Course Syllabus
Readings, Listening, and Tutorials
Week 1 – 9/6
No reading, listening, or tutorials
BEFORE CLASS ACTIVITY
What is your relationship to podcasts? Do you have favorite shows? Write some notes and bring them to class to share in small groups.
Week 2 – 9/13
In class this week we will visit the Learning Lab at the Bok Center. We will start in the usual classroom and walk over to the lab at 4:30.
DUE: Individual Learning Goals
LISTENING
- History of the World in 100 Objects, “Mummy of Hornedjitef”
- Stuff the British Stole, "A tiger and a scream" + interview with Marc Fennell (For more episodes go to the show's website).
READINGS
- Lynn Nyhart, “From the Hss President: History of Science Unbound,” in Newsletter of the History of Science Society, January 2012, Pgs 1-2 and 4.
- Lyon, Nix, Shrum, Introduction to Public History: Interpreting the Past, Engaging Audiences, “Introducing Public History,” “Thinking Historically,” and “Interpreting and Exhibiting History” (pg 1-32, 83-112)
TUTORIALS
- Choose your preferred audio editor and work through the relevant tutorial
- Starting Your Podcast: A Guide For Students
- Seeds for Change: Group Agreements for workshops and meetings
- Seeds for Change: Active LISTENING
Week 3 – 9/20
Audio Snippet Due: Explainer Memo
LISTENING
- RadioLab, “A Clockwork Miracle”
- RadioLab, "BONUS: The Radiolab Scavenger Hunt"
- 99% Invisible, "Always Read the Plaque"
READING
- Nina Simon, The Art of Relevance (Santa Cruz, Calif.: Museum 20, 2016) (Introduction, Parts 1 and 2)
- TBD
TUTORIALS
REFERENCE MATERIAL
- Harvard Library: “Library Research Guide for Finding Manuscripts and Archival Collections”
- Harvard Library: “Library Research Guide for the History of Science”
- Harvard Library: "Library Research Guide for History"
- Paul Edwards, "How to Read a Book"
Week 4 – 9/27
Audio snippet due: Story Notes (written)
LISTENING/WATCHING
- Scene on the Radio, Seeing White, Part 8: “Skins and Skulls”
- Chimamanda Adichie, "The Danger of a Single Story," TED Global Conference 2009
READING
- Eve Tuck, "Suspending Damage: A Letter to Communities," Harvard Educational Review Vol. 79 No. 3 Fall 2009.
- Saidiya Hartman, "Venus in Two Acts," small axe 26, June 2008, p 1–14.
- Jessica M. Goldstein, "The Complicated Ethics Of ‘Serial,’ The Most Popular Podcast Of All Time," Think Progress,
- Judge Vacates Murder Conviction of Adnan Syed of ‘Serial’", New York Times, 9/19/22 ; PDF
- "Sara Koenig, Host of 'Serial', Talks about Adnan Syed's Release," New York Times, 9/20/22. ; PDF
Bonus Reading
- Cauvin, Thomas, "Civic Engagement and Social Justice: Historians and Activists" in Public History: A Textbook of Practice, pg 230-249.
- Chris Taylor, "Diversity and Inclusion," in The Inclusive Historian's Handbook.
- Elena Gonzales, "View from the Field: Equity-oriented and Anti-racist Curatorial Practice," in The Inclusive Historian's Handbook.
TUTORIALS
- NPR Training: “A blueprint for planning storytelling projects”
- NPR Training: “Professional sound from a DIY studio: It can be done!”
- NPR Training: “The ear training guide for audio producers”
- NPR Training: “Aerobics for your voice: 3 tips for sounding better on air”
Week 5 – 10/04
Meet this week at the Lamont Multimedia Lab.
Audio snippet due: Tell a Story
Podcast milestone due: Project Blueprint
LISTENING
- 99% Invisible, “The batman and the bridge builder” (Just listen to the main story (about bats). You can skip the second story about solar panels.)
- Periodic Talks, "Roman Mars On The Anatomy Of A Good Story" (NOTE: The interview is the second segment in the show. START LISTENING AT 34min.)
READING
- Background research for project
TUTORIALS
- Daniel McDermon, "How to Tell a Story," New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/how-to-tell-a-good-story; PDF
- "How to make your impossible project possible"
- Transom: “On Interviewing”
- Transom: “The Art of the Pre-Interview”
- NPR Training: “How to decide what to cut (or not) in an interview”
Week 6 – 10/11
Audio snippet due: Practice Interview
LISTENING
- On the Media, "Kurt Vonnegut and the Shape of the Pandemic" (October 22, 2021).
- How Sound, "Interviewing for Story" (re-posted on Transom)
- Kurt Vonnegut on the Shapes of Stories (video on Youtube)
READING
- David E. Kyvig and Myron A. Marty, "Oral Documents" from Nearby History: Exploring the Past Around You. Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, 2019. (pg 113-132)
- Thomas Cauvin, "Collecting and Preserving People's Stories" in Public History: A Textbook of Practice. (pg 88-105)
TUTORIALS
- Audible Blog, "Breaths Of Fresh Air: The Art Of The Terry Gross Interview," April 22, 2016.
- "How to Talk to People, According to Terry Gross," New York Times, 11/17/18.
- NPR: “Want razor-sharp focus in your audio stories? This group activity can help”
- NPR: “Understanding story structure in 4 drawings”
- NPR Training: “The journey from print to radio storytelling: A guide for navigating a new landscape”
- Transom: “Lessons from Making a Historical Documentary”
Week 7 – 10/18
Audio snippet due: edited interview
LISTENING
- Kitchen Sisters Presents, "144—95,000 Names—Gert McMullin, Sewing the Frontline" (June 19, 2020)
READING
- John Biewen, Alexa Dilworth, Reality Radio: Telling True Stories in Sound, 2017. Introduction (pg 1-15) + Choose 3 interesting essays.
TUTORIALS
- NPR Training: “6 NPR stories that breathe life into neighborhood scenes”
- NPR Training: “Active sound: How to find it, record it and use it”
- Transom: “Be quiet: In praise of the pause”
Week 8 – 10/25
This week we’ll visit the Learning Lab again. This time we will meet at the lab at 3:00.
Audio snippet due: Collected Sounds
Podcast Milestone: Storyboard
LISTENING
- Short Cuts (BBC), "Wildlife." 15 Mar 2022
READING
- John Biewen, Alexa Dilworth, Reality Radio: Telling True Stories in Sound, 2017. Choose 4 interesting essays.
TUTORIALS
- Transom: “The Tricks of Planet Money”
- NPR Training: “What does a radio script look like?”
- NPR Training: “A good lead is everything — here's how to write one”
Week 9 – 11/01
Audio snippet due: Sound visit
LISTENING
- Any episode of BBC Radio 4, Inside Science
READING
- Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT, KSJ Science Editing Handbook; Selections: Introduction, Sources and Experts, Editing for Story, Editing Controversial Science, Holding Science to Account, Popular Science. Bonus: Covering Health Care and/or Climate and the Environment. Here is a PDF of the whole book.
Week 10 – 11/08
Podcasting Milestone: sample audio
LISTENING
- The Last Archive, “Information Please." 10/27/22
READING
- Jill Lapore (et al), "Making The Last Archive"
TUTORIALS
- Selections from The Open Notebook, "Getting Started in Science Journalism":
- Finding the Science in Any Story
- How to Find Scientists Sources and Plan Interviews
- Finding Diverse Sources for Science Stories
- Please Don’t Ignore Me: Requesting Interviews with Scientists
- Explaining Complexity
- Good Transitions: A Guide to Cementing Stories Together
- Good Beginnings: How to Write a Lede Your Editor—and Your Readers—Will Love
- Good Endings: How to Write a Kicker Your Editor—and Your Readers—Will Love
- Nailing the Nut Graf
Week 11 – 11/15
LISTENING
- Cautionary Tales, "The Rogue Dressed as a Captain."
READING
- Thomas Cauvin "Radio and Audio-Visual Production" and "Shared Authority: Purposes, Challenges, and Limits," in Public History: A Textbook of Practice (New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016).
Week 12 – 11/22
No class. Drop-in Zoom office hours instead.
Week 13 – 11/29
Listening party and debrief
Course Summary:
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