Students Speak Up: Podcasting on Identity, Race/ism, and other Social Issues

The first course on race and racism at The University of Hong Kong has necessitated a unique approach to pedagogy. This is because issues of identity, belonging, personal lived experiences of oppression or discrimination, socioeconomic inequality, cultural values, political values, and what it means to live in a global society can oftentimes be sensitive or uncomfortable topics for the classroom. Our approach has been to incorporate activities, assignments and discussions that empower students to express their own opinions and integrate academic insights with personal experiences. For example, by having each student lead a tutorial discussion once in the semester fosters an egalitarian ‘public forum’ setting, whereby intellectual exchange and mutual understanding can be achieved effectively.

An innovative final assignment was implemented in the Fall semester of 2025-26. Students were tasked with choosing a race/ism-related topic, and recording an informative 15- to 20-minute podcast episode. Topics covered a wider range of geographical contexts and issues than are covered during class time, including both Hong Kong and global race/ism-related phenomena, interdisciplinary perspectives, ties between historical vs. contemporary societal issues, and integrated discourses between the academic/intellectual and the personal/emotive/experiential. Students and teachers worked together to prepare for the right structure, tone and delivery, to best adapt to various kinds of messaging in the production of each unique episode. In an iteratively educational model, the release of this podcast on public platforms will reach wider audiences. Critical race theory is in its nascent stages of being renegotiated for the Hong Kong and Asia contexts. Today’s university students are taking the lead and playing a pivotal role in race-related scholarship and education.