Due: Thursday, November 4
Length: 500 words
In her article “Sound Matters: Notes Toward the Analysis and Design of Sound in Multimodal Webtexts,” Heidi McKee identifies four types of sound: vocal delivery, music, and special effects, and silence.
Briefly summarize what McKee argues are the possible functions/meanings of each type of sound. Next, discuss an example (4 examples total) of how each type is used in one of the first two segments of Radio Lab: “Chimp Fights and Trolley Rides” or “Kiddie Morality.”
Questions to consider
What effect does each sound have on you as a listener? How does it shape your interpretation/understanding of the material being presented? Does each sound function in one of the ways McKee identifies? Finally, do you think sound function differently when the composition is only sound instead of part of a multimodal text? Why or why not?
