My Syllabus Proofread and Approved

Today my syllabus was proofread and approved. It consists, basically, of two parts: the syllabus itself and the detailed schedule of activities.

I am publishing the final version of the syllabus. The schedule of activities will be published when the class starts.

I must confess I was very pleased with the response of my supervisor Professor Grünzweig. (He is a role model for me in this Department, you know. Sh-sh-shh :)

TU Dortmund University
American Studies
Summer Semester 2009
Presidential Elections and American Culture:
News Media, New Media and American Politics (2 PS)
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Time: Tuesdays, 8.30 am - 10 am
Classroom: 0.406
Instructor: Svetlana Makeyeva, M.A.
e-mail: sveta_makeyeva@yahoo.com
Office hours: Mondays, 8.30 to 11.30 and by appointment
Office location: American Studies Department, 0.405
__________________________________________________________________

Course Description and Goals:

This course takes a cultural studies approach to American political and media issues. The purpose of the course is to introduce and discuss texts which appealed to a larger body of the American news consumers during the presidential race of 2008. The complexity and dynamics of American society will be explored in some of the most outstanding and appealing speeches by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Sarah Palin as well as in a number of articles written by popular partisan journalists and independent political observers who used "traditional" and relatively "new" media technologies to cover the presidential campaign. The course reader will be available at the beginning of the semester; however, most of the primary and secondary sources will be available online and free of charge. Students will use digital media throughout the course, also providing them with practical experience in these media. Each class member is responsible for formally and informally contributing to the discussion of readings, activities and assignments.

By the end of the course student will be expected to examine the impact of new media technologies on American (political) news media, and view these media as expressions of American culture.
This includes an understanding of the nature of new media and especially the ability to
- understand the differences between "new" and "old" media as shown in the American political discussions of the past past year;
- understand the basic concepts of the evolution of new media technologies and to differentiate between different forms of new media;
- understand the "new media" vocabulary and use the terminology freely in writing and verbal communication;
- be able to express her/his opinions on the role of the new media in American political culture in her/his blog updated on a weekly basis.


Student Responsibilities

- Remember our mantra: "Please, be polite." We want a productive working atmosphere inside and outside of class. Try to do your best to criticize constructively and learn to take constructive criticism as an encouragement to improve your own work. Check out recent studies about the benefits of cooperative learning in class (go to http://www.co-operation.org/pages/cl.html);
- Don’t skip classes. You are allowed to miss two classes but must give adequate reasons (preferably, in person or via e-mail in advance);
- Be prepared for each class;
- Have reading and assignments done on time;
- Participate in group discussion inside and outside of class;
- Ask questions if something is not clear. Consult the internet, other networks and printed sources for answers, and be ready to share them in class!
- Preferably, check my wikipage regularly
(go to http://www.iaawiki.tu-dortmund.de/index.php?title=Svetlana_Makeyeva#Course);
- Try to have some fun with your blog;
- In general, try to avoid surface approaches to learning. Challenge yourself so that your skills are greater at the end of the class than in the beginning Good luck!

Please attend the classes, don’t be late and constantly consult the syllabus.


Access to the reading assignments

Required readings include book chapters and articles from printed and non-printed sources. These include scholarly journals, magazines, popular publications, on-line newspapers and blog entries. Assigned readings may be found in the reader and/or on-line. Consult with the course schedule which contains the reading and writing assignments for each class.


Course Structure and Teaching Strategies

In addition to class discussions, this course will include demonstrations of blogs created by students, student presentations, guest lectures, etc. There will be reading and writing assignments. In addition to its seminar quality, this class also functions like a workshop where you engage in practical work. Students will have the chance to explore topics of interest in their projects and writings, and share their findings in class. Class discussions are a key element of the course and students are encouraged to ask questions, offer their own observations, and share their experiences. We will ‘break ice’, participate in ‘fishbowls’ and other interactive tasks. Our communication outside of the class will be via e-mail and the blog designed for the class.

Please see me in my office hours if you would like to talk to me in person. Make sure to make compliments to my old coffee machine. Thanks!


Laptops, Cellphones and Drinks

As this is a class dealing with news media, politics and new media, LAPTOP USAGE IN LAN IS PERMITTED. Students with personal laptops are encouraged to bring them in class to take notes and demonstrate blogs to the team-members. NOTICE: surfing the internet, emailing, instant messaging---all in all, the irrelevant activities of whatever kind---are NOT permitted!

TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE(S) and other gadgets which might distract you and the class.

I do not mind if you bring your morning coffee or other drinks to class.

GRADING POLICY

Your grade will be awarded based on the total number of points. Make sure you clearly understand how the points will make up your desired grade:

Class Participation and In-class Tasks 20 points
Blog Development Project 40 points
Presentation 20 points
Final Small Quiz 20 points
TOTAL:100 points


PLAGIARISM

Main Entry: pla·gia·rize
Pronunciation: \ˈplā-jə-ˌrīz also -jē-ə-\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): pla·gia·rized; pla·gia·riz·ing
Etymology: plagiary
Date: 1716
transitive verb : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source intransitive verb : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
— pla·gia·riz·er noun

MLA Style
"plagiarize." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009.
Merriam-Webster Online. 13 February 2009

Or consult the TU DO website.

Instances of plagiarizing will not be tolerated and will result in a dismissal from the course. Whether you are a scholar or a blogger – try to sustain a reputation of a credible voice. Always give proper credit to information generators whose ideas you decided to use.


What Is a Moment of Zen?

The idea of “moment of Zen” came from “The Daily Show with John Steward” available at the Comedy Central (go to www.thedailyshow.com). Yet the concept of it was almost completely transformed.

NOTE: This is an in-class task which is to be completed in class only.

In the end of each class students will be asked to write down ideas related to the class reading material and discussion on a sheet of paper. These should be in a form of a research question or hypothesis. The students’ “moments of Zen” will be collected and attached to the poster available to students taking this class. The ideas should be signed so that the author is easily identified. The most active Zen-generators will receive 10 extra points which upgrade her/his final grade for the course. This exercise encourages you to be attentive to the class material, sensitive to what the audience might be most interested in and creative. This is also a great opportunity to practice your critical skills.

WELCOME TO CLASS AND GOOD LUCK!