evaluation proposal_2

1. Attendance – 5%

Come to class and be alive, please!

You are responsible for your own learning in this community that we will make together throughout the semester. I will gladly think together with you and ask some questions about the texts we will be dealing with. Please make sure you get the requested bibliography (the printed texts are available at the Red Photocopy House + buy 2 books: The Medium is the Massage, Marshall McLuhan and Ways of Seeing, John Berger, currently available at the faculty's bookstore for 10€ each volume) and read/watch/browse the texts set in the calendar beforehand, in order to be ready to discuss them with the group.

2. Participation and written exercises – 15%

Participation in the class discussions.

(At least) 1 post in the blog commenting on one of our texts (either theoretical or included in the case studies sections). At least 3 comments to your colleagues' posts in the blog. Print and turn in a list of your posts at the end of the semester, so that I may consider them when grading you, please.

Several written exercises during the classes.

Text and photography about one work of Pop Art included in the Berardo Collection. Initially, I thought about asking you to go during the period of our class in April 24, but I realized it will be better to use this class slot to watch a documentary on contemporary US media culture (I want you to turn in a sentence about the documentary right after class). This means you will have to go on your own to the museum and turn in the (1 page) printed text and photograph (be creative!) till April 24.

3. Research project and oral presentation – 30%

Groups of 4 students, pick up a subject from our syllabus or a printed contemporary US advertisement connected with the class contents (please, see document here). Together you will prepare a visual and an oral presentation about it. 

My idea is for you to make a ‘flash presentation,’ meaning that you will have to compact your ideas about the chosen corpus in 10 minutes maximum (you will be interrupted after this time is over, so make sure your group rehearses beforehand, taking into account that each student should speak for about 2,5 minutes).

We have to schedule (at least) 1 meeting to discuss your ongoing work process. Ask for a meeting, at least 15 days before your presentation date. Please make sure you have done some research on your topic previously, so that we can go straight to business. 

You will have to turn in a 1 page summary of your research conclusions. That is due 1 week after your presentation so that you may incorporate in your text the ideas generated during the presentation class. Make sure the text is a cohesive whole and not a copy paste of 4 separate texts, so work on it together.

Groups must be formed till March 15.

Dates of the oral presentation must be set with me till March 29.

4. Text analysis – 20% 

You may chose either T. Adorno's “On the Fetish Character in Music and the Regression of Listening” (1938) or M. McLuhan's The Medium is the Massage (1967) to write a 2 page essay on a particular topic of the essay or the book. 

Start by doing some research on your topic, considering the bibliography defined in the calendar and some other reliable sources (wikipedia, eNotes and Venezuelan blogs are out of the question!).

Make sure you define your argument before you start writing. Make an outline beforehand; take into account that a text must have an introduction (1 to 2 paragraphs), a development (4 to 5 paragraphs) and a conclusion (1 to 2 paragraphs). Revise your text as you go along.

I strongly advice you to reread the Case Study section on Barbie included in Common Culture, which offers some suggestions on reading and writing strategies.

OWL is a valuable resource for writers. Browse through it and find out what you want to know, namely how to cite your quotes and build your bibliography — here! I want you to follow the MLA format, please.

If you want to write your essay in English, consider scheduling a meeting at WILL Lab, where you can work for 45 minutes with a student tutor who will reread your text with you to help you find good strategies for improving it. WILL Lab is at room 1.23 and will be open Monday to Wednesday from 2 to 4 pm. More on this soon!

5. Written exam – 30%

The test is on May 10. It will have 2 questions: a reflection about an excerpt from one of the theoretical texts we will read in class and the analysis of a visual / audiovisual text.

You may use your notes and your bibliography. Please do not connect to the Internet during the test.

Dates

March 15

Set groups for research project / Send me an email with all your fellow group members’ emails in Cc

March 29

Schedule your group presentation / Send me an email with all your fellow group members’ emails in Cc

April 19

Turn in your text analysis / If you cannot hand it in to me in this class, send me an email with the document (till midnight!) and make sure to give me a printed copy asp

April 24

Turn in Pop Art’s text and photograph /print

Turn in 1 sentence abt. the documentary watched during class / handwritten

May 10

Test

May 29

Take part in the debate “What can WE do?”

May 31

Bring an image for the collective board

Print and turn in list of your posts in the blog

+ Schedule group meeting and date for oral presentation! Turn in 1 page text 1 week after

All printed works should be written in font 12, in a space and a half, without any space after paragraphs and without changing the preset Word document margins. Please use MLA format, as stated above.