• Attendance, Preparation, Discussion, and Participation in Exercises: 20%
  • Blog Posts (4 posts and short weekly responses): 25%
  • Short Paper (apply a Frankfurt/Birmingham theory to a post-2000 media case): 15%
  • Final Conference Paper (including abstract and final paper): 40%

Blog Posts and Responses: Over the course of the quarter, you will contribute to a class blog (located on this site) through original posts and responses to your peers. These posts are intended to influence and extend the conversations we have during our shared meetings. You are required to post at least 4 entries over the course of the quarter. Each entry should respond to that week’s media or theoretical reading, expand substantively on an ongoing topic of class discussion (without simply reproducing or documenting an exchange), or call our attention to articles or media about related phenomena. The 4 minimum entries can be posted anytime over the course of the quarter but you may post no more than one post a week for credit (so plan ahead!). Each post must also comment on a topic from the week in which it is posted (so you can’t, for instance, return to a topic from Week 2 on Week 9 unless it is in some way related to a current discussion). While the content of these entries can be wide-ranging and a touch less formal than an academic essay, you should observe formal citation standards and be mindful of your prose. You are also required to read posts by your classmates and respond briefly to at least one entry per week.

Short Paper (5 pages): For this short paper, select a theory from the Frankfurt or Birmingham schools, covered in Week 1 and 2, and apply it to a post-2000 media case. For instance, how does Snapchat operate relative to Walter Benjamin’s concept of “aura”? Does Adorno and Horkheimer’s “culture industry” still apply to a post-broadcasting media landscape made up of streaming services such as Netflix or interactive media such as video games? How can you extend Angela McRobbie’s feminist critique of the Birmingham school to a salient contemporary case of digital or networked media? The theory and case are up to you, but the paper should include a clear synthesis of the theory, an overview of your case, and a non-obvious argument with stakes.

Final Paper Abstract (300-400 words): About a month before the final essay is due, you will turn in a brief abstract. You can adjust your topic during the research process, but it’s useful to have a starting point — a working fiction, if you will — well in advance of the deadline. The abstract should succinctly state your argument, name your key work or object of analysis, explain the way you’re positioning your intervention in the broader scholarly field, and demonstrate why a reader would care about the argument that you’re making. The abstract should also comment upon the type of research that will be necessary to complete your work in the final month of the quarter. You can include a bibliography. Also, this exercise will connect to the final mock conference. So write the abstract as if you are submitting it to an actual conference and include the name of the conference to which you are submitting. We will play the part of a conference organizer and either accept or reject your proposed paper. 

Final Mock Conference (10-12 Minutes): About a week before the final research paper is due, you’ll have a chance to present a slightly shorter version of your paper in class. You should present your argument and its implications in a clear and persuasive manner. You should also prepare the presentation, in advance, so that it fits within the allotted slot (you will be timed). Visual aids (such as PowerPoints, images, or videos) will certainly strengthen your presentation. The primary purpose of the assignment is to prepare you for conference presentations and to give you useful feedback that will help you with your final set of revisions. After your presentation, we will have a short question and answer period.

Final Paper (10-15 Pages): Your 10-15 page final paper can be related to any aspect of the material covered in the course. To clarify, you need not necessarily write about one of the primary texts we cover in class. For this assignment, you will work up to your final essay through an abstract and a conference presentation.