Department of English

Two decades since the invention of the podcast, we’re confronted with a niche format that also functions as a mass medium. Peruse a contemporary feed (or entrust your perusing to the algorithm) and you’ll find sound-designed narrative miniseries jostling for attention with the celebrity clubhouse, the critical wheelhouse, and all manner of explainers, disquisitions and diversions. In this workshop course, we’ll learn to navigate that complex landscape with expertise and to record and edit our own original podcast material. We’ll consider the cultural and formal evolution of podcasting while we engage with the medium firsthand — in a discussion-forward seminar, with listening and reading assignments designed to spark creative practice. We’ll hear from prominent guest speakers, applying their insights as we hone our own skills as interviewers, editors, and audio producers. A series of writing responses and other exercises will lead us toward the development of our own podcasts. As a final project, each student will submit a pilot episode, refined through workshopping and instructor feedback and recorded using campus resources.