As this class is not being aimed (specifically) at media studies students, it begins with some fairly introductory material. This week, the class is reading the following four articles and excerpts.<\/p>\n
1)\u00a0Creeber and Martin, \u201cIntroduction,\u201d from Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media<\/a><\/em> (Open University Press, 2009), pp. 2-9.<\/p>\n Read the \u201cWhat is new media?\u201d and \u201cDigital cultures\u201d sections (including the box on pp. 8-9). This reading is mainly to make sure we are all on the same page with understanding what is meant by \u201cWeb 2.0\u201d and \u201cMedia studies 2.0.\u201d (Availability note: Most of these pages should be available on Google Reader.)<\/p>\n 2) Jim Macnamara, \u201cUnderstanding the Mediascape,<\/a>\u201d from The 21st<\/sup> Century Media Revolution: Emergent Communication Practices<\/em> (NY: Peter Lang, 2010).<\/p>\n This reading provides important background on key theoretical perspectives and themes in media studies research. The first section, \u201cMajor Traditions of Media Critique,\u201d with its distinction between \u201cpolitical economy,\u201d \u201ccultural studies,\u201d and \u201cmedium theory,\u201d provides a key organizing framework for our thinking about media in the rest of the course. These sections are very introductory; if you\u2019ve taken any media studies courses before, you will likely find them superficial and overgeneralizing. But if you haven\u2019t, please be sure you grasp the differences between these three traditions. The rest of the chapter introduces the important notions of \u201cnet neutrality,\u201d the \u201cdigital divide,\u201d social capital, \u201cdigital enclaves,\u201d and technological determinism. You should make sure you understand each of these.<\/p>\n 3)\u00a0Marshall McLuhan, \u201cThe Medium is the Message,\u201d from Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man<\/em> (New York: Signet, 1964).<\/p>\n Read the first four paragraphs from this essay<\/a>, which is a classic by one of the most celebrated and controversial figures in media theory.<\/p>\n Here’s a related video:<\/p>\n