Video Podcasts
Each student will produce a short (i.e., 2.5-4 minutes) video podcast on a very specific evolutionary psychology topic/idea that is of interest. Each podcast must include the research and/or theory from two studies. The ultimate aim is to mount the podcasts (along with a textual transcript of the dialogue in the podcast, list of references, additional links to related material, etc.) on the course website, making them available to the general public. Given the short nature of the podcasts, they will have to be carefully constructed to stay very much on a specific topic.
Ideas of what the podcasts might resemble would include things like Jay's Journal off Daily Planet, Rick Mercer's "Streeters", or the like. The audio podcasts from Skeptoid.com are excellent in terms of being focused on a topic and giving details, although obviously, as an audio/text only version this is going to differ in some respects to that of a v-podcast. Mythbusters and Penn and Teller's Bullshit are also good sources for ideas on how to present evolutionary psychology topics in an interesting and topical manner, although obviously the formats of these shows are quite different from a 2.5 to 4 minute segment.
I have to stress that content is much more important than form for this project. I do not want students getting hung up or spending excessive time on the "stylistic" elements of the project at the expense of the content! The idea here is to present good science in an accessible and interesting format.
Although students will be put into small "support" groups, each student will produce his or her own video podcast. Group members are primarily there to assist with the actual mechanics of filming the podcasts (somebody has to hold the camera)
Each student will submit 5 ideas that can be interpreted within an evolutionary psychology framework that could serve as the basis for a video segment. Try to come up with topical and interesting ideas. You should be able to convey each idea in one or two sentences at the most. Given that evolutionary psychology can be applied to so many aspects of life, don't feel that you have to take your ideas from well-known evolutionary psychology research. Don't worry about giving detailed information here; just providing a one or two sentence concept is all that is required. While you aren't graded on the ideas you submit, you will be penalized -1% for each idea that is not submitted. I will take all the ideas, eliminate the duplicates, and then distribute the remaining ideas randomly amongst students. Given the random distribution, obviously you may not end up with the specific ideas you proposed. Each student will pick one idea from those provided to serve as the basis for the video podcast.
Each student will submit a short proposal for his or her podcast. The idea needs to be fleshed out to specify the particular evolutionary psychology principle(s) that are going to be focused on. Each proposal also needs to identify the two journal articles that will be focused on in the video and explain their relevance. Proposals will be evaluated by the professor. The proposals constitute 5% of your course grade.
For each podcast a script will need to be produced. The script must include the transcript of what is said (i.e., the dialogue), along with a breakdown of the action (i.e., stage directions), and any other visuals, details, etc. to be used. Remember that the most important element is the content; be careful to avoid being sidetracked by effects, locations, and props. The more precise a script is, the better the feedback that can be provided, and consequently, the better the final podcasts should be. Scripts will be evaluated and edited by the professor. The script constitute 10% of a student's course grade.
Here are some suggestions on writing your script
Each podcast will then need to be filmed. Each student's podcasts, along with the transcripts, links, etc. will be mounted on the course website. Each podcast and the supporting content will be graded by the professor and the other students in the class. The grade from this will constitute 35% of your course grade.
If you have your own video camera feel free to use it to film your podcast. You will need to have a digital file, though. My understanding is that MP4 is the most common form of video file for internet viewing, so make sure your camera can do this.
If you do not have access to a camera, I have one for the course. From 23 March to 4 April it will be "on reserve" at the general psychology office (BSP-217; hours of operation M-F 8:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00). There's a sign out sheet for the camera; go by the office and fill in a time/times that you plan to use it. Please, as other students will likely need to use the camera too, don't abuse the system and sign yourself up for excessive periods. You can sign the camera out from 8:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00. You need to get the camera back to the office within the time period specified so that it is available for the next student. If anyone really needs the camera overnight or over a weekend, contact me and we'll see about making a special arrangement.
The camera is pretty self-explanatory, but here's the instruction manual (pdf). The power cables and USB to transfer your files to your computer are in the camera bag.
Obviously, be careful with the camera; there's a hand strap on it, so wear it during operation to reduce the chance of dropping it. Overall, just use common sense here, please.