You are going to write a 5-7-minute podcast script about some aspect of Tennessee’s history from 1901-2024. The script should be 750-1,000 words. You must use at least five sources—at least two must be primary sources and two must be secondary sources. The trick is to find a subject and a way of talking about it that an average listener will find interesting.
TIPS:
Podcasts are, typically, listened to alone. Write as if speaking to one person, not an audience.
This should be a conversation style. You’d never end a conversation with a friend or family member with “in conclusion.”
Your listener needs signposts to mark the path of your narrative.
Most folks overwhelm their podcasts with numbers and details. Listeners retain very little, possible two numbers and one date, that’s all.
Your listener does not know this subject. Give them a hook upfront, a reason to want to keep listening.
Think of it this way: your listener will remember one thing from your podcast. What should that be? Stick that up front and cut everything that doesn’t accomplish your goal.
Citations will be done with a bibliography and in-text citations. Your bibliography tells ME where you got your information. Your in-text citations tell YOUR LISTENER where your information comes from and what words aren’t yours.
If (when) you quote, make sure to audibly say quote so your listener knows these are not your words.
Scaffolding Assignments
This project will be scaffolded meaning it has five components. See the syllabus for the due dates.
Part 1 – Topic Choice
You need to select a topic for your podcast. Because of the time restraints, you cannot cover big subjects like battles or even a biography. I suggest starting with a period/event that you like and then slowly narrowing that down. I am going to use European history as an example. You will find that the French Revolution is too general of a subject. The scholarship is vast and complex, and you will be limited in space in your paper to adequately cover this. So, the next step would be to reduce the scope. This can be done chronologically, geographically, topically, or biographically. “Women and the French Revolution” will be more manageable. However, it would be too narrow of a topic to choose “Lyon Teenagers and the French Revolution” because you may not have the proper number of sources.
*Assignment: Once you have your topic and sources, answer the following questions in a Word document. You must write a paragraph for each.
What is your subject?
What do you find interesting about the subject?
Have you found enough sources? What are these?
Please turn this in to the proper dropbox on eLearn on the date listed in the syllabus.
Part 2 – Bibliography
Once you have a topic, you need to start looking for primary and secondary sources. Begin with a search of the library databases for your topic. If you are struggling to find sources, broaden your search. If you are searching for “Women and the French Revolution” and only have a few sources, then search the French Revolution. Look within those sources to see if any of them mention gender.
What are primary and secondary sources? Primary sources are first-hand accounts of an event. This includes the following: texts of laws and other original documents; newspapers or magazines by reporters who witnessed it; speeches; diaries; oral histories. Be mindful of the date that these sources are written. If you are using a “primary source” from 2012 on the French Revolution, it is not a primary source. Secondary sources are books, journal articles, or reference books written by historians.
The best (and only) place you should be looking for sources is the library. Look at the databases like JSTOR or EBSCOHOST for secondary sources.
*Assignment: Once you have compiled your sources, you should compose your annotated bibliography.
A bibliography is a listing of your sources that includes the author’s name, title, publication information, and year published. In addition, the annotated bibliography briefly summarizes each primary source, book, and article. In this, you will discuss the relevance of the topic. You do not have to provide a long annotation—50-100 words will suffice.
The due date is listed in the syllabus. It must be typed in a doc, docx, or PDF file and uploaded to the proper Dropbox on Canvas.
Part 3 – Draft
Write a short outline of your podcast. For example, the intro may be a quote that gets your listener interested, followed by an introduction, followed by a series of explained quotations, followed by a summary of what’s important about the piece and what happens next.
Write a draft of your script. Write the script as you would speak it, breaking it up into sections that fit together, and underlining words you want to emphasize. This will not look like a traditional history paper. Rather, your script will look like a series of min-paragraphs and single sentence sections. See the transcript example on eLearn under readings.
Read your podcast to another person. After you’ve read it to them, ask for their feedback. Did they understand your main point? Did they understand the story? Were there any confusing elements in the story or areas your listener wanted more information?
Assignment: You will write a draft that is at least 500 words. Make sure you have footnotes for your sources. You are to turn in your script’s rough draft to the proper dropbox on eLearn by the date listed in the syllabus.
Part 4 – Peer Review
I will partner you with someone else from class, and you will be responsible for reviewing their podcast using a form I provide.
Aside from your peer reviewer, I will also provide you with comments. This will give multiple perspectives and comments as you create a final draft.
Assignment: You will read your partner’s script, and then fill out the Peer-Review Form. Once you finished, email the form to your partner. Finally, upload the form YOU FILLED OUT about your partner to the proper dropbox on eLearn by the date listed in the syllabus.
Part 5 – Finished Product
For your finish script, please make sure you have everything, including footnotes. Once you have completed a final draft, you will turn in the script to the proper dropbox on eLearn by the date listed in the syllabus.
