CMSS students creates podcast to promote dialogue on global security issues
By Eula Mengullo, August 25 2022—
Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies (CMSS) students have established Securityscape — a podcast discussing topics about the contemporary global security landscape.
Master’s students Davina Shanti, Jordan Arnold and Sarah Meyers officially launched their first episode in October 2021 after receiving positive feedback on what started as a class project.
In an interview with the Gauntlet, Shanti and Arnold elaborated on the inspiration behind the initiative and the outpour of support they have received from faculty members.
“We started doing this podcast because we made it as a class project, and our professor really encouraged us to pursue this further,” Arnold said.
Covering a diverse range of topics from incel, genocide, to US-China relations and the war in Ukraine, the podcast aims to raise awareness on prominent global security issues that could have a lasting impact on the 21st century world.
Shanti described that aside from fostering conversations around security issues, they also wanted to promote CMSS and the learning opportunities that the faculty offers.
“We realized it would be a great way to put CMSS on the map, [while] also [introducing] some interesting security topics that could get other people involved,” Shanti said.
Speaking about the support that they have received from the faculty, Shanti and Arnold expressed their gratitude for the encouragement and enthusiasm of the faculty members about the project.
“Everyone at the centre has been very, very supportive,” said Shanti. “They want this project to succeed and to include as many CMSS students and faculty as possible. Having their support has been really great and they’ve also given us the creative freedom to do what we think is best.”
In a written statement, CMSS Director Dr. Erin Gibbs Van Brunschot expressed their support on behalf of the Centre.
“CMSS is thrilled to support Securityscape — a project initiated, led and produced by MSS [Master of Strategic Studies] students. It is rewarding to see the next generation of security scholars gain experience on this platform and highlight traditional and emerging security issues for a wide audience.”
Recognizing that conversations on security are diverse and widespread, the producers welcome practitioners and academics from all different backgrounds. Although the podcast was born out of CMSS, Shanti and Arnold expressed that they would also like to branch out and encourage graduate students from other faculties and programs to get involved.
Lastly, Shanti and Arnold underscored the importance of welcoming individuals beyond academia and remaining inclusive to perspectives outside of the expertise.
“It’s important for everyone to have an opinion on security issues and share their stance on it. We’re not only trying to capture people from the academic or practitioner world. If someone who doesn’t know anything about security pops onto our podcast, we hope to make it a welcoming and inclusive environment for them,” Shanti said. “You have a voice and you should be able to share that. Don’t be intimidated because you think this is an environment where only academics or the government can talk about.”
The Securityscape podcast can be accessed on Soundcloud and Spotify where new episodes are released every month.
To suggest a topic or learn about how to get involved, Securityscape can be reached on social media via Twitter and Instagram. For more information about the podcast, visit the U of C website.