POLKcast: Cryptids in the classroom & researching the unknown

What do the Yeti, the Chupacabra, and the Skunk Ape have in common with thesis statements and academic databases? In this episode of Polk State College’s podcast, host Jarrod Jones welcomes Professor Jacci Rizzo to discuss a unique and imaginative research project that’s helping English language learners engage deeply with both the research process and their own cultural heritage.

Professor Rizzo, who teaches English and student success courses at Polk State, shares how she introduced her students to the world of cryptozoology — the study of creatures whose existence is unproven, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. This episode takes listeners through everything from dictionary definitions and scholarly databases to personal childhood fears and pop culture obsessions (including a spirited defense of The Meg and even Ghost Shark). Jones and Rizzo explore how cryptids can serve as powerful tools for understanding cultural anxieties, shared mythologies and the global nature of storytelling.

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