CORE: MCC-UE 14 Methods in Media Studies (MIMS)
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Department of Media, Culture, and Communication
CORE: MCC-UE 14 Methods in Media Studies (MIMS)
image credit: Sam Brown, explodingdog.com
instructor and course information
Dr. Candice Roberts [they/them], [email protected]
T/TH 930 - 1045a, 7 East 12th St, Room 134
MCC Media Lab: https://composingdigitalmedia.org/mcc_media_lab/
Office Hours By Appointment
course description
Introduces students to several methods of analyzing the content, production, and contexts of media in society. Students will learn the basic approaches of textual analysis, political economy, and ethnography. Students will adopt, adapt and employ these methods in their own analyses, survey and data collection, and ethnographies, and the work will be produced by means of digitally mediated image annotation and manipulation, data collection and visualization, and audio/video production.
learning outcomes
· Students are able to define what a method in media studies is and does.
· Students are able to articulate the practices of the methods studied in this course: textual analysis, political economy, and ethnography.
· Students are able to engage technically and formally in the digital practices of image- editing, data visualization, and audio/video production in conjunction with the methods studied in this course. This takes place through five required workshops with the MCC MediaLab. (Scheduled in advance of the semester).
· Students are introduced to borrowing equipment from and working with the MCC MediaLab formally in class and in support of the digital practices and projects assigned.
texts and course materials
All readings will be available on the NYU Brightspace course site.
You will be required to purchase access to Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Audition, and Adobe Premiere for this course. In each case, you may be able to secure only a single month subscription, but please be cautious of reading the terms of your individual purchase.
modes of evaluation
Media Annotation 20%
Data Visualization 20%
Ethnography 40%
Attendance & Participation 15%
Mid-Term Self-Reflection 5%
units of instruction
I. Textual Analysis
II. Political Economy
III. Ethnography
This syllabus is subject to updates at instructor’s discretion.
MODULE I: Textual Analysis
The goal of this unit is to introduce and clearly distinguish different methods of textual analysis. Students will learn how to perform semiotics and discourse analysis, psychoanalysis, and narrative and genre analysis.
Project 1: Media Annotation
For this assignment, you will analyze a media “text”: a set of images, television show, radio program, film, video game, website, or physical installation, using the approaches discussed in class. Using Adobe Photoshop, translate the media text/object into at least 3 images that explicate its underlying codes, performances, and/or relationships. The critical approach that you have chosen should be clear in your images. In other words, I should know what you are critiquing with your images, whether it be a social, economic, environmental, political, or other cultural structure of society. It should be easy for you to explain your project and what it means to the class.
You are not simply choosing a collection of images, but you are taking media and editing it using Photoshop to show a deeper meaning with your critical making.
In your presentation, you should reflect on the strategies you have used in creating your visual analysis and connect your work to the critical approaches and readings discussed in class. Specificity and intention are key! Do not make random design choices when making your media annotation; every edit that you make and image you include should have meaning and purpose.
MODULE II: Political Economy
The goal of this unit is to introduce the basic concepts for the analysis of media's political economy. These include production, ownership, and labor.
Project 2: Data Visualization
Your group will work with surveys and the class readings to critically understand data analysis, data visualization, and data manipulation. Select a social, political, or cultural topic assigned by your instructor. With your group, develop a research question related to this topic that can be answered through a survey. Once your group has created your research question, you must create a survey with a specific demographic in mind. The first five questions of the survey must ask questions that only take Boolean responses (yes/no, true/false), and the second five questions must ask similar questions that take qualitative answers.
The group must administer this survey to the chosen demographic. Once all the data has been collected, the group must articulate three different true statements about each set of data. To do so, your group must be able to manipulate the data in meaningful, distinct, and clear ways. Groups should pay close attention to how the structure, content, and available responses for the survey influences how data is collected, processed, and understood.
MODULE III: Ethnography
This unit will introduce students to the basic processes and ethics of ethnographic practices. Students will learn how to conduct observations and fieldwork.
Project 3: Ethnography
Identify a setting, site, platform, and/or event that you will observe between now and the next class. Spend two hours observing the site to take field notes, capture audio and video, and write comments. Return a second time for two hours of observation: take field notes, capture audio and video, then write comments or analysis.
To help guide you in your ethnographic journey, here is a checklist of questions that can help you choose a topic. If you answer 'yes' to a question regarding a proposed topic/community, continue to the next. If any answer is 'no', the topic is not appropriate. Topics/communities must be 'yes' to all below.
1. Students have no direct familiarity with this topic or community.
2. This topic/community is a group of people, a self-defined community, not a group of random people who share a behavior or habit.
3. This community does NOT advocate conspiracies, death, harm, unhealthy behaviors, hate or any other unsupportable, malicious or harmful tenet.
4. Students can genuinely learn about and respect the wisdom gained from learning about this community.
5. This community and topic are meaningful, substantial and socially important to learn about, going beyond lifestyle and consumerism in importance.
6. It is a benefit to society to amplify the voices of this community because their wisdom and knowledge are not heard enough.
7. The community is able to provide informed consent for participation in your project, particularly in your audio and video component.
8. No minors may be a part of the ethnography.
This project is composed of five parts:
● two sets of field notes
● your final field report
● an audio interview
● a video based on your research
● a WordPress site that incorporates and presents all the above
Each set of field notes (Field Notes I and Field Notes II) chronicle the observations you will conduct of your topic/community this semester. These should be taken from sessions that last two hours long each of uninterrupted time where you are focused on the subject at hand.
Each of them will include two parts:
1. Acknowledgement of bias
2. Evidence from observations
You must conduct and record an interview with your chosen community.
Your final field report in paper form, synthesizing your field work and interview, should be about 3 pages long.
You will then develop a 3-5 minute video on your ethnographic studies.
You will also be required to create a WordPress site that will present all of your information, including your field notes, final field report, interview, video, and any additional research materials.
university policies
Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism
http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/policies/academic_integrity
The relationship between students and faculty is the keystone of the educational experience at New York University in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. This relationship takes an honor code for granted and mutual trust, respect, and responsibility as foundational requirements. Thus, how you learn is as important as what you learn. A university education aims not only to produce high-quality scholars, but to also cultivate honorable citizens.
Academic integrity is the guiding principle for all that you do, from taking exams to making oral presentations to writing term papers. It requires that you recognize and acknowledge information derived from others and take credit only for ideas and work that are yours.
You violate the principle of academic integrity when you cheat on an exam, submit the same work for two different courses without prior permission from your professors, receive help on a take-home examination that calls for independent work, or plagiarize.
Plagiarism, one of the gravest forms of academic dishonesty in university life, whether intended or not, is academic fraud. In a community of scholars, whose members are teaching, learning, and discovering knowledge, plagiarism cannot be tolerated.
Avoiding Academic Dishonesty
● Organize your time appropriately to avoid undue pressure, and acquire good study habits, including note taking.
● Learn proper forms of citation. Always check with your professors of record for their preferred style guides. Directly copied material must always be in quotes; paraphrased material must be acknowledged; even ideas and organization derived from your own previous work or another's work need to be acknowledged.
● Always proofread your finished work to be sure that quotation marks, footnotes and other references were not inadvertently omitted. Know the source of each citation.
● Do not submit the same work for more than one class without first obtaining the permission of both professors even if you believe that work you have already completed satisfies the requirements of another assignment.
● Save your notes and drafts of your papers as evidence of your original work.
Disciplinary Sanctions
When a professor suspects cheating, plagiarism, and/or other forms of academic dishonesty, appropriate disciplinary action may be taken following the department procedure or through referral to the Committee on Student Discipline.
The Steinhardt School Statement on Academic Integrity is consistent with the New York University Policy on Student Conduct, published in the NYU Student Guide.
student resources
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students requesting reasonable accommodations due to a disability are encouraged to register with the Moses Center for students with Disabilities. You can begin the registration process by completing Moses Center Online Intake. Once completed, a Disability Specialist will be in contact with you. Students requiring services are strongly encouraged to register prior to the upcoming semester or as early as possible during the semester to ensure timely implementation of approved accommodations.
NYU Writing Center (Washington Square)
411 Lafayette, 4th Floor. Schedule an appointment online at https://nyu.mywconline.com
NYU Immigrant Defense Initiative (IDI)
The NYU Immigrant Defense Initiative (IDI) offers free and confidential legal services to NYU students and employees, and their immediate family members, on their immigration cases. IDI can assist with DACA, TPS, asylum, legal permanent residency, citizenship, employment authorization, representation in immigration court, humanitarian visas, and consultations for those who have had contact with the criminal system (i.e. arrest or conviction) or have violated their visa. IDI also provides foreign travel monitoring for those affected by the Travel Ban, or who are at risk of being denied entry to the US, Know-Your-Rights trainings, and advocacy within NYU departments (financial aid, housing, student groups).
Contact IDI at [email protected] or 212- 998-6435 (no walk-ins). More information at: https://www.law.nyu.edu/immigrantrightsclinic/IDI
NYU COVID-19 Guidelines and Information
tentative schedule
**Please pay particular attention to the Workshop dates. It is MCC policy that workshops cannot be recorded, so you need to take extra care to attend all five workshops:
September 12: Adobe Photoshop
October 5: Data Visualization
November 14: WordPress
November 28: Adobe Premiere
December 5: Adobe Audition
Module I: Textual Analysis
|
Weekly Units |
Assignments |
|
1. Introduction to Course and Textual Analysis
Sep 5 |
Introduction to MIMS
Media Annotation Assignment Description |
|
2. Discourse Analysis
Sep 12 Adobe Photoshop Workshop |
|
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3. Representation, Feminism, Spectatorship
Sep 19 |
|
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4. Presentations
Sep 26 |
|
|
Media Annotations |
Final Draft Due: Monday XX via Brightspace |
Module II: Political Economy
|
Weekly Units |
Assignments |
|
5. Intro to Political Economy & Data Viz
Oct 3 |
Data Visualization Assignment Description |
|
6. Political Economy & Media Industries Oct 10 NO CLASS (Legislative Monday) Oct 12 |
CHOOSE ONE (or read both if you like): |
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7. Global Culture Oct 17 Oct 19 |
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8. October 24 October 26 |
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9. Data Visualization Presentations Oct 31 Nov 2 |
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III: Ethnography (continued on next page)
|
Weekly Units |
Assignments |
|
10. Introduction to Ethnography Nov 7 Nov 9 NO CLASS (Brightspace Work) |
Ethnography Assignment Description |
|
11. Cultural Inquiry Nov 14 WordPress Workshop Nov 16 |
|
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12. Ethnographic Technique
Nov 21 Field Notes Workshop |
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13. Virtual Ethnography Nov 28 Adobe Premiere Workshop Nov 30 |
Shumar & Madison - Ethnography in a Virtual World |
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14. More Ethnographic Technique
Dec 5 Adobe Audition Workshop |
|
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15. Works in Progress Presentations
Dec 12 |
If you have AV or visual: Post in Brightspace forum |
WORDPRESS LINK DUE in Brightspace by XXX
2023-09-09
Department of Media, Culture, and Communication