com 327 – spring 2013 critical approaches to communications media tuesdays & thursdays...
TRANSCRIPT
COM 327 – Spring 2013
Critical Approaches to Communications MediaTuesdays & Thursdays1:30-2:45Caldwell G108
Instructor: Nick Taylor ([email protected])Office hrs: By appt. 225 Winston HallTA: Emily McKeown ([email protected])Office hrs: 45 mins after class
Course website: http://com327ncsu.wordpress.com
Cellphones (partic. smartphones): (¬_¬)
Computers (incl. tablets): (^_^)
Policy on technology during class:
Course Description
• Full text available at http://com327ncsu.wordpress.com/about/
• Course is organized thematically (Identity & Representation, Piracy, Surveillance, etc)
Schedule
• Full schedule available at http://com327ncsu.wordpress.com/com-327-schedule/
• No textbook: all readings available online
• Usually 2 readings on Tuesday, 1 on Thursday
Coursework
• Full breakdown is available at http://com327ncsu.wordpress.com/com-327-coursework/
Assignment #1: “Go meta”
• Due January 22
• Find 2 academic journal articles that deal with the same media franchise and compare the articles: How does each approach structure our understanding of the franchise?
Hunger Games: Over-marketed commodity or feminist & anti-capitalist critique of patriarchal authority?
Both?
Final Project: “Critical Making”
• Work IN PAIRS to make a ‘multimedia text’ that applies one or more critical theories to an understanding of a communications media or media franchise
• 40% of final mark, but broken up into segments– 5% proposal & reviews, 5% presentation, 10%
write-up, 20% ‘text’
What does a “critical” approach entail?
NOT conspiracy theory.
“Affirmative action was designed to keep women and minorities in competition with each other to distract us while white dudes inject AIDS into our chicken nuggets” (T. Jordan, 2006)
What does a “critical” approach entail?
NOT “criticism”.
What does a “critical” approach entail?
NOT “media effects”.
So what does “critical” mean?
Form up into groups of 5.
Take 5-10 minutes to discuss what a “critical approach” is and does.
No Internet allowed.
Key concepts
• Visibility
Key concepts
• Power
Key concepts
• Change
For Thursday, January 10
• As you read the Carey article, consider “what makes his arguments critical?”
• We will start QUIZZES on Thursday!