Course Syllabus

 

Semester & Location:	Fall 2025 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Communication, Media Studies, Journalism
Prerequisite(s):	None
Faculty Members:	Tommy Heisz, current students please use Canvas inbox
Time & Place:	Mondays and Thursdays, 16.25-17.45 Classroom: V10-D11

 

Course Description

Using sound to tell stories in captivating ways is the aim of this course. Podcast is the foundation of sensing journalism, a way of communicating that speaks straight to our senses and emotions. In this class, we will enter the world of sound in a curious and playful way. You will learn how to plan and produce your own podcast, and you will be introduced to a string of examples from some of the best audio storytellers. We work with both nonfiction and fiction, which means you will get a good chance to explore different genres and formats. You will get hands-on experience with recording and editing too, but the main focus of the course is on the storytelling aspect.

 

Learning Objectives

• To learn about the definitions, conventions, and issues surrounding the narrative podcast.
• To experience and understand how audio storytelling differs from other formats.
• To learn how to plan an audio story.
• To get an insight into rhetoric, soundscaping, interview techniques, and psychology.
• To practice reporting by using various journalistic tools.
• To get hands-on practice with recording and editing.
• To learn to critique others’ work effectively, constructively, and sensitively, in a collaborative setting.
• To manage to produce a 10-15-minute podcast.

 

Approach to Teaching

Engagement and courage are keywords for this course. You are expected to participate actively in class discussions, practical exercises, and productions.

The instructor will present the basic principles and understandings of the given topic. The students will actively acquire knowledge and skills through experiments, workshops, teamwork, and engaging class discussions.

We will use the city as our classroom and produce our own storytelling, and you will get to meet professionals from the field of podcasting in Denmark. 

The technical and aesthetic mastery of the audio productions is less vital for this course. Perfection in execution has less priority than the learning process of trial and error.   

 

Expectations

I expect you to attend all class sessions unless prohibited by illness or an emergency. It is also important that you are always well-prepared for classes. When working in groups, I expect you to have obtained an understanding and knowledge of the topic well enough to take part in teamwork independently and actively. I expect generosity in sharing personal experiences and ideas. Finally, I expect that, while being honest, you will be kind and respectful when you critique others’ work and will strive to be open and receptive when others critique yours.

 

Grade breakdown

 

Participation – 20 %

Participation includes attendance, coming prepared to class, joining thoughtfully in class discussions, completing the readings, and doing in-class exercises. Showing up is only part of the key to receiving a good participation grade. I expect you to show engagement and express yourself in the classroom and take responsibility for the development of both yourself and your fellow students.

 

First 8 weeks – various assignments – 20 %

Over the first 8 weeks of the semester, you will be turning in a string of short assignments. As part of this, you will write, plan, and arrange an audio narrative. A written assignment of 2-3 pages based on what you learned about storytelling, structure, and writing for the ear. By mid-October, you will receive an overall grade based on the quality of these various assignments and the effort you put into them. 

 

A Copenhagen District told through sound – 20 %

Your personal take on a district in Copenhagen that you have been assigned. A 5-7 minute audio reportage piece. 

 

Main project – 30 %

In the second part of the semester, you get to plan and produce a 10-15-minute audio piece with a topic of your own choice. You will develop this story over several weeks, receiving feedback from other students in feedback sessions organized and facilitated by me. 

 

Feedback session effort - 10 % 

Giving and receiving feedback on audio productions is a crucial part of the course. You receive a separate grade for the effort you put into these sessions, where we provide feedback to one another in small groups. 

 

Overview of the Course

1: Entering the World of Sound
Getting to know the recorder, trying stuff straight away, immersing yourselves in the world of sound.

2: The Impact of Sound
Getting to know the different genres. Introduction to journalistic tools and methods. Working on your first production.

3: Using Senses
How to use your senses while reporting. How to pass on sensory experiences to the listener through both field recordings and voice.

4: Sound and Storytelling
Taking a closer look at the theory behind efficient storytelling. What can filmmakers, authors, and other storytellers teach us? Listening closer to some of the best audio stories and dissecting these masterpieces to see how we can pick up inspiration.

5: Bringing it all together
Working on your final production. Getting feedback, rethinking, reworking, refining – up to that point where you can present your own little masterpiece.

 

Readings and listenings 

You are expected to come to class having done the assigned readings and listenings for that day and being prepared to discuss them thoughtfully. All readings and listenings will be posted on Canvas.

• Eric Nuzum: Make Noise: A Creator's Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling
• Glen Weldon: NPR's Podcast Start-Up Guide
• Georgia Walker – Dogs of Palermo. BBC Documentary
• Amber Haque – Indigenous healing on the party island of Ibiza. BBC Documentary
• Linda Pressly – Loving, living and dying together in the Netherlands. BBC Documentary
• Lane DeGregory – WriteLane Podcast, episode ’30 Questions’
• Rikke Houd – The Rowing Man. Podcast  
• Lulu Miller and Alix Spiegel – How to Become Batman - NPR Invisibilia.  
• Josie Long - BBC Shortcuts - episode 'Earth'
• John Yorke – Showing and Telling (extract from Into the Woods)
• Jon Franklin- A Story Structure
• Will Storr - The Science of Storytelling (extract)
• J. Bjarnholdt Hansen, Writing for The Ear, Speechwriting in Our Time

Readings and listenings are subject to adjustments.

 

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code