Molloy College Rockville Centre, NY 11571 COURSE OUTLINE

SEMESTER: Fall 2013

DEPT.: Communication Arts

FACULTY: James Cohen

COURSE #: COM 243

SECTION: 01

TITLE: Introduction to New Media

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Introduction to the rapidly changing field of new media, including video gaming, video and webpage Internet design, web and podcasting, blogs, online communities, and other aspects of a virtual world. The course examines these new technologies in terms of their social and communicative impact. 3 Credits

INTRODUCTION TO NEW MEDIA COM 243 01 Fall 2013 MW 3:25 4:50pm James Cohen Communication Arts & Sciences Dept. Office Number: Phone: 323-3246 jcohen@molloy.edu Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 1-3pm Catalog Description: Introduction to the rapidly changing field of new media, including video gaming, video and webpage Internet design, web and podcasting, blogs, online communities, and other aspects of a virtual world. The course examines these new technologies in terms of their social and communicative impact. Goals: Todays rapidly changing media environment is not only changing how people create a dialogue and discuss issues in a worldly sense, but also changes how people connect to one another. Identity and storytelling have become paramount in a world where everyone has a voice. The course focuses on how democracy of storytelling is changing and how to gain an identity as a mature storyteller who can defend a point of view. A focus on integrity and truth as well as aspects of journalism will be explored. There will be an exploration of new technologies in the sense of social media connections in many forms and the utilization of several types of these technologies. The goal is to not only understand the way new media works, but to participate in this new and rapidly growing environment. Objectives: To demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills when discussing the process of rapidly evolving media. To display the ability to discuss issues in a rational way, to analyze critically, and to evaluate effectively. To further develop research abilities and explain findings in written and oral form. To understand the theory of dialogue in a virtual space. To understand how storytelling in a new media realm creates identity and how to effectively utilize stories in many forms. To become familiar with current issues regarding new media and dialogue in the world based sense. To effectively display technical knowledge in publishing in an online realm in the form of blogs or posts.

Text: Articles about new media supplied online by instructor. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Optional readings: Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky The Most Human Human by Brian Christian Against the Machine by Lee Siegel Convergent Culture by Henry Jenkins. The Master Switch by Tim Wu Evaluation Criteria: Participation and Dialogue Project 1: Vlog Assignment Project 2: Future of television assignment Quizzes Project 3: Dialogue and research assignment 30% 15% 15% 15% 25%

Grammar, punctuation and accuracy is necessary as that constitutes much of your grade in any written assignment The Communicating Across the Curriculum (CAC) requirement for writing, speaking, listening, and critical thinking is an integral part of all assignments. Students will demonstrate effective oral and written communication. They will also demonstrate the ability to discuss issues in a rational way, to analyze critically, and to evaluate effectively. Academic Integrity: The policy on academic integrity is found in the Student Handbook of Molloy College. Please review it and abide by it. All written work using other sources will be subject to verification by Turnitin.com for authenticity, attribution citation credit to original authors. Attendance Policy: Because so much of the course is dependent on class discussions and inclass exercises, attendance is mandatory. Absences of more than two class sessions will result in the lowering of the final grade by one full letter. Three late arrivals will be counted as one absence. There will be no make-up sessions or assignment for either test or presentation, unless you have official documentation such as a note from a doctor or a hospital.

Participation and Professional Classroom Behavior: Class attendance is required; students do not receive extra credit for attending, although grades are reduced for excessive absences. However, credit is given for participating in class. Participation involves your contribution in discussions around material covered in class; this can take the form of questions, comments, observations and so on. Your participation grade is based on what you contribute to the class as a whole. The second part of your participation grade concerns professional behavior. Part of you college education involves learning and practicing professional levels and standards of conduct. How you behave in the classroom should reflect how you would behave in the context of a job. This entails being respectful of other in the class (not talking while theyre talking, etc.), respecting the business conducted in the classroom (not talking on your cell phone, playing video games, etc.), and so on. Course Format: This class meets twice weekly, on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 3:25 4:50pm. The course includes lectures and discussions of new media and participatory culture. Research findings and written assignments will be discussed in class. Much of the research and writing will be done outside of class. The class will have an online outlet to post completed assignments with the goal of beginning an online discussion. Attendance is absolutely necessary because each class will advance how assignments will progress. The schedule is tentative and malleable because of the nature of the rapidly changing media and stories that develop in real time. Schedule: September 9 Introduction to class and theory of participatory culture. What is New Media? What is web 2.0? 3.0? Why does this class entail? Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky Watch KSU video: Information R/evolution Watch Socialnomics video: Social Media Revolution Sept 11 The digital ethnographic world. How life is lived with new media? How are you embedded in the participatory culture. Introduction to professional usage of new media and how new media is utilized by the media. Exercise 1, your online identity. due Sept 16.

EXERCISE 1: Your Online Identity. Log off everything. Do your best to figure out who you are online. Use search tools like google, facebook, myspace, etc to see how exposed you are online by the average user. Write a one page report on your identity online listed how much of your profile is exposed, what type of content you have online (blogs, articles, projects, artwork, etc), and what you know about you. Treat this as a third person POV project. This is due in one week. Sept 16 Your online presence. Who are you online? Web 2.0 tools. Social media tools (Facebook, Myspace, twitter). media tools (YouTube, Flickr, blip.tv), research tools (wikipedia, wikis, delicious, diigo, reddit, digg), writing/expression tools (blogger, wordpress, livejournal). What is your place within the construct of new and digital media? How do you know you are being human online? Online journalism How is journalism, or the media, effected by new media? What is citizen journalism? The online conversation. Class discussion of current media atmosphere and usage of new media in journalism. Read these articles for next class: Comment is King by Virginia Heffernan and The Trolls Among Us by Mattathias Schwartz Anonymous and Trolls online. The Rules of the Internet. Introduction to web-based television. Moving a cool medium to a warm medium. What is the message? Television online. What is the difference between web television and television on the web? What are webisodes? Watch in class We Need Girlfriends and part of Dr. Horribles Sing-a-long Blog. PROJECT 1 ASSIGNMENT: You as video professional. We have the access, you have the talent. Prove it. Web television continued. The academy and the business. No Class. Presidents Day. The tech of the web. Web 2.0 and how social media is more than a device to connect people to people. How do search engines work? How is money made on the web? How does video work on the

Sept 18 Sept 23

Sept 25

Sept 30 October 2 October 7

October 9 October 14 October 16

web? Discussion on how the user maintains web content through tagging and organizing. METADATA. Extra info: Social Networking Sites: Definition, History, Scholarship October 21 What is a meme? How do users understand and share viral videos. How do Internet people help disseminate the ideas? ASSIGNMENT: Read James Gleicks What Defines a Meme? Theory of the audience. How are memes transferred? A further look into Unruly Media. South Parks theoretical dollars. Dan Meths Internet People and Weezers Pork and Beans. The character of the web. ASSIGNMENT: Tell your grandparents about the chipmunk! The viral world of videos, vines, and pictures. ASSIGNMENT: The Future of Television. Due November 25. How memes drive politics and culture. The way that Tumblr has helped the 2012 elections. Binders full of And how Memes are a form of political expression.

October 23

October 28 October 30

November 4 Politics and new media discussion Part 1 November 6 Politics and new media theory Part 2 How politics are affected by the internet. Iran Elections; Political history; satire. 60 minutes Digital Wasteland; WSJ End of Wall Street; Food Fight: This American Life Nov 11 Convergence and new media. The theory of open source content. Video game theory and open source editing. How have gamers created a cultural social conscious that effects many? Games crossing borders into webisodes, conventions, politics, psychology television channels. Nov 13 Nov 18 Nov 20 literacy. Nov 25 Future of television assignment due. Presentations. Media Literacy and Open Theory. Millenials, Digital Immigrants. NY Times article. Education and new media. Distance learning and MOOCs. Separating cynicism from skepticism. Media Literacy. How to keep media literate in a new media world. Simulacra, hyperreality, verisimilitude, truthiness: the words of new media

Nov 27

No Class. Thanksgiving.

December 2 The Social Network December 4 The Social Network part 2 and discussion. December 9 How you ARE social media. ASSIGMENT: Due the final day. In the form of a paper/presentation or a vlog. How you will be a leader in new media. December 11Your digital life. Your responsibilities as a netizen and a understanding yrou digital footprint and its life online. Augmented reality and understanding visual culture. Wrap up discussion and thoughts about the future of the web and Web 3.0 Final Day Presentations of Vlogs/Research