MCS 373/MCS 541
Audio Documentary
Winter 2009
Dr.
Daniel Makagon
Office:
SAC 596
Office
Hours: W 2:00-3:
Phone: 773-325-7376
e-mail:
dmakagon@depaul.edu
http://condor.depaul.edu/~dmakagon/
Course
Description and Objectives
In recent years an explosion in the production and accessibility of documentary work has created an unprecedented interest and expansion of the documentary form in nearly all sectors of public life. The increased creation and availability of audio documentary work largely stems from two important factors. First, a proliferation of low-cost digital technologies has virtually democratized the production and editing of audio recordings. Digital sound recording equipment can be purchased for less than $500. Armed with a relatively inexpensive minidisk recorder and microphone, a person can record interviews and sounds, and edit them into a broadcast quality documentary with one of many low-cost (or free) software programs. Second, there are more media outlets willing to air documentary programming. National Public RadioÕs (NPR) Morning Edition and All Things Considered have been joined by a variety of radio shows (e.g., This American Life) and Internet sites (e.g., Transom.org) that feature audio documentaries. Taken together, the steady decrease in production costs and the increase in media outlets have helped create conditions that allow people with a range of interests, experiences, and skills to make and disseminate their own work.
Through practical application and the exploration of cultural reporting and documentary approaches to communication, we will consider questions that surround the interpretation and representation of cultural experience. We will analyze and create audio documentaries in an effort to understand better a significant form of storytelling. There are three central learning objectives that will guide us through the course: (1) we will develop an understanding of the techniques people use to observe, (2) we will develop an understanding of the aesthetic and structural choices people make to explain what they do, and (3) we will use this knowledge to inform the production of our audio documentary projects.
Required Materials
Jessica
Abel and Ira Glass, Radio: An Illustrated Guide
Daniel
Makagon and Mark Neumann, Recording Culture
All other course readings are accessible via a password protected Web site. You are required to print each dayÕs reading and bring the article with you to class.
http://condor.depaul.edu/~dmakagon/student/
Blank
minidisks (74 minutes each) available at various corporate electronics outlets
or on-line (minidisco.com usually has very good prices).
Multiple
blank CD-Rs and DVD-Rs to store your projects during production and after
production. (Note: It is highly recommended that you purchase a portable hard
drive with a firewire and usb connection if you are interested in media
production more generally. This will ensure that projects can be saved without
having to separate files, will allow you to work at home and in the Media
Center, and will be a valuable asset if you continue to work on media projects
in future classes or jobs.)
Course
Assignments
Attendance
and class participation 10%
Reading
Quizzes 15%
Hearing
Places Assignment
05%
Audio
Documentary Preparation
20%
Audio
Documentary (8-10 minutes) 50%
You are
required to complete the reading assignments before you attend class. This will lead to more fruitful
discussion.
Hearing Places Assignment: For this assignment you will work with a partner to record and edit a 4-minute soundscape recording of an intersection in Lincoln Park. You will record 8 straight minutes of sound with the microphone directed at the same space. You will then edit that recording down to 4 minutes. The final project will be uploaded to http://www.hearingplaces.org. (See assignment sheet in the folder where you download course readings for a complete description of this assignment.)
Research Process:
(1) Each class member will work with a partner. We will select intersections for each pair.
(2) Record your sounds. Document the starting and ending time, where the microphone was placed, and the equipment you used. Perhaps, document other interesting things that were happening at that intersection.
(3) Edit and mix your piece. Burn it to a CD. Listen to the CD on various sound systems (home audio, car, and boombox). Fix anything that doesnÕt sound good.
Grading Criteria:
Your soundscape recording should be 4 minutes long. Your recordings should be clear (free from distracting background noise and the mic should be in a good position to record the interviewees and ambient sounds). Basic edits should enhance the recording.
Audio
Documentary: You can work alone or with a
small group (1-2 other classmates) to record an 8-10 minute audio documentary.
The documentary should feature interviews, ambient sounds, and other techniques
to help create an engaging story. (See assignment sheet in the folder where you
download course readings for a complete description of this assignment,
including percentages for each graded portion of your pre-production work.)
Reading
quizzes will be multiple-choice. Our
reading load in this class is light, since the course is production heavy. We
will spend a bulk of our time listening to audio pieces and working in the lab
on our production work; however, reading materials will balance important
skills and broader intellectual contexts for documentary work.
Course Policies
Attendance
and Active Participation are expected and
required. Participation grades are factored by considering how often you
participate in class discussion and how that discussion advances our overall
learning (i.e., I will consider how your questions help us understand difficult
passages, how your contributions further discussion rather than hinder
discussion, how your comments foster lively debate, how your participation
grows from an engagement with the reading and college experience rather than
functioning to advance an autobiographical tale only). If you miss very few
classes and your participation level is excellent, you can expect an ÒAÓ for
this portion of your grade. If you miss very few classes and your participation
level is above average (i.e., you participate every other class rather than
every class session), you can expect a ÒBÓ for this portion of your grade. If
you miss very few classes and your participation level is average, you can
expect a ÒCÓ for this portion of your grade. If you miss the most possible
classes you can miss without failing the class and your participation level is
average, you can expect a ÒDÓ for this portion of your grade.
Promptness is expected as a general rule. If you are consistently
late to class, your grade will be negatively affected.
You are
allowed one (1) unexcused absence in this class and three (3) absences total if
two or more of those absences are excused. If you miss more than three class
sessions, which means you will have missed 20% of the term, then you will
receive an ÒFÕ for the class (even if the absences are excused). Missing this
many class sessions undermines the integrity of the classroom experience. If
you miss this much class because of illness or a family emergency, you should
meet with the Dean of Students to discuss withdrawal options.
All
assignments are due on assigned days. There will be NO MAKE UPS. Documented illnesses or documented emergencies are the
only exception to this policy. Changes in work schedules, personal celebrations
(e.g., birthdays), or vacations are NOT considered to be legitimate reasons for
missing assignment deadlines or class meetings. If you miss a quiz and have
documentation for your absence then you will take the quiz on the next date you
attend class. Similarly, if you have an excused absence for a class session
when you would turn in a paper then you can give me the paper on the next date you
attend class. (Note: If you will be missing a class because of a religious
holiday, let me know in writing at least two weeks before the holiday so we can
make arrangements to make up missed work.)
Students
with disabilities should provide me with documentation from the Office of
Students with Disabilities.
Cellular Phones: If you have a cellular phone or pager, turn it off or set
it to vibrate, and keep it in your backpack or purse. All cell phones must be
put away during the class session. I will confiscate cellular phones for the
remainder of the class session if you are sending or reading text messages or
using your phone to check email/surf the Internet.
Written
Assignment Requirements: All papers should
be typed, double spaced, and use a consistent style (e.g., MLA, APA, etc.). Use
one-inch margins and 12-point font. Further details on written assignments can
be found in a syllabus addendum on writing academic papers.
You
must make sure your preferred email address listed in Campus Connect is correct
and make sure emails from me will pass through any spam blockers. I will only
send email to you from dmakagon@depaul.edu.
Plagiarism becomes tempting when students feel pressured. When
in doubt, quote. If you are quoting somebody directly or paraphrasing then you
need to properly cite your source(s). You can do this in an audio project by
explicitly identifying the person you are quoting or paraphrasing and the
source of that quote (e.g., ÒAs Chicago mayor Richard Daley noted in a city
council meeting last October, ÔRental inspections have improved the quality of
ChicagoÕs housing stock and created safer living environments for the poor.ÕÓ).
If you are writing a paper then you should list the information within
quotation marks and then cite the proper information. When paraphrasing, just
cite the proper information. Never quote others to the point where your ideas
become indistinguishable from your source's ideas. We will read a variety of
materials that teach us how to construct narratives and produce our own
projects, I will be available to discuss problems with and possibilities for
your projects, and DePaulÕs policy on academic integrity offers useful insights
for college-level (http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/handbook/code16.html).
Given all of these resources there is no reason to plagiarize. If you do
plagiarize, you will automatically receive a grade of ÒFÓ in this class.
Moreover, the Academic Affairs office will be contacted.
Grade Scale
A = 93-100, A- = 90-92, B+ =
88-89, B = 83-87, B- = 80-82, C+ = 78-79, C = 73-77,
C- = 70-72, D =
60-69, F = 0-59 (I do not assign incompletes)