Peer Review

Back Story

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Dec 12, 2017 by Sociology

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Ratings

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Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: Back Story is a weekly audio show that connects current events and phenomena to their historical roots. The audio can be accessed on their website, public radio, and through iTunes. This is a program of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. The website also contains a blog — some of the blog postings pair with the podcast. Even the comments on the blog are useful and can lead the user down the path of new knowledge and resources related to the topic at hand.
Type of Material:: Reference Material in the form of a podcast.
Recommended Uses:: Podcasts could be assigned to provide historical context to course material and concepts. Podcasts could be listened to in-class for those most relevant to the course. For example, the episode “Advocacy Journalism in America” (http://backstoryradio.org/shows/behind-the-bylines/) discusses Ida B. Wells, which might be especially useful in those courses that use Ida B. Wells or have an applied sociology focus. “Taking it to the Streets” (http://backstoryradio.org/shows/taking-it-to-the-streets/) is about protest in America, which would be relevant for classes that focus on this topic. On the website, instructors can access a segment of the episode, which might be more useful for in-class listening.
Technical Requirements:: Tested in Chrome and Firefox. High speed internet for listening online.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: Provide historical context to current events and phenomena.
Target Student Population:: Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems, Social Theory, Race and Ethnicity, Social Movements, Sociology of Health, Sociology of Religion. The website includes transcripts (for most episodes) so hearing impaired students could also utilize the podcast.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Students would need instruction on accessing the podcast if assigned as homework.

Content Quality

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Strengths:: Easy to use, multifaceted resources, and some of the podcasts are clearly tagged to show that teacher's resources are provided. Instructors could use it in-class or as homework. Instructors could also share whole episodes or segments. The topics are relevant to many sociology courses.
Concerns:: Many of the topics are very narrow in subject. It would be incumbent upon the instructor to develop assignments that took proper advantage of this material. It is entertaining, but very free-form.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

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Strengths:: There are no explicitly stated learning goals, other that providing historical context. This does not greatly detract from the material, however, as it is all engaging and entertaining. This is particularly important when dealing with historical topics which can sometimes seem remote and removed from current experiences.
Concerns:: This material lacks learning objectives and identifying prerequisite knowledge. The instructor will have to do this part. Focused on the USA.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

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Strengths:: Easy to use, searchable by topic, date, whether resources are included, or type of episode.
Concerns:: Has only 8 types of episodes, one being Oscars, and when this is checked off, nothing appears. So perhaps some web maintenance issues are at hand?

Other Issues and Comments:: No references included in the full transcripts. While historians are interviewed, their versions of history are presented as "the" versions of history. Critical perspectives needed or at least more than one perspective.
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