PODCAST
The podcast assignment aims to help you understand a rhetorical concept, explore how a particular culture interprets and makes use of that concept, and use your rhetorical skills to create a product that can be used in educational settings. Here are the project components:
PODCAST (25 points)
In five-student groups, you will make a 4-6 minute podcast where you:
1. Select one of the following audiences: students at the college, high school or middle school level. You will target your podcast to that particular audience. Your narrator will explain early on that you have made this podcast for that audience and you will make sure to address their needs throughout the podcast.
2. Define one of the classical rhetorical concepts we have studied in class, using sources we have read together and outside sources you have researched. Remember that your narrator should introduce your sources during the narration, providing the source’s title and type—Is it an article? A book? A book chapter?— the author’s name, and something about them such as where they work, what degree they have, and/or if they are widely published authors. After the first time you use (and introduce) a source, you can use the author’s full name when referring to the source.
3. Analyze how a particular culture interprets and utilizes this rhetorical concept. You can select any of the cultures we have discussed in class (African American, Native American, Latina/o, Asian/Asian American) or look at sexuality, gender, or social class, which are also part of our class discussions. You can also be creative and work with people from a particular country, religion, profession, fandom community, etc.
4. Interview three members of the culture you have selected, prompting them to discuss how they and their culture view the rhetorical concept you have chosen to address. Other cultures may not call it by the same name, so you will have to think about how to explain the concept to your interviewees. For ethos, you might ask them to discuss how one can become trustworthy and credible in their cultures, for kairos you might ask what right timing is and how they determine what the right measure is in certain situations, and so on. You will use Audacity to record with your computers’ built-in mics. The recording will be of much higher quality if you use a MacBook Pro to record, so if one is available to you, please use it. All interviews MUST take place inside to avoid background noise. Your narrator should introduce your interviewees by their name and tell us what they do for a living and other information you deem relevant the first time we hear from them. Make sure that interviewees repeat the question in their answer so you can use the answer without using the interviewer’s question, i.e. “Where were you born?” “I was born in Michigan” instead of “Michigan.” You will ask all interviewees to sign a voice recording release. The document can be downloaded at desire2learn. Make sure to modify it by adding your group members’ names in the specified areas. You will scan the signed releases and submit them with your final draft.
5. I cannot stress enough the importance of having two students keep the interview files and the edited version files in their computers as the project progresses. That way if the files are lost in one computer, you will still be able to complete the assignment.
6. Use Creative Commons music/sound in order to provide a soundtrack to your podcast. You can find Creative Commons music at these sites: http://www.freesound.org, http://www.jamendo.com/en, and http://ccmixter.org.
7. Post your podcast to SoundCloud. You will make an account at https://soundcloud.com. SoundCloud will lead you through the upload process.
8. You previously listened to examples of how students in previous iterations of this course tackled this assignment. I suggest you go back to those podcasts as you work on your own for ideas of choices that you may want to imitate and choices that you may want to stay away from.
9. The aim of the podcast is educational. You will instruct your chosen audience about the traditional definition of the concept you choose, as well as how a particular culture interprets and utilizes the concept. You will target the podcast to meet the needs of your audience so they will be more likely to make use of it.
1. Select one of the following audiences: students at the college, high school or middle school level. You will target your podcast to that particular audience. Your narrator will explain early on that you have made this podcast for that audience and you will make sure to address their needs throughout the podcast.
2. Define one of the classical rhetorical concepts we have studied in class, using sources we have read together and outside sources you have researched. Remember that your narrator should introduce your sources during the narration, providing the source’s title and type—Is it an article? A book? A book chapter?— the author’s name, and something about them such as where they work, what degree they have, and/or if they are widely published authors. After the first time you use (and introduce) a source, you can use the author’s full name when referring to the source.
3. Analyze how a particular culture interprets and utilizes this rhetorical concept. You can select any of the cultures we have discussed in class (African American, Native American, Latina/o, Asian/Asian American) or look at sexuality, gender, or social class, which are also part of our class discussions. You can also be creative and work with people from a particular country, religion, profession, fandom community, etc.
4. Interview three members of the culture you have selected, prompting them to discuss how they and their culture view the rhetorical concept you have chosen to address. Other cultures may not call it by the same name, so you will have to think about how to explain the concept to your interviewees. For ethos, you might ask them to discuss how one can become trustworthy and credible in their cultures, for kairos you might ask what right timing is and how they determine what the right measure is in certain situations, and so on. You will use Audacity to record with your computers’ built-in mics. The recording will be of much higher quality if you use a MacBook Pro to record, so if one is available to you, please use it. All interviews MUST take place inside to avoid background noise. Your narrator should introduce your interviewees by their name and tell us what they do for a living and other information you deem relevant the first time we hear from them. Make sure that interviewees repeat the question in their answer so you can use the answer without using the interviewer’s question, i.e. “Where were you born?” “I was born in Michigan” instead of “Michigan.” You will ask all interviewees to sign a voice recording release. The document can be downloaded at desire2learn. Make sure to modify it by adding your group members’ names in the specified areas. You will scan the signed releases and submit them with your final draft.
5. I cannot stress enough the importance of having two students keep the interview files and the edited version files in their computers as the project progresses. That way if the files are lost in one computer, you will still be able to complete the assignment.
6. Use Creative Commons music/sound in order to provide a soundtrack to your podcast. You can find Creative Commons music at these sites: http://www.freesound.org, http://www.jamendo.com/en, and http://ccmixter.org.
7. Post your podcast to SoundCloud. You will make an account at https://soundcloud.com. SoundCloud will lead you through the upload process.
8. You previously listened to examples of how students in previous iterations of this course tackled this assignment. I suggest you go back to those podcasts as you work on your own for ideas of choices that you may want to imitate and choices that you may want to stay away from.
9. The aim of the podcast is educational. You will instruct your chosen audience about the traditional definition of the concept you choose, as well as how a particular culture interprets and utilizes the concept. You will target the podcast to meet the needs of your audience so they will be more likely to make use of it.
FIRST PROPOSAL (2 points)
The assignment is divided into two stages, preproduction and production, and group members will play different roles in each stage. As you select who will play what role, make sure to go with each group member’s strengths so the group will benefit as a whole. In the first proposal, you will answer the following questions:
Podcast Content
1. Who is your target audience?
2. What rhetorical concept will you address?
3. What particular culture will you engage with?
Preproduction Roles
3. Who will play each of the following preproduction roles?
Producers: Two group members will be in charge of finding, contacting, and staying in touch with the interviewees from the preproduction stage until you send them a link of the finished product, thanking them for their participation. Before interviewees agree to the project, make sure they read and sign the voice recording release, which you can find on desire2learn.
Researchers: Three group members will research the chosen concept and culture. You need to use sources we have read in class as well as outside sources. You should have 3-4 sources. The researchers will not only find the sources, but they will read them and find sections for direct quoting and paraphrasing, which they will highlight.
Production Roles
4. Who will play each of the following production roles?
Narrator/Interviewer: This group member will conduct all interviews and provide the podcast narration. Though most of the narration will be recorded at once, the narrator will have to rerecord aspects of the text. Most podcasts go through at least three drafts and the narrator will have to rerecord parts of the narration each time. For continuity’s sake, try to record in the same room and at the same distance from the computer mic each time.
Recorder/Narration Writer: This group member will be present during all interviews and will record them. Once the interviews have been completed, this group member will write the narrator’s script. All group members should read and edit the script before it is recorded. The recorder MUST have a copy of all interview files and an up-to-date copy of the edited Audacity files in their computer and/or thumb drive at all times.
Editor: This group member will use Audacity in order to combine the narration and the interviews, condensing them into a 4-6 minute piece. All group members should listen to various drafts of the podcast and provide their input. The editor MUST have a copy of all interview files and an up-to-date copy of the edited Audacity files in their computer and/or thumb drive at all times.
Assistant Editor: This group member will assist the editor in creating a cohesive, engaging piece from interviews and narration. The assistant editor is in charge of finding and adding the Creative Commons soundtrack.
Reflection Writer: This group member will write the project’s reflection (see “Reflection” below for details on the document).
NOTE: Every member must listen to various drafts of the podcast and read the reflection in order to make sure the final product meets everyone’s approval.
Proposal Delivery
In order for your proposal to receive full credit, you must do the following:
1. Send the proposal as an attachment to [email protected]. The proposal should be a Microsoft Word file. The subject of your email should be Podcast Proposal 1, followed by the last names of every group member separated by commas and in alphabetical order. The name of the document should be Podcast Proposal followed by the reflection writer’s last name, i.e. Podcast Proposal 1 Hidalgo.
2. Every group member needs to be Cc-d in the email.
You will receive half credit if you do not follow the instructions above or if you submit your proposal a day late. If you submit it two or more days late, you will receive no credit.
Podcast Content
1. Who is your target audience?
2. What rhetorical concept will you address?
3. What particular culture will you engage with?
Preproduction Roles
3. Who will play each of the following preproduction roles?
Producers: Two group members will be in charge of finding, contacting, and staying in touch with the interviewees from the preproduction stage until you send them a link of the finished product, thanking them for their participation. Before interviewees agree to the project, make sure they read and sign the voice recording release, which you can find on desire2learn.
Researchers: Three group members will research the chosen concept and culture. You need to use sources we have read in class as well as outside sources. You should have 3-4 sources. The researchers will not only find the sources, but they will read them and find sections for direct quoting and paraphrasing, which they will highlight.
Production Roles
4. Who will play each of the following production roles?
Narrator/Interviewer: This group member will conduct all interviews and provide the podcast narration. Though most of the narration will be recorded at once, the narrator will have to rerecord aspects of the text. Most podcasts go through at least three drafts and the narrator will have to rerecord parts of the narration each time. For continuity’s sake, try to record in the same room and at the same distance from the computer mic each time.
Recorder/Narration Writer: This group member will be present during all interviews and will record them. Once the interviews have been completed, this group member will write the narrator’s script. All group members should read and edit the script before it is recorded. The recorder MUST have a copy of all interview files and an up-to-date copy of the edited Audacity files in their computer and/or thumb drive at all times.
Editor: This group member will use Audacity in order to combine the narration and the interviews, condensing them into a 4-6 minute piece. All group members should listen to various drafts of the podcast and provide their input. The editor MUST have a copy of all interview files and an up-to-date copy of the edited Audacity files in their computer and/or thumb drive at all times.
Assistant Editor: This group member will assist the editor in creating a cohesive, engaging piece from interviews and narration. The assistant editor is in charge of finding and adding the Creative Commons soundtrack.
Reflection Writer: This group member will write the project’s reflection (see “Reflection” below for details on the document).
NOTE: Every member must listen to various drafts of the podcast and read the reflection in order to make sure the final product meets everyone’s approval.
Proposal Delivery
In order for your proposal to receive full credit, you must do the following:
1. Send the proposal as an attachment to [email protected]. The proposal should be a Microsoft Word file. The subject of your email should be Podcast Proposal 1, followed by the last names of every group member separated by commas and in alphabetical order. The name of the document should be Podcast Proposal followed by the reflection writer’s last name, i.e. Podcast Proposal 1 Hidalgo.
2. Every group member needs to be Cc-d in the email.
You will receive half credit if you do not follow the instructions above or if you submit your proposal a day late. If you submit it two or more days late, you will receive no credit.
SECOND PROPOSAL (2 points)
In the second proposal you will:
1. Provide a list of your selected 3-4 sources in MLA Works Cited format.
2. Name the three people you will be interviewing and briefly explain why you think they are a good fit for this project.
3. Submit a list of 8-10 questions you will ask all three interviewees. Questions must be open ended. Don’t ask “Does your culture interpret emotion differently than Americans do?” but “In which ways does your culture interpret emotion differently than Americans do?” You should ask questions that cannot be answered with “yes” or “no,” but that require the interviewee to spend some time explaining their perspective. Make sure that every question you ask deals directly with the culture and concept at hand. Otherwise you won’t be able to use the answers you get.
4. Provide an interview schedule where you list when and where each interview will take place. Remember that all interviews must be recorded inside, in a room where you can be the only occupants and where you can close the windows and doors in order to capture better sound.
Proposal Delivery
In order for your proposal to receive full credit, you must do the following:
1. Send the proposal as an attachment to [email protected]. The proposal should be a Microsoft Word file. The subject of your email should be Podcast Proposal 2, followed by the last names of every group member separated by commas and in alphabetical order. The name of the document should be Podcast Proposal followed by the reflection writer’s last name, i.e. Podcast Proposal 2 Hidalgo.
2. Every group member needs to be Cc-d in the email.
You will receive half credit if you do not follow the instructions above or if you submit your proposal a day late. If you submit it two or more days late, you will receive no credit.
1. Provide a list of your selected 3-4 sources in MLA Works Cited format.
2. Name the three people you will be interviewing and briefly explain why you think they are a good fit for this project.
3. Submit a list of 8-10 questions you will ask all three interviewees. Questions must be open ended. Don’t ask “Does your culture interpret emotion differently than Americans do?” but “In which ways does your culture interpret emotion differently than Americans do?” You should ask questions that cannot be answered with “yes” or “no,” but that require the interviewee to spend some time explaining their perspective. Make sure that every question you ask deals directly with the culture and concept at hand. Otherwise you won’t be able to use the answers you get.
4. Provide an interview schedule where you list when and where each interview will take place. Remember that all interviews must be recorded inside, in a room where you can be the only occupants and where you can close the windows and doors in order to capture better sound.
Proposal Delivery
In order for your proposal to receive full credit, you must do the following:
1. Send the proposal as an attachment to [email protected]. The proposal should be a Microsoft Word file. The subject of your email should be Podcast Proposal 2, followed by the last names of every group member separated by commas and in alphabetical order. The name of the document should be Podcast Proposal followed by the reflection writer’s last name, i.e. Podcast Proposal 2 Hidalgo.
2. Every group member needs to be Cc-d in the email.
You will receive half credit if you do not follow the instructions above or if you submit your proposal a day late. If you submit it two or more days late, you will receive no credit.
REFLECTION (6 points)
The final draft of your podcast will be accompanied by a 4-5 page (1,200-1,500 words) reflection, which will address the following questions in essay form:
1. What rhetorical choices did you make in order to meet the needs of your particular audience? Make sure to refer to the rhetorical concepts we have discussed in class (ethos, pathos, logos, kairos, stasis theory, etc.) and how you have employed them in order to craft a text that is geared toward educating your target audience about your topic.
2. What aspects of your final product work particularly well and why do you think your group succeeded in making those parts of the podcast work?
3. What aspects of your final product are problematic and what caused the issues? What could have been done in order to avoid the problems you had with the project?
Make sure to add everyone’s names to the reflection document and to refer to all group decisions as “we.” If you want to mention something a particular group member did, refer to them by their first name.
Reflection and Podcast Delivery
In order for your reflection and podcast to receive full credit, you must do the following:
1. Send the link to the podcast in the body of an email and attach the reflection to [email protected]. The subject of your email should be Podcast and Reflection, followed by the last names of every group member separated by commas and in alphabetical order. The reflection should be a Microsoft Word file. The name of the document should be Podcast Reflection followed by the reflection writer’s last name, i.e. Podcast Reflection Hidalgo.
2. Every group member needs to be Cc-d in the email.
3. Attach the scanned Voice Recording Releases. Title each release with the name of the interviewee, followed by Release, i.e. Alexandra Hidalgo Release.
I will deduct one point if you do not follow the delivery instructions above.
1. What rhetorical choices did you make in order to meet the needs of your particular audience? Make sure to refer to the rhetorical concepts we have discussed in class (ethos, pathos, logos, kairos, stasis theory, etc.) and how you have employed them in order to craft a text that is geared toward educating your target audience about your topic.
2. What aspects of your final product work particularly well and why do you think your group succeeded in making those parts of the podcast work?
3. What aspects of your final product are problematic and what caused the issues? What could have been done in order to avoid the problems you had with the project?
Make sure to add everyone’s names to the reflection document and to refer to all group decisions as “we.” If you want to mention something a particular group member did, refer to them by their first name.
Reflection and Podcast Delivery
In order for your reflection and podcast to receive full credit, you must do the following:
1. Send the link to the podcast in the body of an email and attach the reflection to [email protected]. The subject of your email should be Podcast and Reflection, followed by the last names of every group member separated by commas and in alphabetical order. The reflection should be a Microsoft Word file. The name of the document should be Podcast Reflection followed by the reflection writer’s last name, i.e. Podcast Reflection Hidalgo.
2. Every group member needs to be Cc-d in the email.
3. Attach the scanned Voice Recording Releases. Title each release with the name of the interviewee, followed by Release, i.e. Alexandra Hidalgo Release.
I will deduct one point if you do not follow the delivery instructions above.
ASSIGNMENT CALENDAR
Podcast Proposal 1
Due date: 2/10 by class time
Podcast Proposal 2
Due date: 2/17 by class time
Podcast Draft 1
Due date: 3/26 by class time. Incomplete drafts will count as a missed quiz (1 point) for all group members.
Podcast Draft 2
Due date: 3/31 by class time. Incomplete drafts will count as a missed quiz (1 point) for all group members.
Podcast Final Version
Due date: 4/3 by midnight
Podcast Reflection
Due date: 4/3 by midnight
Due date: 2/10 by class time
Podcast Proposal 2
Due date: 2/17 by class time
Podcast Draft 1
Due date: 3/26 by class time. Incomplete drafts will count as a missed quiz (1 point) for all group members.
Podcast Draft 2
Due date: 3/31 by class time. Incomplete drafts will count as a missed quiz (1 point) for all group members.
Podcast Final Version
Due date: 4/3 by midnight
Podcast Reflection
Due date: 4/3 by midnight
QUESTIONS
If you have questions about this assignment, feel free to email me, stop by my office hours, or make an appointment.
