Artifact 3 

Banner created by Kelly Lin of Georgia Tech

Goals, Learning Outcomes, and WOVEN

Prompt

The ultimate end of this "unit" consists of you and an interdisciplinary group of your peers composing an informative, educational, entertaining (infotainment) podcast episode of 15-20 minutes in length that focuses on an issue, problem, concept, or idea relative to the US South or Caribbean. Along the way, you will embed yourself in your community by learning about its rhetorical practices and values, locate and understand peer-reviewed academic research, procure funding through a simple "grant proposal," and learn to project often obtuse research outward to a general audience in the podcast by emphasizing stakes and impact. 

While, due to your roles in the podcast group, you may not have the chance to draw on that disciplinary perspective within the podcast episode, you will at least put into practice strategies for reading and understanding the privileged genres of your discourse community (academic or professional discipline). To accomplish these goals, we must approach this final podcast in stages and practice in multiple genres.

Process

Collaborative Contracts

You will each compose collaboration contracts. These are documents in which you will each lay out specific roles, set dates and times for future meetings, and set due dates for one another to get materials in time for the craftsperson to assemble the work. These contracts are due in "Artifact 3 Collaborative Contracts" by the beginning of class by Friday, March 8 at 11:59 PM (close to midnight). Only one person needs to submit this file as a pdf. 

Finding Peer Reviewed Sources

Your podcast isn't just about 'vibing' on a subject but learning the process for finding and incorporating the work of established, credible scholars to discuss your subject. This is broken into two parts: finding scholarship and communicating about scholarship. 

Finding Scholarship

On Tuesday, March 5, in class, we will go over resources available for you to find the work of peer-reviewed academic scholars. Using those skills, you, individually, will submit pdfs of three peer-reviewed, academic articles specific to your discipline by the beginning of class on Thursday, March 7 for approval for the summary mini-project. Submit this via "Three Articles (Individual)."

Communicating about Scholarship

If this podcast is meant to be interdisciplinary, you must familiarize yourself with the modalities of communication within each field. To this end, each group member will individually submit an original summary of an article previously approved from above. Please utilize the "Summarizing an Academic Article" document to assist with writing your summary, keeping in mind that it is a helpful template that you should or could deviate from to get your ideas and points across. We will be spending Week 9 discussing reading and summarizing scholarship, with these summaries being due on Tuesday, March 12 by the beginning of class via "Article Summary (Individual)." A fundamental part of entering a field is to learn to read their privileged genres. Knowing how to read it is a step towards participating in it. In this way, you'll learn how to efficiently read these works and become a more established member of your field and profession. 

Podcast Genre Presentation (and Evaluation)

In order to help you through this process (and give you some practice with oral and non-verbal communication), each Team will be reviewing and presenting on the podcast of their choice from the list provided below in Appendix A. These 5-to-8-minute presentations will take place in class on Thursday, March 14 and Tuesday, March 26. Though, they are all due by Thursday, March 14. This is meant to expose us to a wide variety of presentation styles and methods, so focus on those styles of the work to help your peers get to know effective infotainment podcasts. 

Sign up for your selection at the following links relative to your course section. Sign ups will open at the end of class on Tuesday, March 5. Have a backup or two selected in case your group does not get the selection they wanted. Do not sign up for one if someone else already has chosen it. This link will go live when I release the sign up sheet. 

In your presentation, tell us about your group's chosen podcast, using one or two episodes as examples to discuss with classmates. Then tell us:

• What is the podcast's premise? (check its podcaster information!)

• What is the podcast's format? (chat, interview, discussion, dramatization, lecture, conversation, etc.) 

• How long has it been or how long did it run?

• Who are the hosts? What kind of people are they? What expertise do they bring?

• Does it have guests? If so, what kind of guests?

• What is the typical content of an episode? (E.g. analysis of a particular film? A specific topic? historical event? etc.?)

• How are episodes structured? What sort of segments do they include? How do they ‘break up’ the content, where, and how often?

• How do the hosts transition between content?

• What are the soundscapes or music-scapes they use?

• Who is the podcast's target audience? How do the hosts speak to them or for them?

• What's the aesthetic or vibe of the podcast? What does listening to it feel like?

Give a clear oral presentation with a structure that a listening audience can follow. Use pictures of the hosts or the podcast’s logo to help focus your presentation, using excerpts and other information as needed to support your analysis. If you're talking about specific soundscapes or transitions or musical cues, consider including them in your presentation to show your audience what you're talking about. Keep in mind that if you’re writing a script, most speakers speak 100-150 words per minute, meaning your presentation script could be between 500 and 1200 words. Make sure to rehearse this beforehand.. 

Any presentations you will use must be submitted to me as a .pptx, .pdf, or .ppt document via "Podcast Genre Presentations" in the Artifact 3 Assignment folder or the appropriate week's module.

Podcast Proposal

Finally, you will be submitting a "proposal" for your podcast. Imagine that you see the following flier or email, and you and a group of friends from a few disciplines have been thinking about doing a podcast. 

Note: For those using a screen reader, please go to Appendix B for the readable content of the flier.

Note: Why are we doing this? We need to pivot from thinking about reading academic research to thinking about how you will pivot it to be friendly to the general public. This mini-project creates a space for you all to begin, if you haven't already, to think more about how you will execute your podcast, too. Additionally, all research considers stakes and impact, this just brings it more to the forefront in the act of "grant writing." Thus, this proposal a low-stakes assignment to help you think about how you can use collaboration and socially-minded thought processes to give your requests for funding in various academic and professional environments more rhetorical weight.

One member of your group will submit a document with the proposal. In class, briefly on March 14 and more in-depth on March 26, we will go into more specifics about what they may be asking for in this flier that is 'under the surface.' The final proposal is due Thursday, March 28 via the Podcast Proposal Assignment as a pdf or textbox entry. The word count of this document should be between 200-500 words and should be submitted in pdf format and list everyone’s names.

[Optional] Collaboration Check In

Having problems with a group member? You may, optionally and anonymously, send me a message through the assignment named "[Optional] Collaboration Check In" which is due by Monday, March 25 by 3:00 PM . Please provide the group number, the name(s) of the problematic group member(s) and, using the Collaboration Contract, describe how and why this person is being an issue, how you or other group mates have attempted to address it, and what you would ask this student to do to get 'back in' to the swing of things. You may compose this with other group members who may feel similarly. 

This does not mean that I will be the only one talking with the group member. Instead, my primary role is to facilitate discussion and create a restorative space for reincorporation rather than a space for punitive retribution. However, failure to work with your group may result in serious consequences for the grade within this artifact and will result in significantly more work for the offending group member. 

Outside of that time, you may, obviously, contact me via email or set up an appointment to discuss issues or problems. 

Previews, The Conference, and Peer Ratings ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Your group has been selected! But, did you see that part where the podcast mentions a conference? Well, your group will, to receive (and keep) funding, need to present a preview of your work to the "committee" and to other peers who were selected. So, y'all receive this email:

Dear Podcast,

The LMC Podcast Committee appreciated your proposal and would like to sponsor the first episode of the podcast with $300 of funding to go toward procuring guests, purchasing microphones, or editing software.

To keep the funding, we require that you and all members of your group attend the "Emerging GATech Podcasts" conference held on campus at (your classroom). There, you will provide us with a Youtube link to a video that has the icon of the podcast, the podcast descriptor and episode descriptor, and the podcast preview audio in the video. Make sure that link is "public" or "unlisted."

We request that, when we listen to your work, you prepare a few words about how your group decided on your topic and what other podcasts may have inspired your work. Your group will also sit in the front to field any questions folks may have after listening. 

These previews should be between 3 to 5 minutes. Your peers will provide ratings and feedback, which you should use before submitting the final podcast episode.

Best,

LMC Podcasting Committee

In class on Tuesday, April 2, we will discuss what goes into icons, podcast and episode descriptors, and effective previews. We will also briefly talk about conference etiquette, expectations, and professionalism crucial to nonverbal and oral communicative success in professional or academic spaces.

They don't say in the email like they normally would, but you will submit the preview of your podcast by the beginning of class on Tuesday, April 9 as a Youtube link that is "public" or "unlisted." In addition to the audio, other things are due, too, and prepare beforehand a few remarks. Read the email closely! 

On that day, peers outside your group will also 'rate' your podcast. I will provide you with a few criteria, but just respond to the podcasts honestly and provide suggestions. These suggestions will also inform the Reflections you will all do in class on that day. Be critical but constructive. The group with the highest rating will be awarded 5 extra points on their podcast grade (not the unit, but the podcast grade itself.) So, aim to impress your peers. Use their commentary to do the final edits and tweaks on the ... 

Final Podcast Episode

You will submit your final podcast episode by the beginning of class on Thursday, April 11. This will be submitted as a Youtube video that, in the description, includes the podcaster descriptions of the overall podcast and the episode and citations of your cited peer-reviewed, academic articles. The logo should be the 'visual' aspect of your video and the podcast itself should be the audio. Make sure your uploaded video is provided as a "public" or "unlisted" link. Submit this content via the "Artifact 3 Final."

Defining Features

• 15-20 minutes for the podcast episode, which should frame itself as part of a longer-running podast.

• 1-2 sentences for the podcast description

• 2-5 sentences for the episode description

• A compelling logo that has the podcast name, thematically appropriate symbol or imagery, and potential producing entity or tagline.  

• The inclusion of at least two works of peer-reviewed, academic scholarship relating to the subject at hand

• No more than 2 minutes may be taken up with introductions and musical transitions or interludes. No need to 'thank' the LMC's [fake] Student Podcast Grant Program, though normally, they would prefer you give them the shout out.

  • Spend a minute up front establishing the hosts, restating the gist of the podcast and episode, and 'teasing' your audience to keep listening with a new angle, an interesting piece of trivia, etc. 

  • Transitions should be used to help 'break up' longer discussions or stories and should, in this case, be no longer than 10-20 seconds each. 

• For example, if you are looking at music as a topic, choose highly exemplative bits from songs to emphasize ideas or points, and ground their presence via analysis of the content. If it's a podcast about bluegrass, then don't just put in a three-minute-long song. Instead, choose a line, melody, riff, or chorus that relates to your overall point, and make sure to explain the song, its writer, what the song is saying or all about, and its relevancy to that overall point.

Peer Assessments

Since Collaboration is an important part of this work, you will assess your peers in your group. However, this time it will be done outside of class, due by the beginning of class, Tuesday, April 16 via an Assignment titled "Peer Assessments." Please follow the instructions listed in the assignment. These are anonymous and will not be seen by peers. 

Reflection

As always, you will need to complete a reflection of your work in Artifact 3. We'll do this in class on April 11.

Grading

This Artifact Unit accounts for 40% of your final grade in this course. 

*** next to the grade item means it is not eligible for the Extension Log.

• 5% is tied to Journal Assignments (Individual) ***

• 7.5% is tied to in-class participation ***

• 5% is tied to completing the Collaboration Contract ***

• 7.5% is tied to the Article Summary (Individual) ***

• 10% is tied to the Podcast Proposal (Group) 

• 10% is tied to the Podcast Genre Presentation (Group) 

• 15% is tied to Peer Assessment (Individual) ***

• 5% is tied to the Preview***

• 5% is tied to Peer Rating during the Emerging GATech Podcasts Conference day ***

• 30% is tied to the Final Podcast Episode (Group) 

*** next to the grade item means it is not eligible for the Extension Log

Calendar Days to Remember 

Due by the beginning of class unless otherwise noted.

• Collaboration Contracts (Group) Due: Friday, March 8 at 11:59 PM (close to midnight)

• Three Articles (Individual) Due: Thursday, March 7

• Podcast Selection for Podcast Genre Presentation goes live in class on Tuesday, March 5

• Article Summary (Individual) Due: Tuesday, March 12

• Podcast Genre Presentation (Group) Due: Thursday, March 14

• [Optional] Collaboration Check-In (Individual) Due: Monday, March 25 by 3:00 PM

• Podcast Proposal (Group) Due: Thursday, March 28

• Preview (among other things) Due for the "Conference": Tuesday, April 9

• Final Podcast Episode (among other things) Due: Thursday, April 11

• Peer Assessments (Individual) Due: Tuesday, April 16

Appendix A

Archive Atlanta: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/archive-atlanta/id1436791878

Shots in the Back: Exhuming the 1970 Augusta Riot: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shots-in-the-back-exhuming-the-1970-augusta-riot/id1518652796

Diverse: A Society of Women Engineers Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/diverse-a-swe-podcast/id1065538330

Batch: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/batch-a-bitter-southerner-podcast/id1631884341

Invisibilia: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510307/invisibilia

Inside Appalachia: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-appalachia/id623400860

Know Your Caribbean Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-know-your-caribbean-podcast/id1574180609

This American Life: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/

Take on the South: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/take-on-the-south/id1592688646

Civil Engineering Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-civil-engineering-podcast/id993416182

Appendix B

LMC Podcasting Committee

Podcasting Grant

The LMC Podcasting Committee invites proposals for interdisciplinary, undergraduate-hosted podcasts. Selectees will receive $300 to fund their first episode.

Proposals should tell us:

• The theme of the overall podcast and the focus and structure of the first episode

• Why should we listen? What current issue, problem, or idea will your group tell us about?

• The roles and/or disciplinary perspectives of each group member

• Scholarly materials you'll use (at least two) and how you plan to incorporate them--interviews, reports, chats, dramatizations, etc.

• How you plan to record the episode and what tones, music, soundscapes, and recording equipment you will use. 

• Those selected will present previews of their work in a small LMC Conference “Emerging GATech Podcasts”

Email your proposals to: NotARealEmail@LMCPodcasting.gatech.edu