Schedule

  • All reading and writing assignments are due on the days listed.
  • Aside from our three required books (which you must purchase, rent, or borrow yourselves), all texts will be provided in-class or on our OpenLab course site (including readings on writing process/strategies to accompany our in-class writing workshops and help you with your assignments). It is your responsibility to print out these texts and bring them to class with you (you can print for free at the college’s computer labs). It is mandatory to have the assigned texts printed and in class when we are discussing them. If you don’t, you will be considered absent for the day.
  • Additional texts/assignments may be added throughout the semester to supplement the texts listed here.
  • Some weeks require a heavy amount of reading and/or writing, so I encourage you to plan ahead.
  • Always consult the dynamic schedule on our OpenLab site for the most up-to-date version of the schedule, access to readings, and more detail about assignments.

Week 1: What is New Media?

Th 8/27:

Week 2

Tu 9/1 (Class Notes: Fola) & Th 9/3 (Class Notes: Pamela)

  • Due: Response Blog #1 (by M 8/31, 11:59pm)

Week 3

Tu 9/8 (Class Notes: Mariah) & Th 9/10 (CUNY Monday: we DON’T have class)

  • Read:
    • Carroll, Chapter 2: Comparing Digital and Analog Media
    • catch up on all readings from last week

Week 4

Tu 9/15 (no classes scheduled) & Th 9/17 (Class Notes: Sam)

*Please note that these readings are for the entire 1.5 weeks we don’t meet as a class (due to various holidays). Therefore, you should pace yourself and spread them out so you don’t get overloaded all at once, but also realize that the readings are critical to your taking part in our Class Discussions and completing your response posts (so you have to do them sooner rather than later)

Week 5

Tu 9/22 (no classes scheduled) & Th 9/24 (Class Notes: Jodie) & F 9/25 (CUNY Friday: we DO have class) (Class Notes: Ashley)

Week 6

Tu 9/29 (Class Notes: Fola) & Th 10/1 (Class Notes: Pamela)

  • Read:
    • Carroll, Chapter 1: Writing for Digital Media, Chapter 4: Writing for Digital Media II: Tools and Techniques
    • Carroll, Chapter 7: Writing for Blogs
    • Browse through a number of blogs, to get a feel for the range out there (in terms of content, style, community, etc.)
    • Browse through student blogs on The Buzz
  • Due:
    • Response Blog #5: Blogging (back to normal deadlines, Mondays by 11:59pm)
    • Class Discussions: Participate in ongoing (Coding; Wikipedia/Feminism; Digital Journalism; other misc. ones) Class Discussions, and new ones that are posted (please do start new ones yourselves too!)
    • Presentation #1: Due Th 10/1 (by start of class): “Blog(s)” presentation on blog(s) of your choice (you should have already reviewed a variety of blogs in preparation for this week’s class). Your “lightening” presentation will be done in class, and should be 5 minutes long (no more, no less), using multimedia (e.g., slides from PowerPoint, Prezi, or some other presentation software). Before class, upload presentations to OpenLab (categorize as “Blogs”) with a short (~200 word) abstract describing your presentation. Use #2 & #3 under “Chapter Assignments” (Carroll 202-203), the discussion of the “10 habits” of bloggers Carroll discuss, and the rest of the chapter to help you get started.

Week 7

Tu 10/6 (Class Notes: Mariah) & Th 10/8 (Class Notes: Sam)

*Discussion with OpenLab Bloggers & PhotoBloggers for The Buzz
(there will be an in person on Tu 10/6 as well as a virtual Class Discussion on the OpenLab)

  • Due:
    • Response Blog #6: Social Media (bring in other sources in your posts)
    • Presentation #2: In-Class Presentations (on social media)
      • 5 minute “lightening” presentations, using Prezi (make sure to sign up with your City Tech email account; .edu emails give you free accounts – don’t pay for the tool)
      • create an OL post, with ~200 word presentation abstract, Prezi link, and a 350-500 word reflection on the differences using Prezi and PowerPoint
      • categorize it as “Exploring Social Media”)
      • due Th 10/8
    • Class Discussions:

Week 8

Tu 10/13 (Class Notes: Jodie) & Th 10/15

  • Due:
    • Continue to read / comment on one another’s posts (from whole semester)
    • Tag your previous posts if you haven’t done so already
    • Participate in Class Discussions

Week 9

Tu 10/20 (Class Notes: Ashley) & Th 10/22 (Class Notes: Fola): Faculty to Inform Students of Midterm Grades

  •  Due:
    • Response Blogs:
      • #7: response to readings (categorize as “Memes, Circulation, Multimodality”)
      • #8: response to / reflection on Museum of the Moving Image exhibit w/ image of your cat meme (created there) and which cat video you enjoyed most (categorize as “How Cats Took Over the Internet”)
    • Presentation #3: Viral Visualize Images (first draft due start of class Tu 10/20; revised version due Th 10/22 – presentations to be given in class on Th)

      • This week, we are working to better understand visual imagery, multimodality, memes, and circulation. In order to facilitate making sense of the readings (including the rather difficult Lauri Gries article on “circulation” & “iconographic tracking,” the Ben Wetherbee article on memes/topoi/poitical rhetoric, and other textbook readings, everyone will be presenting images of “viral visual images.”
      • This is a low-stakes assignment, and should be relatively easy to pull together since you’ve already had two weeks to actively read/annotate the material and you all have excerpts you want to discuss. You will have the opportunity to revisit/revise this “viral visual image” and your analysis of it going forward, so this is just a chance to get the ball rolling.
        • Choose one image (still image, not video; e.g., Obama Hope, though do not choose this one since Gries already uses it) that has gone “viral” in some way, and has become a type of meme (whether it was originally intended as a meme or not) and consider it in relation to notions of memes, visual images/arguments, and circulation/iconographic tracking. Consider its emotional appeal/visual argument, and the way the image acquires various social, cultural, emotional, and political meanings as it moves (circulates) through various contexts.
        • Create a super short lightening presentation (~3 minutes)–either a powerpoint or a prezi, your choice–that has just a few slides: the image (with citation), and a few excerpts from the readings (with citations) that help us to think about how the image has been circulating and makes meaning / arguments. Your analysis can also reference different versions of the image as it circulates in different contexts. You must include at least one excerpt from the Gries article in your presentation / analysis (though more are encouraged). As always, don’t forget to include a short abstract in the post, introducing your presentation. Categorize as “Viral Visual Images”
    • Class Discussion
      • continue participating in ongoing Class Discussions
    • Extra Credit Opportunity!

Week 10

Tu 10/27 (Class Notes: Pam) & Th 10/29 (Class Notes: Mariah)

*Mid-Semester Check-in Conferences with Professor Belli (sign up for a slot & view schedule here)

  • Read:
  • Due:
    • Blog
      • Response Blog #9 (categorize as Viral Videos, Attention Structures, Visual Rhetoric)
      • (Optional) Extra Credit blog for National Day of Writing (see more details here); categorize as #WhyIWrite
    • Presentations: none this week 🙂
    • Class Discussion
      • continue participating in ongoing Class Discussions & new ones, especially
        • Gries article
          • contribute at least one additional excerpt with analysis/questions by Sunday night, and then go back before to participate in those conversations
        • Wetherbee article
          • contribute at one two additional excerpt with analysis/questions by Sunday night, and then go back before to participate in those conversations
        • Lebduska article
          • contribute at least two excerpts with analysis/questions by Sunday night, and then go back before to participate in those conversations

Week 11

Tu 11/3 (Class Notes: Sam) & Th 11/5: Professor Belli away at conference: class will be held, Professor Robert Leston subbing

  • Read:
    • bring all texts (three books, articles, notes) to class this week, for in-class project work
  • Due:
    • Project Draft Work
    • Midsemester Reflection (1-2 pages, single-space, emailed to Professor Belli by Sunday night, 11/1)
    • Class Discussion
      • continue participating in ongoing Class Discussions

Week 12

Tu 11/10 (Class Notes: Jodie) & Th 11/12 (Class Notes: Mariah)

*Individual Conferences with Professor Belli on Final Projects, as requested by students (proposals, refining parameters, etc.)

  • Read:
    • Cohen & Kenny, Chapter 7: The Online Personal Brand
    • “The Right to Be Forgotten” (Jeffrey Rosen, Stanford Law Review, 2-13-12): print using the “PDF” option (so we’re all on same page), annotate, and bring to class
    • Carroll, Chapter 10: Digital Media and the Law
  • Due:
    • Project Work
      • Proposals: due by Saturday night (11:59pm), 11/7 (post to OpenLab, categorize as “Proposals”)
    • Response Blog #10 (categorize as “Digital Presence and Identity”):
      • this should be in response to the “Exercise” (pp. 205-206) in Cohen & Kenny (some of the other exercises in this chapter may be helpful for preparing this blog, as well)
    • Revised Proposals (due: 1pm on Th 11/12), categorize as “Revised Proposals”
      • revise proposal according to Professor Belli’s feedback & comments (written, in class, and individual conferences)
      • key is to provide as much specific detail as possible
        • propose at least 3 new media composing experiments (aside from final presentation & ePortfolio work): don’t just list things, but explain how/why they will be integrated into the project
        • present/discuss/integrate 5 additional sources (not the ones we’ve read together), showing how this has extending your thinking about the project
        • timeline: what is your timeline (week by week) for your particular project – what do you plan to do each week?
        • If you have particular questions about the project, clearly articulate them (pose them to Professor Belli and your classmates).
    • Class Discussion
      • continue participating in ongoing Class Discussions

Week 13

Tu 11/17 (Class Notes: Pam) & Th 11/19 (Class Notes: Fola)

*Individual Conferences with Professor Belli on Final Projects (check-in, progress, revisions, etc.)

  • Read:
    • Cohen & Kenny, Chapter 6, Multimedia Storytelling
  • Due:
    • Project Work: Annotated Bibliography + reflection blogs (due M 11/16)
      • Begin with an annotated bibliography (minimum 8 sources). Read this post and review our in-class workshop, discussion, and work (from Th 11/12).
      • Reflection (minimum of 500 words), on the process of researching your project, and how it is informing / altering your thinking about project. What has this research taught you  (how has your thinking changed as a result)? What are the key terms and ideas in your project? What do you still need to do more research on? (etc.)
      • categorize as “Annotated Bibliography”
    • Project Work: ePortfolio work + reflection blog (due M 11/16)
      • go through and work on design / structure (choose theme, research / activate / explore at least three plugins)
      • create “about me” section to showcase your online brand (academic / professional presence)
      • update / revise / delete / add sections (pages) as you see fit. Get rid of all generic text (from the ePortfolio template), and fill it out, depending on what you want to showcase there
      • Create a Reflection Blog, where you outline the work you have done, critically explaining / reflecting on the work you have done. E.g, “I wanted to have xxx functionality on my site, so I enabled xxx plugin. I then played around with it and found …” (minimum 500 words, categorize as “ePortfolio Design / Development”)

Week 14

Tu 11/24 (Class Notes: Sam) & Th 11/26 (Thanksgiving – College Closed: we don’t have class)

  • Read:
    • Continue Research for Projects
  • Due:
    • Project Work: Progress Blog & Presentation
      • post progress blog (by M 11/23), and include presentation in that post
      • categorize as “Project Progress”
      • as discussed in class, should present updates / progress on your project (including how the project is developing, any challenges you are facing, & what you accomplished last week and what you plan to accomplish over the next week, until the next Project Progess check-in)
      • Presentations: in-class on Th 11/24 on your Project Progress
        • five minute “lightning” presentations
        • presentation software of your choice (e.g., Prezi, PowerPoint)
    • Class Discussion
      • continue participating in ongoing Class Discussions

Week 15

Tu 12/1 (Class Notes: Jodie) & Th 12/3 (Class Notes: Ashley)

*Optional Individual Conferences with Professor Belli on Final Projects (check-in, progress, revisions, etc.)

*Discussion with Dr. Brian Greenspan about locative media & transmedia storytelling on Tu 12/1

*All non-textbook readings should be printed (using the PDF options, where possible), annotated, and brought to class

  • Due:
    • Project Work: Progress Blog & Presentation
      • post progress blog (by M 11/30), and include presentation in that post
      • categorize as “Project Progress”
      • as discussed in class, should present updates / progress on your project (including how the project is developing, any challenges you are facing, & what you accomplished last week and what you plan to accomplish over the next week, until the next Project Progess check-in)
      • Presentations: in-class on Tu 12/1 on your Project Progress
        • five minute “lightning” presentations
        • presentation software of your choice (e.g., Prezi, PowerPoint)
    • Participate in Class Discussions
      • continue participating in ongoing Class Discussions

Week 16

Tu 12/8 (Class Notes: Fola) & Th 12/10 (Class Notes: Pam)

*Mandatory Individual Conferences with Professor Belli on Final Projects (complete drafts)

  • Read:
    • Hafner & Jones, Chapter 7: Critical Literacy
    • Hafner & Jones, Chapter 12: Digital Literacies at Work
  • Due:
    • Project Work: Progress Blog & Final Project Complete Drafts Due (at least 24 hours before conference with Professor Belli, but no later than 2pm on Tu 12/8). Make sure to review all the Project Expectations/Guidelines
      • post progress blog (by Tu 12/8, 2pm)
      • categorize as “Project Progress”
      • as discussed in class, should present updates / progress on your project (including how the project is developing, any challenges you are facing, & what you accomplished last week and what you plan to accomplish over the next week: this is the last Project Progress update, so you should provide a detailed account of where the project stands, what you still need to work on, what you need targeted feedback on, etc.)
        • Reflection Drafts (Cover Letters), ePortfolio porfolio (write-up & multimodal deliverables) & Presentation Drafts Due
        • Include your presentation file/link, link to your ePortfolio work, and an attachment of your Reflection to this post
        • Draft Presentations (10 minutes) given in class on Tu 12/8
        • Provide Peer Review on Classmates’ Drafts
    • Class Discussion
      • continue participating in ongoing Class Discussions


Week 17 (Finals Week): Student Presentations & Course Wrap-Up

Tu 12/15 (Class Notes: Mariah & Jodie) & Th 12/17 (Class Notes: Sam & Ashley)

*In-Class Presentations of Final Projects, & End-of-the-Semester Celebrations 🙂

*Optional Individual Conferences with Professor Belli on Final Projects (revised drafts)

  • Read:
    • Read through class Final Projects and Comment (peer review on write-ups/ePortfolios)
  • Due:
    • Final (graded) Presentations: due Tu 12/15, 2pm
      • post to our course site (categorize as “Final Project Presentations”)
      • in-class presentations on Tu 12/15 & Tu 12/7
    • Final Course Reflection: due Th 12/17, start of class
      • email file to Professor Belli before class
      • bring printed copy to class
    • Final Projects, final (graded) drafts of the Write-Up and the Reflection: due M 12/21, 12pm
      • Create post on our Course Site (categorize as “Final Projects”) that includes an abstract of your project (~350 words), a link to the project write-up (& multimodal deliverables) on your ePortfolio site, a PDF of your write-up, the file (or link) to your presentation (please include the one from 12/15, so it’s all in one place), and the file of your Project Reflection.

2 thoughts on “Schedule”

  1. Pingback: Class notes 10/8 | ENG 2720: Writing with New Media

  2. Pingback: Class Notes 11/3 | ENG 2720: Writing with New Media

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