Syllabus

DMST4850: Digital Media Research Methods
Fall 2007
Tues/Thurs 4-5:50
Sturm Hall 434
Professor: Adrienne Russell
Email: adrienne.russell@du.edu
Office: Sturm Hall 216
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 1-2 and by appointment
Course blog: http://digitalmediaresearch.blogspot.com/

DIGITAL MEDIA RESEARCH METHODS explores strategies and techniques for conducting research in the area of digital media studies. It is also a course in applied theory and will engage the ideas of major historical and contemporary thinkers in order to build on and respond to their work on the intersection of technology, culture and various forms of power. The goals of the course are: 1) the strengthen your ability to critically assess digital media technologies and practices and the various methods used to research them; 2) to build the skills and knowledge necessary to create theoretically informed digital media artifacts and analyses; and 3) to implement these skills in writing your master’s project/thesis proposal.

The format of the course will combine the study and discussion of published works; analysis of digital media projects; and a project or thesis proposal that sets out your program of research that includes an exploration the convergence of theory and practice in the digital media of your choice.

REQUIRED TEXTS
David Gauntlett. Web.Studies, 2nd Edition. Hodder Arnold Publication, 2004.

Mizuko Ito, Daisuke Okabe, and Misa Matsuda Eds. Personal, Portable, Pedestrian. MIT Press, 2005.

David Trend. Reading Digital Culture. Blackwell, 2001

ASSIGNMENTS
Book Review (10%)
A 2-4-page book review on Personal, Portable, Pedestrian is due September 27. While it might be helpful to consult other reviews on the book, and you should definitely talk to your classmates about the book, please write a completely original (i.e. not plagiarized, not even one phrase) review. It should be organized like an essay, with a thesis and a few points or examples to back it up. Please do not summarize but rather try to capture the overall theme of the book and demonstrate how it contributes to our understanding of the contemporary communication environment.

Initial Proposal (10%)
Prepare a 20-minute proposal of your project, followed by discussion. Also submit a short written document (5-7 double-space pages) for your class project on the day of your presentation. Please bring hard-copies of this for the class. Your proposal should include the following:
i. CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATION: themes and content; theoretical/critical contexts; supporting material (including literature and media reviews); production and development skills; desired outcome (including media formats and delivery modes)
ii. PROJECT GOALS: establish what you expect to learn while creating this project; also relate previous coursework and experience to the proposed work
iii. OUTLINE: sketch a basic outline of anticipated workflow and process stages
iv. TIMELINE: you should also project a timeline along with your outline, estimating the time you anticipate needed to complete each step.
v. ABSTRACT: summarize your project in 150 to 200 words

II) Class Facilitation: Literature & Media Reviews (20%)
You will be responsible for conducting one class session related to your proposed project. You will be asked to assign a reading of 3-5 texts (60-100 pages) and 1-5 examples of digital media, depending on the length of the reading assignments and the time-commitment of the examples. This material will provide you an opportunity to synthesize information, concepts, media, and strategies relevant to your class project. Please turn in a written literature and media review (7-10 double-spaced)

Guidelines: Biographical/historical information, as well as demonstrations, projections, video clips, and so forth, are kept to a minimum. Beyond a basic introduction to each writer or work, such information is relevant to the critical/theoretical issues involved in your project. The presentation prepares the class for a focused discussion of your project plans. While maintaining a critical focus, the presentation should cover a range of issues and concepts from the focal texts. Supporting materials or Web-based resources should be effectively chosen, maintaining the presentation focus rather than taking the presentation off on a tangent.

III) Proposal (40%)
Your thesis or project proposal should follow the below thesis proposal guidelines (taken from the DMS Graduate Handbook). Note guidelines for projects and thesis proposals are different in DMS Graduate Handbook but for the purpose of this course all students should follow the thesis guidelines.

Guidelines: Thesis proposals run between 25-30 double-spaced pages, with additional pages for storyboards, mock-ups, site maps, and so on. While the final format may vary according to the direction of the primary advisor, all thesis proposals should include the following:

1) Overview of the Thesis: this may take the form of a general introduction to the topic, research, design, and production of the work being proposed. This section should address the work’s scope, the approach to be used to examine its subject matter, and the student's interest in the subject and the research methods employed. The thesis proposal should also address the digital media production necessary for its completion, including design elements, format and delivery.

2) Literature and Media Review: a student should include a review of the literature and media related to the specific topic, providing a clear and succinct statement of the questions and issues that the Thesis will address. This review should provide a critical analysis examining the approach to the topic and the proposed work’s design and production, highlighting the specific issues in the debate about that approach. The discussion should make clear where the student places herself or himself within that debate to justify the approach applied to the Thesis. The proposal should include a discussion of the contributions the study will make to the existing discourse on the thesis topic.

3) Outline and Timeline: the student should include a brief outline of each component or chapter, accompanied by a timeline for completion.

4) Thesis Abstract: summarize the thesis in 150-200 words.

IV) In-class and online discussions (20%)
You will receive an invitation via email to join the course blog. Please follow the directions in the email. This is not an extended discussion format as much as it is a graffiti wall and an ongoing exercise in collaborative linking. At least every other week you should contribute to our blog a link and a short review (1 paragraph) of a site, article, art project, news story, or other resource relevant to that week's reading assignments.
SCHEDULE: Please come to class prepared to discuss the reading assigned for that day.

WEEK 1 | Transformations: Cultural industries and how we study them
Tues Sept 11 | Introductions and course plan
Thurs Sept 13 | Reading: Gauntlett and Horsley 3-31; Networked Public Culture; http://networkedpublics.org/book/culture; Ito et. al. Intro
WEEK 2 | Theorizations: Critical studies, Power, and New Media
Tues Sept 18 | Reading: Trend 17-22; From Virtual Reality to the Virtualization of Reality: Slavotj Zizek; 
Trend 23-27; Speed and Information: cyberspace Alarm!: Paul Virilio; Trend 28-37; A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Donna Haraway; Intro to Culture, Power, History (hand out)
Thurs Sept 20 | No Class
WEEK 3 | Explorations: Digital Media Research
Tues Sept 25 | Gauntlett and Horsley 32-48
Thurs Sept 27 | Ito et. al, whole book
Book review due
WEEK 4 |
Tues Oct 02 | project proposals
Thurs Oct 04 | project proposals
WEEK 5 |
Tues Oct 09 | project proposals
Thurs Oct 11 | project proposals
WEEK 6 |
Tues Oct 16 | project proposals
Thurs Oct 18 | project proposals
WEEK 7 |
Tues Oct 23 | Literature and Media Reviews
Thurs Oct 25 | Literature and Media Reviews
WEEK 8 |
Tues Oct 30 | Literature and Media Reviews
Thurs Nov 01 | Literature and Media Reviews
WEEK 9 |
Tues Nov 06 | Literature and Media Reviews
Thurs Nov 08 | Literature and Media Reviews
WEEK 10 |
Tues Nov 13 | Workshop on interviewing
Thurs Nov 15 | Workshop and Jason
FINAL | Proposals Due: 1:00pm, Monday, November 20, 2006