Assignment #1 Repost

In case you lose the paper copy, here's post describing the first blog post assignment. Remember, these begin to be due this Monday, if your last name is at the beginning of the alphabet!

COMM 1061: Introduction to Mass Communication
Blog Assignment #1

The first blog entry is based roughly on our activity from last week, analyzing a series of TV advertisements from Apple Computer. Basically, the point is to introduce the readers of the blog to an important, interesting, or noteworthy slice of the media, and to begin the process of analyzing it.

The structure of these blog posts will be standardized, so that you have some guidance about what needs to be included. The structure follows two of the five stages described in the section of Chapter One titled “Media Literacy and the Critical Process” on pp. 28-29.

1) Description: Paying close attention, taking notes, and researching the subject under study.
2) Analysis: Discovering and focusing on significant patterns that emerge from the description stage.

As you will note, the fifth stage, Engagement, is the culmination of the process of writing and posting to the blog. As we develop a body of work and promote our blog, we will be engaging in an action that adds our own voices to the process of shaping the cultural environment.

There are several things that need to happen to enable you to complete this assignment.

First, you must email me your email address by Monday, September 8th so that I can add you as an author for the blog. You will receive a message from Blogger inviting you to join the blog, and you will receive a username and password. The address for the blog is centuryonmedia.blogspot.com.

Second, you should look at some examples. Within a day or two, I will post an example of the kind of post I would like to see, following the two stages listed above.

Third, you should pick a subject for you to write on. We will spend some time in class generating ideas, and I will compile these. When you send me your email address, I will include a document that compiles these ideas. Basically, pick something you like to watch/consume already – whether it is Dancing with the Stars, The Daily Show, political advertising, whatever it is that you already consume.

Fourth, you should follow the stages above. It is really important to describe in detail what it is that you are analyzing. Keep in mind that not everyone may have seen or heard the media artifact you are working with. If there are web sites that you can hyperlink to your blog entry, you should supply them for your audience. If there’s a video clip on YouTube, paste it into your post. You are not trying to comprehensively research or fully evaluate that which you are analyzing – rather, you are trying to provide an avenue for future research and provoke some thoughts about the media artifact.

Fifth, remember that you are working on a deadline. Each student will be provided a due date for their entry, and you must post your entry by 5 PM Central Time on the due date. You are welcome to post your entry earlier if you like.

Sixth, an appropriate length for a blog entry is approximately 3-4 double spaced pages, or 1.5-2 single spaced pages. The bulk of this will probably be close description of the media artifact, and this shouldn’t be too hard. I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you type up your entry on a word processor, save it, and then paste it into the blog. This gives you the ability to edit and review your post, and eliminates the possibility of losing because of some kind of glitch.

EVALUATION:

The first blog entry is worth 15 points. You lose 2 points for each calendar day it is late, and since the assignment will be “collected” on a daily basis, these calendar days include weekends and days that the class doesn’t meet.

Your blog entry will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
1) Presence and use of the two stages of the critical process,
2) Clarity and depth of description of your chosen artifact,
3) Ability to identify interesting patterns and features for analysis,
4) Clear and accurate use of the English language.

Remember, this blog post is publicly available, so make sure it is polished and ready for a public audience.

COMMENTING:

It is expected that you will read the blog posts as part of the class, and commenting on the posts of your classmates is part of your participation grade. In this first round, I expect each class member to make at least 2 comments on posts other than your own. I evaluate comments on the following criteria:

1) They must be substantive – in other words, they should do more than say “Yeah!” or “I disagree.” If you disagree say _why_ you disagree.
2) They cannot be repetitive – there can be overlap, but just posting that you agree with an earlier comment isn’t enough.
3) Comments should be approximately one paragraph in length.

Schedule and Due Dates:

If your last name begins with A-F, your post needs to be up by 5 PM September 15th (Monday). If it begins with G-P it needs to be up by 5 PM on September 17th (Wednesday). If it begins with Q-Z it needs to be up by 5 PM September 19th (Friday.)