What's the Point?

We tend to see medicine as a strictly scientific sector, but the arts and humanities are essential when it comes to educating our doctors and caring for patients and the planet. Doctor and Professor of Medical Education Ian Fussell joins me to talk about: What is medical humanities How and why we can use arts and humanities in medical education The links between planetary health, medical health, a...

Although there has been scientific consensus on the climate crisis for decades, humans have been slow to respond to its urgency. Environmental humanities researcher Conor Brennan joins me to talk about:  What is environmental humanities? How can evironmental humanities help to solve the climate crisis? The role of popular culture in communicating the climate crisis The problems that arise when we...

In this time when "fake news" and "alternative facts" have become buzzwords, arts and humanities are more important than ever. Professional fact checker Sarah Turnnidge from Full Fact joins Bryony Armstrong to discuss: How her humanities background prepared her for being a professional fact checker Academic English as a lens to look at different topics Humanities as a natural p...

Cybersecurity researcher Dr Andrea Zeffiro joins Bryony Armstrong to talk about: The role of humanities in addressing technological challenges in data science domains Using humanities to solve problems surrounding data breaches Considering the human elements of cybersecurity  Understanding cybersecurity as more than a neutral protection of networks and data The problems we will have with cybersecu...

Researcher and upcoming author Madeline Potter joins Bryony Armstrong to talk about: Tackling intergenerational poverty through the arts in Roma communities The importance of knowing your own history Maddy’s upcoming book, The Roma: A Travelling History  (Bodley Head/ Harper Collins, 2025) Why writing and research skills need to be valued and funded The role of humanities in combatting “fake news”...

Arts Emergency co-founder Neil Griffiths joins Bryony Armstrong to talk about: How studying arts and humanities  helps you to pursue work in culture, politics and activism Why all minoritised people need the option to study arts and humanities The power of seeing yourself represented in culture Breaking down the privilege associated with pursuing arts and humanities  How reading literature can spa...

Business researcher Dr Ladan Cockshut joins Bryony Armstrong to talk about:  What the Creative, Digital and IT (CDIT) sector is and how much it’s growing The huge array of industries that need creative skills How Arts and Humanities academics interact with practitioners in the CDIT sector How creativity can lead to income Creating changes and measurable economic growth with creativity Why it’s sho...

Social historian Norma Gregory joins Bryony Armstrong to discuss:  Useful skills and knowledge from an arts and humanities education Making recorded history  representative of the past The importance of accessibility in historical research Improving mental health and wellbeing through heritage Bringing people together and building communities through heritage  Creating jobs in heritage work Why ar...

Lecturer in American literature Dr Xine Yao joins Bryony Armstrong to discuss: Why defunding the humanities limits who has cultural capital Feeling or unfeeling among minoritised groups How researching literature from the past can teach us about the present The relationship between humanities and social justice Why we can’t turn to the humanities unproblematically Bringing humanities research to t...

Sensory historian Dr William Tullett joins Bryony Armstrong to discuss: Using smell to engage with the present The impact of smell research on political choices and environmental justice Using smell to learn about historical experience Changing up the hierarchies of senses and historical sources Why we need to tackle myths about “bad smells”  Why connecting with heritage matters The impact of the...

PhD researcher Ciara Gorman joins Bryony Armstrong to discuss: Where the humanities can take you The study of languages and how people communicate The importance of languages in political, personal and medical settings The skills we learn in the humanities classroom Why the world fears gender studies Paying attention to contemporary culture Content warning: this episode contains some discussion ab...