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Photo by James Brosher

Graduate student Rosemary Pennington produces podcasts for a new series, Muslim Voices.

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School of Journalism graduate student Rosemary Pennington is working on a new project at IU that combines her professional radio experience with new media.

Pennington is coordinator and podcaster for “Voices and Visions of Islam and Muslims from a Global Perspective,” an informational series presented by IU’s Center for the Study of Global Change. The project aims to build intercultural between Muslims and non-Muslims through programming, which includes a Web site with informational material; two podcast series, Muslim Voices and Crash Course in Islam; and events and art exhibits.

"This is a very important issue that we are dealing with," Pennington said. "We want to expose people to the diversity of Islam. I am talking to a lot of scholars and local Muslim people for this project."

The Center for the Study of Global Change received a grant of nearly $100,000 from the Social Science Research Council. The project includes two series: Muslim Voices looks at the diversity in Islam through its people while Crash Course in Islam uses brief segments to examine common myths.

In addition to the Web site, which features stories and information, the center will host events and exhibits, such as this month’s Imaging Islam, a panel discussion of Islam in art and film. The center is partnering with several IU departments and area organizations, such as WFIU-FM, where Pennington works on the podcasts.

"Adam Schweigert and Annie Corrigan of WFIU have been instrumental in getting the podcasts up,” said Pennington, who is working on her master’s degree in the journalism research track. “I find the experts, write scripts and do the interviews. Annie mixes the pieces into the podcast and Adam makes sure our Web site is in order.”

The two podcast series, which launched in early October, will have 30 episodes each. So far, topics for Muslim Voices have ranged from “Islamic Art In and Out” to “What Muslims believe.” In the Crash Course in Islam series, topics have included “Do Muslims believe in Jesus?” and “Do Muslims eat meat? Islam and Halal.”

Pennington draws on her experience at an Alabama public radio station, where she worked before entering the School of Journalism program last year. While at WBHM in Birmingham, she twice won Best Specialized Reporter from the Alabama Associated Press Broadcasters Association for series she produced. She won the 2008 Douglas L. Cannon Broadcast Journalism Award for Excellence in Medical Writing, the third year in a row her work has been recognized by the Medical Association of the State of Alabama.

"She comes in with a great deal of radio journalism experience, which is very important to our project,” said Hilary E. Kahn, associate director for the center. She said this project would have been incomplete without Pennington’s contribution. “She has really helped me a lot in this whole process.”

Since joining the project last summer, Pennington has approached the podcasts as she would radio pieces. She researched the religion and international media issues on Islam. She also talked to Muslim friends, such as journalism doctoral student Manaf Bashir, to better understand the topic. She asked Bashir to be the audio “voice” of the podcasts.

Photo by James Brosher

Pennington uses the production facility at WFIU to produce the podcasts. Each of the series, Muslim Voices and Crash Course in Islam, will have 30 segments.

"The reason I agreed to participate is to deliver what Muslim Voices aims for from a Muslim voice,” said Bashir, whose research interests include international communication and advertising and public relations. “I also believe that there aren’t enough efforts to present the real image of Islam.”

Pennington says projects such as Muslim Voices will be valuable in shedding light on this culture.

"Media has painted a particular picture of Islam and people just know that,” she said. “We are making efforts to change that and show the reality."

The center will host a number of events in the area with the help of its community partners Bloomington Area Arts Council, Islamic Center of Bloomington and Monroe County Public Library.

In addition to this project, Pennington continues with her own studies, where she is conducting an independent study with School of Journalism’s Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Amy Reynolds.

“Rosemary is a gifted student,” Reynolds said. “She came in with a lot of professional experience and writes very well. The Muslim Voices project is a perfect match for her skills.”

To learn more about Muslim Voices, visit the Web site, which lists current exhibits, programs and the features downloadable podcasts.