Final Blog Response - Fall 2010

By Monday, Dec. 6, AT 6 p.m., please formulate and post a question you'd like to answer in a 500-word about HAMLET'S BLACKBERRY.

Hamlet's Blackberry

William Powers perceives a kind of "flattening" because of what he calls hyper-connectedness. How is his sense of flattening different from Andrew Keen's? To what characteristics of being connected does he attribute flattening? Please respond by Monday, Nov. 29, at 4 p.m.

ADVISORY:

Those of you who've missed responses to previous posts can compensate by doing your "personal" blog. When it comes time for me to calculate final grades, I will be taking into account the following:

1) Papers (on Postman/Idiocracy, Web page, Streitmatter/Goodnight, and Good Luck, Hamlet's Blackberry)

2) Blog responses (frequency, quality)

3) Class participation (attendance, of course, affects this)

4) Extra credit via personal blog

History Is. . . (Mightier, Chaps. 6-10)

Relevant? Irrelevant? Using Mightier Than a Sword as a reference, please argue for which every position you believe most. Your response is due by 4 p.m., Monday, Nov. 15.

Mightier Than the Sword (Chaps. 1-5)

What, in reading about the history of American journalism, surprised you the most? A particular incident? A particular personage? A particular development or trend? Briefly explain why (but in more than one hurried sentence). Please post your response by 4 p.m., Monday, Nov. 8.

I Started a Joke. . . That Went Viral

For Thursday at 4 p.m., please consult the article below and relate it to Keen's concerns in THE CULT OF THE AMATEUR.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/us/08duke.html?emc=eta1

The World (Wide Web) Is Flat

In his book, Cult of the Amateur, Andrew Keen complains about "a flattening of our culture." What do you think he means by that phrase and why does the phrase -- or, more precisely, what it represents -- seem to scare him so much?

Blog Links

Please place links to your blogs below. Everyone should follow everyone else's. Thanks!

Amusing Ourselves 3

Describe what Postman means by the term "information-action ratio." Now answer his question: How often does it occur that news causes you to alter plans, take some action, etc.? (He's not talking about weather or traffic news, but so-called "serious" news, the kind that shows up on the network evening news or the front page of a newspaper or as the lead item on a news Web site.) What does your answer tell you about the nature of what passes for news today? Please respond by 4 p.m, Sunday.

Styles of Navigation

In his book Media Unlimited, Todd Gitlin identifies several styles of navigating the so-called "media torrent." Which style best describes you? Why? Cite a specific example of your media use (or non-use) for illustration.

Your response is due by 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 22.

Amusing Ourselves, Part Deux

Please follow the link below to a NY Times article;

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/arts/television/17kaku.html

Please discuss by  4 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 11, whether and how "The Daily Show," as described in the New York Times article and as you have possibly experienced it on TV, confirms, modifies, or refutes Postman's thesis in Amusing Ourselves to Death.

Amusing Ourselves to Death, Chaps. 1-3

After reading the first three chapters of Amusing Ourselves to Death, what would you say is the major premise of Postman's book? Do you find yourself in agreement with it? Why or why not?

Be as specific and concrete as possible in your response (such as by including examples). Please respond by noon, Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Life and Death of American Journalism

Please read the article linked below:

http://www.inthesetimes.com/community/20questions/6002/robert_mcchesney_and_john_nichols/

Respond to the following questions by 6 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 12:

1) What do McChesney and Nicols see as the causes for the current crisis in journalism?

2) What do they propose as a solution?

3) What do you think of their proposal? Why?

Attention Economy

According to King and Elliott, what is the major challenge facing the media? Media users? How is it different than challenges facing the media in the past? Do they have a solution? Do you?

Your response is due by 6 p.m., Tuesday, August 31.

Please remember that I accept no late assignments. Refer to the syllabus for more details.

10 Most E-Mailed Stories

Examine the 10 Most E-Mailed Stories on the New York Times Web site for Friday , August 27. When you consider them as a whole, do any consistent themes or preoccupations (on the part of journalists or readers or both) emerge? What does the list suggest is the primary function of the press in America today (informing, entertaining, rumor-mongering, counseling, editorializing advertising)? How does that make you feel (optimistic, light-headed, despairing) about the direction of the press and the society it serves? Your response is due -- remember, no late responses are given credit -- by noon Sunday, August 29.

(By the way, I added the NPR link to Links of Interest.)

Big News

What, to your mind, is the biggest issue facing the American press today? Please explain why you think so in a concise paragraph. Your response is due by Tuesday, August 24, at 6 p.m.