JOUR4173

Nieman Journalism lab declared Podcasting the last mass medium. WNYC invested $15 million in development on podcasts last year alone with the New York Times, the LA Times, and now the Washington Post not far behind. Whether it's for news and information, strategic communication messaging, or pure entertainment, podcasting has changed how the world seeks and delivers information.

This class will take the mystery out of audio: what makes it different, where its challenges lie, and what makes it such an enticing medium to work in. Students will learn the basics of narrative audio storytelling, which is used extensively in some of the most influential podcasts including Serial, This American Life, Caliphate, Dirty John to podcasts like Target's Coffee and Crayons (produced in partnership with Slate Studios) and the Trader Joe's podcast Inside Trader Joe’s. Audio has the power to involve the listeners, to make them a part of the story - whether it's buying crayons or explaining an Islamic insurgency - the tools are the same: real voices, sound, and conversational writing. Students will learn how to harness sound, to use it to develop a narrative and tell stories with scope, sound, and texture.

prereq: [JOUR 3004 or 3004H], JOUR 3101, JOUR 3102, Jour major

000948