New to airwaves this spring: The Elliott School is excited to announce a new podcast called the Foreign Affairs Inbox, featuring interviews with professors on pressing, international issues.
Hosted by student Koji Flynn-Do and produced by the school’s Public Affairs office, the podcast’s first season includes interviews with Dean Reuben Brigety and professors Melani McAlister, Sean Roberts and Paul Williams. It also covers issues from around the world, from China’s mass detentions of an ethnic Muslim minority group to the history of the African Union’s mission in Somalia.
The idea for the podcast came from Flynn-Do, a sophomore majoring in international affairs and sociology, who said he was inspired to start one at the Elliott School after hearing another GW professor being interviewed on a different podcast.
He brought the idea to Dean Brigety, who approved of the concept and connected him with the Elliott School’s Public Affairs office to start the project.
Flynn-Do and the Public Affairs team then began interviewing and recording audio for the podcast over the fall semester in the Elliott School’s studio. Flynn-Do researches each guest’s work, including recent books and articles, to prepare for each interview.
“I’m really excited about finding new ways to communicate big ideas and information,” Flynn-Do said. “I personally listen to a ton of podcasts — when I’m walking, when I’m commuting, when I’m folding clothes — and I thought it’d be a lot of fun to try to be involved in making one myself.”
He said his favorite memory thus far in helping host and produce the podcast has been recording the first episode, after all the months of workshopping and planning.
“I really hope everyone enjoys the Foreign Affairs Inbox and learns something with each episode,” Flynn-Do said.