Molloy College

Rockville Centre, NY 11571

COURSE OUTLINE

SEMESTER: Fall 2010

DEPT.: Communication Arts FACULTY: James Cohen

COURSE #: COM 243 SECTION: 01

TITLE: Introduction to New

Media

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:

Introduction to the rapidly changing field of new media, including video

gaming, video and webpage Internet design, web and podcasting, blogs, online
communities, and other aspects of a virtual world. The course examines these
new technologies in terms of their social and communicative impact.

3 Credits
 INTRODUCTION TO NEW MEDIA

COM 243 – 01
Spring 2010
MW 12:15 – 1:40p

James Cohen
Communication Arts & Sciences Dept.
Office Number:
Phone: 678-5000 Ext.
jcohen@molloy.edu and better reached at jamesncohen@gmail.com
Office Hours: by appointment

Catalog Description:
Introduction to the rapidly changing field of new media, including video
gaming, video and webpage Internet design, web and podcasting, blogs, online
communities, and other aspects of a virtual world. The course examines these
new technologies in terms of their social and communicative impact.

Goals:
Today’s rapidly changing media environment is not only changing how
people create a dialogue and discuss issues in a worldly sense, but also changes
how people connect to one another. Identity and storytelling have become
paramount in a world where everyone has a voice.
The course focuses on how democracy of storytelling is changing and how
to gain an identity as a mature storyteller who can defend a point of view. A
focus on integrity and truth as well as aspects of journalism will be explored.
There will be an exploration of new technologies in the sense of social media
connections in many forms and the utilization of several types of these
technologies. The goal is to not only understand the way new media works, but
to participate in this new and rapidly growing environment.

Objectives:
• To demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills when
discussing the process of rapidly evolving media.
• To display the ability to discuss issues in a rational way, to analyze
critically, and to evaluate effectively.
• To further develop research abilities and explain findings in written and
oral form.
• To understand the theory of dialogue in a virtual space.
• To understand how storytelling in a new media realm creates identity
and how to effectively utilize stories in many forms.
• To become familiar with current issues regarding new media and
dialogue in the world based sense.
• To effectively display technical knowledge in publishing in an online
realm in the form of blogs or posts.
Text:
Articles about new media supplied online by instructor via email as links.
Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky
Optional readings:
Against the Machine. Lee Siegel
Convergent Culture. Henry Jenkins.
The Associated Press Stylebook. Norm Goldstein.

Evaluation Criteria:

Participation and Dialogue 30%

Project 1: Reporting assignment 15%

Project 2: Creative assignment 15%

New Media Exercises 15%

Project 3: Dialogue and research assignment 25%

Grammar, punctuation and accuracy is necessary as that constitutes much of

your grade in any written assignment

The Communicating Across the Curriculum (CAC) requirement for writing,

speaking, listening, and critical thinking is an integral part of all assignments.
Students will demonstrate effective oral and written communication. They will
also demonstrate the ability to discuss issues in a rational way, to analyze
critically, and to evaluate effectively.

Academic Integrity:
The policy on academic integrity is found in the Student Handbook of
Molloy College. Please review it and abide by it.
All written work using other sources will be subject to verification by
Turnitin.com for authenticity, attribution citation credit to original authors.

Attendance Policy:
Because so much of the course is dependent on class discussions and in-
class exercises, attendance is mandatory. Absences of more than two
class sessions will result in the lowering of the final grade by one full
letter. Three late arrivals will be counted as one absence.

There will be no make-up sessions or assignment for either test or

presentation, unless you have official documentation such as a note from
a doctor or a hospital.
Participation and Professional Classroom Behavior:
Class attendance is required; students do not receive extra credit for
attending, although grades are reduced for excessive absences. However,
credit is given for participating in class. Participation involves your
contribution in discussions around material covered in class; this can take
the form of questions, comments, observations and so on. Your
participation grade is based on what you contribute to the class as a
whole.

The second part of your participation grade concerns professional

behavior. Part of you college education involves learning and practicing
professional levels and standards of conduct. How you behave in the
classroom should reflect how you would behave in the context of a job.
This entails being respectful of other in the class (not talking while they’re
talking, etc.), respecting the business conducted in the classroom (not
talking on your cell phone, playing video games, etc.), and so on.

Course Format:
This class meets twice weekly, on Mondays and Wednesdays, from
12:15 – 1:40p. The course includes lectures and discussions of new
media and participatory culture. Research findings and written
assignments will be discussed in class. Much of the research and writing
will be done outside of class. The class will have an online outlet to post
completed assignments with the goal of beginning an online discussion.
Attendance is absolutely necessary because each class will advance how
assignments will progress. The schedule is tentative and malleable
because of the nature of the rapidly changing media and stories that
develop in real time.

Standards in assignments:
Attention to several aspects in writing and producing online content MUST
be adhered to:

Accuracy: Commitment to truth in storytelling becomes more and more

important everyday. Attention to citing correctly as well as
credit to original source is absolutely necessary. Correct
spelling of sources is of the most importance.

Integrity: Reputation is earned, not given, therefore attention to truth

and substance is importance to audience trust. As identity
should be supported online as they are in life, always think
before publishing.

Reporting: When researching, a good reporter goes above and beyond

and emails and/or calls original sources to get an original
telling of the story. A direct quote to the reporter is always
stronger than a quote that is repurposed from a previous
 reporter. Reporting is also the ability to develop a keen style
in writing and critique and this will be continually developed.

Deadlines: Professionalism is being on deadline. All deadlines are hard

deadlines and no credit will be given to any assignment
handed in post deadline.

Teamwork: As story can never be considered a story unless it includes

teamwork. Strength in team members must be utilized when
researching, writing, developing and theorizing. Teamwork is
in every professional aspect and will develop strong skills in
the rapidly changing world.

Intellectual property: In the world of the internet and new media, content
ownership becomes blurry. There is an utmost responsibility
to follow strict copyright rules. Unless permission is granted
to utilize online content there will be no copywritten work
used. There are various sources online dedicated to content
usage and common work. CreativeCommons.org should be
utilized for any content necessary to add or written
permission from the content creator.

Schedule:

September 8 Introduction to class and theory of participatory culture. What is

New Media? What is web 2.0? Why does this class entail?
Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky
Read Economist article: Among the audience.
Watch KSU video: Information R/evolution
Watch Socialnomics video: Social Media Revolution

Sept 13 The virtual world. How life is lived with new media? How are you
embedded in the participatory culture. Introduction to professional
usage of new media and how new media is utilized by the media.
Read two articles. Exercise 1, your online identity. due Sept 21.
Article 1: How to: search for information within social networking sites
Article 2: New York Times Policy on Social Networking sites.
EXERCISE 1: Your Online Identity. Log off everything. Do
your best to figure out who you are online. Use search tools
like google, facebook, myspace, etc… to see how exposed
you are online by the average user. Write a one page report
on your identity online listed how much of your profile is
exposed, what type of content you have online (blogs, articles,
projects, artwork, etc…), and what you know about you. Treat
this as a third person POV project. This is due in one week.
Sept 15 Web 2.0 tools. Social media tools (Facebook, Myspace, twitter).
media tools (YouTube, Flickr, blip.tv), research tools (wikipedia,
wikis, delicious, diigo, reddit, digg), writing/expression tools
(blogger, wordpress, livejournal).
Homework: Cognitive Surplus – chapter 1

Sept 20 Exercise 1 Due – Present findings of your online presence and

discussion.

Sept 22 Discussion of Cognitive Surplus – chapter 1 and semester projects.

Sept 27 Online journalism – How is journalism, or the media, effected by

new media? What is citizen journalism? The power of dialogue.
The Emerging Media Ecosystem and Kirk Mastin’s
How Journalism Will Work
Class discussion of current media atmosphere and usage of new
media in journalism.
Read these articles for next class: Comment is King by Virginia
Heffernan and The Trolls Among Us by Mattathias Schwartz
PROJECT 1 Discussion and assignment: The Short Report: Online Sites
Choose from a list of topics and write an online journalism piece on the
subject. You must treat this project as if it was assigned by a story editor
at a news agency/outlet. You must write about the topic from an objective
point of view and include a report on how the subject utilizes new media
and creates a dialogue with the audience. If you have an idea for another
topic, please feel free to present it. Report topic must be approved by
instructor. Due October 13th.

Sept 29 Dialogue Discussion – Part 1

Lloyd Manor Newsday Article and discussion of trolling

October 4 Introduction to web-based television. Moving a cool medium to a

warm medium. What is the message?

October 6 Television online. What is the difference between web television

and television on the web? What are webisodes? Watch in class
We Need Girlfriends and part of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog

October 11 No Class. Columbus Day

October 13 Project 1 Due in class. Presentation of findings.

October 18 The tech of the web. Web 2.0 and how social media is more than a
device to connect people to people. How do search engines work?
How is money made on the web? How does video work on the
web? Discussion on how the user maintains web content through
tagging and organizing. METADATA.
 Extra info: Social Networking Sites: Definition, History, Scholarship

October 20 Visual culture and how the users of new media find new meaning in
visual devices. Theory of the audience. What’s a meme? 4chan,
Dawkins, Lolcats, Anonymous, Failblog, Bed Intruder
PROJECT 2 Discussion and assignment: A little birdie said… Write a
short story in 10 tweets… starting from the bottom up. Due November 3.

October 25 Memes and the viral video: The Viral Video Chart
Memetics transfers: Noah, Ahree Lee, Ben, Homer
Boom Goes the Dynamite and Boom Goes the Dynamite and
Boom Goes the Dynamite Theory of the audience. How are
meme’s transferred? A further look into Unruly Media. South Park’s
theoretical dollars. Dan Meth’s Internet People and Weezer’s Pork
and Beans. The character of the web.

October 27 Dialogue discussion – Part 2

Politics and new media discussion: How politics are affected by the
Internet’s users – Part 1
Homework due November 8: Read Cognitive Surplus chapter 2

November 1 Politics and new media theory – Part 2

How politics are affected by the internet. Iran Elections; Political
history; satire. 60 minutes Digital Wasteland; WSJ End of Wall
Street; Food Fight; This American Life
Remember to vote tomorrow

November 3 Project 2 Due in class. Present story and dicussion.

November 8 Connecting the community to new media discussion. Class

conversation about Cognitive Surplus chapter 2
PROJECT 3 Discussion and assignment: Engage a multi-post dialogue.
Your task is to create a post containing text and visuals and at least three
trackbacks to other blog posts. Your goal is to engage a discussion that
reaches outside of your comments on your post, but to another post area.
If possible, the best outcome is to create a dialogue that is referenced
outside of the virtual world: to be heard in public. This project requires
person to person outreach. Be creative in getting people to read your
discussion/topic and to have a dialogue about it. Topics will have to be
pertinent to the area around you and affect your community. This project
will require wide base research on your subject and some technical
knowledge is required in order to push forward a dialogue by adding
trackbacks to other blogs.
Pitches due by November 15
Project 3 due December 13.
Nov 10 Convergence and new media. The theory of open source content.

Nov 15 Project 3 pitches due. Video game. How have gamers

created a cultural social conscious that effects many? Games
crossing borders into webisodes, conventions, politics, psychology
television channels, everyday life into a second life.

Nov 17 Transmedia storytelling; Cross platform content and more

convergent media. Tosh.0, Web Soup, The Office, Scrubs, Wall
Street Journal, etc…

Nov 22 Crossing the screen divide. What is the history of screen culture.
Theory of the audience and the acceptance of the electronic
medium in wide scale.

Nov 24 No Class. Thanksgiving.

Nov 29 Online identity discussion revisited. How are you presented online?
How are others? How hard is it to keep identity in the virtual world?
Discussion of all users from the president, to journalists, to
bloggers, to television professionals, to teachers, to you.
EXERCISE 3: Design a marketing plan to market your project 3. Utilize
any new media technique you would like. Due December 8.

Dec 1 Separating cynicism from skepticism. Media Literacy. How to keep

media literate in a new media world. Simulacra, hyperreality,
verisimilitude, truthiness: the words of new media literacy.

Dec 6 Media literacy – Part 2: The dialogue and the story. Why wikipedia
works; the future of newspapers and television; being good
storytellers and new media professionals.

Dec 8 What’s next for new media? 3D? Augmented Reality? Wall-E
Final questions about last project and discuss online marketing plan
for project 3.

Dec 13 Present project 3 and discussion. Last day of class overview.