"How to Tell a Story Series: Why We Tell Stories (Module 1 of 10)" (My New Liked Vid on YouTube) [VID]

How to Tell a Story Series: Why We Tell Stories (Module 1 of 10)


"This is the first video of a YouTube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLehj-J7GtbVqY-Ht43ybiXcL5GuJRlOPB&si=bIoglgsUKfAx_CHV The YT playlist is the first part of my 10-part video series on How to Tell a Story. The first video in this playlist provides a strong foundation and the remaining videos in the playlist fill in some of the detail and help the viewer better understand the content covered. "Introduction — Why Stories? Before we learn how to tell a story, we need to step back and ask a more basic question: what is a story, and why do human beings tell them at all? One important starting point is this: storytelling is not a specialty skill that belongs only to novelists, screenwriters, or journalists. Everyone tells stories. Students tell stories. Parents tell stories. Athletes, musicians, influencers, and children all tell stories. Whenever we describe our day, explain why we were late, recount a game-winning play, or post a video about something that happened to us, we are telling stories. Some of those stories are gripping. Some fall flat. But they are all attempts to shape experience into a form that other minds can absorb. In this video series, however, storytelling becomes more disciplined. This series introduces the principles of effective storytelling across mass communication fields, including journalism, public relations, film, and digital media. We will learn how core narrative elements such as character, conflict, structure, and audience shape compelling messages. And we will do so by drawing on two connected traditions: narrative theory, which describes how stories are built, and cognitive science, which explains why stories work on the human brain the way they do. That second tradition is the focus of this first module. Before we can master leads, hooks, arcs, and campaigns, we need to understand the instrument every storyteller plays: the audience's brain. Why do audiences prefer stories to lists of facts? Why does a strong first sentence feel impossible to put down? Why does a well-told story change what people feel, believe, and do, when a bullet-pointed summary of the same information changes nothing? This video builds toward those questions." ------------ Readings and Scholarly Sources Cron, L. (2012). Wired for story: The writer's guide to using brain science to hook readers from the very first sentence. Ten Speed Press. Source link: https://ift.tt/MtVqszi Amazon: https://amzn.to/4d8GBYY Storr, W. (2020). The science of storytelling: Why stories make us human and how to tell them better. Abrams Press. Source link: https://ift.tt/ox0mHvr Amazon: https://amzn.to/4gsxPY1 Some other works cited: Damasio, A., Self Comes to Mind (2010); Pinker, S., How the Mind Works (1997); Lehrer, J., How We Decide (2009); Restak, R., The Naked Brain (2006); Haidt, J., The Righteous Mind (2012); Loewenstein, G., "The Psychology of Curiosity," Psychological Bulletin (1994). =============================== AI Use Statement: This video is based on Dr. Hart's original lecture notes. Script, visuals, and narration were produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed and edited by Dr. Hart. Tools used: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, ElevenLabs (voice, music), and Adobe Premiere (video editing). ==============================="
Via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap45Gas1WiE
Liked on August 30, 2026 at 03:38PM

"Media Theory: Critical Thinking, Science Literacy, and the Foundations of Theory (Module 1)" (My New Liked Vid on YouTube) [VID]

Media Theory: Critical Thinking, Science Literacy, and the Foundations of Theory (Module 1)


"This is the first video of a YouTube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLehj-J7GtbVqMscUCeeshyAk8C14jSWbd&si=PUEH7MNTdGdGY6y_ The YT playlist is the first part of my 10-part video series on media theory. The first video in this playlist provides a strong foundation and the remaining videos in the playlist fill in some of the detail and help the viewer better understand the content covered. "Media Theory - Module 1 - Lecture Critical Thinking, Science Literacy, and the Foundations of Theory Introduction — Where to Begin? Before we begin studying specific media theories, we need to step back and ask a basic question: what is a theory, and why should media students care about theory at all? One important starting point is this: theory is not something only scientists, scholars, or researchers have. Everyone has theories. Students have theories. Parents have theories. Journalists have theories. Coaches, musicians, influencers, voters, fans, and children all have theories. Whenever we try to explain how something works, why something happened, or what might happen next, we are theorizing. You may have a theory about why one TikTok video goes viral and another does not. You may have a theory about why some people believe in misinformation. You may have a theory about why a friend stopped texting back, why a professor assigns so much reading, why a movie became popular, or why one news story dominates public attention. These everyday theories may be weak, incomplete, untested, or based mostly on personal experience. But they are still theories in the basic sense that they are attempts to explain the confusing world in which we live...." ------------ References and Video Sources Course Readings and Scholarly Sources Chaffee, J. (1998). The thinker’s way: 8 steps to a richer life. Little, Brown. Source link: https://ift.tt/OeMPBjK DeFleur, M. L., & DeFleur, M. H. (2022). Introduction to the origins, nature, and uses of theories. In Mass communication theories: Explaining origins, processes, and effects (2nd ed.). Routledge. Source link: https://ift.tt/pnOC7qm Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Curiosity. Source link: https://ift.tt/axVO7Wg Facione, P. A. (1990). Critical thinking: A statement of expert consensus for purposes of educational assessment and instruction (The Delphi Report). California Academic Press. Source link: https://ift.tt/CHubNjm Gould, S. J. (1991). An essay on a pig roast. In Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in natural history (pp. 432–447). W. W. Norton. Source link: https://ift.tt/2di7N8O Hart, W. (2026). Critical thinking and science literacy: Twin foundations of inquiry in a mediated world [Course handout]. Miller, J. D. (1998). The measurement of civic scientific literacy. Public Understanding of Science, 7(3), 203–223. Source link: https://ift.tt/VSjRme4 Miller, J. D. (2004). Public understanding of, and attitudes toward, scientific research: What we know and what we need to know. Public Understanding of Science, 13(3), 273–294. Source link: https://ift.tt/NIzaSXq National Research Council. (1996). National science education standards. National Academy Press. Source link: https://ift.tt/gqIj5lv National Research Council. (1998). Teaching about evolution and the nature of science. National Academies Press. Source link: https://ift.tt/nNeTRqM Rosenberry, J., & Vicker, L. A. (2022). Theory and the study of communication. In Applied mass communication theory: A guide for media practitioners (3rd ed.). Routledge. Source link: https://ift.tt/N3FZKl5 Sagan, C. (1995). The demon-haunted world: Science as a candle in the dark. Random House. Source link: https://ift.tt/J9jtqhZ Shen, B. S. P. (1975). Science literacy. American Scientist, 63(3), 265–268. Source link: https://ift.tt/SjwUHXY =============================== AI Use Statement: This video is based on Dr. Hart's original lecture notes. Script, visuals, and narration were produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed and edited by Dr. Hart. Tools used: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, ElevenLabs (voice, music), and Adobe Premiere (video editing). ==============================="
Via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK6LlWKeT9E
Liked on August 26, 2026 at 11:57PM