Recreate the experience of a Brown course discussion group. The idea is simple: share a link to a podcast, lecture, or event with your community and then set a date to get together over video conferencing to discuss.
Step 1: Select a podcast/lecture/event
Brown has opened up a wealth of pre-recorded and live online programming for your enjoyment. When deciding upon a topic, consider your audience’s general interests and also pockets of local expertise that you might be able to use. Tapping a local alum who is an expert in a related field to participate in or lead the discussion is a great way to ensure you engage with the material in a meaningful way.
Check out a complete guide to Brown’s online resources for the alumni community.
Here’s a list of resources to get you started:
30,000 Leagues Podcast: Hosted by The Policy Lab
All My Relations Podcast: Co-hosted by Adrienne Keene, assistant professor of American studies and ethnic studies, and Matika Wilbur. The podcast delves into issues of contemporary Native American identity and culture.
Brown Arts Initiative at Home: Online access to BAI’s past exhibitions, performances, screenings, panels, and conversations.
Brown Arts Initiative Live Events: Living room concerts (and hopefully more)
Women’s Voices Amplified: The Women’s Leadership Council’s podcast
Brown University YouTube Channel: Playlists of video content from departments, centers, and institutes across the University.
Choices Program: Free video content from its online curriculum, focused on the relationship between history and current issues.
Community Conversations: Hosted by President Christina H. Paxson, this new virtual discussion series features some of the University's leading scholars and experts from around the world.
Events@Brown: A listing of upcoming live virtual events
Faculty in Focus Podcast: Provost Richard M. Locke interviews faculty members about their work and topics driving their curiosity.
Pembroke Center Oral History Project: Featuring digitized interviews, transcripts, biographies, and photographs of Brown alumnae, faculty, and staff from as far back as 1907.
Possibly Podcast: Short-format audio about the science behind proposed environmental solutions. Co-sponsored by the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and the Public’s Radio.
Public Work Podcast: A 2018 Public Humanities podcast released by the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage.
Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Live Events
Step 2: Decide on technology
There are a number of video conferencing options out there, including:
Cisco WebEx, Zoom, FreeConferenceCall.com, GoToMeeting
Step 3: Pick a date and time
You know your local communities best. Are weekend afternoons popular for engagement, or are you better off selecting a weeknight? We don’t recommend meeting more than once a month, and even monthly might be too often for some groups. You want to ensure you give participants enough time to listen to/watch and digest the chosen content. It’s a good idea to create some consistency around the discussion group so that attendees can count on a lively discussion at regular intervals (e.g. the third Thursday of every month).
Step 4: Select a volunteer TA to lead the discussion
If you didn’t decide upon a regional expert to lead the program when choosing your programming, now’s the time to select a volunteer to act as the Teaching Assistant for this section. The TA agrees to watch/listen to the chosen content, will manage the technology, and should come to the event prepared with more questions than they’ll expect to need. The volunteer will set the tone for the meeting, laying out any official guidelines for communication. The TA should feel comfortable encouraging people to share their perspectives, creating a respectful and dynamic conversation.
Step 5: Create a BRAVO Event page and advertise
Create your BRAVO event page so that guests can register to attend online. Be sure to include the link to your chosen online programming so that everyone shows up prepared. Then, start inviting people with scheduled emails!
Step 6: Get social
Make sure to advertise across your group’s social media platforms. Use appropriate hashtags to spread the word about your event and to encourage people to join in on the fun by registering for the next event. Hashtag possibilities include: #EverTrue, #BrownReunion, #BrownAtHome, #BrunoniansAtHome, and #Brown(insert last two digits of class year here).