T/TH, 5-6:15
G-Buillding, Room 200
Office: Klapper 633
Office hours: Thursdays 3 – 4:30
E-mail: jason.tougaw@qc.cuny.edu
Requirements
Interview Episode: 25%
Discussion Episode: 25%
Narrative Episode: 25%
Process Assignments: 25%
Course Text
Glen Weldon, NPR’s Podcast Startup Guide (Ten Speed Press)
Note: I’ll provide links or PDFs for other listening and reading assignments on our course website.
Course Goals
In this course, students will:
Course Goals
In this course, students will:
- Practice the craft and techniques of audio storytelling
- Learn basic audio recording, production, and production skills
- Study the elements of successful podcasts in three formats: interview, discussion, and narrative
- Create podcasts in three formats: interview, discussion, and narrative
- Develop interview techniques
- Practice writing and revising show scripts and show copy
- Become familiar with what’s necessary to create and launch a real-world podcast
Podcast Assignments
Each of three major assignments will be to create a podcast episode in one of the form’s three major genres: the interview, the discussion, and the narrative. You will complete informal “process assignments” as you work toward each episode. You may choose to develop and produce episodes on your own or to collaborate with a group of students. Individually authored episodes should aim for 10-15 minutes. Collaborative ones should aim for 20-30 minutes and involve a careful delineation of each collaborator’s role.
Accommodations
If you have a learning, sensory, or physical reason for special accommodation in this class, contact the Office of Special Services at 718-997-5870, and please let me know that you have done so.
The Writing Center
The Writing Center is a great resource for getting feedback on your writing, whether you’re struggling or just want to hear the ideas of a trained expert as you’re revising.
Academic Integrity
A student’s work should be his or her own. But a student’s ideas should also engage the ideas of other thinkers and writers. Communication gives ideas meaning and creates a community of thinkers. This is where citation and plagiarism can become tricky. Plagiarism is, of course, a serious issue. It is important that you establish your own point of view, make it clear what ideas are yours and which come from your sources, and respond to your sources critically. Be sure also to cite all sources appropriately, using MLA style. Finally, if you’re struggling with your ideas, your writing, or your sources, be sure to talk to me. Plagiarism sometimes arises from confusion and sometimes from desperation. If you are feeling panicked or just unsure about a writing assignment, talk to me. I can help you with the process. I count on you to take your academic integrity seriously, and I take any breach of the college’s policy on plagiarism seriously, too. You should familiarize yourself with that policy, and let me know if you have any questions about it.
