Monday, April 3, 2017

Joanie Martinez

Hi Joanie;

I don't see a blog post to you from the proposal stage, so I'm writing a new one for you about the literature review you turned in last week.  It looks very good.  Your sources are solid, and you wrote up the review nicely.  I'm really happy with your work.  Be sure to include all the sources in the reference list in the back to you refer to within the body of the paper (I think there was one you left out).  Great job.  I hope the podcast is going well.

how I'm offering feedback

Hello again;

I'm going into each individual post I created for you in response to your proposals, and adding on my comments in an updated section there.  Please refer to that first post to read my current comments.

DIGITAL engAGEment conference spots

Hi all;

So, as I told you, we really need help with the conference, and a number of you have offered your enthusiastic help for that day.  Thanks.  I'm hoping most of you can participate in the conference.  Remember, there's extra credit involved.  Plus, I think you'll find the conference very interesting, especially because there'll be a lot of panels, talks and discussion about media activism and media literacy.   There are some amazing people coming, some of whose work you've read if you've taken courses with me before (Doug Rushkoff, Renee Hobbs, Paul Mihailidis).  I'll send the full program to all of you in a separate email to the class email list.

Here are the positions and descriptions.  You can participate in more than one position:

Registration:  2-3 people to handle the registration table in the morning, from about 8:30-10:00 am.

Signage/Session Maintainers:  4-5 people to make sure each panel session room/area is maintained            for each panel; that all tech requirements are taken care of (acting as liaison with Mohammed for        any help needed); put up appropriate signage so conference participants know where everything          is located at 25 Broadway.

Computer Lab "Interveners":  about 3 people, in shifts, overseeing the computer lab where your projects will be showcased -- either to be screened, listened to, or looked at as poster sessions.  The computer lab will include your work from 9 am to 1 pm.  Each person in this position will be in the computer lab to assist people interested in checking out your projects.

Food set up/clean up:  3 or more people to assist in making sure breakfast (which starts at 8 am) and lunch (delivered around 11:30; served from 12:15-1:15)  are set up properly, and then clean up after.

Production: It would be good to have 4-5 people creating a media project on that day -- to screen or showcase at the very end of the conference at 5 pm that same day.  What I'm thinking is that it would be really interesting to choose a media literacy or media activism topic during the opening/welcome session (9-9:30 am), then those of you doing the producing can go out with cameras, recorders, and such (into lower Manhattan or wherever) and gather information, perhaps through quick interviews, visuals, sounds, etc., then pull something short together that offers a snapshot of the man/woman-on-the-street thinking about that topic on that day.   We can talk more about this when we next meet together in person.  I really like spur of the moment, quick projects like this.  I think it could add a really nice mediated dimension to this media-related conference -- and showcase you as students.   I'm completely open to all your idea.  If this sounds interesting to you, you might want to start thinking about some topics related to some of the panels that will be included at the conference (i.e., Fake News, Digital literacy, media and conspiracy theories, civic engagement, notions of truth/falsehood in media; etc.)

And, of course, you'll want to attend some of the sessions as well.  And there's always the after-party!

So, think about it!  I'm hoping for a really big day.  We have about 40 people presenting, and I'm hoping we'll have many more than that just attending to be a part of the conference.  Our Dean, Maria Conelli, will be saying a welcome.  I'm going to invite the top administrators to come as well for as much of the day as they can stick around for (President Anderson, Provost Tramontano, etc.).

Let me know!

 



checking in...finally

Hi everyone;

Sorry if you've been waiting for me.  I had a radiator leak emergency... which seems to be fine now.
I'll be giving you all feedback tonight on your Literature Reviews, and giving you more information about the May 5th conference duties that you can sing up for.

Next post....

Prof. Fry

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

@MoreThanStigmas

Hi class!

I've set up the Twitter handle I'll be using for my final project - @MoreThanStigmas, and the hashtag for the project is #diversifyingnormal. If you're on Twitter, give the page a follow as I try to get the project off the ground.

Thanks in advance!
Best,
Annie

Monday, March 20, 2017

Some Conference Day Activist Activity Ideas

During the day of the conference, at the site and in the surrounding lower Manhattan area, I'd like those of you who are interested to participate by creating something during the day that will be showcased at the very end, around 4:30 pm. -- before we retreat to the bar.

I'm thinking it would be interesting to have some of you collaborate on producing a very short video or podcast where you go out and gather images/interviews/information on a subject related to the conference or to your project theme, or other, and edit something quickly (in montage fashion) that can be shown to the conference participants as part of the final comments of the day.  Here are some ideas I have:

-- go out into lower Manhattan and do quick interviews with people about what they think media literacy is....

-- do quick interviews on the role of news in a Democracy

--do quick interviews on how people use the web or social media for:  (you name it)

--extend your own project theme by asking questions, man on the street style, related to your project (DAPL, Planned Parenthood, mental health issues, animal welfare, etc., etc.)

Or, other ideas???

I love the idea of making some media on the day that speaks to the state of our media and our social situation in a snapshot of May, 2017 in NYC.

I welcome other ideas you might have as well!

Prof. Fry

Getting Ready for DIGITAL engAGEment, May 5th

Good evening everyone;

I was quite impressed with the quality and range of media activist projects you all pitched last Monday evening.  Bravo.  I can't wait to watch them develop, and finally see what they become.

On May 5th, as you know, all day at 25 Broadway, the Dept. of TV/Radio is running a conference called DIGITAL engAGEment: Media Literacy in the 21st Century.  It's the first of what we hope will become an annual conference which showcases the Dept., the MS in Media Studies and MFA Programs, and draws people from many different areas who want to participate, want to know more about what we do in the Dept., and want to share ideas about media, activism and the future of media.

Prof. Robinson and I are the Co-Chairs of the conference, and we are thrilled to say that we received many great proposals-- some from former MS students, others from well known scholars in the Media Literacy world, graduate students from the area and around the U.S., and other scholars near and far-- and will have about 40 different presenters at the conference.  I want your projects to be included in the conference.

So, what we've done is dedicated a large slot of time (in the computer lab, I think) where your projects will be showcased that day.  By showcased, I mean they will be available to be viewed, listened to, or otherwise available for anyone from the conference to come in and take a look.  I think that what I'd like to do is have some of you available for different shifts throughout the day where you are available in the library to assist people in calling up projects which have been downloaded into the computers, and to answer any questions people might have about any of the projects.

Another option for showcasing your project is do do what's called a poster session of the project, which means you create a set of visuals (think science fair project) where you put information up on a board and people can peruse it at their leisure.  I think all of those will work well in the computer lab if we set it up correctly.

So, you're going to have an audience for the debut of your projects, which makes me very pleased.  I hope it pleases you as well.  More information about that to follow.

Read my next post for other ideas I have for us to engage in during the day of the conference if you so desire.

Prof. Fry

Monday, March 13, 2017

You! Listen This!!!


Hi everyone!

As I said in our class, I published my new song via almost all of music streaming services in U.S.

Here are the service links that I found:





You don't use one of these? No worry. It is almost everywhere! (do not say you cant listen because you dont have access, I will hate you)

Download or streaming, and let me know about your thought!

I look forward to hearing from you~

Lov,,, no like you guys!

Best,
Hyunmin Kim

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Instructions for next week Monday's project pitches

Next Monday evening, March 13th, you'll be given 5 minutes to pitch your project to the class.
By now you've read my comments on your proposal, and for many of you I made a point to tell you specific things you could include in your 5-minute pitch.  Below is the list of questions you need to address in some way in each of your pitch (in any order that you like) :



What is the issue?

What is the change you want to make?

What is the specific project that will lead to that change?

 How do you anticipate this project will bring that change?

What are some of the specific elements of the project?

-- if you'd like to show something to back up your pitch, feel free.

You'll need to stay within the 5-minute parameter.


Really looking forward to hearing them next week.

Each of you will receive feedback from me and your classmates.  This will be a good working session!

See you then,
Prof. Fry







Monday, March 6, 2017

Freddy Sanchez and Jose Torres

Hi Freddy and Jose;

I don't remember saying that people could pair up on their projects.  The two of you are the only ones doing so.  If you are set on pairing up for the project, you'll need to demonstrate how you'll be creating a project that is twice what the others are doing.

In other words, you are proposing a podcast series about Slacktivism.  You'll each need to produce an entire episode of the podcast series as the final project piece(s).  As a team you'll need to give much more specific information about what each episode will sound like, and how they both fit into the vision of the larger series.  How long will each episode be?  What will be the specific topics of each?  What are the specific elements that will be included in each?  what is the overall style? Who will be included in each?

Be prepared to offer those specifics in the 5-minute pitch you'll give next week in class (each of you will do a pitch for your own episode).  Then, once you've satisfied the requirements of two pitches, you'll each be producing the episode.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks!


4/3/17
Hi Jose;

You have some great references in the reference section of the review you gave me, but I was looking for an essay-style review of all those references beyond your written description of how would be carrying out your project.  For the final paper you turn in to accompany your project at the end of the term you'll need to write the literature review that includes all of those references.  The final paper will simply be a brief description of your project and the review of sources.
I hope the project itself is going well.

4/3/17
Hi Freddy;

Your literature review, as well, is thin.  There are some good statistics in the body of the review, and the research is useful, but it's not written in proper academic citation style.  It is hard to determine whether all the sources listed in your reference list are included in the review itself because of the way that it's written.  You'll need to fix that for the final paper you turn in to accompany your project, which I hope is going well.

Alexandria Cordova

Hi Alexandria;

I think Fair Trade Coffee is a great topic for the media activist project.  I don't see what the media activism is, though.  I understand that you want to partner with Fair Trade organizations, gather information about them, and compile that information in a final presentation, but that's not the kind of project I'm looking for here.  For your final project I want to see how you use media to create something beyond a final presentation just for the class.  Near the end of your proposal you mention something about perhaps further down the line you might produce a 30-minute commercial that empowers Third World organizations.  What you if you made *that* your activist media project for this class,  or something similar?

Your stance on the issue in this proposal is very clear, which is good.  What I'm not getting is a sense of how you will use what you've learned about media to create something original and activist within the realm of media to make your voice heard.  For example, some people are producing short videos, some are doing podcasts; some are using social media to create campaigns, etc.  This is what you still need to work on:  to come up with a concrete project using media, but focused on the issue of Fair Trade Coffee.  Give it some more thought, and think about who you want to see it or participate in it via media.

Let me know if you have any questions!


4/3/17
Hi Alexandria;

Your literature review was great!  I have no other comments to make.  Well done!

Annie Cammarano

Hi Annie;

This is a very worthy activist project, and I like the fact that it utilizes social media and hashtags, specifically.  You make your voice around this topic very clear in the proposal, and that is the point of doing activist media work.  I think your plan is clear and sound.  The only thing I would have you consider how the tweeting will develop over time.  For example, you might start with tweets offering scientific facts, etc.,  but eventually you might incorporate very short videos or testimonials -- the idea being that you're building on facts that become well known by adding faces and voices as, presumably, the stigma decreases.

I'm not saying you need to do that, but it's something to consider if you see this as a long-term project.

Great!


4/3/17
Hi Annie;  You have a lot of really good information in your literature review, but there appear to be far more citations in the references section in the back than there are in the body of the lit review itself.  For each reference in the back there should be a corresponding citation in the body of the paper.  You'll need to even it out for the final paper you turn in with your project at the end of the term (it need consist only of a short description of your project and the literature review).
Also, you don have to include the titles of the articles you're citing in the body of the lit review, only authors last name and year of publication.  I'll scan and email you the copy your gave me so you see my comments.

Oana Tudorache

Hi Oana;

Great issue!  Are you making a documentary as well as creating a social media presence about the topic of hunger?  That's what I gathered as I read through the proposal, though you don't state that clearly.  The rationale for your activist piece is there, and so is your own personal voice, which is great.  What you need to make much clearer is what the activist piece will look like specifically.  How will you use both visuals and social media around this topic?  What will be the project for this class, specifically?  How do you envision it unfolding beyond the course, if that is what you're envisioning?
These kinds of details aren't clear in the proposal.  The idea is fantastic.  Think more about the concrete details, the step-by-step plan, and be prepared to discuss those details in the 5-minute pitch for next week!

Thanks!

4-3-17
Hi Oana;

Your list of references is very good.  I was hoping for more of a literature review, and not so much an annotated bibliography, which is what you gave me.  Nevertheless, the sources are good and you've done some great work writing up the abstracts.  Your job, for the final paper which will accompany your project, will be just to write it up more in essay style.  Great work.  I'll scan and email it to you.

Hyunmin Kim

Hi Min;

I get the sense, reading your proposal, that you want to interview young Korean adults in the U.S. about politics.  Is this correct?  Is it an online channel that you want to produce?  What I would suggest is that you focus on showing your voice on the channel because that would make it truly activist.  I understand that you want to share others' voices through the channel, but I think you need to make your own voice clear.

for the final project will you be creating one segment for the channel?  If so, will you be describing it in detail?  For example, what issue or issues will you be showcasing?  These are important details that you'll need to specify when you do the 5-minute pitch of your project next week.  And don't forget to talk about where you stand on the issue that you're showcasing in the channel segment.

Looking forward to hearing more!'

Thanks.

4/3/17

Hi Min;  As I mentioned to Yoon,  your reference are really good, and what you have here for references can easily be combined with hers for the final paper that you can jointly turn in to accompany your short videos.  Well done!

Jason Picucci

Hi Jason;
I'm so glad you're interested in NYC historical preservation, and I see that as a very worthy activist topic.  In the proposal you make clear your voice and what it is that you have to say about historical preservation and its importance.... and specifically why.  What you never really state directly, though, is what the project is.  Is it a video?  A mini-doc?  A news piece?  I'm not saying these are all mutually exclusive;  what I'm saying is that I wanted each of you to state very directly in the first part of the proposal what it is that you are creating, and what makes it an activist piece.

Later in the proposal you do give some nice specifics about who you'll interview and why.  This is good.  For the 5-minute pitches next week be prepared to state what your project is, what makes it activist, and state very specifically what will be included in the video -- who will be interviewed, about what, where.  What else will be included.  How long will the piece be?   What would you like the distribution to be for maximum activist impact?

Lots to think about.  I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks.


4/3/17

Jason;  Your literature review is very well done!  I have no substantive comments to make.  Your sources are good, the organization and writing are both very good.  I'll give you the hard copy when next we meet as a class.  You can use this for the final paper that accompanies your project (it will only need to also include a short description of the project).

well done.

Hassan Williams

Hi Hassan;

This is a great project idea.  I like your use of the term meditation or bricolage to describe what it is you are creating.  To put it more concretely, would you say that your project falls into the category of short visual piece?  How would it be distributed?  How long will it be?  What are the specific elements, and how will they be organized?

 I wanted you to follow the specifics for proposal outline that I gave in my earlier blog post because it allows me to see the extent to which you can explain in steps what it is that you will be creating and why.  Your explanation does not do that, but I get the gist.  What I'd like you to be able to do in the 5-minute pitch next week is to answer the specific questions above, and to mention the over-arching systems you refer to, but quickly get to the Black Arts Movement specifically and what those voices are.... and, most importantly, where your voice is (today, right now in this political moment) in relation to those voices.  That's the point of activist media, to make clear your own voice.

I look forward to seeing your piece develop -- and especially the final product.

thanks!

4/3/17
Hi Hassan;

What you gave me last week was less a literature review than an annotated bibliography, which, I've come to understand, is what you did in 7701.  Nevertheless, the citations themselves are very good, and the annotations/abstracts are well written.  You will easily be able to turn this into an essay-style literature review for the final paper accompanying your project at the end of the term.  The final paper will just be a brief description of the project plus the literature review.

I hope the project is going well.

Brittany Daniel

Hi Brittany;

Is your project a podcast?  This is what I gather from your proposal, though you never state it directly.  For this proposal I was looking for very clear, concrete explanations of each project.  I was also looking for your voice.  As I read your proposal I see that you want to ask questions of your peers about how much responsibility they take for the election results, and how they regard news, even how much they understand news and information.  In lieu of that, what if you made strong statements yourself about all of the above?  That's the kind of thing I'm looking for in an activist piece -- hearing your voice.  You can certainly show a strong point of view (yours) in the way you frame your questions and interviews and such, but I wanted to get a sense of that in the proposal.

In your 5-minute pitch be prepared to say clearly what the project is and what your activist stance is.  Then offer some concrete information about exactly what your piece will include, how it will be organized, and what it is you have to say!

Thanks.

4/3/17
Hi Brittany;  You have lots of good information in your literature review, but the way you've written the review, I have little idea who most of the authors or sources are that you're drawing from as they are not cited well within the narrative.  You must include author last names and years in the literature review body.  You seem to have many more citations or references in the back reference list than you have in the body of the literature review.  They should be equal (each reference in the back should appear in proper form in the body).  There are also some writing issues that need work.  I'll scan and email you the review you gave me so you can see my edits.  

Veronica Austin

Hi Veronica;  Your project is focused and direct, and you make clear your voice in making a visual piece (short doc) about Planned Parenthood.  This is all very good.  I don't have a lot to add except to say that when you prepare your 5 minute pitch, give more specifics about what the mini-doc will look like, sound like, and what specific elements will be included, and how organized.  I think you're in good shape to prepare it!

Thanks!

(4/3/17)  Hi Veronica and Sidnei;

Your Literature Review is rather thin. Most of the references I see listed in the back reference section I don't see in the text of the literature review itself.  If they do all appear in the reference section, they also need to appear within the review itself.  The reference list if quite full, but the review is not.  You'll need to really beef it up as the final review you give me at the end of the term -- which will accompany your short documentary piece.  I'll scan and send you the lit. review you turned in so you can see my other edits and comments throughout where you need work on writing, etc.  

Hope the doc is going well!

Sidnei Afari

Hi Sidnei;  I see from your proposal that your project will be centered on charter schools, but you never directly state what the project is.  I assume a video since you reference footage and using a camera.  Is this correct?  What I wanted in the proposal was a very specific and concrete issue (which you have) and exactly what the project would be in terms of that issue.  What exactly will be in the video?  What will be the style and tone?  And most importantly, what do you have to say about Charter Schools?  Since this is an activist project, I want to hear your voice.  This isn't meant to be a fair and balanced news report.  This is an activist project.  What will you say?  What would you like to change (or not change)?

Think about all those specifics as you prepare for the 5 minute pitches for next week.

Thanks!

4/3/17

Hi Sidnei;

Please look at Veronica's section to see where I address both of your since this is a joint project!

Sasha Toro

Hi Sasha;

This is a great topic and I look forward to seeing your documentary/vlog.  Your father's story sounds like a perfect centerpiece to the project.  Since I'm determined that each of you will be doing activist pieces, I was happy to read in your proposal that you will be including your own thoughts.  That's important, because I want each project to be a voice.  I have no other comments to make except that, when you do the short pitch, give the details of what the piece will look like (which you've begun in the proposal).   Think about how you'd like to make this piece available in a larger sense (to a wider audience).

Great!


4/3/17
Hi Sasha;

While the description of your project, which you handed in last week, is interesting, it's not a literature review.  You gave me references at the end, but there is no mention of them in the body of the paper itself, which is what a literature review is.  For the final paper that you'll turn in to accompany your project, you'll have to write the literature review, and include the citations you list (and a few more), and also include the full citation for each in the final reference section.

I hope the project itself is going well.

Anna Molly

Hi Molly;  My first question for you is:  What is the project?  I read that you are not interested in political activism (I think for you that means not about political candidates or political figures), but are perhaps interested in activism around animal rights or eco rights.  Okay, that's interesting.  But which one?  Both are incredibly broad in themselves.  What I was hoping in this proposal was that you'd give me a very specific, concrete project that was centered on a very specific, concrete issue.

Activism is definitely very broadly defined.  I think what you need to do is choose what issue, under either the animal rights or eco (environmental)? movements, is compelling to you, and what do you have to say about that issue.

What you also need to do is explain exactly what the project will look like.  Remember, you only have until the end of the semester.  You mention a 15-20 minute video report.  What do you mean by that?  what will it look like?  What will be included?  How is a video report different from a documentary?  Do you have time to shoot a video that long?

for the pitch session for next week you'll need to answer all of the specifics above in 5 minutes.  Think about narrowing way, way down to something that's do-able, that's specific, and that shows  your voice.

Good luck!

4/3/17

Hi Anna;  The information in your Lit. Review is well organized.  You'll need to work on writing issues for the final draft that you give me at the end of the semester to accompany your project.  I'll scan and email you the copy that I commented on.  I suggest you get help from someone to do a good edit on that paper.  Otherwise the sources and organization are good.

Michael Garay

Hi Michael;

A five-minute news package is a great idea.  Tell me, what makes it activist?  I like that you're exploring in this piece how others are using social media to speak out in the current political climate.  And I also like that you are going to be asking a question within the piece.  Why don't you consider answering the question? If you want to make this an activist piece in itself, perhaps you can go beyond looking at the activism of others.  something for you to consider.

One thing in the proposal that left me a bit confused is in the first paragraph when you say you'll run interviews in Feb and March, and then a few sentences later refer to it as a year-long investigation.  You'll need to clarify, in your pitch, exactly the timing of this work -- as it is due at the end of this spring semester.

I'll be posting some specifics for the pitch.  I look forward to hearing yours!

Thanks.

4/3/17
Hi Michael;

You have some great sources listed in the reference section at the back of you literature review paper, but most of them i don't see within the body of the paper itself.  You'll need to incorporate all of them and cite them properly within the body of the review.  When you turn in the final paper that accompanies your new project, you can fix that.  The final paper will consist of a short written description of your project and the literature review.

I hope the project itself is going well.

Yoon Cho

Hi Yoon;

This is a great, concrete project with a clear focus and ends.  What I'm wondering as I read your proposal, is whether these videos will be produced to be mouthpieces for the candidates.  That's the sense I get when you say, "I will try my best to tell the story easily, so it can help candidates to appeal to voters."   Are you mostly interested in having candidates appeal to voters, or for voters to get a rounded look at all the candidates?  This could be tricky, but it seems to me that well-done, fair and balanced videos would be good.

When you pitch your project, I'm assuming you'll be producing all of the 15-second twitter videos, correct?  In your pitch you'll also need to explain how many you'll produce, and why the 15-second format is appropriate to give voters a well-rounded look at the candidates.   Mostly, in the pitch you'll need to explain exactly what will be included in at least one 15-second video -- each of the elements-- so that people have a really clear sense.

Looking forward to hearing more.

Thanks!


4/2/17
Hi Yoon;

Your review looks really good!  I think that for the final paper that accompanies the project the you and Min are putting together (the short videos), both you and Min can pull your sources together into one paper since you're working on the project together.  I hope it's going well!

Abiroop Dutta

Hi Abiroop;

This is an interesting movement and look at the perspective of Sri Lankan Tamils.  I think its important for many reasons, not just that most Americans are very unfamiliar with this conflict.  The fact that social media are useful in producing outcomes for the Tamils, which I interpret you suggesting.  Yes, it is important that you look at actual social media posts and somehow record them (do some content analysis?).  I'm wondering if you can, when you pitch this project, do so in a way that gives it more of an activist bent from you end.  In other words, what you're proposing here is mostly a reporting of how others are using social media to meet activist ends.  I'd like to see how you might cast your own project in activist terms.  Give it some thought.  Activism takes may forms and I believe you can make the case for yourself in this project.  Perhaps in presentation?

Give is a try and I look forward to hearing your pitch next week.

Thanks!


4-3-17:

Hi Abi;

Your literature review looks really good;  I made a few comments on the review itself, and will scan and email it to you so you can see it.  Be sure to put your references in alphabetical order by author last name on the back reference page. Otherwise, very solid.


Qin Xin

Hi Qin;

This is an important piece of activism, but I'm not clear about what the very specific project will be that you're completing for this class this semester.  is it a video showing you handing out flyers and talking to people?  If so, who will be recording you?  The specifics are what I was looking for in Part A. of the proposal.  If it is a video, you'll need to specify exactly how long it will be, and what the viewer will be looking at specifically.  What is the tone of the video?  Where will you shoot, etc.? Will you need sound equipment as well? How many people will you interview?  What sort of flyers will you produce?

For the pitch session next week I suggest that you have a very tight, very focused description of this video, answering the kinds of questions I've asked above.

Thanks!



4-4-17
Hi Qin;

You have some really good sources here about your issue, but it would be good to also include some sources about the U.S.reaction, or lack of reaction, to the Bodies exhibit which has been on display in NYC.  Your writing needs work, and I made reference to places in the Lit. Review to that effect.  I'll scan and email it to you so you can see my comments.  You don't seem to be using a correct style for offering citations within the text, which you'll also see when I email you the draft. You may want to seek assistance from the Learning Center to help you give the paper a good edit for the final version you give me in May.

Joanie Martinez

Hi Joanie;

I think a podcast on Stabilizing Rent is a very good activist project.   In the first section I was looking for you to focus specifically on the project that you'll be completing this semester.  As I read your proposal it seems to me that what you'll be able to complete this term is the pilot episode.  Am I correct?  I see how you want this to become episodic, which makes sense given all the topics that should be covered, but the one project is the pilot where you set up the series.  Do I have that right?

If that is so, as you refine your work, I'd do so with one episode in mind.  When you do your pitch you might consider giving us the big picture idea (the series and why), then focus on just the first episode, giving specifics and a sense of the tone, the elements included in that episode, and other focused aspects of that first episode, including who will be interviewed, what sounds will be included, etc.  Also tell us about how you'd like to make it available, and who the audience.

Thanks!

responses to each of your proposals

Hi all;

What I'm going to do is create a separate post for each of you for your project.  That way I can comment separately, and you can respond, ask questions, etc., and we'll have our own online place for our conversation around your project.  Others will have access as well so they can respond to your particular project.  Each post will be named after the person whose project it is.  This seems like the best way to organize it via blog.

Here we go....

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Read/check out this website and respond tomorrow evening, March 6th

Hey all;

I want all of you to be thinking about how you'll ground your projects in some sort of theory or set of theories:  about media, about education,about society, about politics....to give it something to stand on.

Check out the brief interview here with Henry Giroux who talks about Neoliberalism: http://www.freireproject.org/the-scourge-of-neoliberalism-w-henry-giroux/

The website, Freireproject.org, where you'll find this interview, is a fantastic site dedicated to media and activism.  You'll find there's a blog that includes writing, videos, music videos, etc., all  drawing on popular culture and using popular culture to make activist statements.

Check it out!  When you respond tomorrow evening, tell me a bit about what you think of Giroux's argument.  Where else in culture/society do you see evidence of what he's talking about?  Is this an explanatory theory that resonates with you, or not?

As promised, what I'll also do tomorrow evening is write responses to each of you about your proposals, which I haven't yet finished reading.  I'll end the evening with tips on how to prepare for your five-minute pitches, which you'll do March 13th when next we meet in person again.

Until tomorrow evening.....

Prof. Fry

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Responses to Readings from the Village Voice and Huffington Post

This week you read two different but related pieces, both from the popular media, and both about activism.  The piece from the Village Voice was a collection of thoughts from various artists, community leaders, and the like, who are expressing their thoughts, their ideas and their fears around specific topics/people/issues in the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential election.  The much shorter piece from the Huffington Post is included to give you some examples of work completed by artists and on display at a show that has since closed.  Each of the visual pieces was an activist response to a social issue.

My hope is that, by reading these, you will be inspired to think about what issues/topics/ideas stir your passions, and to begin to connect those passions to action -- and specifically to media-related action because that is what you'll be doing for your final projects.

In your blogged responses to these readings this week, I'd like you to share your reactions to any or all of the short pieces from the Village Voice, for example, and I'd also like you to talk about where you stand with regard to using one's creative voice and talents in a political or activist way.  Not everyone feels the same way about art and activism.  Not everyone feels that there are problems for us to act on in this political moment.  I don't assume anything.  But I do want to hear what you have to say in reaction.  And mostly I want to hear about what you are interested in pursuing as an activist using your media knowledge and skills.  For this week's conversation I'd like you to focus on the readings as the jumping-off point.

Please post one or more things this week, and contribute to the conversation.  Remember, your proposals are due in class next week.  I can't wait to hear them!

Prof. Fry

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Readings to respond to this week, Feb 20-24

Hey all;

Here are easy links to the two articles listed in the syllbus that I want you to read and respond to on this blog this week.  I'll send a prompt to get you started tomorrow evening:

here they are:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-pleasant/artists-as-activists-purs_b_11783614.html

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/no-sleep-till-2020-artists-and-activists-plot-the-opposition-9345874


Let's start looking at some Media Activism Projects

Hi everyone;

I want to start a listing of instances of media activism, activism projects and other related items that exist already in NYC and beyond.  Please add to this list and check them out.  They might give you some great ideas for your own projects.

1)  The Media Education Lab's Mind Over Media: Analyzing Propaganda
http://mediaeducationlab.com/mind-over-media-analyzing-contemporary-propaganda-0
check it out and contribute to it!

2)  The LAMP's Media Breaker online media remix tool for talking back to media:
http://thelamp.org/portfolio/media-breaker/
check it out, try it out!

What else can you find?  What makes it activist?


Monday, February 13, 2017

Final Project Proposal requirements

TVRA 7710 – Media Studies Seminar, Spring, 2017
Project Proposal Guide Sheet

On Monday, February 27, 2017, you will submit during class a complete proposal for your final activist media project.  Below is a list of the elements that need to be included in that proposal.  I’m not asking for any particular written or formatted proposal style, but it should include these elements:
A.     A brief statement (roughly 200 words) of what the project is.  In this statement please include a concise description of your project, what issue, problem or idea it addresses, and who will benefit from this work.

B.     A rationale for the project.  Here you will expand in writing why you consider this project important to undertake, why the medium or media you are choosing (or use of media you are going to undertake within the project) is appropriate for the topic or issue you are addressing.  The rationale ought to be thorough and well thought-out.  There is no word or page goal to be met here, but please be thorough and clear.

C.     Project Plan: A description of how you plan to undertake the project.  The plan may change as you begin, but for now you should offer in this section a vision of how you would like to carry out the activist project (from inception to completion and beyond).

D.    A list of the materials and equipment you will need to carry out the project.

E.     A brief statement of how you will be able to assess the outcome of your project.  How will you know that the project has met some or all of its activist goals? 

The Proposals will likely become a changing document as you work on your project, but to have a strong, well-thought-out proposal is to begin with a clear framework that will get your started on a path.  The path might change, and that’s okay.  You’ll have a chance to reflect on that, and explain that, at the end of the term when you share the final project.

Be creative.  Be bold!


Sunday, February 5, 2017

Malcolm Gladwell versus Clay Shirky

I think for this week we have enough to do to read and absorb Gladwell and Shirky.  Let's save Sarah Joseph's article for next time.

So, Malcolm Gladwell and Clay Shirky are both fairly well-known public intellectuals.  Gladwell has written about a lot of different social phenomena in a sort of popular journalism style.  He's an author first and foremost.  Shirky, on the other hand, is a professor and scholar who writes mostly about new media.  They both have completely different writing styles, as no doubt you noticed as you read their respective articles for this week.   You also noticed that they have different things to say about the political power or potential of social media.

Gladwell argues that social media like Facebook (which he focuses on mostly) is a form of weak-tie communication that is good for effecting political change in low-risk political situations, but is not good when the political stakes are high.  He argues that Facebook (as an example of social media) is a network instead of a hierarchy; therefore, real strategic political action is not possible because it cannot motivate people to make a real sacrifice.  Gladwell wrote this in 2010.

Shirky, whose piece was published in 2011, makes a different kind of argument about the political potential of social media. He talks about an environmental view of Internet freedom, and the need to think about connecting social media use to long-term goals like creating a strong public sphere instead of meeting short-term political goals such as in a crisis.  He defines something called "the conservative dilemma," which identifies a kind of paradox that political leaders find themselves in when the Internet and social media are widely available.

They both gave me a lot to think about regarding our current political moment in the U.S., even though Shirky was using mostly non-U.S. examples of how social media have been used during big political changes, Gladwell was using U.S. examples from decades earlier, and both of these pieces were written and published at least 6 years ago.

I'd like you all to respond to their ideas and comments about the power and political potential of social media, but within the context of right now, post-2016 U.S. Presidential election and all of the issues and social media use surrounding that.  Do you think Gladwell's argument is accurate today, i.e., do you think social media such as Facebook or Twitter today are forms of weak-tie communication, thus incapable of inciting motivation for real political change?  Do you agree with Shirky's argument that social media are best equipped for strengthening civil society in the long term, but not for resolving immediate political crises?

When you respond, please use specific examples.  I'd like to see a discussion develop, and I look forward to seeing what you got out of these readings, and in what ways they make sense (or don't make sense) to you today.

I'll begin reading through your responses tomorrow evening around 6 pm -- and will be responding in kind.




Links to the readings for this week just in case.....

Hi all;

Here are the links to the readings for this week, just to make sure you get them and read them:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/small-change-malcolm-gladwell

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~beki/cs4001/Shirky.pdf

http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1667&context=iclr



I'll have prompt questions for you later today.  I meant to have these for you yesterday but didn't quite get there.  I'm anxious to have a conversation about this with you.

Prof KFry

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Hey TVRA 7710!

This is our blog spot.   Within the next two days I'll be posting some questions for you to respond to regarding the readings for next week.  I'll also be posting some requirements of your project proposals.

In the meantime, please use this blog for beginning the list of media activism that you become aware of.    I'll see what I can contribute to maybe start us off.

So, happy Thursday, and you'll hear from me again soon!

KFry