"Culturally Reflexive Speaking" - Podcasts on Speaking and Language in Current Social Debates

As part of the BASIB seminar "Kulturreflexives Sprechen" ("Culture-Reflexive Speaking"), the students of the BASIB programme (B.A. Social Sciences with a focus on Intercultural Relations) regularly dealt with language practices on various topics such as racism, gendering, populism, Kiez- and Kurzdeutsch, Ableism, anti-Semitism and other current debates about formulations and their backgrounds.

"Cultural reflexive speaking" is not a predefinition of political correctness, in the context of which any linguistic reflexive action is readily placed, but a conscious handling of categories, perspectives and contemporary historical meanings and their implications. Considerations include political discourses, historical contexts, inclusion and exclusion as well as unequal privileges, asymmetries and identity effects.

The aims of the seminar include perceiving social debates on designation and negotiation processes in a culturally reflexive way, reflecting on the court of meaning and association of linguistic expressions and, in general, expanding the ability to reflect and act on one's own linguistic actions.

Based on the sources provided and their own research, the groups' task is to create a podcast of about 15 minutes for the target group "other students". To do this, they select focal points from their topics, prepare them for "ears", design a dramaturgy and first write a storyboard, which is commented on and revised in detail and several times. Finally, the podcasts are produced and this form of science communication is critically reflected in peer review.

The results are impressive. Listen to the podcasts here: