“It’s not me, the pedagog in the classroom who has a certain responsibility, it’s me navigating the cultural landscape with the people in the room and saying, ‘Ah, look at this! Isn’t this interesting?!'” ~ Shawkat Toorawa

For 15 years, Professor Shawkat Toorawa has offered “three things worth knowing” from literature, music and general knowledge, no strings attached.

Each week during the academic year, “Dr. T” delivers a curiosity booster shot for anyone who wants to partake. It’s his gesture toward true liberal arts and an ever-expanding appreciation of the rich and diverse world around us.

A delightful discussion creating and connecting dots. Join us for a conversation all about why “should know” and “worth knowing” are so very different; cultural literacy and the fabricated division of “high” and “low” culture; the many gifts of sharing interests; and what’s to be gained from a little constraint.

I realized, these are things that are actually acclaimed — and world-famous and award-winning — that people may just simply not have encountered. And by having them encounter them, causes me to re-encounter them… So this is important to me — and it’s energizing!

Listen to Ep. #287: The dr. T projecT & Things Worth Knowing, with Shawkat Toorawa

Shawkat Toorawa teaches Arabic language and literature in the Departments of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and of Comparative Literature at Yale University. He drinks P.G. Tips tea, watches Doctor Who and Star Trek, listens to public radio, and reads as much as he can.  

You’ll find notes from The dr T projecT on his website and recordings on Instagram.

Just to give you a flavor of things, in this conversation we touched on a few of his topics: Mahalia Jackson, Frank Gelett Burgess, enclaves and exclaves, Fata Morgana, the word “eponym“, football chants, The B-52s, Gene Wolfe, Kiyomizu-Dera, Marilyn McCoo and archipelagoes.

Learn more about knowledge networks in these C2BC Classics: Network Systems: Connecting the Dots, with Dani Bassett; Curious Minds: The Power of Connection, with Perry Zurn & Dani S. Bassett; & Kinesthetic Curiosity: Our Styles of Moving Among Information & Ideas, with Dale Zhou.

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Rabbit Hole” by Love & Weasel, via Blue Dot Sessions.

You can subscribe to Choose to Be Curious on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.