Stories From Glasgow

What does it mean to live autonomously? And how can that autonomous life be supported when we reach the end of life?  

Professor Ben Colburn is a political philosopher at the University of Glasgow and patron of the charity, and he joins Cia for a thought-provoking conversation about autonomy and end of life care.  

Prof. Colburn talks Cia through the different factors which can threaten autonomy at end of life, as well as the ways autonomy can be supported. From educating and collaborating with carers, to working with legislators and supporting the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill; Prof Colburn shares the work he and colleagues are doing to help ensure those nearing end of life can continue to make choices that uphold their values. 

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Join us as we journey around Scotland with Professor Nigel Leask and Professor Mary-Ann Constantine (University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies). They tell the story of naturalist and antiquarian Thomas Pennant.  

From negotiating language barriers and travelling with illustrators, to creating a network of correspondence to sate his curiosity. Pennant explored Scotland long before his contemporary, Samuel Johnson made his tour of the western isles.  

Professors Leask and Constantine share some of Pennant’s travel writing and thoughts from his tours of Scotland and Wales. They reflect on how curious traveller, Pennant, inspired and influenced travel writing and tourism. 

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Roll a perception check – you may have found the latest episode of Stories From Glasgow... 

Emma French is a PhD candidate in University of Glasgow’s Centre for Fantasy & the Fantastic. Emma joins Cia for a conversation about transformative storytelling and Dungeons & Dragons. This popular roleplaying game is more than dice rolling and rulebooks; it's a powerful way to tell stories and explore the fantasy genre. 

You don’t need to be half-elf edge-lord rogue, or a gnome cleric with a strong moral compass to enjoy this episode. But you may start to rethink your relationship with your favourite fantasy texts, or even pick up some dice... 

Follow Emma on X @ohlookdragons and find out more about Emma’s research

Follow @UofGFantasy on X and Instagram for news and updates from the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic.  

Learn more about the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic, their research and their upcoming events.

Find out more about the Fantasy MLitt and apply at https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/fantasy/  

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How can walking help us to understand Glasgow’s hidden histories of empire? 

Dr Rosie Spooner has been leading critical heritage walking tours of Glasgow since 2017. Centring on Kelvingrove Park and Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, the walks explore how Glasgow’s built environment and museum collections have been shaped by its involvement in chattel slavery, colonization and imperialism

Dr Spooner joins Cia to share how these tours use walking as a decolonial heritage practice. The walks examine the ‘hidden’ histories of empire in these popular locations, and how this past has shaped Glasgow’s built environment and museum collections. 

Find out more about Dr Rosie Spooner and her research.

Register free for Rosie’s walks as part of Black History Month in Scotland 

Saturday 7 October 2023, 14:30 – 16:30: Museums, Empire & Difficult Heritage at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum

Please note that the walk of the park on Saturday 7 October 2023 has been rescheduled to Saturday 21 October. Book: Tracing Glasgow’s Imperial Past in Kelvingrove Park 

Rosie will also be running the walks on Saturday 12 November as part of a programme of events being organised to coincide with the opening of a new exhibition at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum called Glasgow: City of Empire. Booking links will be shared via @UofGArtsHums social channels when they are available.  

To find out more about the Museum Studies MSc and apply, visit https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/museumstudies/  

Follow @UofGInfoStudies on X to keep up to date with the latest news and updates from Information Studies, including Rosie’s work and next walks.   

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Think you know gaming? Think again.  

The College of Arts is home to the UofG Games & Gaming Lab, with members from across the University and fascinating gaming projects in progress touching on countless different genres and subjects. 

Dr Tim Peacock is one of the Lab’s co-directors, and he joins Cia to chat all things gaming, as well as share two projects he has led recently. Press start and get ready to enter the world of Minecraft: Ellisland, and then find out about a strategy game that sees Glasgow catastrophically flooded.

Find out more about Tim’s research.

Follow Tim on Twitter @DrTimPeacock.

Check out the Games and Gaming Lab, their projects and events, and join their newsletter.

Follow the Games and Gaming Lab on Twitter @UofGGamesLab.

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We’re travelling back in time to the ancient world with Dr Jane Draycott, as we discuss the use of prosthetics and assistive technology in classical antiquity.  

What was the lived experience of people with disabilities and impairments? What were the different types of prostheses and assistive technology available? Who created them, and what materials were they made from?  

Jane talks to Cia about the literary and archaeological evidence as to when, how, and why people in classical antiquity might have adopted prostheses and assistive technology, as well as societal attitudes towards medicine, science, and the human body.  

Show notes available via our podcast webpage.

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Whether you’re a member of Heughan’s Heughligans, or have yet to encounter Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling historical romance, it’s hard to deny that the Outlander series is a global phenomenon.  

Professor Willy Maley is arguably the University of Glasgow’s biggest Outlander fan. He joins Cia, ahead of the University’s upcoming Outlander academic conference, to share his love for Diana Gabaldon’s fictional world. From how the novels and television series have inspired interest in Scotland’s history, landscape and culture; to the way fans interact with Gabaldon’s work across the globe, you’ll long to travel through time with Claire and Jamie after listening to this episode.  

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Stories From Glasgow podcast is back with a musical start for its second season.  

Cia is joined by Dr Eva Moreda Rodriguez, who introduces us to the zarzuela and early recording in Spain. Find out about this musical genre, as well as how singers and musicians adapted their zarzuela performances towards the phonograph.  

If you’re curious about what a phonograph recording of a zarzuela sounds like, or how a singer today might find the experience of recording one themselves, we’ve got you covered as Eva shares some original recordings, as well as some she made herself recently as part of the Redefining Early Recordings as Sources for Performance Practice and History Research Network.  

To keep up with Eva’s research, follow her on Twitter @Eva_Moreda

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Does digital technology hold the key to unlocking the past?  

This episode we’re visiting Viking settlements and even a gaol with digital archaeologist, Dr Gareth Beale. He shares how archaeologists today are using digital technology to create immersive experiences at heritage sites and museums to help us form deeper connections to the past.  

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If you could travel to space, would you? 

Get ready for an episode in zero gravity as we’re joined by Scottish author and poet, Oliver K. Langmead. 

Oliver shares his experiences as the 2018 Writer in Residence at the European Space Agency in Cologne, and talks to us about his recent Creative Writing doctoral thesis work. We get a behind the scenes look at the creative processes and inspiration behind Oliver’s page-turner space poetry, and consider what might happen if humans tried to colonise Mars. 

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