The Her Campus National Editors write about products we love and think you’ll love too. Her Campus has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. All products are in stock and all prices are accurate as of publication.
I am the queen of documentary podcasts. Perfect for listening to on long drives, the walk to uni, or when you’re bored on a Sunday morning and don’t want to get out of bed, investigative or documentary podcasts give you the chance to broaden your mind without even having to focus your eyes on a page or screen. Many of them are at the cutting edge of current events, or report on new stories that have never been covered before. They are eye-opening, fascinating and can give you a new perspective on the world we’re living in, perfect for if you want to hear about a news story related to your degree or just learn about something new. So place your trust in me and my unparalleled expertise, and let me recommend you a podcast based on the degree that you’re studying!
A quick warning: like many podcasts in this genre, some of these cover some dark topics and can be a difficult listen. Please make sure you’re in the right headspace and listen to any trigger warnings the podcast gives.
accounting and finance
The Missing Crypto Queen (BBC)
A podcast about one of the biggest crypto scams there has ever been, and its owner, Ruja Ignatova, who mysteriously disappeared in 2017 and appears on the FBI’s most wanted list. As the world looks to cryptocurrencies as the future of finance, this podcast is equally whodunnit style mystery following Ignatova’s tracks as well as an investigation into the murky world of crypto businesses and magnates.
biology
the gift (bbc)
Centred on people who have received DNA testing kits by family and friends, and the secrets and facts unearthed in their wake, including new medical and racial discoveries, family members and mixed-up sperm. It explores the growing role genetics play in our modern world as we get more and more everyday access to the information contained within our genetic code, and how we understand what these genes mean to us when we would never have known only two decades ago.
business
elon’s spies (tortoise media)
Elon Musk is a fascination in the world of business. How does one of the richest men in the world treat those around him? This podcast suggests with suspicion and control, spying on his close associates, including partners. This podcast gives an insight into Musk’s inner world, and it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that many of the people at the top of the business world have similar mechanisms of control and surveillance.
computer science
Black Box (The Guardian) or The Gatekeepers (BBC)
Black Box explores the world of AI, its power to transform the world or destroy it. It interviews the forerunner of AI technology on his part in its creation, as well as the people who have discovered its use for incredible good, plus those who believe it could mean the end of civilization.
The Gatekeepers is one of my favourites and has truly changed my perspective on the Internet and technology companies. It can be easy to forget that the Internet was created for a particular purpose, by a community of people united under the same philosophy. The Gatekeepers pulls back the curtain on the people working behind the scenes, in whose hands lie the invisible strings to puppeteer the globe. If you’ve never thoughts about the impact of social media companies like Facebook outside the west, which I’ll admit, I was ignorant of before listening, the neo-colonialism episodes are particularly eye-opening.
These two podcasts may leave you with a deep-seated dread for the future, but at least fore-warned is fore-armed and you can be the first to say ‘I told you so’ when the technological apocalypse hits!
criminology
Can I Tell You a Secret? (The Guardian) or Hidden Homicides (Tortoise Media)
Have you heard of the crime cyber-stalking? ‘Can I Tell You a Secret?’ follows the story of the worst perpetrator of cyber-stalking the UK has ever seen, and his evasion of justice for over a decade. The podcast throws up some interesting questions about culpability and the perpetrators of crime, as well as what can even be considered a criminal offense. There are no straight-forward answers in this case.
Hidden Homicides focuses on women who became victims to fatal domestic abuse. It explores the role the police play in how crimes are treated, and their influence in crimes not being investigated or convicted. The culture surrounding domestic abuse has often been one of disinterest, treating it as a private matter, not to be dragged out into the light for others to see. But violence thrives in the shadows, and women die at the hands of their partners where others can’t see. These women’s stories are made public in this podcast, placing the spotlight on the policing culture that allows this to happen and remain hidden far often than it should.
economics
The Lazarus Heist (BBC)
Ever wondered how North Korea supports its economy while being closed off to the rest of the world? I don’t think you would’ve guessed that it’s through hacking and cyber-crime (and if you did, I’m impressed!). This podcast looks at North Korea’s fascinating relationship with the rest of the world and investigates the ‘Lazarus Group’, a hacking organisation supposedly responsible for propping up the country’s economy through a series of hacks and financial crimes against organisations like Sony Pictures Ent. and Bangladesh Bank.
Geography or Environmental Science
Buried (BBC)
The podcast’s two series explore two different environmental crimes: the first, illegal rubbish dumping and organised crime; the second, forever chemicals in the environment and the testimony of the whistleblower, Douglas Gowan. If you’re a fan of Good Omens or Twilight, you might be particularly interested in series 2, where the podcast’s creators are joined by Michael Sheen, though both series are worth listening to. I will warn you though: the series can leave you with a pretty bleak and depressing view of our treatment of the natural world, although it also arms you with the knowledge to fight for a better future and reverse some of the harm that has already been inflicted on the environment.
History or Archaeology
Thief at the British Museum (BBC)
Learning about the flaws of big institutions and becoming disillusioned with academia, what’s not to love? This story is one where the truth seems stranger than fiction, involving eBay, an eccentric arts dealer, and attempts to hide your identity so bad they seem like something out of the movie Spy. While I imagine many of us like to believe that the academics and archivists that work with ancient artefacts would have the most utmost care and respect for the objects in their possession, this podcast exposes the culture of carelessness and even exploitation that has been allowed to be flourish in certain departments at the British Museum. Prepare to lose faith in the British Museum forever (if you had any to begin with).
Media and Communications
Who Trolled Amber? (Tortoise Media)
Covering the case of Depp v. Heard, this podcast puts the spotlight on the endless tweets, YouTube/Instagram comments and Facebook posts that inundated the internet with vitriol directed at Amber Heard. No one ever stopped to consider that this wave of social media hatred was fuelled by bots, paid for to turn public favour for Johnny Depp. The life-changing power of media, using PR, social media and public opinion, is at the centre of this podcast. It might even change how you interact with what you read online and give you a new shade of doubt to trusting that everything on the Internet happens organically.
politics
The Coming Storm (BBC)
If you look at the news and wonder ‘how did we get here?’, this podcast is made for you. The state of American politics can feel baffling at times, beyond comprehension or any scope of sanity. The Coming Storm tracks the path some parts of the US took to slowly lose their grip on reality and fall deeper into a rabbit hole of conspiracy and distrust. While the current political climate is a uniquely modern phenomenon – the increasingly fractured world has given rise to radically different truths and versions of reality, the origins of the current situation go back much further than anyone may expect. The podcast traces the timeline of the rise of American conspiratorial thinking, from its origins in Baudrillard’s discussion of fractured realties in his 1981 book Simulacra and Simulation, to the Satanic panic of the 90s to 2020s Qanon and ‘Pizzagate’.
Psychology
Dangerous Memories (Tortoise Media)
As discourse around mental health and therapy heats up, this podcast offers an engrossing, and horrifying, account of the trust placed in mental health professionals and the incredible power they have to shape their clients’ lives, for better or for worse (much, much worse). Dangerous Memories tells the story of a group of young women in the thrall of a captivating, controlling therapist, and them and their families’ fight to break away. It’s a fascinating insight into forms of psychological manipulation and the client-therapist relationship.
Sociology or Anthropology
Hoaxed (Tortoise Media)
This one is a wild ride from start to finish. The posh Hampstead suburb is the last place you’d expect a whirlwind of conspiracy to tear through, but that is exactly what happened, when, in 2014, two children claimed that they were being abused by members of a satanic cult encompassing their teachers, fellow parents at their school, and even their dad. Hoaxed demonstrates the power of conspiracy theories in the public imagination, even those that are proven to be false, and how the Internet provides a place for them to snowball wildly out of control – perfect topic for your next online ethnography!
I hope that something on this list piques your interest, even if it’s not related to your degree subject. Having listened to all of them I can confidently say that they are great listens regardless of your interests or prior knowledge of the subject. Plus, it’s never a bad thing to broaden your horizons and learn something new. Happy listening!