Assignment #7: When Old Technologies Were New

Response due Tuesday (11/26) in class

This week we've read about the introduction of new media technologies, specifically the Internet and digital media. There is no shortage of claims about how "revolutionary" new media like these are (whether they actually are revolutionary is another story). We're living through this transition, and it's a transition we'll tell future generations about.

For this week's media exploration assignment, you'll interview someone older than you about the introduction of media and technological innovations that they recall as particularly noteworthy. These can be media innovations, like the introduction of TV, tape cassettes, cell phones, the personal computer, etc. You're also welcome to talk to your interviewee about a non-media technological innovations, like air conditioning, credit cards, birth control, interstate highways, etc.

For your interview, start out by asking your interviewee to recall some of the innovations that they consider particularly noteworthy -- things that changed the way they went about their day-to-day lives. Explain to them that this is for a media history class, but that you're interested in both media and non-media technological innovations. If you need to "jump-start" the conversation with a few examples, check out this timeline innovations from each decade of the 20th Century. Take brief notes about the innovations they consider particularly noteworthy.

From the list of innovations your interviewee just identified, you two should settle on one that you'd like to find out more about (you'll probably hear in your interviewee's voice that there's one innovation they consider particularly interesting). Ask your interviewee what it was like to have this new innovation introduced into their lives. What is his or her first recollections of this new technology? Where and when did they see it, and what was it like to use it for the first time? What were things like before this technological innovation, and how did life change once it was introduced? Ask them to provide specific examples that they recall. Take thorough notes throughout the interview.

Your write-up for this assignment will be in two parts. For the first part of your write-up, you will simply list, by name, the innovations that your interviewee identified as particularly noteworthy. This first part of your write-up should be no more than 1/2 page in length.

Then, for the second part of your write-up, you will focus in on the innovation you and your interviewee discussed in greater depth. Share your interviewees' stories of this innovation's introduction, and explain why this innovation was such a change for them. The second part of your write-up should be no more than 1 page in length.

Assignment #6: Stereotyping on Television

Due in class on Thursday (11/15)

This week we're reading about television history. You'll see in Table 13.6 of our textbook that there are some important critiques (and counter-arguments) concerning television content and its relationship to social issues, including violence, sexuality, and stereotyping.

Assignment #5: "Who are behind Super PACs?"

Response due Monday (11/5) by midnight

This week we read about the role of money in politics. Money has long played an important role in political life in America. The famous "Tammany Hall" political machine, run by William "Boss" Tweed is commonly cited as a prime historical example of the influence of money in politics:

Assignment #4: Interviewing Pirates?

Response due Tuesday (10/23) in class

The last week's readings have all revolved around the recording industry. One of the pressing issues facing the recording industry is piracy -- "the unauthorized duplication of copyrighted music" (Turow, 2011, p. 357). As our book explains, piracy costs the recording industry lots of money; however, there are a range of competing perspectives on the matter:

• According to some critics, worldwide music piracy is costing Americans jobs; others argue, though, that most pirated music was unlikely to be purchased in the first place. 
• Music industry executives say that you can't beat "free"; others say that people will pay for music if it's easily downloaded and available at a reasonable price.
• Some musicians see piracy as music consumers stealing their music and making them work for free; others see it as an opportunity to wrest power from the industry and gain a wider audience for their music (especially up-and-coming artists)

Our author says that when it comes to consumers, though, few care about the problems associated with piracy. This is especially so for teenagers (see p. 359-361). To get a sense of teenagers' perspectives on piracy, take a moment and listen to this four-minute podcast on the topic from 2009:


Also available here

Two interviews

For this assignment, you'll interview two people about music piracy. One of the interviews should be with someone (roughly) your age, and the other interview should be with someone from a different generation. You'll interview each person for about 20 minutes, taking notes throughout the process. Be transparent during the interview: explain to them that the interview is for a class assignment, and let them know that when you write up the report, you'll refer to them using a pseudonym (a fake name). This is important because some people are understandably uncomfortable about talking about piracy if their name is reported with any responses. Let them know that at any point in the interview if they'd like to not answer a question, they're welcome to.

During the interview sure to ask your participants the following questions:

• Do you or have you ever acquired pirated music? How did you go about that process?
• Do you think its okay to download pirated music? Why or why not?
• What do you think the impact of piracy is on the music industry?
• What do you think the impact of piracy is on musical artists?

These questions are unlikely to fill up the entire 20 minutes, though. To do so, you'll want to do two more things.

• First, you'll want to go into the interview with a few more questions that you develop (beyond the ones I've identified above). Re-read the textbook's discussion of piracy on pp. 357-361, or think about some of the things the teenagers said about piracy in the podcast above. Brainstorm your own questions from these resources and from your own experiences and discussions of piracy.
• Second, when one of your interviewees says something interesting, "follow up" on that interviewee's comments. For instance: "could you tell me more about that?" ... "could you explain what you mean by that" ... or something along those lines. Anything to get them talking more about the aspect of their response that you found particularly interesting.

The report

After your interviews, you'll type up a report based on your interview notes. Your report should be single-spaced, and no more than two pages in length. The first page should being by listing the questions you asked your interviewees. The remainder of the first and second pages should compare the responses from your two interviewees. Don't just repeat what your two interviewees said -- compare their responses. Were there disparities between your interviewees in terms of their use of pirated music? Did their views overlap or differ when it came to the ethics of pirated music? What impacts did each participant think pirated music had on the music industry and musicians? How did each interviewee's responses compare with respect to the questions you came up with and asked?

You'll turn in your typed report on Tuesday (10/23) in class.

Assessment

This assignment is worth 30 of the 270 points available for the media explorations course component. I will use the following rubric to grade your responses:

30 points -- Executed all assignment components. Demonstrates firm understanding of subject matter. Execution is excellent. No grammar or writing errors. Is well organized and very easy to follow.

22 points -- Executed assignment components mostly as asked. Demonstrates reasonable understanding of subject matter. Execution is generally good. A few grammar or writing errors. Is fairly well organized and generally easy to follow.

14 points -- Executed only some of the assignment's components. Demonstrates limited understanding of subject matter. Execution is fair, but with key problems. Several noteworthy grammar or writing errors. Poorly organized and difficult at times to follow.

6 points -- No evidence of having given the assignment real thought. Minimal or no understanding of subject matter. Execution is poor. Rampant grammar and writing errors make reading very challenging. No organization is evident. Reads like a last minute effort.

0 points -- No assignment submitted or submitted late.

Assignment #3: Magazine Media Kits

Response due Thursday, 10/18, in class

We read this week about the way the magazine industry and other ad-supported media industries create audiences that are subsequently sold to advertisers. In class on Thursday (10/11), we looked at a few "media kits" for magazines. For example: Rolling Stone, Runner's World. These media kits are the magazine's description of their readership: How many people read the magazine? What demographic groups read the magazine? What sorts of attitudes and activities characterize those readers? In short, what sort of person can the advertiser expect to buy if the company purchases advertising in this magazine.

Assignment #2: Newspapers Then-and-Now

Response due Tuesday, 10/9, in class
(response will be submitted as a worksheet with attached print-outs of newspapers, as explained below)

NOTE: Highlighting denotes a change that was made to these directions on 10/4

Analysts have described newspapers and journalism as being in a state of "crisis." Many newspapers across the country have shut down, stopped publishing print editions, or conducted layoffs. Some folks point to competition from the Internet and anemic ad sales during the recession as explanations for these circumstances. John Nichols and Bob McChesney contend that newspapers haven't helped themselves out either.