Attendance and Participation are key dimensions of this class. Although this is an intro class, we dive deep in our analyses and creative work, both in class conversation and online. I know speaking in class is not equally comfortable for all, and I do take this into consideration, but I encourage you to do your best to make yourself feel comfortable participating in our class conversations in person, online, or both. I hope you’ll feel comfortable wrangling with ideas, going out on a limb offering interpretations, and exploring new technologies and forms of critical and creative expression. Attendance at screenings is also important; through the shared experience, our weekly in-class screenings contributes to the collective experience of media analysis that is at the heart of this class.
We’ll be holding in person screenings in Axinn 232 on Wednesdays at 7.30. These collective, in person viewing experiences are a key part of the class. I will take attendance at screenings, and you will be responsible for discussing the screenings in your weekly online discussions on Teams.
Every week, you'll have a weekly mix assigned: a combination of academic readings, popular readings, and sometimes video essays/multimedia. These are our core through-line in the class, and you need to have completed the weekly mix before class in order to participate in class discussions and online discussions. I've tried not to overwhelm with too many readings with the intent that you'll actually be able to read/watch them by class. A tip for how to approach these readings etc: try to pick out 3 key quotes that speak to you, 2 connections you make with the readings (personal connections, with other classes, with other things we've talked about etc.), and 1 question you have (either clarifying or expansive). If you do this for each piece, you can feel confident that you're sufficiently prepared for class. [I borrowed this 3-2-1 rule of thumb from the awesome Shawna Shapiro from our Writing & Rhetoric program.
Every week, we’ll have an asynchronous discussion on Teams or Flip where you will respond to and draw connections between the readings and screenings, and respond to one another. You can choose to respond via video on Flip or via text in Teams. Either are fine and equivalent. I will post a few prompts to get you started, but you’re welcome to take the conversation in other directions. Once you have made your initial response, respond to at least one fellow classmate’s comment. Any extra responses beyond those first two count as extra credit! Feel free to embed images, video, links, etc. No need to be overly formal in these conversations. Have fun with it!