Jessica Cat, W14, Topic Selection

     I mentioned in last week's post that I enjoy researching social sciences. Well, I began topic selection by researching "Under the Influence". As part of my research, I listened to The Psychology of Price. I admired the relaxed, conversational tone in which the podcast was conducted and the fluid way the information was presented. Plus the theme song is damn cool. The topics that "Under the Influence" explore are quite in line with what I enjoy learning about, and it wasn't long before I had questions of my own:

What other elements of media have power over consumers?

     My partner's interests lie faithfully in language and so, I wasn't surprised to know he was researching "Lexicon Valley". I was engaged by its example-style method of presenting research. Ultimately, after listening to "Lexicon Valley"'s Learning to Say No, I had more questions:

What about language, and rhetoric? 

Who yields the power and how? 

     My partner and I have chosen to emulate both "Under the Influence" and "Lexicon Valley" and discuss language as a method of persuasion and a source of power. The significance of exploring this topic is to learn about the language we speak, its persuasive powers and linguistic history.

     I'm looking forward to learning about the history of this topic, and contributing to its development.

Haris Akbar, W14; Topic Selection

The podcast show I've selected to look into is The History of Philosophy (Without any Gaps). As to why I've selected this podcast show, it is due mainly to my interest in philosophy. The History of Philosophy is an ongoing podcast show that's delivering podcasts on, well, the history of philosophy, without any gaps. This means one'll eventually have the entire history of philosophy to hear about, when the project seems to be completed. As I said, it is still ongoing and incomplete; so far the major timelines the podcast show has covered is Classical, Later Antiquity, and the Islamic World, as outlined in the top headings. Within each major timeline there are sub-sections and individual podcast episodes on individual and significant parts of the history of philosophy, such as major figureheads like Socrates, Aristotle, Heraclitus, Augustine, al-Ghazali, to coverage of actual philosophies like Asceticism and Stoicism.

I would like to emulate, at the very least, the storytelling as well as the show's topics. The thing is, this podcast is the History of Philosophy (Without any Gaps) we're talking about, so for my possible podcast I can't just talk about a philosophy in history, as that's more of an imitation of a part of the project. What I would like to do is talk about Stoicism and how it's relevant to today. Seeing as I can't just talk about a philosophy in history, I'd like to talk about something that'd be out of the project's possible realm and *in the making* rather than in history, and talk about a philosophy with regards to its relevancy in contemporary times. Note that my topic to pursue is *what* is Stoicism, and how it's relevant, and the "what" is because I can't talk about the relevancy of something in history unless I introduce and familiarize it, first. Stoicism is a philosophy I've had major interest in, as I've seen it briefly in some social circles and have noted how important a philosophy that in layman's terms is keeping your cool despite the happenings beyond your control, is like.

Michael Pietrobon, W14, Topic Selection

After researching many of the suggested podcasts and performing my own research on possible podcast topics, my partner and I have learned that it is necessary to find a topic and model that will be an almost inexhaustible source of new information. This doesn't mean that a broad topic should be chosen, but rather one that is dynamic— a topic that has both compelling developments and a rich history. The two podcasts we're most interested in, based on these criteria, are Under the Influence and Lexicon Valley. Fascinated by the power of persuasion and the life of language, we decided to combine these as a model for our podcast. We will therefore research and speak about the power of language as a method of persuasion, and how language can be affected by powerful groups. Language has been used as a tool of oppressors for millennia, and a podcast that combines facts about persuasion and linguistic history will have much purpose for professional writers, making them more conscious of the origins of the language they speak, and perhaps how they can use it most effectively.

We would like to emulate Lexicon Valley's use of anecdotes and of course compelling peer-reviewed research with our podcast. "Under the Influence" will be imitated for its relaxed method of communicating rather jarring topics. A combination of these topics will provide a very deep and well-researched podcast to listeners.

Attack of the Podcast

Narrowing down a topic for this assignment seems to have been an exercise in hair-pulling and second-guessing for the past two weeks, but I think I've finally made up my mind! Hopefully.

The podcast I've chosen to emulate is the one called Spark. I chose this one from the list because the idea of exploring a technological innovation and its implications/consequences immediately appealed to my love of analysis and narrative. From there, I greatly enjoyed browsing through some of Spark's episodes for their investigative nature, with the tone and methods used to question technological developments, trends and possibilities. Listening to each one led to a great deal of interest and inspiration for my own assigned podcast, and a little research further along cemented my topic for me.

Of the elements that make up Spark, I especially want to capture its investigative nature. I would also be greatly interested in - though admittedly equally intimidated by - the prospect of including brief interviews (from the general public, as well as from an intellect in the field) in order to explore the popular opinion of my topic and its scientific feasibility and benefits/consequences. Overall, I'd very much like to see my finished product emulate Spark's ability to incorporate an exploration of a technology's origins along with its current manifestation. Though, I'd perhaps like to spend a bit more time discussing future possibilities as well (depending on the direction my research ends up taking from here).

The specific topic that I will be creating a show about is the humanoid AI (artificial intelligence), and our bionic present and potential future. In recent years, amazing and even unnerving breakthroughs have been made in the area of creating machines that are able to perform tasks on their own and even learn from their environment and adapt. Further to that, there have been equally stunning breakthroughs in human-technology blending, integrating one with the other for specific tasks, with far-reaching possibilities for future potential enhancements to one's quality of life and even life expectancy. An underlying theme tying it all together will be this kind of technology's depictions in science fiction, leading into interview-source material to progress a debate as to its positive and/or negative ramifications.

For podcasting advice, the Spark site suggested wasn't too much help (assuming I was on the right one), so after some browsing I found a pretty helpful source of tips for subject matter and podcast script writing techniques at this link to the New Mexico State University website: http://aces.nmsu.edu/employee/podcasting/parts-of-a-podcast.html. Another good source for the podcast script writing was at this link, for the CDC website: http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/AudioScriptWritingGuide.pdf. The advice written out on both of the above websites definitely proved helpful in topic selection, with such points as the benefits of picking a topic of personal interest as well as of interest within current events/debates. It also had some very good points to make on the writing style for the podcast, in sentence structures and conversational tones to aim for. To make them even more useful for students in my position, maybe I would add more details on ways to take a topic of interest and narrow it into a conversational topic that may suit the radio station structuring that makes up a podcast.

Ads are bad

The podcast I’ve chosen to emulate is produced by one of my favourite magazines, Bitch, a feminist critique on today’s popular culture. Their podcast, Popaganda, provides an alternate view to what’s found in mainstream media, discussing with experts on current topics, and including interviews with everyday people. Bitch Media creates two podcasts a month to address the current events, from a feminist point of view, taking place primarily in North America. It begins with their opening theme music and often an anecdotal hook. It uses informal, conversational language, keeping the mood casual and approachable, even when very serious subject matter is sometimes being discussed. It is hosted by Sarah Mirk who narrates throughout, with multiple breaks that include interview clips and questions. 

I think the nature of the magazine, and it’s podcasts, relate closely to the topic I have chosen to create my show on, Under the Influence. By choosing to discuss advertisements in today’s culture I will reveal the prominent male gaze that is projected onto women and men, and how it is problematic for how men look at women and women see themselves and others. The ad campaign I’ve chosen to discuss is by the clothing brand American Apparel. While the store emphasizes its versatility of unisex clothing it portrays them in drastically different light. In most cases men are showcasing the clothing item in full ensembles, while the women on the other hand are wearing nothing but the item being advertised. I will discuss how the male gaze is projected through advertisements and how it influences the way men and women look at women’s bodies and how women see themselves.  

Bianca Ricci, W14, Topic Selection

I still definitely want to do grammar girl, I’m a grammar junkie and I spend my days correcting people’s grammar, yeah, I’m that obnoxious person who whispers corrections to people’s grammatical blunders under my breath, especially during my lectures. 

The point I want to expand on is “do the minions speak a real language?” This topic seems pretty awesome.I love the Despicable Me movies, and the minions language always makes me laugh.  So finding out more about that topic would be really awesome. I really like how Grammar Girl does it it is in terms of the idea and the storytelling aspect of it. It is really cool how they found out that some Spanish words were used in the “minion speak". I love the idea that, by using grammar and root words I will be able to understand their language. 

My Show will be about how breaking down the minion language into root words will actually allow me to understand what they are saying. 

I think a student friendly advice option is to explain things in student terms, not to overload us with too much information and also not to overload us with excess wordiness.

ii. topic selection.

The podcast show I will emulate for this project is "Stuff You Missed In History Class." I chose this particular podcast show because it covers history. It hones in on details: something school curriculums usually do not because, well, history never really ends, does it. I know I will be very much interested in this--interested enough that I will not be bored stiff and pained while working on my podcast three months down the line. 

The specific historical event that I will cover is the Biafran War (1967 - 1970) and why it still holds such significance today for the identity of the Igbo in Eastern Nigeria. Now, in terms of the elements of the show that I intend to incorporate into my podcast, the very topic of the podcast--Stuff You Missed In History Class--is perfect, even if not in the way it is intended. The whole idea, I believe, is that they discuss the details of historical events that are skimmed, or overlooked altogether in class. Well the Biafran War is not even remotely hinted at in History Classes in Canada or England--the only two countries whose history curriculums I have personal experience of, and can therefore speak about. My point is not that the Biafran War should be taught in history class curriculums in either Canada and England, just that it is an interesting and very significant aspect of history that literally shook the foundations of a country and its people, that I have been doing some reading on it lately, and that I would like to further explore it in my podcast show. It will have to be very focused, of course, as I only have fifteen minutes, but I am still working out the details. This should be an interesting experience; I look forward to its outcome.

The only advice I would humbly give to anyone who is struggling to find a topic is not to look too far beyond yourself. If you feel that you want to take on something completely new, and perhaps even foreign to your usual interests, that is great! However, if you are uncertain, just reflect on the things you genuinely find interesting, then think of ways in which you could build on those things and tie them into the podcast show you gravitate most toward. If you are still unsure, you are probably overthinking it. Just think about something you like, or are genuinely curious about, and find out more on it. All the best!

TOPIC SELECTION

The Podcast show I have chosen to emulate is On The Media. I like the way it takes events and stories that  have been shared in the media and gives an in-depth explanation for each of them and then presents a fresh perspective on the highlighted issues. I chose this podcast show mainly because I have noticed that when any major News story is discovered, it is usually interpreted in different ways by members of mainstream media. Only once in a while do most opinions on a News story go in the same direction, and it is one of such stories that I would like to use as my podcast topic.

I have not yet made up my mind completely on what particular topic to pursue for my podcast. I am currently considering a fairly recent story in which a teenager in the United States was able to escape jail time after killing people while he was driving under the influence, because his lawyers were able to convince the court that he suffered from influenza. I am doing a little more research on the story and I should be able to narrow down my topic in a very short time.

In trying to select my topic I was not able to use SPARK, because I did not find anything that was very helpful to me at that point in time. Although, I was admittedly not very patient when I started looking through it, so I will devote a few hours of my study time this week to really go through it and see what I can use. The story I am looking at for my podcast is one that I am very interested in, so hopefully at the end I will be able to do it justice.

Week 2: Podcast Topic

I've decided to emulate the style of Under the Influence. I'm working with Sabike Abbas, and we'll be looking at advertisements from the past containing blunt racism, and new advertising containing "acceptable racism." I've been listening to the podcasts that CBC made, and "How Hollywood Portrays Ad People" and the pace, and storytelling style of it is the way I'd like to create my podcast.

Looking at Spark did not seem to help; however, now I know what Spark is, and can use it in the future. 

Choosing a Podcast Topic

I have decided to focus on a podcast topic related to an "Under the Influence" episode.  I am carefully weighing what would be a topical research question that would extend the conversation related to advertising.  I am also considering how I will develop a pitch that my fellow classmates will find interesting.

I decided on a topic akin to "Under the Influence" because I am personally interested and intrigued by marketing and looking behind the curtain, so to speak, at the whole psychology of how products/services are promoted and sold.  I have worked in the field of sales and marketing and I know that many aspects of consumer transactions are done with a deliberate intent to ultimately influence the prospect to make a purchase.  In terms of what way or ways I will emulate the CBC podcast, I am still contemplating that;however for now (as I mentioned earlier) the marketing theme resonates with me so for now that will be the only similarity between the original program and my offering.

If I was to offer any advice to my fellow academic colleagues it would be that along with any suggestions or key points alluded to by Professor Bell, try to pick a topic that is relevant to the audience and mirrors a personal interest you might have.

Christopher Chin, W14

Hello

             The podcast show I have chosen to emulate is Everyday Einstein. I enjoy its range of topics and the everyday explanations of what we take for granted or ask a question but never make the effort to seek an answer. Every child has asked their parents “Why is the sky blue?” or “Where does sand come from?” and even today I remember asking, I remember that I once knew the answer but at the present moment I could not answer the question with full confidence.

            In my previous post I wanted to do The Science Times or Spark, but after listening to them in detail I much prefer Everyday Einstein. I like the style of the show, the way it’s presented and the topics it covers. I also like the way Lee Falin speaks throughout the show, sometimes jokingly but most of the time serious. Some of the topics come from his personal experience of things around the house he questions or a topic for an episode may come from a “viewer” with a question.

            For a topic for my show, I’m not entirely sure exactly what I want to do. I wish to come across an everyday simple question, and simply answer it. I do have a concern of length because I feel the topic I have might not be sufficient for 15 minutes. But I’m currently toying with the question, “Why do farts smell worse in the shower?”

            I tried to consult from Spark for writing advice but it was in the form of popup windows and poor videos that did nothing to help me. The advice did not help me select a topic, and personally, it was more work to look for advice than to just consider the first things that came to mind. My advice would be sit down, think for a couple seconds and then see what comes from it. Should that fail you, grab a friend who you can bounce ideas off because friends like that can help immensely. Might have to call them though, makes things move along quicker than texting.

            Thanks for reading

Christopher

Camellia, W14, Topic Selection

Hello again everyone!

For the past week, I have been listening to many different podcasts and I have decided that I definitely want to emulate Grammar Girl.  As I stated in last week’s blog post, editing is a passion of mine so I always try to be aware of the many different grammar rules.  I believe that it is important to adhere to grammar rules because it allows the writing to be professional and comprehensible to the readers.  I am intrigued with anything grammar-related, so I can’t wait to create a 15 minute podcast all about grammar.

I also plan to emulate the style of Grammar Girl.  In each episode, Mignon Fogarty aka “Grammar Girl” addresses a specific grammatical element or rule that may confuse people.  Then, she uses concrete examples that will help the listener remember how to follow the grammar rule in the future.  She delves into the history of the grammar rule and references credible sources, as well as talks about how the grammar rule is used or misused in our culture today.  I enjoy this style.  Just like Grammar Girl, I also want to present professional studies/facts from credible sources and I want to present examples from advertisements, social media, etc. in my own podcast.  I also enjoyed Grammar Girl’s pacing in her podcasts – she spoke clearly and overall, it felt like a relaxed podcast.  I also want to emulate this pacing because it will allow the listener to absorb the grammar rules more easily.

After much consideration, I realized that I’m highly interested in the common grammar mistakes I see on social media or in advertisements.  Specifically, I notice that there is common confusion over whether it’s “your or you’re,” “its or it’s” and “whose or who’s.”  Therefore, I think I will talk about apostrophes and all of the different ways an apostrophe is used/misused.  I listened to a Grammar Girl podcast that talked about apostrophes and I just hope to expand on the topic.

I already had the idea about creating a podcast on apostrophes (while looking at the Grammar Girl website) before looking at SPARK, so I did not refer to SPARK to help me with topic selection.  However, I believe SPARK’s suggestion to explore your interests when coming up with a topic is very useful because from experience, I have discovered that research for an essay, project, etc. is less overwhelming when it pertains to your interests.  My only advice (to other students in my position) is that you may have so many different interests that you want to tackle, but you must always keep the constraints of the assignment in the back of your mind.  Good Luck!     

Week 2: Podcast Topic and Selection- Aliecia Brissett W14

I have had a hard time thinking of which stream to follow for my podcast. Initially-as stated in my introduction post- I wanted to choose either Lexicon Valley, On the Media, or Under the Influence. But after researching through newspapers, online journals, and even Googling "current events", I realized my topic was right in the palm of my hand; literally. The sudden thought sprung on me when I was looking through my photo album and reminiscing about the holidays. I had taken many pictures of my little cousins, aged 1-9, and they ALL had tablets(I don't have one...). So I realized that I should discuss technology! So my new topic is going to be Spark, where I will discuss the technological advances that are happening among us and how they effect people.

The topics that I would be tackling-seeing that my above topic theme is very vague- are how the use of the new technologies are effecting the way we work, and the way we interact with others. I would most likely be naming the new, and current, devices that are being used and are in production to be released, and stating their function and what the company plans to offer the everyday consumer.

I plan to stay true to the original podcast, Spark, but plan to put my own individualistic flare into it as well. Spark, itself, is very interview based; not much conversation among other people other than a few interviews here and there from industry professionals. With my podcast, I would like for it to be more open for conversation so others can have their take on the topics. For my vision to become reality, I know that I must interview a variety of people from different professions and get their take on why/how they use their techno devices.

I really hope I stay on this topic(I tend to be a scatter brain) and further discuss the flourish of new techno goodies that are being made and used. And the weird thing is, I'm not much of a techy, so I will also be learning new things along way through the process of my research. :)

Topic Selection by Nawal Salim

When I got this assignment, I knew exactly what I wanted to talk about in my podcast. However, I had trouble putting it into a topic or research question. I am so glad to have found a podcast to emulate and I am so grateful for Professor Bell for helping me put my idea into words! 

I decided to emulate "Stuff You Missed In History Class" podcast show after watching the "What Really Happened In Salem" episode. What attracted me to the episode was the topic! In grade 11 I wrote a monologue about the Salem witch trials, and when I saw the title of this episode, I was curious to know if there was any information I might not have known about the event. What I liked about the style was that the entire episode explained the history of the event; from beginning to the end. During the retelling of the event, the ladies talked about: the people involved and their backgrounds, what was the lifestyle and attitude of the people at that time, what were the laws at that time, and what similar things were happening in other places or other times. They even touched on what happened after the event, and the effects of it. After the retelling, they went into theories of why the event occurred. They finished by beautifully explaining how the event is relevant today and how we're affected by it. 

I will be creating a show about drama being used as a tool to preach religion in history. I noticed that this year, there will be three biblical movies coming out: Son of God, Noah, and Exodus. I also noticed in Drama class that using performance art was necessary to preach to large congregations during several points in history. I want to look into why it was an effective tool and who used it as a tool. 

I was unable to find Spark's website. Well, I don't exactly know what I'm looking for. I came across SparkForWriters.com but that didn't give any advice, just information about their site. I also came across WritingSpark.com and it was more of a blog by someone name Alicia. I Googled "writing advice" and came across many websites that gave tips, but they were very general and discussed being a writer, not writing. When I Googled "writing a podcast", I got more specific details and advice on writing from "edu" websites. I would suggest other students in my position to Google that. 

Good luck to everyone on their podcasts!

Peace and art,

Nawal Salim

The Adventures of "The Other F-Word"

     After looking through the majority of the podcasts, my partner and I found Lexicon Valleys' The Other F-word a great show to emulate. Why have I chosen this show? I liked how Mike Vuolo took a controversial word and traced it back to its origins and how it helped form several meanings used today. I also liked how this particular podcast did not put me to sleep. I found myself being engaged and wanting to hear more about the topic. I think it is because of the pod cast’s informing and laid back style. Plus, the topic itself was presented in a personal story telling manner which is evocative since the topic is about a controversial word. That being said, I would like to emulate the style of the show. If it is possible I would start like he did, by asking a series of questions related to the word and then engage my audience with personal experience.

Our topic was formed after Mike Vuolo started talking about a word being found in novels. That got my partner and I thinking about the topic we wanted to do. We decided our topic to be an extension of finding controversial words in novels and how it has led to the banning of books that featured a controversial  word.

I gathered advice from Owl Purdue on how to select a topic. The site offered that to select a topic it is a good a idea to to brainstorm by writing ideas down. The site advised that writing can be a great way to form a topic. I agree, since I am one to write when I brainstorm. I find it a great way to form ideas and keep track of them. However, with this topic formation my partner and I just brainstormed by discussing our ideas out loud until we found a topic. I found that when working with partners communicating through speech is a lot easier when it comes to brainstorming then it is writing. Needless to say, it is an option to write down the ideas that both partners come up in order to help formulate a topic. Anyways, I am excited to move forward with this project and I cannot wait to start this podcast.

The future of fiction?

Greetings, salutations, and so on, and so forth. Trending this week in the WRIT2300 blog -- podcast topics!

I spent a lot of time flipping and flopping my brain cells over what I wanted to talk about in my podcast. The trouble with being generally and genuinely interested in generally everything I stumble across is that it makes narrowing down a topic particularly difficult. As luck would have it, however, I was struck by the cleaning bug this weekend and in my mad tidy-up frenzy stumbled across an absurdly large pile of old Metro newspapers. Specifically, twenty of them: one for each installment of the month-long short story published by Canadian author Douglas Coupland, "TEMP."

Coupland prefaced his serial story with an introductory article outlining some pretty lofty claims to fame: that he was, in effect, attempting something entirely new and experimental with this short story, something keyed-in to the particular needs and interests of an increasingly-ADHD audience."No longer sure if fiction is keeping pace with life and how we live it," Coupland claims to be inventing an entirely new literary mode, which he glibly calls "depeche fiction ... written so that it accumulates in your brain over time, and then, just like alien eggs, it suddenly hatches and makes your brain say, 'Hey!'" Intrigued, I started reading the story and ... personally, I just didn't get it. The story didn't strike me as particularly new or experimental, or even particularly interesting, in either form or content -- frankly, I thought Charles Dickens did it better with his own serialized novel Great Expectations. Then again, maybe I'm just missing something -- maybe it would be worth delving deep into the history of serialized fiction, and the evolution of fiction in general, before I boldly state that Coupland's "TEMP" tanked.

In effect, the question I'm asking is: "Is Coupland right when he says that conventional fiction isn't keeping pace with the 'extreme present tense'? And if he is, does his own story "TEMP" really stand a model for the new face of fiction?"

In terms of format, I was really impressed by CBC's Spark podcast -- specifically #236 on daily rituals and creativity. I thought the introduction was particularly inspired, with the catchy music, the sound bytes from what sounded like various interviews or call-ins, the gradual fading of the music -- but without letting it disappear completely, so that it kept the "pulse" of the show going. I liked that they created a narrative hook using sound effects, narration and dialogue to build the scene of counting coffee beans, and the natural segue into the interview with Mason Currey. I also liked the dynamic between the hosts of Lexicon Valley -- I think that having that kind of active dialogue between multiple individuals is what drives a good podcast. A single voice becomes monotonous, unless you really work to break up the monotony with sound effects, music, etc. This is why I thought the Freakonomics podcast was particularly well-produced, because they make good use of sound effects and the like to keep the show from becoming stagnant.

For my podcast, I plan to work in a few quick interviews with some experts in the literary field -- a York professor, perhaps a "second opinion" on Coupland's story from another student. I also have a friend in mind as a co-host for the show. If I can get a handle on the technology, I'd also like to work in music and sound effects throughout the podcast.

To be honest, I've already had a long time to let this topic percolate in my brain, as I initially planned to write an article about it, so I didn't really have to resort to writing sites to narrow it down. I did, however, spend a fair amount of time jumping between podcasts, taking notes on different elements I liked or didn't like, to help form a mental image of how I want to present the information. Thus, the best tip I can give is a little test I often use on myself: if I can't summarize the fundamental thesis in a single, articulate sentence, then it's still too broad.

Bariah Qadeer, Week 2: Topic Selection, W14

            I listened to “Why is No among a Child’s First Words?" (Lexicon Valley) and I really liked this topic. This is because during the past summer my baby cousin from Sweden came and I got to spend lots of time with him. He learned many new words while he was here and one of the words was “no.” After listening to this podcast I find this topic even more interesting and I want to extend on Mike Vuolo’s research. As I mentioned on the last post that I am taking linguistic courses so I feel that I will enjoy researching the topic and this will make the podcast turn out good! (Hopefully!)

            I will use a similar template as Mike Vuolo because I will start the podcast with some intriguing research on this topic as this will allow me to introduce more ideas in the podcast. Mike Vuolo had Bob Garfield with him in the podcast and so they had a back-to-back conversation. However, I am working on the podcast myself which is why I have to make the podcast interesting on my own. In order to make this happen I will add more music so that I can have a greater audience. Also I’ll try to add news from other people’s voices if I find any in order to have variation of voice and this will prevent the podcast from becoming boring.

            In my podcast I will also incorporate research on “why is no among a child’s first words” because I find it interesting. However, I will extend on this research by this question: doesn't it depend on the child’s environment to determine what will be their first words? I think that this topic will be interesting because it is an extension of Mike Vuolo’s topic.

            SPARK did help me because it guided me on how to form a research question by asking if I could tie any of my personal interests and I like working with children. Therefore SPARK guided me to come up with my question. I would recommend other students to also tie the topic to their personal interests because we have to stick with this topic till the end of March so we should enjoy the topic in order to create an interesting podcast! 

Christine Hawryluk: W14- Topic Selection

Hello again! At the beginning of the week, I narrowed down my topic to emulate the podcast shows of Lexicon Valley or Stuff You Missed in History Class. After brainstorming on my two different topics, I decided to go with Stuff You Missed in History Class. I specifically liked the shows titled "What Really Happened in Salem?" and "Lizzie Borden and her Axe (Update)." These two shows particularly captured my attention and, even though I am not specifically emulating the topic of these shows, I like the way the podcast is created.

What really captured my attention from these two podcasts is the way they spoke quietly, yet annunciated everything properly so that I could still understand what they were saying. I found that the quiet conversation that they were having is what particularly kept me engaged because it sounded like they were telling a story. This story telling aspect is what I particularly  want to emulate. Their pace was slow, which was what allowed me to keep up with all the information they were telling me. The interesting thing about these podcasts is that even though their sentences are quite long, I am still remembering most of the facts and am still interested throughout the entire podcast. It felt as if the two podcast speakers were standing right in front of me and telling me the story and, therefore, it felt quite personal.

The use of quotes and sources from newspaper articles, books and news shows is exceptionally useful because, if a listener is interested, they can look up the full source online. It also allows the podcast speakers to be seen as credible since they are sourcing where their information is coming from.

I liked the titles from the podcasts as well like the ones I stated above, as well as one podcast I have not had a chance to listen to yet since it is exceptionally long- titled "The Fantastic Fitzgeralds." The titles of the show are simple, yet still tell exactly what the show is about. The use of a small description below the title is also very helpful. Like the podcasts on this show, I want my podcast to have the same effect. What I mean by this is that each time I listen to another podcast  from this show, I become more and more interested, and want to listen to more of these podcasts. Not only are these podcasts interesting because of the topic, but also because of the style (language, tone, pace), which I stated above.

My podcast show will be about the Holodomor, which is the Ukrainian genocide. I decided to do my podcast on this topic because I am Ukrainian and have been informed about this event for most of my life. I feel like not many people (non-Ukrainians) know about this tragic event and I want to be the person to inform others about it.

I already had an idea of my topic before Professor Bell mentioned SPARK in lecture and when I started to try to look for the site, I could not find it on the internet because I have never heard of this website and I didn't realize that it was on the York University website. However, I did find tips on narrowing down a research topic on two other University websites from America (*see below*). These tips were helpful when I was trying to formulate a research question. I realized that I wanted is to emulate  the title of one of the podcast shows from Stuff You Missed in History Class, so my research question is: "What really happened during the Holodomor?"

My final tip? Make sure that you are interested in your topic and that you know for sure that you will be able to stick with it for the duration of the project!

Time to start researching! Good luck everyone! :)

Links stated above:
http://libguides.mit.edu/select-topic
http://library.ucsc.edu/help/howto/choose-a-research-topic

Whom have I chosen?

Becky here, reporting for duty!

As of last week, I'd narrowed my podcast choices down to Grammar Girl or Lexicon Valley. Since then, I've moved definitely into the Grammar Girl camp. For one thing, my passion lies more truly with grammar than with individual words in general. For another, the style in which Grammar Girl is presented appeals to me more.

Whereas Lexicon Valley was presented as a dialogue or conversation between hosts and sometimes guests, Grammar Girl is primarily just one person talking. While I do have talented friends who would be willing to "guest star" in my podcast, my preference, when such a major part of my grade is depending on this one assignment, is to only have to rely on my own contribution. 
 
I also like the general tone of the show, the not-patronizing way the host demystifies a common error in grammar so that her listeners won't have to make the mistake again. The one aspect of the podcast that I am seriously considering not mimicking is the "message from sponsors"-- I don't see how it could be done with integrity for the purposes of the class, though that's something I should probably ask the professors about more as I get closer to working on the details of my podcast. It would clearly not be appropriate to put in a fake advertisement for a real company without permission, which leaves the options of either an entirely fictional ad, or asking a friend to advertise her business on my podcast-- both options which have potential problems attached, as well.

The biggest challenge I'm likely to have in imitating Grammar Girl is length-- all her podcasts seem to run under ten minutes, while for the assignment I'll have to go closer to fifteen (another reason why it might be a good idea to include a "message from sponsors" if feasible). I have faith, however, that I won't have a problem talking for fifteen minutes about grammar.

Which brings me to my specific topic, about which I have no doubt I can talk at length. I actually hit upon my topic idea as I was listening to some Grammar Girl podcasts, and typing to some friends in a chatroom in the background. One friend wrote "who" instead of "whom," and I automatically corrected him. As my friends reacted to the correction, one of them asking me to clarify another point of grammar for him, I realized that this, a pet peeve of mine, would be an excellent topic for the podcast. Specifically, I plan to elucidate subject and object pronouns, and when to use each of them.

Because of the way in which I came upon my topic, I did not need any advice sites to help me with it; I did, however, take a look at SPARK in the name of thoroughness afterward. I don't think the advice it gave is necessarily to my taste, because I as a rule prefer to hit upon my own topics in similar ways to how I did this-- making connections in the back of my head as I go about my business. Still, the principles it suggests are sound, and potentially useful. 
 
What I would add, or adapt, from their suggestions, is rather than look amongst topics for the one that interests me, I would find something (or somethings) that interest me, and then look for a connection between my interests and the relevant topics. That way, I'm sure to be doing the project on something I feel strongly about.

Topic Selection [Shantelle Shakes]

                After going through the various provided links, I've decided to emulate the style/format/structure  of the Freakonomics Fear Thy Nature podcast. This podcast is the only show I've listened to that held my attention for it's full duration.

                I started wondering how the people of Freakonomics could keep me interested in what their faceless voices had to say. I made a note of their intro music and various sound clips/sound effects they used throughout. I also noticed how loud, crisp and animated their voices were. Their pacing was slow, and sentences were kept short, focusing on key information. They would even ask questions, engaging the listener's critical thinking skills, changing the listener's role from passive listening to active listening.

                I appreciated Freakonomics' consideration of other opinions, even those that challenged the dominant narrative of the show i.e. it is human nature to be evil/bad. This made me feel like the information was more important than their conclusions thus giving me, the listener, a chance to form my own conclusions.

                Fear Thy Nature discussed human nature and how context can effect behaviour. I found the podcast so interesting that I pursued some brief Google searches of my own into the experiments that were mentioned. That is the kind of engagement I want my listeners to have. By providing examples/evidence for the topic of the show, the listener, if interested in the topic, will want to know more about it; they will want to continue the discussion.

                The title was also attention grabbing. 'Fear thy nature?' you think, 'what nature? My nature? What about my nature should I fear?!' You press play to satisfy your curiosity...and maybe, perhaps, calm your nerves a bit, depending on the kind of person you are.

                The whole thing was all very informal with bouts of humour throughout. Nothing grabs and maintains attention like humour cause who doesn't want to laugh? So good job to Freakonomics.

                My podcast show will center around how to get your employee to smile in the customer service food industry. As I've mentioned in my previous post, I am a manager where I work and find the psychological effects of work hierarchy and customer-server relations fascinating. I feel like the topic doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. SPARK, Student Papers and Academic Research Kit, helped me narrow my topic. I knew I wanted to explore customer service, but the industry really changes how you approach this topic. There are also many subheadings under customer service. SPARK helped me narrow my topic to the food industry and to the specific act of smiling.

                My advice for selecting a topic, before I wrap up this post, is to choose a topic containing at least one adjective for every noun in your research question. If it's an industry, what kind of industry? If it is a fruit, what kind of fruit? The more objective adjectives you can associate with the nouns in your topic, the better! Good luck everyone.