This final assignment is a project that the entire class will be engaged with. Together we are going to build a collaboratively written blog that addresses key issues in Media and Communication Studies. You are expected to draw on the concepts and terms (and materials!) from the first half of the course, as well as research you will do beyond what has been assigned on your topic.
This final group assignment works toward the learning goal of demonstrating a proficiency in collaborative learning, as expressed through teamwork, preparation, discussions, peer and self-evaluation, shared leadership, and active listening. Students also work toward these learning goals: Employing media and communication theory to explain the social world, and demonstrating the ability to link media histories and contemporary media-making practices. Your group’s goal for this research project is to creatively and rigorously reflect on your assigned area of the curriculum, aiming to enhance your readers’ grasp of the topic. We will create communication that addresses key issues in Media and Communication Studies. This collaborative project focuses closely on material since the midterm. We go beyond this material by researching assigned group topics.
Each group will create engaging writing with textual visual and/or audio examples that addresses the question: What does Media and Communication teach us about “X”? In this case, “X” is one of the following 10 options below.
My group is ” Social Media and Youth”
I need “One case study”
A suggested readings list of outside scholarly readings that includes at least 8 sources cited, with 4 or more annotations (see below)Direct engagement with three or more assigned readings
Clear relationships and transitions between subsections
Properly formatted footnotes in the style of your choice
A consistent visual style across all entries (font, colors, etc) so that content appears connected
CASE STUDIES
Each case study should address a recent or semi-recent event, story, or campaign related to your topic. Your group must produce one case study per member from a Media and Communication Studies approach. A case study can be any of the following:
a critical analysis of a particular campaign or initiative
a critical analysis of a media discourse, cultural representation, etc.
Case studies should be approximately 600-800words each.
The case studies should incorporate visuals or photos that are as closely connected to the study as possible (and cite them, of course!). This is a mock website, after all, and websites more often than not have some sort of visual that accompanies the text. But that said, don’t let the visuals do all of the work for you—be sure to explain why you chose the visual and what kind of work it does for your claims.
You are to draw on at least two assigned course readings as well as additional scholarly sources you’ve researched to analyze your objects of study through a Media and Communication Studies lens (taking into consideration REPRESENTATION, MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY, and MEDIA ORGANIZATION). In other words, apply the theoretical insights and concepts introduced in our course readings to your objects of study.
Avoid writing only a basic report of findings. The event/campaign (etc) should be analyzed in a specific way rather than act as a mirroring of your sources.
An example of a case study: say your topic is “Representation and Power” and your group has chosen to focus specifically on gender. One case might look at the use of photoshopping to transform women’s bodies in advertising and entertainment media and how that impacts discourses around beauty standards. You would then offer instances of particularly known cases of photoshopping where models or actors have spoken out about the adjustments made to their figures.
CITATION
– Use footnotes rather than in-text citations.
– You may use either MLA or Chicago citation styles – just as long as you’re consistent.
For the assigned readings,
1. Can use The video Generation Like” https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=c2Nob2RhY2suazEyLm55LnVzfG1ycy1zdHJvY2stbWVkaWEtY3VsdHVyZXxneDoxMDNiZDU4NmY2NDhjNzMw”
2. Carey 1998 – Communication as culture which is attached