Media, Culture, and Society — Fall 2016 — Assignments & Grading

Course Attendance & Participation (10%, 100 pts.)

Attendance in class and for in-class screenings.

Preparation for class, in addition to the quantity and quality of your contribution to class discussions.

Miscellaneous in-class assignments or quizzes.

Media Use Journal (20%, 200 pts.) DUE 9/26

You will keep a detailed journal of your media engagement over a 24-hour period. For the purposes of this assignment you should contemplate the broad ways “media” might be defined, including (but not limited to) electronic or screened environments (such as public/private TVs, phones, laptops, and films) as well as print media (such as advertisements, magazines, newspapers, books, and course materials).

Your journal should be 700-1000 words in length.

• First page: Provide a record of your media consumption during the day you selected. The format of this record can be provided in various formats, such as a time-log or written in paragraph form [EXAMPLES]. Be detailed in the tracking of your media engagement by including the following information:
  • Type(s) of media used.
  • How much time you spend continuously engaging with specific types of media (e.g. using your phone to listen to music) in contrast to how much you use that type of media throughout the day (e.g. all uses of your phone combined)
  • The purpose of your media use, based on categories like “work” or “leisure.”
  • Differences between intentional or accidental/incidental media engagements or encounters.
• Second and third pages: Reflect on your experience and consider the implications of your screen/media engagement. Topics/Questions to consider:
  • How often did you encounter electronic, screen, or media—purposefully or otherwise?
  • Did you find distinctions between the media you consume during/between your daily activities or engagements?
  • Did any media control or demand your attention? If it was during an unintentional encounter, was the screen distracting?
  • Were there spaces where you could not engage with media?
  • How do media help you in your day? Is your “screen time” enjoyable?
  • Was your media usage (quantity or quality) surprising to you?

 

Midterm Exam (20%, 200 pts.) IN CLASS on 10/20

• An essay format in-class exam on definitions/descriptions of concepts.
• 10 concepts will be provided in advance; 5 will be selected to appear on the exam.
  • TERMS to study for the exam.
• You need to describe all 5 concepts by 1) providing a definition based on course readings and lectures, and 2) explaining how the concept operates by making reference to a specific media example you saw in class
• No make-up exams are allowed without pre-approval.

 

Mixtape Assignment (20%, 200 pts.) DUE on 11/21

This assignment will require you to create a 30-45 minute digital “mixtape” and write a 3-4pg essay about the argument/story you created with your mix.

Guidelines for the Mixtape Assignment: PDF

 

Take-Home Final Exam (30%, 300 pts.) DUE on 12/12 (12:00pm)

The exam typically includes short answer and essay questions about readings, lectures, and screenings. The exam will be addressed at least one week before the due-date. No make-up exams are allowed without pre-approval.

Final Exam: PDF or DOCX

Grade Breakdown & Criteria

“A” indicates truly exceptional work, which demonstrates command of concepts and theories, presenting them in a well-argued and logically structured manner. “A” work significantly surpasses the expectations of the assignment, is free of spelling and grammatical errors, and does not merely address the questions through a repetition of course material or lectures. It provides fresh, creative, and original perspectives with a unique voice, offering connections between the topic and broader issues and contexts. Superior research skills are demonstrated with relevant citations and quotations advancing the argument.

“B” indicates above-average work that clearly achieves the goals of the assignment, providing smart and solid analyses with thoughtful and organized arguments I expect any diligent student to be able to produce. “B” work offers some originality, contains few (if any) typos, spelling errors, or grammatical mistakes, and addresses most questions directly by citing specific materials from the texts and lectures to illustrate points being made.

“C” indicates meets the course requirements in an adequate fashion by addressing the questions without sufficient engagement with materials from texts or lectures. “C” work tends to recycle examples from discussion without providing connections to the analysis, contains unfocused, uncritical, or insufficiently supported arguments, and typically contains acceptable but awkward prose with various typos, spelling errors or poorly structured sentences that result in vague arguments.

“D” indicates work that is off-topic, poorly written, disorganized and, instead of the course materials, utilizes “personal experience” or inapplicable research materials or support (such as readings obviously applicable in other subjects or classes). In other words, the assignment shows little to no evidence that a student was paying attention in class, does not incorporate materials used in course readings or class discussion, and sounds like a summary or review of materials rather than critically engaged analyses. This type of work may also fall short or far exceed the page limits or time constraints for the assignment and typically contain many spelling and grammatical errors and/or show no signs of being proofread.

“F” indicates work that dramatically fails to meet the goals and expectations of the course. “F” work is incoherent, plagiarized, and/or never submitted.