Brock University
Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film
COMM/FILM/PCUL 2F00: New Media Literacy
Online Course
Fall/Winter 2015
Course Hashtag: #comm2f00
Course Blog: http://brocknewmedia.wordpress.com
Course Instructor: Dr. Tracy Kennedy
Email: tkennedy@brocku.ca
Skype: professortracy
Twitter: @proftracy
Course Description
This online course addresses new media literacy from a two-fold perspective: 1) as practical
training in a basic repertoire of skills and tools essential to functioning in new media
environments and 2) as critical analytical training in the key issues and theories related to the
contemporary information age. Students are thus required to think critically about new media and
to situate its practices and tools within broader social contexts through learning and using the
very tools which are the object of study. This form of engaged and reflective pedagogy not only
allows students to acquire practical skills and a foundation in the theories and issues related
information age post-industrial society but enables them to do so in a manner that requires selfdirected research, training, collaboration, and critique.
Course Readings
All readings are available online. URLs are provided in the syllabus.
Evaluation Overview
Six Module Responses = 35%
Creative Media Blogging Assignment = 30%
Research Paper = 35%
Module Topic Overview
M1: Introduction to & Theorizing New Media Literacy
M2: Networks & Networking
M3: Digital Divides
M4: Identity & Community
M5: Privacy, Surveillance & Dataveillance
M6: Produsers, Co-Creation, & Participatory Culture - The Future of Media
1
How this Course Works
• This course syllabus provides students with a schedule of all the required readings from SeptApril, in addition to the assignment schedule with firm due dates.
• This course is a full year course with six modules. Each module covers four weeks of the
course schedule. In each module students will have assigned readings to complete, and a
Module Response assignment to submit to Sakai. There is a Creative Media Blogging
Assignment in the first term, and a Research Paper in the second term.
• Additional commentary from the course instructor, teaching assistants, and reflections about
the issues and themes of each Module will be posted to the course blog every Monday, and
throughout the week. This may be in written form, a podcast, or a video that is uploaded to
the course blog. This content is part of the course delivery, as is the use of Twitter to 'Tweet'
pertinent course related information. It is advisable that you have/create a twitter account for
this course, and to follow the course Hashtag #comm2f00. Course related contribution from
students via Twitter is encouraged (but is not graded).
Our Role
• This course has one instructor and several teaching assistants. You will be advised as to who
your teaching assistant is at the beginning of the course. Your TA grades your assignments,
provides you feedback on assignments, and will be your point of contact throughout the
course.
• Our goal for this course is to facilitate a positive online learning experience for you. Not only
are we here to guide learning about New Media Literacy, but our role is also to help you
learn HOW to learn in a virtual environment.
• What we won’t do is chase down students who are not contributing or doing the work. What
we will do is be available to you if you need help with the course material – themes and
issues in the readings, the assignments, or any technical issues.
• We will be available in Sakai Chat throughout the week to help answer any questions you
may have about the course material. Schedule will be posted at the beginning of the course.
Student Role
• You are expected to read the assigned readings for each module and think about the issues
raised, and your reactions to what’s being argued or discussed in the reading. We recommend
completing all your readings in the first week or two of the module, which gives you time to
read and think about what you’ve read and why it’s significant to the course (and perhaps
even your life!).
• Complete the module’s assignment and post it as per instructions. You are expected to
submit all the module work by the posted due date – and no later, and your grades for each
module will be available through Sakai.
• We encourage you to create a schedule for yourself: map out and organize when you will
work on this course – how many hours do you need to dedicate each week to this course?
• You're not graded on participation, but we strongly recommend utilizing twitter to connect to
your peers and reach out to them to discuss the course themes or share pertinent course
material.
• Consider how doing the course work will fit into your daily schedule (whether that means
four other courses or your full time job). Be honest and smart about this. Try not to fall
behind.
2
How You Will be Evaluated in this Course
Module Responses (MR) 35%
Each of the six Modules for this course has a response component for the students to submit. The
first Module Response for the course is valued at 5%, and the remaining Module Responses are
valued at 6% each. The Module Response Assignment for each Module will be posted to Sakai
on the first day of the Module, which is always a Monday (except for Module One, which will be
released Wed, Sept 9th). Each Module Response assignment will provide detailed instructions on
what you are to do. Broadly, you are expected to provide a critical and analytical response to the
guiding questions that are given to you on the first Monday of the new Module. The length
expected will typically be a minimum of 500-750 words – grammar and punctuation, and writing
style matters, as does referencing properly. The assignment will give tips as to the tone of the
Assignment (ie more personal versus more academic); please be sure to follow the instructions
given. Module Responses will be submitted to Sakai. Your Module Response work MUST be
completed by the due date posted (due dates for Module Responses are the fourth Monday of the
Module). Late Module Responses will not be graded. Requests for late submissions must be
accompanied by a doctor’s note (scanned & emailed to your Grader).
Creative Media Blogging Assignment (CA) 30%
Each student is required to create a blog and create ten blog posts around the theme/topic of:
New Media Skills & Literacy. Blog posts must clearly address what new media skill or type of
literacy is being addressed. Students are expected to provide critical and insightful commentary
about the articles, videos, journal articles, pictures etc that they post. Your Creative Media
Blogging Assignment work MUST be completed by the due date posted; late Creative Media
Assignments will not be graded. Requests for late submissions must be accompanied by a
doctor’s note (scanned & emailed to your point of contact). CA Final Due Date: Monday,
December 7th at 11:45PM.
Research Paper (RP) 35%
Each student is required to submit a research paper to pass this course. The theme of the research
paper is Identity & Presence Online, and the paper topics must be formulated around "Selfies".
The assignment details and requirements will be posted in January (likely earlier). Your
Research Papers MUST be completed by the due date posted; late Research Papers will not be
graded. Requests for late submissions must be accompanied by a doctor’s note (scanned &
emailed to your Grader). We will be using Turnitin.com for Research Papers. RP Final Due
Date: Monday, April 4th at 11:45PM.
3
2F00 Assignment Schedule Overview
Term One:
M1: Introduction to & Theorizing New Media Literacy
MR1 Final Due Date: Monday, September 28th at 11:45PM.
M2: Networks & Networking
MR2 Final Due Date: Monday, November 2nd at 11:45PM.
M3: Digital Divides
MR3 Final Due Date: Monday, November 30th at 11:45PM.
Creative Media Blogging Assignment
CA Final Due Date: Monday, December 7th at 11:45PM.
Term Two:
M4: Identity & Community
MR4 Final Due Date: Monday, January 25th at 11:45PM.
M5: Privacy, Surveillance & Dataveillance
MR5 Final Due Date: Monday, February 29th at 11:45PM.
M6: Produsers, Co-Creation, & Participatory Culture - The Future of Media
MR6 Final Due Date: Monday, March 28th at 11:45PM.
Research Paper Assignment
RP Final Due Date: Monday, April 4th at 11:45PM
*All written assignments must follow and use APA format & style*
Resources:
APA Cheat Sheet: http://bit.ly/1JGITen
Cheat Sheet for APA Works Cited Page: http://bit.ly/1KnrSYK
APA Style Guide Cheat Sheet - Style & Grammar: http://bit.ly/1UhBSHL
CPCF Essay Style Guidelines: http://bit.ly/1BFX6T4
CPCF Grading Standards & Principles: http://bit.ly/1EvAmuI
4
Course Policy Regarding Late Assignment Submissions
Late assignments will not be graded. Due Dates are FIRM. Requests for late submissions must
be accompanied by a doctor’s note that is scanned & emailed to your point of contact.
Statement on Academic Misconduct:
Academic integrity is vital to the well being of the university community, and Brock University
takes academic misconduct very seriously.
Academic misconduct includes plagiarism
(presenting the words and ideas of another person as if they were your own), submitting the same
work for two different assignments, and other forms of cheating such as using crib notes during a
test or fabricating data for a lab assignment
Instructors and teaching assistants in the Department thoroughly investigate all suspected cases
of academic misconduct.
The penalties for documented cases of academic misconduct are severe. The Department
recommends that a grade of zero be given for the assignment and a failing grade if not a grade of
zero be given for the course. In addition, a note will be attached to the student’s academic
transcript. A second offense can result in suspension from the University. The entire
disciplinary process is administered by the Dean of Social Sciences.
Make yourself aware of the issues involved. Read the section of the Brock University
Undergraduate Calendar that pertains to academic misconduct. You are reminded that the
Student Development Centre offers workshops on writing skills, and issues surrounding
plagiarism.
Plagiarism:
To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit whenever you use:
• another person’s idea, opinion, or theory;
• any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings—any pieces of information—that are not common
knowledge;
• quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written words; or
• paraphrase of another person’s spoken or written words.
Turnitin.com:
*The Research Papers/Essays will be submitted electronically via Turnitin*
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for
textual similarity review to Turnitin.com (or other appropriate sites or programs) for the
detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the
Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.
Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the terms of use agreement posted on the
Turnitin.com site. You will be provided with more information on how to set up your account.
5
Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film
Statement on Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct is a serious offence. The principle of academic integrity, particularly of
doing one’s own work, documenting properly (including use of quotation marks, appropriate
paraphrasing and referencing/citation), collaborating appropriately, and avoiding
misrepresentation, is a core principle in university study. Students should consult Section VII,
‘Academic Misconduct”, in the “Academic Regulations and University Policies” entry in the
Undergraduate Calendar, available at brocku.ca/webcal, to view a fuller description of prohibited
actions, and the procedures and penalties which may be applied.
Academic misconduct includes plagiarism (presenting the words and ideas of another person as
if they were your own), submitting the same work for two different assignments, and other forms
of cheating such as using crib notes during a test or fabricating data for a lab assignment.
Instructors and teaching assistants in the Department thoroughly investigate all suspected cases
of academic misconduct.
The penalties for documented cases of academic misconduct can be severe. The Department may
recommend that a grade of zero be given for the assignment, and a failing grade if not a grade of
zero be given for the course. In addition, a note will be attached to the student’s academic
transcript. A second offense can result in suspension from the University. The disciplinary
process is administered initially at the Department level and in cases where academic penalty is
assigned will be referred to the offices of the Dean of Social Sciences.
Make yourself aware of the issues involved. Read the section of the Undergraduate Calendar that
pertains to academic misconduct. You are reminded that the Student Development Centre
(Schmon Tower, Room 400) offers workshops on writing skills, and issues surrounding
plagiarism.
*************
For further information on all aspects of your academic program, including course planning, you
may consult with the Department’s Academic Adviser: Penni Lafleur, SBH 309, ext.5308
<plafleur@brocku.ca>
6
2F00 Reading Schedule
All readings are available online. URLs are provided. Students are expected to read all the
assigned course readings, which are a combination of journal articles, media articles, blog posts,
and other goodies that contribute to the theme of the module. Be sure to check twitter/tweets for
additional articles that we post for the module themes.
M1: Introduction to & Theorizing New Media Literacy
Weeks 1-4: Sept 9th - Sept 28th
Jenkins, H. (2006). Eight Traits of the New Media Landscape. Confessions of an Aca-Fan.
http://bit.ly/08iBZvB
Jenkins, H (et al). "Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the
21st Century". The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media
and Learning. The MIT Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. http://bit.ly/1AaI4rc
Tornero, J.M.P. & Varis, T. (2010). New Media Literacy & New Humanism. UNESCO Institute
for Information Technologies in Education. Read Chapter 1 (pg 7) through to end of Chapter 5
(pg 55). http://bit.ly/1NIEnyz
Optional Readings:
Barbrook, R., & Cameron, A. (1995). “The Californian Ideology”. Mute, Issue 3, Autumn.
http://bit.ly/1d1Uth0
Hobbs, R. (1998). The Seven Great Debates in the Media Literacy Movement. Journal of
Communication, 48 (1), 16-32. http://bit.ly/1PGMdX2
7
M2: Networks & Networking
Weeks 5-8: Oct 5th - Nov 2nd
*Reading Week Oct 12-16
Mansell, R. (2010). “The life and times of the Information Society”, Prometheus, Vol 28 (2), pg.
165-186. http://bit.ly/15oej7I
Castels, M. (2005). “The Network Society: From Knowledge to Policy” in The Network Society:
From Knowledge to Policy, pgs 3 – 21. http://bit.ly/xg3rlN
boyd, d. & Ellison, N. (2007). "Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship."
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13 (1), article 11. http://bit.ly/18koskR
boyd, d. (2010). "Social Network Sites as Networked Publics: Affordances, Dynamics, and
Implications." In Networked Self: Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites
(ed. Zizi Papacharissi), pp. 39-58.
http://bit.ly/1MXviQI
Gillmore, D. (2008 ). Principles for a New Media Literacy. Media Re-Public. The Berkman
Center for Internet & Society.
http://bit.ly/1fR2MDw
Ellison, N., Steinfield, C. & C. Lampe. (2007). “The Benefits of Facebook “Friends”: Social
Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites”, Journal of Computer
Mediated Communication, Vol 12, No 4, pp. 1143-1168. http://bit.ly/1jXmeNm
Optional Readings:
Kennedy, T., Wellman, B. & J. Amoroso. (2011). "Can You Take It With You? Mobility, ICTs
and Work-Life Balance". In James E. Katz (Ed), Mobile Communication: Dimensions of Social
Policy. Piscataway, NJ: Transaction Publishers. http://bit.ly/1AqbJtl
Boyd, D. & Ellison, N. (2007). “Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and
Scholarship”, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Volume 13, Issue 1, pages 210–
230. http://bit.ly/eXIFLD
8
M3: Digital Divides
Weeks 9-12: Nov 9th - Nov 30th
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, MCB University
Press, Vol. 9 No. 5. http://bit.ly/IMBu0j
Prensky, M. (2001). Do They Really Think Differently? On the Horizon, MCB University Press,
Vol. 9 No. 6. http://bit.ly/1o90K21
Selwyn, N. (2004). "Reconsidering political and popular understandings of the digital divide" in
New Media & Society, Vol 6 (3): 341-362.
http://bit.ly/1EsQHjm
Hargittai, E. (2002). “Second-Level Digital Divide: Differences in People's Online Skills”, First
Monday, Vol7, No 4. http://bit.ly/14rUOfi
Lingel, J. & boyd, d. (2013). “‘Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe’: Information Poverty, Information
Norms, and Stigma.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
64(5): 981-991. http://bit.ly/1hrnJps
boyd, d. (2011). "White Flight in Networked Publics? How Race and Class Shaped American
Teen Engagement with MySpace and Facebook." In Race After the Internet (Eds. Lisa Nakamura
and Peter Chow-White). Routledge, pp. 203-222.
http://bit.ly/1FbTKrp
Schradie, J. (2011). "The digital production gap: The digital divide and Web 2.0 collide", in
Poetics, 39: 145-168. http://bit.ly/1LNKWQ1
Optional Readings:
Rich, M. (2008). Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading? New York Times: July 27,
2008. http://nyti.ms/1wGMH6A
Peterson, L. (2015). "We need to engineer the racism out of apps". Fusion Blog.
http://fus.in/1EsQQ6t
Turkle, S. (2012). “The Flight From Conversation”. New York Times Sunday Review. April 21,
2012. http://nyti.ms/JhTwlH
9
M4: Identity & Community
Weeks 13-16: Jan 4th - Jan 25th
Daer, A. R. (2014). Because community. In Sprint Beyond the Book, Vol. 2: Knowledge
Systems. http://bit.ly/1LNHfKj
Senft, T. & Baym, N. (2015) “What Does the Selfie Say: Investigating a Global Phenomenon.”
International Journal of Communication 9, Feature 1588–1606. http://bit.ly/1fR36SB
Senft, T.M. (2015). "The Skin of the Selfie". Ego Update: The Future of Digital Identity at the
NRW Forum in Düsseldorf, Germany. http://bit.ly/1hrsFe1
Baym, N. & boyd, d. (2012). “Socially Mediated Publicness: An Introduction.” Journal of
Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 56(3), pp. 320-329.
http://bit.ly/1JrIEjK
boyd, d. (2012). "The Politics of 'Real Names': Power, Context, and Control in Networked
Publics." Communications of the ACM 55(8), pp. 29-31.
http://bit.ly/1O3kkId
Senft, T.M. (2012). "Microcelebrity and the Branded Self", in Blackwell Companion to New
Media Dynamics. Eds Jean Burgess and Axel Bruns.
http://bit.ly/1Uhvpwn
Hanckel, B. & Morris, A. (2014). Finding community and contesting heteronormativity: queer
young people's engagement in an Australian online community. Journal of Youth Studies, Vol 17
(7), 872-886. http://bit.ly/1KyrIMV
Optional Readings:
Kavoura, A. (2014). Advertizing activities in social media and the creation of a community
belonging in the digital era. The Małopolska School of Economics in Tarnów Research Papers
Collection, vol. 25, iss. 2, 97-106.
http://bit.ly/1KylT1Z
Workman, H., & Coleman, C. A. (2014). "The Front Page of the Internet": Safe Spaces and
Hyperpersonal Communication among Females in an Online Community. Southwestern Mass
Communication Journal, 29(2), 1-21. http://bit.ly/1JrKMb9
10
M5: Privacy, Surveillance & Dataveillance
Weeks 17-20: Feb 1st - Feb 29th
*Reading Week Feb 15-19
Clarke, R. (2013). Introduction to Dataveillance and Information Privacy, and Definitions of
Terms. Website: http://bit.ly/1DL63J7
boyd, d. & Hargittai. E. (2010). "Facebook Privacy Settings: Who Cares?" First Monday, 15 (8).
http://bit.ly/1hOmyBf
Lyon, D. (2008). “Surveillance Society”. Queen’s University, Canada Talk for Festival del
Diritto, Piacenza, Italia: September 28 2008. http://bit.ly/15sO1dE
Albrechtslund, A. (2008). "Online Social Networking as Participatory Surveillance", First
Monday, Volume 13 Number 3. http://bit.ly/9R7RBU
Cohen, N.S. (2008). “The Valorization of Surveillance: Towards a Political Economy of
Facebook”, Democratic Communiqué. http://bit.ly/14MCNFb
Acquisti, A. & R. Gross (2006). “Imagined Communities: Awareness, Information Sharing, and
Privacy on the Facebook”, in Privacy Enhancing Technologies, Berlin: Springer, pp 36-58.
http://bit.ly/1KhLScw
Liedtke, M. (2015). "New Technology Brings up Internet Privacy Questions". Claims Journal:
July 31, 2015. http://bit.ly/1KnoL3f
Optional Readings:
(no author). "Ashley Madison hack raises bigger privacy, legal issues". Constitution Daily:
August 24, 2015. http://bit.ly/1O3ksYn
Hackman, R. (2015). Is the online surveillance of black teenagers the new stop-and-frisk? The
Guardian: April 23, 2015.
http://bit.ly/1PoFNN0
11
M6: Produsers, Co-Creation, & Participatory Culture - The Future of Media
Weeks 21-24: Mar 7th - Mar 28th
Larry Lessig: Laws that choke creativity. TED Talks (2007). Filmed March 2007, posted
November 2007. http://bit.ly/AY71h
Campbell, S. W. & Park, Y. J. (2008), Social Implications of Mobile Telephony: The Rise of
Personal Communication Society. Sociology Compass, 2: 371–387. http://bit.ly/148pY9F
Bird, S. E. (2011). Are We All Produsers Now? Cultural Studies. 25 (4-5), pp. 502-516.
http://bit.ly/1a8JmGh
Bloom, K. & Johnston, K. M. (2010). Digging into YouTube Videos: Using Media Literacy and
Participatory Culture to Promote Cross-Cultural Understanding. Journal of Media Literacy
Education 2:2, 113 - 123. http://bit.ly/1O3kwqQ
Rheingold, H. (2010). Attention, and Other 21st-Century Social Media Literacies. EDUCAUSE
Review. 45:5. pp. 14-24. http://bit.ly/S0yO1z
Sterne, J. (2012). What if Interactivity is the New Passivity? FlowTV. 15.10.
http://bit.ly/HYGhXY
Everything is a Remix Part 1 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.
Part 1: http://vimeo.com/14912890
Part 2: http://vimeo.com/19447662
Part 3: http://vimeo.com/25380454
Part 4: http://vimeo.com/36881035
Optional Readings:
Lievrouw, L. A. (2012). The Next Decade in Internet Time: Ways Ahead for New Media
Studies. Information, Communication & Society. 15:5. pp 616-638. http://bit.ly/14MGMBr
Jenkins, H. (2014). Participatory Culture: From Co-Creating Brand Meaning to Changing the
World. Participatory Culture, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2014, pp. 24 –39.
http://bit.ly/1VrxVNT
Sherry Turkle at TED2012 - Places we don’t want to go: http://bit.ly/yuqbb0
12
Creative Media Blogging Assignment 30%
Final Due Date: Monday, December 7th at 11:45PM.
Overview:
1) Create a Blog.
2) Post at least 10 (ten) blog posts discussing New Media Skills & Literacy
3) Submit your Blog URL to Sakai by the due date with a 350 word Blog summary
1) Create a Blog.
“A blog (a contraction of the words web log)is a discussion or informational site published on the
World Wide Web and consisting of discrete entries ("posts") typically displayed in reverse
chronological order (the most recent post appears first).” (wikipedia)
Students must create a new Blog for this assignment. There are several options available to you –
and they are pretty easy to use: Blogger.com, Wordpress.com, Weebly.com. Be sure to
personalize and customize your own blog to give it some personality and character. Familiarlize
yourself with the blog, and learn how to post links and other media content to your blog.
2) Post at least 10 (ten) blog posts discussing New Media Skills & Literacy
Each student is required to create a blog and create ten blog posts around the theme/topic of:
New Media Skills & Literacy. Blog posts must clearly address what new media skill or type of
literacy is being addressed. Students are expected to provide critical and insightful commentary
about the articles, videos, journal articles, pictures etc that they post. There is a minimum word
count of 350 words per blog entry. Don't be just descriptive - offer some thought provoking
analysis, or some theoretical application to the framework or our understandings of what new
media skills are, and what type of literacies exist (and what are some of the challenges and
issues). Utilize the course readings to help frame your blogs posts. Make your blog interesting by
providing different viewpoints and perspectives.
3) Submit your Blog URL to Sakai by the due date with a 350 word Blog summary
Submit your Blog URL to Sakai by the due date with a 350 word summary and critical
commentary about what you learned about the various new media skills and literacies. What are
the key issues? What are the key constraints? Where do we go from here? Any thoughts of the
future?
How do I submit CA2 Blogging Creative Media Assignment?
You will submit your Blogging Creative Media Assignment to Sakai under "Assignments". Look
for the correct Assignment Title: Creative Media Blogging Assignment
In the submission box you MUST include:
1) The URL of your Blog so that your grader knows where to find the assignment and grade it.
2) The 350 word Blog summary. Paste it into the Sakai submission box.
13