Podcast review in historical context
For this assignment, you will listen to and analyze one episode from a list of recommended podcasts about history. The review should be at least 1,200 words in length (between 3 and 4 double-spaced pages) – you can use the Word Count feature on Microsoft Word to ensure you have met this requirement.
An essential feature of a good audio review is the reviewer’s ability to write concisely so that a comprehensive evaluation of the podcast episode can be obtained from a brief reading of your writing.
The point of a podcast review is not only to summarize what you listened to, but to situate the historical merit of the episode and to critically evaluate the author’s purpose, thesis, contentions, and methods of analysis in the research they talked about. Hence, the bulk of the body of one’s review essay will be to conduct a scholarly review of the episode you listened to.
A strong review will:
Discuss the main points or arguments that the podcast’s producers or hosts are trying to get across.
Analyze specific moments in the episode.
Consider the the aesthetic elements (music, sound effects, editing) that the producers used to tell their story.
Note: this aspect might not always be easy to address at length, but try to keep it in mind
Identify the sources and/or experts the podcast drew on or cited in their discussion.
Assess the strong points or shortcomings of the episode.
Cite at least one other source (article, book, podcast, documentary, etc.) about the same topic covered in the episode, which either supports or contradicts the analysis made by the producers/host
How does the podcast episode you listened to change the way one should think about the topic of discussion?
The challenge will be to do as much of this as possible within the brief length of the essay. In other words, the goal is to find creative ways to give examples from the episode and outside sources to support your analysis, and to do so in a limited amount of space.
