joins me to talk about:


What is medical humanitiesHow and why we can use arts and humanities in medical educationThe links between planetary health, medical health, and social justiceWhy medical and scientific researchers need artists and humanities specialistsHow the humanities helped the medical field during the Covid-19 pandemicMedicine as an enabler of the arts and humanitiesFind Bryony @BF_Armstrong
Find the pod @wtppod_
Find Ian at the University of Exeter Medical School

Artwork: Riduwan Molla https://www.canva.com/p/riduwanmolla/
Music: Madaan Mansij https://www.pond5.com/artist/mansij_tubescreamer

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Although there has been scientific consensus on the climate crisis for decades, humans have been slow to respond to its urgency. Environmental humanities researcher Conor Brennan joins me to talk about: 
What is environmental humanities?How can evironmental humanities help to solve the climate crisis?The role of popular culture in communicating the climate crisisThe problems that arise when we take arts and humanities out of the equations How art convinces people to change their behaviour about the climate crisisHow has the climate crisis affected literature and aesthetic experiments?Why climate activism should include humanities teaching in schools/universitiesRead "The Humanities in the UK Today" report by the Higher Education Policy Institute
Other sources discussed:
Edward Said, "Jane Austen and Empire", Culture and Imperialism (1993)Richard Powers, The Overstory (2018)Kim Stanley Robinson, The Ministry for the Future (2020)Olga Tokarczuk, Drive Your Plough Over the Bones of the Dead (2009)Find Bryony @BF_Armstrong
Find the pod @wtppod_
Find Conor

Artwork: Riduwan Molla https://www.canva.com/p/riduwanmolla/
Music: Madaan Mansij https://www.pond5.com/artist/mansij_tubescreamer

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

In this time when "fake news" and "alternative facts" have become buzzwords, arts and humanities are more important than ever. Professional fact checker Sarah Turnnidge from Full Fact joins Bryony Armstrong to discuss:
How her humanities background prepared her for being a professional fact checkerAcademic English as a lens to look at different topicsHumanities as a natural place for the study of misinformationThe role of AI in misinformation and how humanities can analyse thatHow humanities teaches us to use evidenceThe role of narratives in (mis)informationThe fact checking that happens within the humanitiesFind Bryony @BF_Armstrong
Find Sarah @sarah_turnnidge

Artwork: Riduwan Molla https://www.canva.com/p/riduwanmolla/
Music: Madaan Mansij https://www.pond5.com/artist/mansij_tubescreamer

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Cybersecurity researcher Dr Andrea Zeffiro joins Bryony Armstrong to talk about:
The role of humanities in addressing technological challenges in data science domainsUsing humanities to solve problems surrounding data breachesConsidering the human elements of cybersecurity Understanding cybersecurity as more than a neutral protection of networks and dataThe problems we will have with cybersecurity if the humanities continue to be devalued and underfundedThe Reconfiguring Participation in Cybersecurity project at the Oxford Internet Institute can be found here.

Find Bryony @BF_Armstrong
Find Andrea here

Artwork: Riduwan Molla https://www.canva.com/p/riduwanmolla/
Music: Madaan Mansij https://www.pond5.com/artist/mansij_tubescreamer

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Researcher and upcoming author Madeline Potter joins Bryony Armstrong to talk about:
Tackling intergenerational poverty through the arts in Roma communitiesThe importance of knowing your own historyMaddy’s upcoming book, The Roma: A Travelling History  (Bodley Head/ Harper Collins, 2025)Why writing and research skills need to be valued and fundedThe role of humanities in combatting “fake news”Getting information directly from the sourceThe need for the Roma to be represented by Romani peopleThe article announcing Maddy's book auction can be found here.
The Twitter thread that explains the truth of the Jane Austen headline can be found here.

Find Bryony @BF_Armstrong
Find Maddy @madeline_cct

Artwork: Riduwan Molla https://www.canva.com/p/riduwanmolla/
Music: Madaan Mansij https://www.pond5.com/artist/mansij_tubescreamer

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Arts Emergency co-founder Neil Griffiths joins Bryony Armstrong to talk about:
How studying arts and humanities  helps you to pursue work in culture, politics and activismWhy all minoritised people need the option to study arts and humanitiesThe power of seeing yourself represented in cultureBreaking down the privilege associated with pursuing arts and humanities How reading literature can spark world-changing ideasThe need for diversity in creative and cultural industries and politics Why it doesn’t make economic sense to push STEM over arts and humanitiesThe insidious nature of anti-arts and humanities government policiesDonate to Arts Emergency here.
If you work in the creative and cultural sectors, love arts and humanities, and want to break down barriers to entry, check out the mentor information here.
Rishi Sunak's speech announcing the intention to get children to study maths until 18 can be found here.

Find Bryony @BF_Armstrong
Find Neil @_griff

Artwork: Riduwan Molla https://www.canva.com/p/riduwanmolla/
Music: Madaan Mansij https://www.pond5.com/artist/mansij_tubescreamer

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.