Description:
This course examines the nature and impact of emerging media technology. Students study four primary ways new technology influences media, including 1) how media professionals do their work, 2) the nature of media content, 3) the relationships between and among media and relevant publics, and 4) the structure, culture and management of media organizations and systems. Five areas of media technology are studied, including 1) acquisition tools, 2) storage technologies, 3) processing devices, 4) distribution technologies and 5) display, access or presentation tools.
Synopsis:
Course Objectives:
The objectives of this course are three-fold:
1) students will obtain a conceptual roadmap to new media and their implications for journalism and society;
2) students will acquire a working knowledge of weblogs and other new media that are transforming journalism; and,
3) students will develop a critical thinking skills regarding new media and their consequences.
Assessment:
Regarding objective 1, the instructor will evaluate each student's series of original written reports regarding contemporary issues in media and emerging technologies.
Regarding objective 2, the instructor will evaluate each student's creation of a web log and weekly posting to those blogs.
Regarding objective 3, the instructor will evaluate each student's participation in weekly online discussion of emerging issues in new media.
Grading:
Biography – 5 pts.
Weekly online discussion – 25 pts.
Creating a weblog – 10 pts.
Weblog critique – 10 pts.
Self-evaluation – 10 pts.
Moderating an online discussion – 15 pts.
Updating blog weekly – 25 pts.
Required text:
Converging Media: An Introduction to Mass Communication. John V. Pavlik, Shawn McIntosh. Pub. Date: May 2003. ISBN: 0205308031. ISBN-13: 9780205308033. Format: Textbook Paperback, 576pp. Publisher: Allyn & Bacon, Inc. Note: Students receive free copies of the book and the authors receive no royalties or other compensation.
