International Studies Prof. Michael Toje on Choosing Spoken & Technological

International Studies curriculum commonly incorporates writing and speaking intensive activities. When Professor Michael Toje began teaching the course (like many others) he received a syllabus from a previous instructor that had been certified in spoken and technological communication. He could have chosen not to certify or to use different modes for his own section, but for Michael, this was an opportunity to stretch into some skills he had been interested in cultivating for some time: podcast production. In addition to the common research writing that students do in an INTL course, Michael wanted to put them in a position to understand the hardware and software of recording and editing a podcast. This technological skill, combined with training in recording audio-only delivery using language and paralanguage that is appropriate for a general audience, teaches International Studies majors how to translate their academic research writing into a language and setting absorbable for others.