Week 1’s Assignment

This week’s assignment is to think critically about mass-consumed information (such as news, podcasts, and other commonly accepted information sources).  Part of being a critical thinker is embracing the following behaviors:

• Raising vital questions using clear and precise language.
• Gathering reliable sources of information and then testing them against a set of criteria.
• Remaining openminded to the various perspectives, assumptions, and ideas at the heart of sources of information.
• Desiring to improve knowledge and understanding by assessing sources of information.

This assignment will have you analyze a podcast to enhance your critical thinking skills.

The Objective

Your objective is to produce a 3-page APA-formatted critique of a podcast.  (The reference and title pages do not count toward the page count requirement.)

Step 1.Embark on this objective by finding aninteresting podcastyou would enjoy critiquing.  Visit ListenNote’spodcast search engine and perform a keyword search for mergers and acquisitions podcasts:

Find a single podcast you wish to critique and continue to the next step.

Step 2. After finding a podcast, prepare to listen while taking notes.  (This video from the BBC has excellent advice on note-taking while listening!)

Step 3.  Listen/watch the podcast and take notes.  Make sure your notes are organized and easy to read.

Step 4.  It is time to transform your notes and thoughts into the beginning of a critique.  Include the answers to the following critical thinking questions in your notes:

• Comprehension Questions
  • How would I summarize the podcast into my own words?
  • If I had to draw a picture representing the podcast, what would it look like?
• Application Question
  • How could I make use of the information in this podcast?
• Analysis Questions
  • What are the most important concepts/ideas appearing in the podcast?
  • What are the assumptions underlying the podcast?
  • Did the podcast meet its objective? Why or why not?
• Synthesis Questions
  • Fill in the blank: I could combine the information in this podcast with __________ to produce __________.
  • How can I cluster/group the big ideas, presented in the podcast, to improve my understanding?
• Judgement Questions
  • Fill in the blank: To me, the accuracy of this podcast is __________ because __________.
  • If most of the information in the podcast were true, what would it imply?
  • As a business-practitioner, which of my experiences appear congruent to information in the podcast?
  • Was the evidence presented during the podcast clear and convincing? Why or why not?
• Balanced Thinking and Ethical Questions
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of this podcast?
  • What does the podcast express (or imply) as its values?

Make sure your responses are legible and clear.

Step 5.Now it is time to write a 3-page APA-formatted critique!A critique requires the following sections:

• An introduction, at most one paragraph long, introducing the name/creator of the podcast, the main purpose of the podcast, and the context underlying the podcast’s information. The conclusion should end on whether you will be offering a positive, negative, or mixed evaluation.
• A summary of the podcast indicating the nature of the podcast, it is styles, characters, concepts, and big ideas. This requirement is usually shorter than Requirement 3.
• A critical evaluation of the podcast given your responses in Step 4. Group your ideas into paragraphs; starting with the broadest point and funnelling down to the smallest point.
• A conclusion paragraph, at most one paragraph long, indicating the overall evaluation of the podcast.

Remember—everything needs to be APA-formatted and you must cite/references all sources appearing in your essay.  Submit the critique to Week 1’s Assignment portal.  Happy critiquing!