In this Café, Dr Kieran Fitzpatrick explores the idea of the deflationary impact of technology in higher education through a discussion of a podcast he launched called Body Politics, which builds on his experiences of teaching the history of science and medicine to undergraduates in medicine. The podcast emerged from the thought that cheap (broadcasting) technology should make it easier than ever to promote the transmission of ideas through teaching and learning. Technology itself enables informal, “asynchronous” learning beyond the classroom: while making breakfast, during the morning or evening commute, on a run etc. In short, podcasting represents a new way to teach and communicate well about the past.

To date, and without a lot of promotional effort, Body Politics been downloaded just over a thousand times, and formed the basis for an article published on RTE’s Brainstorm. Dr. Fitzpatrick will discuss his ambition to turn the podcast into a hub for refining and adapting notions of professionalism in the healthcare sciences.