Posted: September 13th, 2017

Portfolio

Paper, Order, or Assignment Requirements

 

 

1.1 Introduction: How does the media engage you? How do you

engage with the media?

Course themes

• What are major changes in the move from old to media?

• How have they impacted on – access, audience, production, consumption,

media institutions, economics?

Topic Themes / keywords: Old / new media

learning goals:

• Introduction and orientation to unit;

• Review expectations of students and staff

• Library familiarity

Preparation

Prepare:

• Look through your unit outline and study guide.

Lecture: Introduction to the unit & orientation

View

Did You Know 4.0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8.

Although this video uses American statistics, it illustrates the rapid changes effecting

the production, distribution and consumption of media texts as a result of the

digitalisation and convergence of technologies.

Read

Henry Jenkins, “Critical Information studies for a participatory culture (pt 2)”, blog

post, April 10 2009.

Discussion questions

• Introduce yourself and outline your personal media use and preferences; what

commonalities / differences do you see in your group?

• How do views about recent developments in the media differ between

students and friends/family/older generations/different cultures? Why?

Assignment 1 tasks/preparation

1. Library orientation

Visit library website:

take library tutorials on locating information;

Find the set reading for week 2 (Bolter & Gruisin).

In your learning portfolio: Record any observations about the process or

problems you encountere

 

1.2 The Medium is the Message? When the media converge

Topic Themes / keywords: Participatory culture; moral panics; ethics

learning goals:

• Begin to develop a sense of how media forms and audience impact on

consumption, reading of, and participation in/with texts.

• Explore the concept of remediation

• Developing understanding of critical reading

Preparation

Lecture: Remediation: Unit themes and concepts

Mini-lecture: Critical Reading

Read

Bolter, J. D., and Grusin. R. (1999). Remediation: Understanding New Media.

Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (pp. 44-50). [available in e-reserve]

Rosen, J. (2006). ‘The People Formerly Known as the Audience’. Press Think.

http://archive.pressthink.org/2006/06/27/ppl_frmr.html

Watch

Henry Jenkins on Participatory Culture http://cinematech.blogspot.com/2009/05/great-video-whenry-

jenkins-on.html

Discussion Questions

• How has remediation changed in the contemporary ‘new media’ environment?

• How do consumers participate in the production and consumption of media

texts? In what ways has this changed over the last decade?

Assignment 1 tasks / preparation

Document the process of critical reading.

Using the Bolter & Gruisin reading you will highlight it, take notes and finally write a

summary.

You may find this study skills tutorial on academic integrity useful: particularly the

section on ‘note-taking’ < http://learningcentre.curtin.edu.au/online/academicintegrity/

pages/i03a.html> and ‘paraphrasing/summarising’ <

http://learningcentre.curtin.edu.au/online/academic-integrity/pages/i04a.html>

In your learning portfolio write your summary of the article that addresses the

following points (200-250 words):

• Identify thesis (argument);

• identify relevance (what is/is not relevant for this unit);

• clarify terms (try and define terms that are unfamiliar / contested)

• suggest counter-argument (is there an opposing / oppositional view not

acknowledged here?)

• note if counter argument is defended

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1.3 Don’t touch that! Copyright, ownership and institutional control

Topic Themes / keywords: Political /economic contexts – copyright, privacy,

ownership; ethics.

learning goals:

• Introduce notions of copyright, ownership etc in new media environment;

• Familiarise students with Creative Commons licensing;

• Understanding of plagiarism

Preparation

Lecture: Copyright, ownership and institutional control

Mini-lecture: plagiarism

Read:

Steve Collins, (2008). Recovering fair use, M/C Media Culture 11 (6).

Article about fair use and copyright. Gives a good summary of the legal

history of the term, and its applicability to digital media through specific

cases.

View:

A Fair(y) use tale http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UycH2HvBRd4

A clever and enjoyable comment on institutional attempts to curtail the

doctrine of “fair use”.

Lawrence Lessig on “Laws that strangle creativity”

An excellent talk about the impact of technologies and regulation on creative

experimentation and expression.

Discussion Questions:

• What happens to copyright in new media environment?

• What are the material and ethical implications of filesharing?

Assignment 1 tasks / preparation

Repeat the critical reading process from last week using the set reading for topic 1.3

(Collins).

(If you haven’t already, make sure you have looked at the online tutorial on academic

integrity which covers note-taking, summarising, paraphrasing, referencing and

avoiding plagiarism: http://learningcentre.curtin.edu.au/online/academicintegrity/

index.html

Based on your summary, develop a critical discussion: one that not just responds to

the article, but develops a point, position or argument (200-250 words) and put his in

your portfolio.

&nbsp;

2.1 Entertain Me! Who makes your entertainment? Institutions,

audiences & participatory culture.

Topic/key concepts

Media institutions; fans & audiences; participation and remediation; culture jamming.

Learning goals:

• Examine notion of participatory culture in relation to student’s experiences

• Think about impact of ‘new media’ on our understandings of producers and

consumers, and the power of media institutions

Preparation

Lecture: Entertain Me!

Mini-Lecture: finding & evaluating academic sources

Read:

Cucco, M. (2009). The promise is great: the blockbuster and the Hollywood

economy. Media, Culture and Society, 31(2), 215-230. (Available through library’s

electronic databases)

Watch:

Vidding (2008) a series of short videos about vidding – you don’t have to watch them

all.

Explore:

fanfic entry on the fanlore wiki – feel free to browse

Discussion Questions

• Who produces entertainment media, and how and where do we consume it?

• What do we mean by participatory culture? Discuss changes in producers,

institutions, and relation to user-driven / made content

Assignment 1 tasks and preparation

Research skills

• Look at the essay topics for assignment 3 and pick one you find interesting, or

think you are most likely to answer.

• Conduct an evaluation of the essay question to identify key terms.

• Find an article from the course reader that you think is relevant to your topic.

You may find this guide to analysing your topic useful <

http://learningcentre.curtin.edu.au/online/blue-book/pages/i09.html> [Note: while this

guide is a very useful and comprehensive approach to writing essays, it is also very

prescriptive; see it as a guide, rather than the only way to construct an essay. For

example, paragraphs don’t always have to be 100 words long!]

In your learning portfolio: Explain why you chose the question you did; discuss key

terms which you must deal with when addressing the topic; explain why you chose

your article analysis of key terms(assessing relevance) (200-300 words

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2.2 Entertaining the world: using media across cultural boundaries

Topic Themes / keywords:

convergence; globalisation; agency.

Tutorial learning goals:

• Introduce theme of globalisation, linked to ‘cultures’ of media.

• Recognise the capacity of new media technologies both to maintain and to

erase cultural difference

Preparation

Lecture: Cross-Cultural Media

Mini-Lecture: Essay writing

Read:

Jenkins, H (2006). Pop cosmospolitanism: Mapping cultural flows in an age of media

convergence. In H. Jenkins, Fans, bloggers and gamers: exploring participatory

culture (pp 152-172). New York: New York University Press. (e-reserve)

Srinivasan, R (2006). Indigenous, ethnic and cultural articulations of new media.

International Journal of Cultural Studies, 9(4), 497-518. (electronic databases)

Discussion Questions:

• How does globalisation change the ways in which media is produced,

distributed and consumed?

• How can specific cultures use the internet to maintain their systems of social

organisation, language and belief?

Assignment 1 tasks and preparation

Writing skills

Assume you are preparing a draft for your final essay

In your learning portfolio: Write two paragraphs based on the article you found last

week (300-400 words). Your piece needs to include:

• a short summary of the article’s argument;

• an analysis of the argument (why it argues what it does, whether it is arguing

for or against a common assertion; if it supports or contradicts other critics);

• statement of relevance (why it is important for the topic, what it adds to

understanding).

• at least one direct quotation which is appropriately contextualised.

Make sure you adhere to correct in-text citation and bibliographical referencing

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2.3 Play with me!: Having fun with media

Topic Themes / keywords:

cultures, production, ownership, convergence

learning goals:

• Recognise the economic, aesthetic and technological influence of games

• Consider gaming cultures and fandoms

• Understand different positions in the debate about sex, violence and video

games

Preparation

Lecture: Play with Me!

Read:

Helen Thornton, (2009). Claiming a stake in the videogame: what grown-ups say to

rationalise and normalise gaming. Convergence 15 (2), 135-139. (electronic

databases)

Very thorough take on gaming, analyses discourses of gamers, especially

gender and sexuality.

Jenkins, H. (2006). The War between effects and meaning: Rethinking the video

game debate. In D. Buckingham & R. Willett (Eds.), Digital Generations: Children,

Young People, and New Media (pp 19-31). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Ass. (Ereserve)

Play:

• A game of your choice OR

• Dolphin Olympics http://www.kongregate.com/games/arawkins/dolphin-olympics-2 OR

• Plants vs Zombies : For Mac: http://www.popcap.com/games/mac/pvz : For PC:

http://downloads.popcap.com/www/popcap_downloads/PlantsVsZombiesSetup- en.exe (You

can download a free trial for one hour’s play. Be warned – this is very silly but

very addictive!)

Discussion Questions:

• What does it mean for game producers to become media producers? What

happens to users?

• Can we think of ‘alternate reality’ or ‘viral’ games as akin to console and

computer games? What does it mean for more traditional media when games

and TV / film converge?

Assignment 1 tasks and preparation

Reviewing/ editing

Review the two paragraphs written as last week’s task. Get peer feedback on what

you have written – from a friend, family member, other student (however be aware

that you are more likely to get feedback from students, as your tutor will not be able

to give every student individual feedback at this stage).

You may find the ‘editing’ section of the essay writing guide useful:

http://learningcentre.curtin.edu.au/online/blue-book/pages/i15.html

Engaging Media Study Guide 9

In your learning portfolio: Based on this feedback re-write your piece, correcting

any typographical or spelling mistakes; improving grammar; improving flow of

argument; correcting if necessary your in-text citations and bibliographical material.