The Global Politics Podcast Project

Global Politics and Public Policy

Part 1: Assignment Prompt

Background: Global Policy on the Ground

For this project, you will step into the shoes of a policy journalist. You will identify a practitioner working at an international non-governmental organization (NGO), intergovernmental organization (IGO), or global policy think tank, research their recent work, and conduct a 45-minute interview with them. This interview will be recorded and submitted as a podcast episode.

Your Task

For this project, you will step into the shoes of a policy journalist. You will identify a practitioner working at a policy advocacy organization, think tank, or community group at a global level, research their recent work, and conduct a 45-minute interview with them. This interview will be recorded and submitted as a podcast episode.

Steps to Complete the Project:

Select a Global Organization: Identify an international organization (e.g., Amnesty International, World Bank, UN Environment Programme, global think tanks) that aligns with your policy interests (e.g., human rights, climate change, international trade).
Identify a Target Practitioner: Find a researcher, policy analyst, community organizer, or director at that organization to interview.
Conduct Policy Research: (See Part 2 below). You must read a recent policy report or brief from this organization to prepare.
Secure the Interview: Use the provided email template to invite your practitioner to a 45-minute Friday Zoom session.
Record the Podcast: Conduct the interview. You must bridge their global work to our hyper-local context by asking how the international issues they work on compare to or impact local governance here in Ventura County/Thousand Oaks.

Part 2: Research & Interview Preparation

A good podcast interview is built on great research. Practitioners are much more likely to agree to an interview—and give you robust, interesting answers—if they know you have actually engaged with their work.

Research Requirements:

Before you reach out to your target practitioner, you must:

Navigate to your chosen organization's website.
Locate their "Publications," "Reports," or "Research" section.
Identify one recent policy report, brief, or white paper (published within the last 2-3 years) that is relevant to the practitioner you want to interview.
Read the executive summary and key findings.

Developing Your Questions:

Based on your research, draft 5-7 interview questions.

The Hook: Start with a question specifically referencing the report you read (e.g., "In your recent 2024 report on groundwater sustainability, you noted [X]... how has the community responded to that finding?").
The Career Path: Ask about their role and how they navigate the political landscape of their international domain.
The Local Bridge (Required): You must include at least one question that asks them to connect their global perspective to our local reality in Ventura County/Thousand Oaks.

Part 3: Outreach Email Template

Use this template as a starting point. Personalize the bracketed [ ] sections before sending.

Subject: Interview Request: Cal Lutheran Politics Class / [Topic of their report] Dear [Practitioner's Name], My name is [Your Name] and I am a junior undergraduate student at [Your University] taking a course on Global Politics. As part of our coursework, we are studying the complexities of the international system and global governance. I have been following the work of [Organization Name], and I recently read your report on [Name of the Report/Topic]. I was particularly struck by your finding that [insert one brief, specific detail you found interesting]. For my midterm project, I am recording a 45-minute podcast-style interview with a policy practitioner to help my classmates and me understand how policy actually moves on the ground in [Their Domain, e.g., International Climate Policy]. Would you be open to doing a brief, 45-minute Zoom interview with me on a Friday of your choosing in the coming weeks? The stakes are low, and the audience will be a highly engaged class of undergraduates who are eager to learn from your localized expertise. Thank you so much for your time and for the work you do. I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, [Your Name] [Your Major], Class of 202X [Your University] [Link to your LinkedIn profile, optional]

Part 4: Grading Rubric

Category	Excellent (A)	Proficient (B)	Developing (C)	Needs Work (D/F)
Research & Preparation (25%)	Questions are deeply rooted in a specific, recent policy report. Student demonstrates clear understanding of the organization's mission and the practitioner's role.	Questions reference the organization's work generally, but lack specific ties to a recent report. Good foundational understanding.	Questions are generic and could apply to almost any policy professional. Minimal evidence of prior research.	No evidence of preparation. Questions are entirely improvised or off-topic.
Interview Execution (25%)	Student actively listens, asks thoughtful follow-up questions, and guides the conversation smoothly. The pacing feels like a professional podcast.	Student asks all prepared questions but misses opportunities for organic follow-ups. The conversation flows reasonably well.	Student strictly reads off a list of questions regardless of the guest's answers. Awkward pacing or interruptions.	Student is unprepared, unprofessional, or fails to guide the conversation effectively.
Global & Local Connection (30%)	Expertly draws out the global dynamics of the guest's work. Successfully and thoughtfully bridges the guest's international perspective to the Ventura County/Thousand Oaks context.	Discusses the guest's global domain well. Makes a surface-level connection to Ventura County/Thousand Oaks.	Fails to clearly define the guest's global context OR completely forgets to make the required local connection to Ventura County.	Interview ignores the broader global policy realities altogether.
Audio Quality & Format (20%)	Audio is clear, balanced, and free of distracting background noise. Includes a brief, recorded intro/outro framing the interview for the class.	Audio is mostly clear with minor issues. Includes a basic intro/outro.	Audio is difficult to hear in places. Missing intro/outro framing.	Audio is largely inaudible or the file format is incorrect/inaccessible.