3/15/2013 IST 646: Storytelling (for Information Professionals) Course Syllabus (Abbreviated Version – Draft; full version available 4/15/2013) Summer Session #1: 2013 Contact Information: Course Instructor Dr. Marilyn P. Arnone School of Information Studies, Syracuse University Email: mparnone@syr.edu Twitter: @CuriousMimi 252-­‐649-­‐4522 Course dates: May 20 – June 28, 2013 (course Web site will be accessible starting May 13); Virtual Office Hours: Email anytime; Skype or Adobe Connect by appointment To access your summer courses: URL: http://blackboard.syr.edu Account: Please log in with your NetID and password Assistance: Please contact the iLMS administrators if you need assistance. GENERAL INFORMATION COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed for librarians and educators, entrepreneurs, community-­‐based organizations, and anyone who embraces storytelling as an essential part of information delivery in the 21st century. The course begins with the oral tradition, historical significance, and research supporting storytelling to show the evolution of storytelling in the modern world. While the elements of story and narrative remain the same, the role of digital technology and social media has expanded how the power of story is used in preserving personal/family history, advocacy efforts of libraries, business/enterprise promotion, and the engagement of community. Students will gain experience in various techniques and digital tools for story creation. This course will also use case studies to explore storytelling in social spaces and how major corporations, libraries, and innovators have used “story” as the backbone of their outreach efforts and have allowed consumers to become a part of their stories, as well. Story has become a vital aspect of information innovation. The late Steve Jobs presented an entire speech several years ago on the power of storytelling. Others have referred to the use of storytelling in business applications as “authentic storytelling,” “sustainable storytelling,” and “contemporary storytelling.” “Transmedia storytelling” will also be addressed. LEARNING OUTCOMES (with Assessment Method) By the end of the course, students will: 1. Be able to compare the ancient and modern art of storytelling (Assessment: Quiz). 1 2. Understand and apply the research on using stories in informational, educational, marketing in social media spaces, cultural/family history preservation, and to contribute to community-­‐based solutions to problems (Assessment: Mid-­‐term Project). 3. Improve oral and digital communication skills (Assessment: Exercises). 4. Understand and demonstrate techniques of storytelling from oral traditions and apply to a modern day digital story to preserve local culture or family history (Assessment: Exercise). 5. Create an audience analysis as preparation for a transmedia storytelling event or campaign (Assessment: Final Project). 6. Be able to conduct a fruitful story interview as part of collecting artifacts for story creation (Assessment: Mid-­‐term Project). 7. Use several digital tools and the elements of story architecture for creation of digital stories (Assessment: Exercises, Mid-­‐term Project, Final Project). 8. Evaluate whether music, props, and artistic transitions or effects will contribute or detract from the student’s story (Assessment: Exercise). 9. Evaluate peer storytellers and provide constructive feedback for improvement (Assessments: Exercises; Participation in Discussion Forums). 10. Discuss issues that relate to ethics of storytelling, copyright, and etiquette (Assessments: Participation in Intellectual Discussions; Quiz). 11. Be aware of resources that can be used to continue their development as storytellers or contribute to their programmatic use of storytelling in their library, corporation, or community. (Assessment: Participation and Contribution to Class Wiki) 12. Apply traditions of storytelling to a current information, marketing, advocacy, instructional, cultural heritage, or community purpose as a final project (Assessment: Final Project). COURSE REQUIREMENTS Each online learning course offered through the School of Information Studies has its own space within the Blackboard learning management system which typically includes the syllabus, lectures, videos, podcasts, and a forum for class discussions, a grade center, etc. Please review Blackboard tutorials online to become familiar with its new interface. Use your NET ID and password to login. Students are not required to be online at a specific time (except for small group story circles wherein students will arrange online times among themselves.) They can log in and complete their assignments whenever it is convenient for them, as long as they meet course deadlines. All students are expected to participate in all class and online activities, and to complete all course assignments and readings on time. Students needing an extension of the assignment deadline are expected to notify the instructor in advance. Final grades of assignments submitted late without prior permission of the instructor will be lowered 10% for each late day. All written assignments must be submitted using Microsoft Word or as a PDF document. Please include your last name in the filename. COURSE DELIVERY METHODS AND TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS IST 646 will use a variety of methods to deliver instruction including but not limited to instructor lectures, videos, podcasts, discussions, and readings. Please make sure that your computer is loaded with several free applications that you will require for assignments. These include SKYPE and an editing 2 program such as iMovie, Premiere, Final Cut Express, or other free or trial editing software. You will also need access to a built-­‐in laptop video camera or webcam and a headset with a microphone. You should have some way of taking digital photos (camera, iphone, iPad, etc.). Access to a digital camcorder would be helpful, but is not a requirement. Gentle Advice: This course moves swiftly. With the combination of content presented, weekly activities, and assignments, it is essential that you are consistent about your participation and pace yourself for upcoming assignments. CLASS PARTICIPATION The participation portion of your final grade will consist of 1) an assessment of the quality of your posts related to reflections on the learning module topics and any required postings on assignment progress as they occur, and 2) your participation and completion of weekly individual and/or class exercises. Participation is also encouraged through using Twitter and the course hashtag (#ist646) to share news, useful links, and current events related to the topic of modern storytelling. Discussions Reflections on Learning Module Topics Each week there will be a major topic with several reflection topics for discussion; most often students are given a choice in responding to topics. In most cases, students must post at least once but not more than three times to a forum discussion. The course instructor will monitor all discussions and will post responses and/or questions as appropriate/necessary. Contributions should be well thought out, substantive, clear, and concise and will be assessed on these criteria. Your posts should indicate that you have reviewed the learning module, completed the readings, and are able to relate that information to the topic. You may include anecdotes from your experiences, completed assignments, things you've learned in other courses, or descriptions of other relevant readings, videos, etc. Please keep these discussions on the topic. You are allowed to respond to your discussions using blog posts with a link to the post in the discussion thread. Assignment Progress and Discussions In addition to the reflection topics in the Weekly Module Discussions, there will also be a separate discussion area where you can share progress on your assignments with your colleagues, get feedback and ideas from others, and post ideas to help others. This will be optional for most weeks, but there will two times during the Summer Session 1 where you will be required to post progress updates on your semester–long (final) assignment for your instructor to review; in these cases, the discussion thread will read “Required.” Ask the Prof There is also a discussion forum labeled “Ask the Prof” so that students may post general course-­‐
related or assignment questions to the course instructor. Questions related to your specific situation should be emailed directly to the instructor. Blogs Students will be asked to set up their own personal blogs, if they do not already have one, as we will use blogging during the course and students sometimes students will be required to post their discussion responses in their blogs to build portfolio links. 3 Twitter We use Twitter in this course to increase communications among students as well as to explore social media spaces like Twitter and FaceBook as conduits for story. When students find relevant links to useful resources, they are requested to share these links by posting to the #IST646 Twitter hashtag. Useful links may later be organized within the Wiki on the Course site. COURSE READINGS The textbook for this class is: -­‐The New Digital Storytelling: Creating Narratives with New Media, by Bryan Alexander, 2011 Other Required Readings: -­‐Winning the Story Wars: Why Those Who Tell (and Live) the Best Stories Will Rule the Future by Jonah Sachs, 2012. -­‐Digital Storytelling Cookbook, by Joe Lambert (this will be available for free download from the course site.) -­‐A list of assigned and recommended course readings, viewings, and other learning materials will be posted on the course site. Students may be asked to locate relevant readings and learning materials on topics covered in this course for class discussions, assignments, and other activities. The textbook and required supplemental text is available online through most vendors such as Amazon.com. COURSE CALENDAR and TOPICS (Additional detail will be available in Final Syllabus, April 15) Each week’s module will contain three sections. These are 1) Storytelling focus topic or issue, and intellectual conversations, 2) Digital tools for storytelling and 3) Oral and digital storytelling techniques for weekly practice activities. Below is a list of the top level topics (#1) that will be addressed. FINAL syllabus will also include subtopics, digital tools and techniques, activities, and readings for each module. WEEK I: Dates WEEK 2: Dates: WEEK 3: Dates: WEEK 4: Dates: WEEK 5: Dates: WEEK 6: Dates: FROM THE ORAL TRADITION TO MODERN DAY STORYTELLING; PRESERVING FAMILY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE May 20 – 26 STORIES AS CHANGE AGENTS; STRIKING A BALANCE BETWEEN HARD DATA AND STORIES May 27 – June 2 STORYTELLING IN SOCIAL SPACES; CASE STUDIES IN MARKETING AND ADVOCACY June 3 – June 9 THE CYNICAL SIDE OF STORYTELLING: AVOIDING SUPERFICIALITY AND INSINCERITY June 10 – June 16 STORYTELLING IN EDUCATION June 17 – 23 STORYTELLING AND ACCESSIBILITY: EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL AND SHARE STORIES June 24 – 28 4 ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING Overview of Assignments Assignments for this course will include both instructor-­‐graded and peer/self assessed assignments and exercises. The midterm and final projects will be tailored to meet individual student needs and interests via proposal to and approval by professor; together these two major projects will constitute 60% of your final grade. Both will involve audience analysis, articulation of goals, and story creation using digital tools for audio and visual production. Several exercises in writing and creating digital stories for social media, podcasting, blogging, etc. will be peer and self-­‐assessed through online story circles; these will collectively contribute to the exercise completion portion of your grade valued at 15%. Participation including contributions to discussion forums and social media venues will account for another 15%. Finally, two short, timed quizzes based on readings will comprise 10% of your grade. Readings are important to this course. I call them our “10 in 5” Reading Quizzes meaning there will be 10 multiple choice questions that you must answer in 5 minutes. Additional details on assignments will be included in the April 15th version of the syllabus with complete assignment instructions and rubrics available on the course site as of May 13th. A table breakdown is below: 1 Midterm Project 25 points 2 Final Project 35 points 3 Exercise Completion 15 points 4 Quizzes 10 points 5 Participation in intellectual discussions on module topics 15 points TOTAL 100 points All assignments are due by 11:59 p.m. on the date listed—there is an automatic 1-­‐hour grace period allotted. Instructor will not accept late work unless there is a documented explanation provided (such as a doctor’s note, etc.). Please inform the instructor as quickly as possible if you must submit an assignment late and have a “documentable” explanation. PLEASE be cognizant of spelling and grammatical errors. While not everyone is a great speller, there are numerous means of receiving assistance that should practically eliminate any typographical errors. Instructor expects to receive high quality work commensurate with that of a serious graduate level student. GRADING SCALE The chart below shows how letter grades will be assigned based upon points earned for each assignment. Grades may include partial points such as 8.5 points of 10 possible points. POINTS EARNED LETTER GRADE 95-­‐ 100 A 90 -­‐ 94 A-­‐ 87 -­‐ 89 B+ 83 -­‐ 86 B 80 -­‐ 82 B-­‐ 5 77 -­‐ 79 73 -­‐ 76 70 -­‐ 72 Below 70 C+ C C-­‐ F STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY The academic community of Syracuse University and of the School of Information Studies requires the highest standards of professional ethics and personal integrity from all members of the community. Violations of these standards are violations of a mutual obligation characterized by trust, honesty, and personal honor. As a community, we commit ourselves to standards of academic conduct, impose sanctions against those who violate these standards, and keep appropriate records of violations. The course instructors will adhere to and comply with the policies and procedures set forth in the University’s academic integrity statement. Information related to academic integrity can be found at: https://ischool.syr.edu/ilife/current/advising/integrity/integrity.aspx STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Our community values diversity and seeks to promote meaningful access to educational opportunities for all students. Syracuse University and I are committed to your success and to supporting Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990). This means that in general no individual who is otherwise qualified shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity, solely be reason of having a disability. If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), http://disabilityservices.syr.edu, located at 804 University Avenue, room 309, or call (315) 443-­‐4498 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations. ODS is responsible for coordinating disability-­‐related accommodations and will issue students with documented disabilities “Accommodation Authorization Letters” as appropriate. Since accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact ODS as soon as possible. Also, please contact the instructor via email or telephone so that she is aware in advance. OWNERSHIP OF STUDENT WORK In compliance with the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, works in all media produced by students as part of their course participation at Syracuse University may be used for educational purposes, provided that the course syllabus makes clear that such use may occur. It is understood that registration for and continued enrollment in a course where such use of student works is announced constitutes permission by the student. After such a course has been completed, any further use of student works will meet one of the following conditions: (1) the work will be rendered anonymous through the removal of all personal identification of the work’s creator/originator(s); or (2) the creator/originator(s)’ written permission will be secured. As generally accepted practice, honors theses, graduate theses, graduate research projects, dissertations, or other exit projects submitted in partial fulfillment of degree requirements are placed in the library, University Archives, or academic departments for public reference. 6