The purpose of this assignment is get you going on writing your paper. Remember, it is difficult to do your best work when you are rushed. Really take the time to flesh out your outline so that you can get feedback and write your paper more easily. Remember, you MUST relate your paper topic to the course and new media specifically. You will not earn any points for the assignment if the relationship between your topic and the course is not clear.
Your assignment must:
- Use the outline format provided below.
- Use complete sentences.
- Include all 12 of your sources.
- Include in text cites, which includes the author(s) last name and year.
- Include the complete bibliographic information for all of your sources.
Your outline should take the following structure:
Introduction:
- What is the topic?
- How is it related to the course material?
- How well researched is the topic today?
- How is your paper organized (what two or three big points are you covering about your topic)?
Body of the Paper (This should be 2 or 3 sections):
- Point one about your topic
You should have 3 or 4 sources here
Note how each of the sources supports point 1
You should plan on 3 paragraphs worth of material - Point two about your topic
You should have 3 or 4 sources here
Note how each of the sources support point 2
You should plan on 3 paragraphs worth of material - Point three about your topic
You should have 3 or 4 sources here
Note how each of the sources supports point 3
You should plan on 3 paragraphs worth of material
Conclusion:
- Summarize the main points covered
- What can be done to research the topic further?
Work Cited:
- You need to provide the complete bibliographic information for each citation mentioned
- These should be organized alphabetically, last name first.
New
Media and Social Change
SYO4461
Dr. Rohlinger
Professor of Sociology
Email:
deana.rohlinger@fsu.edu
Phone: (
8
50)644-2493
Course Description: This distance learning course surveys some of the research outlining the influence of mass media on individuals, institutions, and culture. We will pay attention to both “old” media (e.g., Television and newspapers) and “new” media (e.g., websites and social media) and broadly explore how technological changes effect social institutions and society. The course is comprised of three segments. We begin by examining the political economy of mass media. Specifically, this segment highlights how factors such as ownership and the emphasis on profit-making as well as professional norms shape information, how it flows across the media landscape, and what this means for deliberative democratic processes. In the second segment of the class, we explore the effects of new media on social institutions such as education, religion, work, the law, and politics. We conclude the class by surveying some of the research on mass media and race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability.
Course Objectives: After completing this seminar, you should be able to 1) summarize how mass media work and influence individuals, institutions, and culture, 2) explain the influence of new media on social institutions and the ways we interact with and in them, 3) apply the concepts from the course to contemporary debates involving American media.
Required Books:
· Rohlinger, Deana. 2019. New Media and Society. New York: New York University Press.
** Additional readings will be available via Canvas as a PDF.
Course Requirements:
Your grade for the course will be based on the total number of points you earn out of 300 possible points. The assignments are as follows:
Four open-book quizzes, each consisting of 20 questions (80 points)
These quizzes, which will include short answer, will be posted on Wednesday at three to four week intervals throughout the semester. You will be able to find the answers to these quizzes in the assigned readings, online material, and films. Quizzes are available for one day. You will have one hour to complete the quiz. Note: These quizzes will be challenging. You need to be prepared before you take it.
Two online group discussions (60 points total)
At two points in the semester, you will participate in an online discussion around a topic related to the course. The discussion will open on Wednesday and close the following Monday. Each student will be expected to post at least a 300-word initial response to the discussion topic as well as two original 200 word replies to other students’ responses. You will be given a specific prompt, which will require you to read a short article, listen to audio, or watch a video related to the course. Your discussion will be scored according to the quality of your contribution (e.g., whether it is well reasoned and draws on course or scholarly materials) and the originality of your post (e.g., it is not similar to another student’s post). Based on the quality of your posts, you can earn a possible 30 points for your contribution to each group discussion. No credit will be given for late postings on the discussion board or for “flaming” and other inappropriate responses. Please note that I do not expect you to agree with your classmates all the time. I only require that you engage in a civil conversation around course topics. Take these discussions seriously as they are important for our critical thinking and intellectual growth. Be advised that you will not receive full credit for simply posting the appropriate number of words.
New Media Research Paper (160 points total)
For this paper you will analyze the role of new media in a social institution of interest to you (such as health care, religion, politics, and education). This paper has three parts:
· A preliminary topic and preliminary annotated bibliography (20 points)
· A completed annotated bibliography (30 points)
· A paper outline (30 points)
· A complete 7 to 9-page paper (80 points)
A preliminary topic and preliminary annotated bibliography (Due Week 5). The purpose of this assignment is to get you get you going on your final paper, and to ensure that there is scholarly research on your topic of interest. This is important. If there aren’t any scholarly sources on your topic, you will need to shift it a bit so that you can draw on the existing research. If you are not sure what scholarly sources are, see the Resources for the Research Project module. If you still are not clear, send the citation and the link to your mentor for feedback. The specific requirements regarding the assignment are on Canvas.
Completed annotated bibliography (Due Week 9): Your completed annotated bibliography should consist of at least 12 sources – and at least 7 of these sources need to be scholarly. You may only use 2 scholarly sources from class. The remaining sources can come from the popular press. The specific requirements regarding the assignment are on Canvas.
An outline of your paper (Due Week 12): You will turn in an outline of your paper for feedback (see the assignment on Canvas for the requirements). The purpose of this assignment is to start constructing your paper and to show us how you will use the sources in your paper. Think of this as a very rough draft of your paper, where you will outline your main points and show how the sources help you make these points. Please be sure to take advantage of the outline. The better your outline, the more we can help you before you put together your paper.
Complete paper (Monday of Finals Week). Your paper is due before 8pm on the Monday of finals week (April 27th) is subject to the terms of the use agreement posted on the Turnitin website. BE SURE THAT YOUR SOFTWARE IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE Turnitin PROGRAM PRIOR TO THE DUE DATE.
Note: You will have four opportunities to earn extra credit points throughout the semester (5 points each). These opportunities will be announced through Canvas.
Work Policy: Students must take quizzes (and complete other assignments) during the times indicated on the syllabus. Make up quizzes are only permitted in extraordinary circumstances and with the appropriate documentation. Late work may be handed in but will be penalized 25% each day it is late. Note: papers handed in after 8:00pm are considered late. There is no grace period.
You are expected to ensure that your computer and internet connection are functioning properly prior to quizzes or other online exercises. If necessary, please seek technical assistance from FSU ITS, Canvas Support Group, or other online resources listed on the Bulletin Board under “Help with FSU Procedures and Technology.”
Note:
Missing work is not sufficient reason for a grade of Incomplete (I). An incomplete will not be given except under extreme circumstances at the instructor’s discretion. Note that College of Social Sciences and Public Policy guidelines require that students seeking an “I” must be passing the course.
University Attendance Policy:
Excused absences include documented illness, deaths in the family and other documented crises, call to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities. These absences will be accommodated in a way that does not arbitrarily penalize students who have a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness.
Academic Honor Policy:
The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University’s expectations for the integrity of students’ academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to “…be honest and truthful and…[to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University.” (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at
http://fda.fsu.edu/Academics/Academic-Honor-Policy
)
Cheating and Plagiarism. The Provost and legal counsel of Florida State University warn us that any uses of others’ copyrighted materials without proper acknowledgement is unlawful and may lead to criminal prosecution. To this end, please be scrupulous in using the work of others by giving full and appropriate credit to the sources and materials that you use. Please use care when taking words and phrases from others. If you use a string of three or more exact words from another source, you must place the words in quotes and cite the author, year and page number. Be a stickler about citing; cite more rather than less; cite early rather than late. Do NOT appropriate the concepts, phrases, or ideas of other people without giving them credit. If you do so, you risk losing your good name and getting into legal trouble. Any form of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, will result in a “zero” for that particular assignment or possibly an “F” for the course and may be reported to the University Judicial Office. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Your paper would be considered as plagiarized in part or entirely if you do any of the following:
· Submit a paper that was written by someone other than you.
· Submit a paper in which you use the ideas, metaphors or reasoning style of another, but do not cite that source and/or place that source in your list of references.
· Submit a paper in which you “cut and paste” or use the exact words of a source and you do not put the words within quotation marks, use footnotes or in-text citations, and place the source in your list of references.
· You commit patchwork plagiarism by overuse of quotations – 25% or more of your paper
· If you use paraphrasing software.
Disabilities. Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: Register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and
bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact the:
Student Disability Resource Center
874 Traditions Way
108 Student Services Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167
(850) 644-9566 (voice)
(850) 644-8504 (TDD)
sdrc@admin.fsu.edu
http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/
Syllabus Change Policy: Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.
Grading Scale:
93% to 100% = A 77% to 79% = C+ 60% to 63% = D-
90% to 92% = A- 74% to 76% = C 59% and below = F
87% to 89% = B+ 70% to 73% = C-
84% to 86% = B 67% to 69% = D+
80% to 83% = B- 64% to 66% = D
COURSE SCHEDULE
**** The below refers to the week of instruction. Spring Break is not included as a week of instruction. All times are EST. *****
Week 1. Introduction: Media Economics an Introduction
· Overview of Week 1 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· PowerPoint – Understanding Media Economics
· PowerPoint – Two (Opposing) Frameworks for Evaluating Media Content
Week 2. Media Economics and New Media
· Overview of Week 2 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· PowerPoint – The Changing Economy of Media in the Digital Age
· Article – Robert Horwitz (2005) On Media Concentration and the Diversity Question, The Information Society, 21:3, 181-204, DOI:
10.1080/01972240490951908
Week 3. New Media and Deliberative Processes – Bots, Fake News, and FIBs
· Overview of Week 3 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· PowerPoint – Propaganda, Disinformation, Bots and Deliberation
· Article – Hunt Allcott and Matthew Gentzkow. 2017. “Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 31(2): 211-236.
· Article- Andrew Rojecki and Sharon Meraz. 2016. “Rumors and Factitious Informational Blends: The Role of the Web in Speculative Politics.” New Media & Society 18(1):25-43. doi: 10.1177/1461444814535724.
· Quiz 1 is open on Wednesday January 22nd from 6am to 8pm. It covers material from Weeks 1 & 2. You will have 60 minutes to take the quiz.
Week 4. Don’t Feed the Trolls
· Overview of Week 4 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· Article – Whitney Phillips. 2011. “LOLing at Tragedy: Facebook Trolls, Memorial Pages and Resistance to Grief Online.” First Monday, 16(12). doi:
https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i12.3168
· Article – Sarah Sobieraj. 201. Bitch, Slut, Skank, Cunt: Patterned Resistance to Women’s Visibility in Digital Publics, Information, Communication & Society, 21:11, 1700-1714, DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2017.1348535
· Article – Ergin Bulut, Erdem Yörük. 2017. “Mediatized Populisms| Digital Populism: Trolls and Political Polarization of Twitter in Turkey.” International Journal of Communication, 11.
https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/6702
· Assignment – Discussion 1 opens Wednesday January 29th at 6am and closes Monday February 3rd at 8pm.
***
Suggested viewing: Watch “The Waldo Moment” which is Season 2, episode 3 of Black Mirror (available on Netflix).
Week 5. New Media, Social Institutions, and Reality
· Overview of Week 5 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· Book – Deana Rohlinger. 2019. New Media and Society (Introduction and Chapter 1). New York: New York University Press.
· Video – “Generation Like.” 2014. PBS Frontline. Last modified February 18, 2014. http://
www.pbs.org
.
· Assignment – Preliminary topic and annotated bibliography is due by Friday 2/7 before 8pm.
***
Suggested viewing: Watch “Nosedive” which is Season 3, episode 1 of Black Mirror (available on Netflix).
Week 6. New Media and Education
· Overview of Week 6 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· Book – Rohlinger, Deana. 2019. New Media and Society (Chapter 2). New York: New York University Press.
· Article – Hansen, John and Justin Reich. 2015. “Democratizing Education? Examining Access and Usage Patterns in Massive Open Online Courses.” Science 350(6265): 1245-1248.
· Article – Goode, Joanna. 2010. “The Digital Identity Divide: How Technology Knowledge Impacts College Students.” New Media & Society 12(3): 497-513.
· Research Note – Welser, H. T., Khan, M. L., & Dickard, M. 2019. “Digital Remediation: Social Support and Online Learning Communities Can Help Offset Rural Digital Inequality.” Information, Communication & Society, 22(5), 717-723.
Week 7. New Media and Religion
· Overview of Week 7 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· Book – Rohlinger, Deana. 2019. New Media and Society (Chapter 3). New York: New York University Press.
· Article – Julian Schaap. 2017. “‘Gods in World of Warcraft exist’: Religious Reflexivity and the Quest for Meaning in Online Computer Games.” New Media & Society 19(11): 1744-1760
· Chapter – Candi Cann. 2013. “Tombstone Technology: Deathscapes in Asia, the U.K. and the U.S.” In
Digital Legacy and Interaction
pp 101-113 edited by Cristiano Maciel and Vinícius Carvalho Pereira.
· Quiz 2 is open on Wednesday February 19th from 6am to 8pm. It covers material from Weeks 3 through Weeks 6. You will have 60 minutes to take the quiz.
Week 8. New Media, Legal Institutions, and Corporations
· Overview of Week 8 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· Book- Rohlinger, Deana. 2019. New Media and Society (Chapter 4). New York: New York University Press.
· Report – Christl, Wolfie. 2017. Corporate Surveillance in Everyday Life: How Companies Collect, Combine, Analyze, Trade, and Use Personal Data on Billions.
https://blog.fdik.org/2017-10/CrackedLabs_Christl_CorporateSurveillance
. Read sections 3, 5, and 7.
Week 9. New Media and Work
· Overview of Week 9 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· Book – Rohlinger, Deana. 2019. New Media and Society (Chapter 5). New York: New York University Press.
· Article – McEwan, Bree and Michelle Flood. 2018. “Passwords for Jobs: Compression of Identity in Reaction to Perceived Organizational Control Via Social Media Surveillance.” New Media & Society 20(5):1715-34.
· Article – Duffy, Brooke Erin and Ngai Keung Chan. 2019. ““You Never Really Know Who’s Looking”: Imagined Surveillance across Social Media Platforms.” New Media & Society 21(1):119-38.
· Assignment – Completed annotated bibliography is due by Friday 3/6 before 8pm.
Week 10. New Media and Political Institutions
· Overview of Week 10 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· Book – Rohlinger, Deana. 2019. New Media and Society (Chapter 6). New York: New York University Press.
· 0(0):0002764217744838.
· Article – Kreiss, Daniel. 2012. “Acting in the Public Sphere: The 2008 Obama Campaign’s Strategic Use of New Media to Shape Narratives of the Presidential Race.” Research in Social Movements, Conflict, and Change 33: 195-223.
· Article – Rohlinger, Deana & Bunnage, Leslie. 2017. “Did the Tea Party Movement Fuel the Trump-Train? The Role of Social Media in Activist Persistence and Political Change in the 21st Century.” Social Media + Society, 3(2), 1-11. doi:
10.1177/2056305117706786
.
Spring Break March 16-20
Week 11. New Media and Political Institutions: Celebrity Edition
· Overview of Week 11 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· Article- Marsh, David, Paul T Hart and Karen Tindall. 2010. “Celebrity Politics: The Politics of the Late Modernity?” Political Studies Review 8: 322-40.
· Article – Matthew Wood, Jack Corbett and Matthew Flinders. 2016. “Just like us: Everyday celebrity politicians and the pursuit of popularity in an age of anti-politics.” The British Journal of Politics and International Relations 18(3): 581 – 598.
· Article – Lalancette, Mireille and Vincent Raynauld. 2019. “The Power of Political Image: Justin Trudeau, Instagram, and Celebrity Politics.” American Behavioral Scientist 63(7):888-924.
· Article – Street, John. 2019. “What Is Donald Trump? Forms of ‘Celebrity’ in Celebrity Politics.” Political Studies Review 17(1):3-13.
· Test – Quiz 3 is open on Wednesday March 25th from 6am to 8pm. It covers material from Weeks 7 through Weeks 10. You will have 60 minutes to take the quiz.
Week 12. Research Paper Work Week
· Assignment – Discussion 2 opens Wednesday April 1st at 6am and closes Monday April 6th at 8pm.
· Assignment – Paper outline is due April 3rd before 8pm.
Week 13. Race in the Digital Age
· Overview of Week 13 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· Article – Guo, Lei and Summer Harlow. 2014. “User-Generated Racism: An Analysis of Stereotypes of African Americans, Latinos, and Asians in Youtube Videos.” Howard Journal of Communications 25(3):281-302. doi: 10.1080/10646175.2014.925413.
· Ortiz, Stephanie M. 2019. “The Meanings of Racist and Sexist Trash Talk for Men of Color: A Cultural Sociological Approach to Studying Gaming Culture.” New Media & Society 21(4):879-94.
· Magazine article – Lauren Jackson. 2017. “We Need to Talk About Digital Blackface in Reaction GIFs.” Teen Vogue.
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/digital-blackface-reaction-gifs
.
· Chapter – Apryl Williams. 2017. “On Thursdays We Watch Scandal: Communal Viewing and Black Twitter.” In Digital Sociologies edited by Jessie Daniels, Karen Gregory and Tressie McMillan Cottom, pp. 273-293. New York: Policy Press.
· Chapter – Alondra Nelson and Jeong Won Hwang. 2013. “Roots and Revelation: Genetic Ancestry Testing and the YouTube Generation.” In Race After the Internet edited by Lisa Nakamura, Peter Chow-White.
Week 14. Sexuality and Dating in the Digital Age
· Overview of Week 14 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· Video Debate – Swipe Left: Dating Apps Have Killed Romance
· Article – Hasinoff, Amy Adele. 2013. “Sexting as Media Production: Rethinking Social Media and Sexuality.” New Media & Society 15(4):449-65. doi: 10.1177/1461444812459171.
· Article – Heino, Rebecca D., Nicole B. Ellison and Jennifer L. Gibbs. 2010. “Relationshopping: Investigating the Market Metaphor in Online Dating.” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 27(4):427-47. doi: 10.1177/0265407510361614.
· Article – Janelle Ward. 2017. “What are you doing on Tinder? Impression Management on a Matchmaking Mobile App.” Information, Communication & Society 20:11, 1644-1659, DOI:
10.1080/1369118X.2016.1252412
Week 15. Disability and New Media
· Overview of Week 15 – Tips for the Week and Concepts You Should Know
· Video- Disability in the Digital Age
· Article – Alper, Meryl and Gerard Goggin. 2017. “Digital Technology and Rights in the Lives of Children with Disabilities.” New Media & Society 19(5):726-40. doi: 10.1177/1461444816686323.
· Article – Kathryn E. Ringland. 2017. “Who Has Access? Making Accessible Play Spaces in Minecraft for Children with Autism.” Analog Game Studies.
· Article – Baldwin, Mark S., Gillian R. Hayes, Oliver L. Haimson, Jennifer Mankoff and Scott E. Hudson. 2017. “The Tangible Desktop.” ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing 10(3):1-28. doi: 10.1145/3075222.
· Test – Quiz 4 is open on Wednesday April 22nd from 6am to 8pm. It covers material from Weeks 11 through Weeks 15. You will have 60 minutes to take the quiz.
Week 16. Finals Week
· Assignment – Final paper is due on April 27th before 8pm.
8