‘Being Human’ Podcast Launches New Season

On Friday, Sept. 4, the University’s “Being Human” podcast—now sponsored by the Department of English—will begin a new season with an interview with Robin Brooks, assistant professor in the Department of Africana Studies.

Hosted by Dan Kubis, senior lecturer in the English department, “Being Human” was launched five years ago as part of the Office of the Provost’s Year of the Humanities. Over the years it has featured interviews with artists, authors and scholars that focus on why each subject’s work matters to the world at large.

“The ‘Being Human’ podcasts have been one of the best parts of my job over the last five years,” said Kubis. “I feel very lucky to have been able to have in-depth conversations with so many wonderful scholars from around the globe, and I’m very happy to be able to focus attention on the great work being done at Pitt this year.”

This year’s season of interviews and subjects will focus on faculty in Pitt’s humanities programs and how they have responded to the crises of 2020, including the coronavirus pandemic, civil unrest and economic downturn.

Kubis said he hopes the format of the podcast showcases the value of the humanities and how they can provide nuance and context to issues that frequently get simplified in other venues. Conversations typically run around 40 minutes.

For more information, visit the podcast’s webpage or explore their archives on SoundCloud.