Writing with Sound

Syllabus

The syllabus is a schedule by week and day for assignments, readings, and activities. While we will stick very close to this outline, especially on major due dates, I can vary it as much as seems appropriate. I will be editing and updating the syllabus on this web page as the semester progresses.

Text Abbreviations:

  • Sound Studies Reader [SSR]
  • Book of Audacity [BoA]
Note: All readings should be read *BEFORE* the date listed.

Week 1

No Class

Week 2 - Sound Studies

M Aug 27 - Introductions and Expectations

     In Class:

  • Syllabus Overview
  • 99% Invisible, Episode 1: Noise
  • Audacity Hack: Respond verbally to 99% Invisible Episode 1 in under 30 seconds via Audacity--record, edit, save, export.

W Aug 29 - Intro to Sound Studies

     Required Reading:

  • Sterne, "Sonic Imaginations" [SSR]

     In Class:

  • Download Audacity to your laptop or preferred computer (or see here). Just download and follow instructions.
  • If you are feeling adventurous, also download and install the LAME plugin for Audacity so you can export MP3s (scroll down the FAQ page for info--sometimes this works right the first time, sometimes it takes a few tries and a little work, the ZIP options worked for me on a MAC back when).

Week 3

M Sept 3 - LABOR DAY

W Sept 5 - Listening I

     Required Reading:

  • Barthes, "Listening" [PDF]
  • Steve Goodman, "The Ontology of Vibrational Force" [SSR]

     Suggested Reading-Listening-Viewing:

     In Class:

Week 4

M Sept 10 - Listening II

     Required Reading:

  • Chion, "The Three Listening Modes" [SSR]
  • Idhe, "The Auditory Dimension" [SSR]

     Suggested Reading-Listening-Watching:

     In Class:

W Sept 12 - No Class - Weather

Week 5 - (Re)Shaping Sound

M Sept 17 - Soundscapes and Sound Art

     Required Reading:

  • Schaffer, "The Soundscape" [SSR]
  • LaBelle, "Auditory Relations" [SSR]

     Suggested Reading-Listening-Viewing:

     In Class:

W Sept 19 - Podcasting

     Required Reading:

     Suggested Reading:

  • Hosokawa, "The Walkman Effect" [SSR]
  • Bull, "The Audio-Visual iPod" [SSR]
  • Ch.7 "Creating Podcasts" [BoA]

     In Class:

Week 6

M Sept 24 - Genre Analysis

     Required Reading:

     In Class:

W Sept 26 - Intro to Audacity

     Suggested Reading:

  • Ch.1 "Audacity from Start to Finish" [BoA]
  • Ch.11 "Audacity Plug-ins for Special Effects" [BoA]
  • Ch.12 "Fix-Its and Cleanups" [BoA]
  • Appendix B "Glossary" [BoA]

     In Class:

Week 7

M Oct 1 - Radio (Shaping Sound)

     Required Reading:

     Suggested Reading - Scripts:

     In Class:

W Oct 3 - Recording Techniques

     Suggested Reading-Listening-Viewing:

     In Class:

     Tech Links:

Week 8 - Writing with Sound

M Oct 8 - Editing Workshop

     In Class:

  • Editing Workshop
  • Make sure you download the LAME plugin for Audacity so you can export MP3s (scroll down the FAQ page).
  • Start a Soundcloud account if you haven't already so you can Upload your Podcast.

  • DUE: Podcast Analysis (with paper script)

W Oct 10 - Audience

     Required Reading:

  • Fanon, "This is the Voice of Algeria" [SSR]
  • Smith, "Laughing Machines" [SSR]

     Suggested Reading:

     In Class:

Week 9

M Oct 15 - Interviewing

     Required Reading:

     In Class:

W Oct 17 - Editing Workshop

     Suggested Reading:

  • Ch.7 "Creating Podcasts" [BoA]

     In Class:

Week 10

M Oct 22 - Editing Workshop

     In Class:

  • Editing Workshop
  • DUE: Podcast 1 - Interview

W Oct 24 - Remix I

     Required Reading:

  • Mowitt, "The Sound of Music in the Era of Its Electronic Reproducability" [SSR]
  • Lastra, "Fidelity v. Intelligibility" [SSR]
  • Is It Live, or Is It Memorex

     Suggested Reading-Listening:

     In Class:

Week 11

M Oct 29 - Remix II

     Required Reading:

  • Attali, "The Politics of Noise" [SSR]
  • Eshun, "Operating System for the Redesign of Sonic Reality" [SSR]

     Suggested Reading-Listening:

     In Class:

W Oct 31 - Editing Workshop

     Suggested Reading:

  • Ch.9 "Multitrack Recording" [BoA]
  • Ch.5 "Authoring a Compilation CD" [BoA]
  • Ch.11 "Audacity Plug-ins for Special Effects" [BoA]

     In Class: Editing Workshop

  • Work on Soundcloud Edits--display names, titles, descriptions, images.
  • Work on scripts with emphasis on "directions" related to sounds being used: here is what I provided on the syllabus as a template for the analysis script, where the topics stood in for the bulleted/numbered genre list topics--rework this template to mimic a movie script with descriptions of scenes and especially directions for sounds to add to dialog: 12 Monkeys.
  • Gather sounds needed for episode or remix.

Week 12

M Nov 5 - Editing Workshop

     In Class:

  • Editing Workshop - bring in all materials and work on final mix/edits.
  • DUE: Podcast 2 - Remix/Remediation

W Nov 7 - Sound and Space

     Required Reading:

     Suggested Reading:

     In Class:

Week 13

M Nov 12 - Acoustic City

     Required Reading:

  • Moore and Smallwood, "The Soundscape of Burning Man" [PDF]
  • Jones, "Sonic Ecology" [PDF]
  • Ouzounian, "Acoustic Mapping" [PDF]
  • Royaards, "The Space Between" [PDF]

     Suggested Reading:

  • Picker, "The Soundproof Study" [SSR]
  • Flitner "Machines over the Garden"
  • Kusiak, "Acoustic Gentrification"
  • Gandy, "Acoustic Terrains: An Introduction"
  • Albrechtslund, "Eavesdroppin"

     In Class:

W Nov 14 - Editing Workshop

     Suggested Reading:

  • Ch.4 "Creating and Editing Live Tracks" [BoA]

     In Class:

  • Editing Workshop

Week 14

M Nov 19

     In Class:

  • Editing Workshop

W Nov 21 - THANKSGIVING

Week 15

M Nov 26 - Sharing Sound

     Required Reading:

     Suggested How To:

     Suggested Reading:

     In Class:

W Nov 28 - Class Showcase

     In Class:

Week 16 - Finals Week

M Dec 3 - Class Showcase

     In Class:

  • Presentations

W Dec 5 - Class Showcase

     In Class:

  • Final Presentations
  • Teacher Evaluations
  • DUE: Final Report + Participation