5 New Thought-Provoking Podcasts by Columbia Minds
From America's reliance on punishment to the art of the career pivot, these five Columbia-affiliated podcasts tackle urgent questions shaping culture, society, and identity today.
Podcasts can spark dialogue, shift perspectives, and bring nuance to complex conversations. These new Columbian-created shows do just that, delving into themes of justice, art, power, and imagination. They explore everything from the criminal legal system to what it means to create something beautiful.
Hosted and produced by students, scholars, and creatives, each one invites listeners to think, and feel, more deeply.
As summer begins, Columbia News has selected five standout shows to add to your queue, plus embedded episode suggestions to help you dive in.
Giuliani: The Unraveling
Shoe Leather, Columbia Journalism School
Produced by Columbia Journalism School students, this season of Shoe Leather traces Rudy Giuliani’s transformation from a lauded prosecutor and "America's Mayor" to a central figure in post-2020-election misinformation.
Through archival tape and original reporting, the season explores the unraveling of both a political figure and the truth itself.
Beyond Beauty
Jacqueline Cofield (TC'24)
Hosted by Jacqueline Cofield (TC’24) and produced in partnership with Columbia University Libraries, Beyond Beauty brings together artists from many different mediums to explore how we perceive and define ourselves and our art in a fractured world.
An outgrowth of Cofield's dissertation, Beyond Beauty: Epistemologies and Aesthetic Praxes of Black Women Artists, the series invites fascinating guests who encourage listeners to think expansively about the role of art, beauty, and identity in society.
Atelier
Columbia Global Paris Center
A podcast straight from Reid Hall at the Columbia Global Paris Center, Atelier invites scholars, writers, and artists into intimate conversations around creativity, archives, and ideas that live between disciplines. Each episode is a thoughtful excursion into the making of knowledge and the meaning we assign to it.
We particularly enjoy the "Women of Reid Hall" series within the podcast, which features the untold stories of the women scientists, artists, philanthropists, and scholars who shaped the space from 1893 to 1939.
What’s Next? With Lacey
Lacey Dikkers (CC'19)
Are you a recent college grad or early-career professional wondering, “What’s next?” Columbia College alumna Lacey Dikkers (CC'19) interviews fellow young professionals (many of them Columbia grads) about their industries and career journeys so far.
Think of each episode as an informational interview, offering insights into what being an account manager actually means, or how to break into tech or entertainment. From career pivots to daily routines, this show might just help you figure out your next step.
The Problem with Punishment
Justice Beyond Punishment Collaborative, Columbia Center for Justice
Hosted by Kathleen Pequeño and produced by Columbia Center for Justice's Justice Beyond Punishment Collaborative, this documentary-style podcast examines the deep flaws in America’s cultural reliance on punishment and imagines viable alternatives.
In compelling episodes, Pequeño spotlights innovators and community activists across New York City who are tackling urgent issues like gun violence, addiction, school safety, and the intersections of family and state oversight.