Time Schedule:
Ronald Stanley Krabill
BIS 313
Bothell Campus
Examines a variety of issues involved in understanding different forms of media and their impact on our lives, in contexts spanning from local to global, using a wide range of theoretical, disciplinary, and methodological approaches.
Class description
Autumn 2006 Issues in Media Studies Mediascapes: Electronic Media and Society in Comparative Perspective
What are the differences and similarities in how electronic media technology is experienced by various people around the world in their daily lives? This course, conducted almost entirely on-line via the wordwide web, will bring together students from UWB and the Communication, Culture, and Media Studies (CCMS) program at the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa, to discuss this and related questions. Course materials will draw on a variety of media sources and readings, most of which will be web-based, as well as online presentations by both the professor and invited guests. By engaging in on-line discussions of the role of media in our own lives and in the lives of others, we will gain a greater understanding of how the impact of electonic media varies over cultural distance, “real time” and geographic space. Students will be expected to make a minimum number of postings during the discussions, while also completing a more in-depth project of their own, which will also be posted on the website for further discussion. By the end of the course, we will have gained greater practical skills and experience in working with electronic media, while also having acquired a deeper theoretical understanding of electronic media’s role in our world.
Except for a brief orientation at the beginning of the quarter and a wrap-up session at the end of the quarter, this course will be conducted almost entirely online through Blackboard. Contrary to popular belief, a course conducted in this manner requires just as much (if not more) effort from the student, as well as a significant amount of self-motivation to stay on top of the work and to find and share with the class sources outside of those presented in the mini-lectures which will introduce each section.
Participation in online discussion, finding external sources of information, readings, and an in-depth research project will be the main assignments for the course. Grading will be based on extensive participation in online discussions and the successful completion of the research paper.
STUDENTS MUST APPLY FOR ADMISSION TO THIS COURSE; THE APPLICATION DEADLINE IS MAY 2. STOP BY UW2 ROOM 326 TO PICK UP AN APPLICATION.
If you have any questions, you can e-mail me at rkrabill@u.washington.edu or stop by my office at UW2-326 during office hours (Mondays 1:15 to 3:15, Wednesdays 9:30 to 10:30, or by appointment). Although I am happy to answer questions over e-mail, students must come to UW2-326 to obtain the application.
Spring 2006 Issues in Media Studies: Media and Social Movements
What impact do newspapers, radio and television (and more recently the internet) have on social movements and vice versa? Are social movements and/or the powerholders they challenge able to use media to their advantage? Do the forms of certain media profoundly alter the social structure in which both social movements and powerholders operate? This course explores ways in which media and social movements affect each other. We will take questions of both the form and content of media seriously, looking at case studies from around the globe. Students will also have an opportunity for experiential learning through involvement with a social movement in the Puget Sound area if they choose.
Goals and Structure of the Course 1. To develop critical and comparative media skills. 2. To become familiar with fundamental debates in media studies. 3. To become familiar with fundamental debates in social movement theory. 4. To gain experience in the practical issues surrounding mass media and activism.
The course is structured to give a balance between theory and practice regarding the interactions of media and social movements. The course will begin with some theoretical perspectives from both media studies and social movement theory. After establishing a conceptual foundation, we will shift our focus to a number of case studies.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
For Spring 2006: This course will involve extensive reading of challenging, theoretical texts. Students will be expected to come to class having given the assigned readings some thought in preparation for discussion. In addition to general participation, students will serve as discussants for the readings. This policy comes out of the instructor’s belief that the best learning is collective as well as individual. Class discussion is not only a way to share what has been learned, but also a chance to ask questions, experiment with new ideas and explore issues which are unclear. The instructor will also utilize group work, film, and other methods of instruction.
Recommended preparation
There are no prerequisites.
Class assignments and grading
For Spring 2006: A number of short writing assignments will be assigned throughout the course, in order for students to demonstrate both their comprehension of and, more importantly, their ability to interrogate the readings. Students will also be asked to complete a larger project focusing on a particular movement; this could include some activity with a social movement organization of the student's choice. The project will involve further research, applying media and social movement theories to the organization, and facilitating course session(s) on the chosen topic. Some quizzes and tests may also be assigned as necessary.
