LECTURE/SCREENING
10% of your final grade is based on participation in our large group lecture and screening meetings. This is primarily determined by regular attendance, with penalties imposed for excessive absences. In general, four or fewer absences from lectures and likewise from screenings will be overlooked. But it's recommended that you contact your TA in advance if you're going to be absent due to illness or a conflict. We will note excused absences and make allowances if they add up.
SECTION
10% of your final grade is determined by your participation in section. Attendance is very important, and you should always contact your TA to explain any absences. Your willingness to contribute thoughtful questions and responses to the discussion is also highly valued.
.response posts
Every third week (different from your assigned blog weeks), you'll be asked to contribute a substantive question prior to section. This comment need only be a couple of sentences long. Look in the "discussion" area of our group for a weekly thread from your TA and add a comment. You must post your response at least an hour before your section meets for full credit.
You're strongly encouraged to draw on one or more of your classmates' blog posts for ideas. You can also respond to the readings and screening. A productive question identifies a key concept or makes an observation and then suggests further directions of inquiry. How did the essays or assigned articles make their argument? Was there something you didn't understand? Did certain views seem to compliment or contradict each other? Did a blog post inspire questions or connections?
assigned weeks
- X: 2/15 + 3/14 + 4/18
- Y: 2/29 + 3/21 + 4/25
- Z: 2/08 + 3/07 + 4/11
WEBSITE
10% of your final grade is based on your participation in the class website. Your response posts for section actually comprise half of this. I'm leaving the rest open-ended, rather than prescribing particular activities. I will track your contributions, which should add up to something like three substantive comments or nine brief shares (or some combination) for full credit. I will also not give more than 1/3 credit for contributions within one week, so you can't just spam us at the end of the semester. You'll have three regular weeks off from either blog essays or section responses, so trying to post then is a good way to spread it out. The ways you can participate include:
.commenting on a blog
Think over the ideas you believe your classmate is trying to convey and how effectively s/he did so, and offer some constructive criticism and responses. You can consider: Did you find the analysis convincing and thought- provoking? Did it indicate further connections, or even perspectives your classmate may have overlooked? Can you think of ways to develop and strengthen this argument?
.responding to a screening
A "page" will appear each Tuesday with details on the week's screening materials. You can add a comment explaining your thoughts, observations, questions about one or more of the objects. This is also a great place to bring our attention to other TV programs or videos that you think are relevant to the current theme.
.sharing a link
If you come across an interesting online article about a TV program, the TV industry, or TV fandom, you can share it with the class. You can also link to blogs, videos, artworks, or other websites. The easiest way to add a bookmark is via the "bookmarklet" – go here and drag the button to your browser's toolbar. You can also use this link and fill in the title/URL yourself.
.status update
There's a built-in microblog called "The Wire" that allows you to post status updates. It doesn't appear on our group page, but you can access it from the "Dashboard" link in the top bar. You can share your thoughts about our class and/or your television viewing here. If you have your own Twitter account, you can publish your updates there at the same time – set it up in settings (you can also push to a group Identi.ca account using jlredu, password [given on request]).
