For each workshop iteration, you conduct a systematic analysis of a podcast episode with the goal of assessing the qualities and characteristics that define the series it represents.
Your work on this assignment will result in the evolving developing of a note-taking document & a summary report for each stage of analysis.
For the complete details about how to submit your work, see Submission Requirements.
This workshop focuses on applying analytical tools to podcasts as an object of study (OoS) to identify and assess the defining qualities & characteristics of a podcast. Such analysis is core to understanding any information design genre, which in turn is essential for producing high-quality content yourself.
As you work, you'll assemble a note document to serve as the focal point for the observation stage of your research. For this assignment, I will provide the categories for the details you'll identify and gather. However, pay attention to the kind of details on that list for future reference. Many professions require analysis of existing processes, concepts, and products, and understanding how to assemble a list of descriptive categories is valuable knowledge in any context.
Once you have assembled your research notes for an episode, you'll evaluate the quality of the podcast. This too represents an essential area of inquiry. It is not enough to list features and functions of a given object of study. Without being able to articulate which details are effective (or not), you cannot determine what it means for that OoS to be of good quality (or not).
On a final note before you proceed, keep in mind that when we examine any object of study that fits the very broad category of entertainment (which many podcasts do), we must acknowledge that the concepts of quality and entertaining might not align the way we expect them to. Many podcasts that objectively qualify as professionally produced fail to entertain for any of a vast variety of reasons. At the same time, many podcasts that represent objectively low production values prove to be wildly successful because they entertain despite their obvious technical or professional shortcomings. We must not allow our personal aesthetic judgments to sway our analytical assessments of quality, and vice versa.
During this workshop, you will complete 5 tasks.
Open a new Google Doc to gather your observations. Use the same doc for both workshops. When you get to the second analysis, insert a page break to make a clear separation of the two entries.
Title your document using this formula: YourLastName: Podcast Analyses. That is, replace the text YourLastName with your last name. My research doc would thus be titled Williamson: Podcast Analyses.
Organize your document in advance to include the following sections. That is, add a heading to your doc for each of the categories of details listed below.
During the Analysis phase of the workshop, you'll curate details into these sections.
For Podcast Analysis 1, choose an episode of one of the following podcasts to examine. (All of these series are meant to be informative and engaging, as well as entertaining.)
For Podcast Analysis 2, choose an episode of one of the following podcasts to examine. (All of these series are meant to be entertaining, as well as informative and engaging.)
Once you have selected your series, choose an episode. It does not have to be recent. Choose an episode that appeals to you in some way. Fill in as much detail as you can before you play the episode, just to get a framework for the series and episode in your head before you begin listening.
In the interest of time management, I encourage you to fill in details on your notes doc as you listen. However, if you need to, pause the episode to allow yourself to focus on capturing details without losing the thread of the episode as it unfolds.
If you have time, or if you need to do so because you have trouble focusing on the episode and your notes at the same time, feel free to listen to the episode a second time.
For episodes longer than 30 minutes, feel free to stop your analysis after 30 minutes, if you think you have enough to detail to understand the series/episode. However, do skim/skip ahead to the last segment of a longer episode to see how the host(s) wrap up.
Emphasize gathering a LOT of detail in your research doc. Your notes will likely extend to 3 or 4 pages of material. If you see that your doc is a page or less, listen again to the episode, capturing more observations as you go.
When you are satisfied that you have gathered enough detail about your chosen podcast/episode, shift from observation to analysis. For this part, I leave it to you to determine what to discuss and how. However, consider beginning with the following questions.
Include the following discussion content in your summary report.
Build your Summary Report in the dedicated discussion forum for the workshop. Respond to my post with your report. Use headings to identify both major sections of your discussion and sections within them.
There are 50 possible points for this workshop. You will earn points according to this standard.
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