Representations of Online Communities: Responding to the Media
Description: Students will practice interpreting how the Internet is represented in advertisements,
music, art, film, popular press. They should be mindful of dividing their object of study into analytical components and constructing an interpretation that critiques, challenges, or questions commonly purveyed attitudes about the net.
This writing may not exceed 4 pages double spaced (1000 words), including any necessary
explanation or description of what you are responding to. So be CLEAR, concise, and FOCUSED. HINT: This is where succinct "signal phrases" come in handy. See your handbook.
The final draft will be double spaced, follow MLA format and include a Works Cited page. Missing drafts or workshops will lower the final grade by one point for each missing draft or workshop session.
Topic Suggestions
- Evaluate a print (newspaper or magazine) representation of online communities and compare to Bruckman's or Rheingold's representation of online communities
- Evaluate a movie, locating a particular representation of internet culture. IE, what kind of claims do the movies Hackers, Johnny Mnemonic, The Net, The Matrix or another film make about the Internet, its culture, its myths? Feel free to make connections with any of the articles you have read so far.
- Locate a typical major claim on TV (especially in the evening news) about the Internet and
write a position paper, evaluating the substance or logic of the claim given what you have
learned and experienced this semester. Compare the substance of that media image with the claims from one of the authors from your textbook..
- Write a position paper responding to a media representation of the net (especially metaphors such as "information highway," "e-everything,") and compare the claim/s with what you have gleaned from your reading or group discussions.
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Propose your own topic based one one of the readings and one media representation of the internet.
Due Dates:
- March 8 :Workshop topic focus and development
- March 10 Complete Rough Draft (4 pages, typed)
- March 15: Proofreading Draft
- March 17: Final paper with all drafts, worksheets and self evaluation in a pocket folder.
You may send questions to the class MOO *List.
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