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As many across the nation celebrate National Civility Month, a time to highlight kindness even in moments of disagreement, East Tennessee State University is launching a political podcast challenging students to dig into ideas of personal freedom and engaged citizenship.   

The podcast is hosted by Dr. Daryl A. Carter, a professor, associate dean and widely respected scholar of political history.   

“Politically Speaking: An ETSU Podcast about Freedom and Citizenship,” is available here with guests Dr. Mark Fulks, university counsel, and Hunter Turgeon, Student Government Association president.  

“We are in a moment of intense political division as the United States approaches the November elections,” Carter said. “Many people believe politics is a nasty and mean profession. In this podcast, we’re going to tackle some important questions in a manner that exemplifies civility and decency.”  

Through early November, the university will release a weekly episode on a range of topics. Some of those include:   

• How to argue and disagree productively  

• The point of government and the role it plays  

• Freedom of speech  

• The danger of extremism and partisanship   

• How to make a difference in the world   

Guests will include community leaders, ETSU faculty and staff and students. Each episode runs about half an hour.  

“These are challenging times, to be sure,” Carter said. “We hope this podcast will be a model for the region and beyond when it comes to good civic engagement – even on topics that produce controversy.”   

The university strives to empower and foster an inclusive environment. Many events on campus, including Civility Week in the spring semester and the award-winning ETSU Votes initiative, aim to do just that.   

Weekly episodes will be uploaded here and can also be found wherever you listen to podcasts.   

“We invite you, no matter your political background or affiliation, to engage with us on ‘Politically Speaking,’” Carter said.