University of Wisconsin political science students have developed a half-hour talk show program that will be nationally debuted Thursday on the Big Ten Network.
The program, known as “Office Hours,” is scripted and broadcasted by students in a new curricular course called Political Communication Theory and Practice, according to UW political science professor and host Ken Goldstein.
According to Goldstein, the show aims to showcase the wide variety of reputable UW professors and further inform students about the worldly professors at the university.
The chosen speakers will cover a variety of topics including the economy and evolution.
“The University of Wisconsin has incredible professors doing ground-breaking research in a variety of fields, and we are trying to make our students and the public in general more aware of the incredible breadth and excellence that our school produces,” said UW senior and project participant Joel Smoot.
Since the show is entirely student run, Goldstein said the hands-on experience will be very beneficial to students involved in its production.
Students are responsible for producing and writing the show as well as providing the introduction scripts and developing questions to ask the guest speakers, Smoot said.
Goldstein added the combination of a rigorous class with time pressure gives students more tangible real-life experience.
“It’s hard to write a 15-page paper, but it’s harder to write a one-page paper in half an hour without any mistakes because you’re going on air,” Goldstein said. “To understand how to write, write clearly and write clearly in real time is really a tremendous skill.”
Smoot added while test taking and studying for exams is a valuable part of education, producing the show under realistic time constraints is equally beneficial and more applicable to real life situations and future careers.
“You cannot afford to mess up,” Smoot said. “And the level of professionalism and expectations are quite high.”
The students in the class are also creating a website to promote the show and gain student involvement on campus by encouraging other students to request noteworthy professors to speak on the show.
Mike Knetter, dean of UW’s School of Business and former senior staff economist to George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and Morris Davis, professor in the Department of Real Estate and Urban Land Economics and retired senior staff of the Federal Reserve Board, are the show’s first guest speakers. The two professors are expected to answer questions regarding the current economic climate.
According to Smoot, The Big Ten Network reaches 70 million homes. He added he is glad to see UW finally taking advantage of broadcast time that has not been utilized in the past.
Goldstein said he hopes the show will also reach out to potential students and encourage them to apply to the university.
“I think it’s going to be a big tool for potential students to be able to see that we’re not only good geeks, but we can communicate what we’re researching in effective ways.”
The first show will be broadcasted at 4 p.m. Thursday.
