Reference no: EM133594530

Assignment:

The podcast, Serial, is about a man, Adnan Syed, who was convicted of murdering his girlfriend when they were both in high school. The host of the podcast, Sarah Koenig, investigates the case after discovering conflicting evidence.

Please listen to the first episode of the podcast here, and then answer seven questions.

1. The first episode begins with information about the podcast's sponsor. Like many types of media, podcast creators make money by selling advertising space. Podcast creators have to think carefully about whom they sell advertising space-or in this case, time-to because it can affect the way the listener responds to the rest of the text. Who were the sponsors mentioned at the beginning of the podcast and what are they selling? What predictions can you make about the nature of the podcast based on the advertisers?
2. The episode opens with a recording and music. Describe the recording and the music. Each episode opens with this recording and music. What kind of tone do they set for the podcast? In addition to creating atmosphere, what purpose does the music serve?
3. Describe the narrator's style of talking. Is she very formal or informal? Provide an example to support your answer. How does her tone affect the way you respond to the content?
4. The narrator, Sarah Koenig, is not the only person you hear speak in the podcast. When does she include other voices and why do you think she might do this? What effect does it have on the narrative and listener's responses to hear more than one voice?
5. At the center of this podcast is the question of Adnan Syed's guilt. Does Sarah Koenig reveal any bias for or against Syed in this episode? How can you tell?
6. Based on this episode alone, if you had to rule on Syed's guilt or innocence, what would your conclusion be? On what would you base this conclusion?
7. How is this medium (the podcast) like other forms of media you've experienced before (e.g., television, movies, blogs, books)? How is it different?