AP Psychology – Podcast assignment
2015-2016
The Assignment
 For this assignment, you will be producing a Podcast related to a topic in psychology.
 The topic can be something we studied in class, or a totally different topic.
o Remember, in choosing a topic, think of it in the same terms as choosing the topic for a paper
– it shouldn’t be so broad that you have trouble covering it in the time-span of the Podcast,
but it shouldn’t be so narrow you have trouble finding information or filling the allotted time.
o For example, “Sigmund Freud” would be way too broad (maybe one aspect of Freud’s life
would be a better topic), and the defense mechanism of “denial” would be too broad.
Criteria
 The Podcast should be at least ten minutes long, but no longer than 15 minutes.
 You can work on the assignment by yourself, or with up to two other people (so no more than three
people per group)
o You can work on it with students from my other classes, but keep in mind that we will be
working on the assignment in class and in the library, so working on it with people in other
classes might be difficult. If the people in your group are in other classes, you are still
expected to work on it when we’re in the library or in class.
 I will need to know who is each group and a proposed topic by the following dates:
o Tuesday, May 10th – “A” day/”Wednesday, May 11th – “B” day
o For the topic, I just need a rough idea. As we will also be working in the library that day, that
will give you the opportunity to narrow down the topic. If you need suggestions, let me
know. But you need to have at least a rough idea.
o If you are not on a list of people in a group, I will assume you are working by yourself
o If there are changes in the groups, please let me know ahead of time.
 We will working on the assignment in the library on the following dates:
o Tuesday, May 10th – “A” day/”Wednesday, May 11th – “B” day
o Monday, May 23rd – “B” day/Tuesday, May 24th – “A” day
 There will also be class time to work on the assignment (dates – TBD). However, there will still be
work that will need to be done outside of the classroom.
 The day the assignment is due, in addition to Podcast, you will be turning in:
o A script
 The script does not need to be typed, or all that fancy. Just what you used to read off in
order to produce the Podcast.
o Bibliography in APA format. You should have at least four sources.
Due Dates
 Names of people in groups and a proposed topic: Tuesday, May 10th – “A” day/ Wednesday, May 11th
– “B” day.
o If you are not on the list of people in a group, I will assume you are working by yourself
o If there are changes in the groups, please let me know ahead of time.
 This assignment is due on Thursday, June 2nd - “A” day/ Friday, June 3rd – “B” day.
 You can either email me the assignment, or bring it to class on a flash drive.
o Make sure before it is due that it can play. It is your responsibility to make sure that it is
playable before you turn it in.
o Make sure to use a common format that can be easily played, like an mp3, flac, wav, etc.
Examples of Podcasts.
 It might be useful to listen to some Podcasts to give you an idea of what a typical/good Podcast is like.
Some examples might be:
o The Nerdist
o Freakonomics Radio
o BackStory with the American History
o The Adam Carolla Show
Guys
o This American Life
o On the Media – Digital Dark Age
o Serial
o NPR – Ted Radio Hour
o Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
o BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs
You can Google these Podcasts to find them, or find them on iTunes. Some of these might be free to
download and some of them you might have to pay for them.
Tips, etc.
 You can think of your Podcast as having three acts – an introduction, the main part, and the wrap-up.
 Think of who the target audience is for your Podcast. A high school student in an AP Psychology
class might be a good audience.
 The easiest way to present your topic is to simply have a relaxed, but planned, conversation with your
group members. The more knowledgeable you are, the better these conversations will be. Take the
research portion of the assignment seriously!
 You do not have to record in one take. Programs like GarageBand and Audacity let you easily record
and splice together audio clips. You can import audio clips/takes of your Podcast and mix them
together.
 Background sounds. Podcasts typically mix in music at the beginning, end, and during major
transitions. It does not distract from the voices of the Podcast.
Rubric
Criteria
Content
Audience/
Purpose
Planning
Interesting
Professional/
quality
Length
Total
Points
30
20
20
30
20
20
Turned in
script
20
Bibliography
20
Use of class
time
Total out of:
10
5
1
Score
Product is:
 Informative
 Detailed, thorough
research comes to
life
 Discussed in a
meaningful way.
 Not too broad/not
too narrow
 I learned a lot
One or more of the
below is lacking/not
present:
 Informative
 Detailed, thorough
research
 Discussed in a
meaningful way.
Or:
 Topic too broad or too
narrow
 I learned something
Lacking all/majority of
the below:
 Informative
 Detailed, thorough
research
 Discussed in a
meaningful way.
Or:
 Topic way too broad
or narrow
 I learned little
There is a clearly
defined audience &
purpose to the podcast
Either the audience &
purpose of the podcast is
not clearly defined
Neither audience nor
purpose is clearly
defined
_________ x 2
Podcast is well
planned out
There is little evidence
that the podcast was
planned out
There is no evidence
that the Podcast was
planned out
_________ x 3
Listener goes from
zero interest to riveted
by the time they finish
A college student
majoring in your topic
thought it was
interesting
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Easy to hear, Volume
is consistent. Podcast
is a quality product
Easy to hear, Volume is
consistent. Podcast is
not quite a quality
product.
Difficult to hear, quality
lacking
_________ x 3
_________ x 2
_________ x 2
 5 points will be deducted for each 30 seconds below 10 minutes
 5 points will be deducted for each 30 seconds above 15 minutes
/20
/20
20
 Bibliography
contains a
number of good,
quality sources
 Correct format
Bibliography either:
 Does not have sources
 Not legitimate sources
 Wrong format
Bibliography both:
 Not enough sources
 Not legitimate sources
And
 Wrong format
Good use of class time
Had to be spoken to
Did little to no work
_________ x 2
/20
/100
/200