January Term Course Proposal

 

Department: Libraries

Instructor: Sara Prahl

 

Course Title: Media Literacy

 

Course to be offered: January, annually

 

Catalogue Statement:

 

This course offers an opportunity for the examination of media in our lives.  This includes examining structures of media production, copyright, dissemination, and use; the effect these structures have on various populations; and the empowerment grassroots media initiatives promise populations under-represented and underserved by mainstream media. Through production of blogs, creative PowerPoint presentations, digital stories, and multimedia portfolios, each student will examine and represent his/her unique stance within larger media and cultural structures.

 

 

Prerequisites or co-requisites: None

Enrollment limit: 15

 

In your opinion, will this course fulfill an area and/or the diversity requirement?

 

Yes, this course will fulfill the new, US and non-US diversity requirements.

 

This course offers an opportunity for the examination of media in our lives.  This includes examining structures of media production, copyright, dissemination, and use; the effect these structures have on various populations; and the empowerment grassroots media initiatives promise populations under-represented and underserved by mainstream media.  We will examine and contextualize the political and cultural impulses driving the exploding, international media reform movement. We will explore a variety of grassroots media initiatives undertaken in communities around the world, successful because they promise truly democratic representation and access through the employment of inexpensive, user-friendly digital media applications.  Through production of multimedia portfolios, each student will examine and represent his/her unique stance within larger media and cultural structures. Defying repressive media representation, claiming the power of narrative to shape reality, considering the political and cultural ramifications of engaging an audience, and gaining the skills to make one’s unique voice heard in pubic discourse are central to this exercise. 

 

Number of credit hours: 3

Class Meetings: MWF 1-4

 

Readings:

 

Various articles from Gender, Race, and Class in Media

Various articles from Rethinking Media Literacy: A Critical Pedagogy of Representation

 

Viewings:

 

Various Media Education Foundation films (including, but not limited to…)

• No Logo: Brands, Globalization, Resistance
• Game Over: Race, Gender, and Violence in Video Games
• Advertising and the End of the World
• Off the Straight and Narrow: Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Television
• Material Witness: Race, Identity, and the Politics of Gangsta Rap
• Democracy in a Different Voice
• Fifth Annual Media That Matters Film Festival (online)
• Digital stories, blogs, podcasts, moblogs from around the world

 

Projects:

 

    Individual Blog (using Blogger or other freely available blogging software)

    Digital Story (using iMovie or Windows MovieMaker)

    Multimedia Portfolio

 

Writing:

 

Individual Blog:

 

1.    Individual blog must be a hypertext document and must incorporate images.  Video and audio components are optional.

2.    Individual blogs will be maintained by each student for daily journaling, reading response papers, project process papers, and resource sharing.

3.    Blogs will provide a presentation platform for individual digital projects.

4.    Blogs will provide a discussion space parallel to the classroom for course participants.

5.    Response to peers’ blogs will be mandatory.

 

 

Course Wiki:

 

1.    The course wiki will provide a common, collaborative environment for the publication and revision of our evolving ideas around media throughout the month.  The wiki will be divided into categories mirroring major themes of the course and inviting students’ written comments. 

2.    All students will be required to contribute to the course wiki.

 

Class Participation:

 

Class participation will consist of the following:

 

1.    Class discussion around readings, viewings and concepts

2.    Required daily journaling/blogging (4x/week)

3.    Required weekly response to peers’ blogs

4.    Required collaboration in the course wiki

5.    Required presentation of projects

6.    Required process paper on each project

7.    Required feedback on peers’ projects

8.    Required weekly response papers on a particular reading, viewing, or concept

9.    Required feedback to one peer’s weekly response paper

 

Type of Grading: Jan Plan credit only

 

Why is this particular course being proposed?

 

Currently, library education on the social and political ramifications of information production, distribution, and use is very limited.  In 50- or 75-minute one-shot sessions, we are only able to touch on these issues and cannot offer the sustained analysis and engagement with these concepts that facilitates meaningful learning.  This course is an attempt to augment our current information literacy offerings by addressing the interwoven demands on our students to develop information, media and digital fluency, with particular emphasis on issues of socially responsible and culturally creative engagement with information media.

 

Effect on faculty load?

 

I will still be available to work on the reference desk as needed.  My teaching this course should not put an undue strain on the library faculty and staff.

 

Effect on curriculum?

 

This course is not being offered to replace and existing course, and will not alternate with any other course. It is meant to augment existing information literacy instruction.

 

What methods will be used to evaluate students’ work?

 

Evaluation of students’ work will be based on overall class participation, individual work (journaling, response papers), presentation of projects (projects and process papers), peer editing and feedback (blogs, wiki, response paper feedback).