Students will give a Pecha Kucha-style presentation (a 6 minute and 40 second talk to accompany a slideshow comprised of 20 slides, each displayed for 20 seconds) focused on a case study of an artifact, platform, practice or concept that is relevant to the previous week's readings and lecture. Your presentation should have an identifiable thesis and argument.  You will also be expected to lead a discussion and respond to questions following your presentation.

See iLearn for detailed instructions about how to prepare your presentation, where to post and in what format. There will also be time in the lecture to ask questions about this--please make use of this time.

Submission: 

Prior to class, students are expected to post their presentation slides (with picture credits and links when possible) and a bibliography in Harvard Style. Please post a link to your slides and your notes/script to your blog and a pdf copy to the Turnitin box on ilearn. Please note that only the presentation will be assessed.  The submission of the pdf document will prompt your tutor to give you a grade and a rubric will be attached for feedback purposes.

Assessment Criteria:

• The strength of your thesis and argumentation.
• Ability to identify debates and discussions in the academic literature.
• Ability to identify a relevant case study to use to critically analyse a concept or problem.
• The clarity of your presentation and your ability to communicate within the constraints of the form.
• Your picture research and use of visual imagery to communicate your message.
• Your ability to lead a productive discussion with your  classmates.

Students will write a research essay that contributes to our understanding of the relationship between digital networks, technologies and culture.

To do this you will need to develop a workable research question related to one of the themes in the unit, review the relevant academic literature, identify any relevant case studies and conduct archival research.  Please see iLearn for a detailed list of themes.  Students will have the opportunity to discuss their ideas in their  tutorials in week 3. Additional consultation times will also be available in week 6 for one-on-one or small group consultations.  See iLearn for a schedule.

Submit online via the turnitin submission box:

• 1800-2000 word research essay
• A bibliography
• Citation style:  Harvard

Assessment Criteria:

• Engagement with the course: Demonstration of a productive engagement with issues, ideas and theories raised by course material;
• Conceptual skills: Evidence of a clear sense of conceptual direction, and the development of a thoughtful discussion and analysis of your own  
• Research skills: Evidence of an in-depth understanding of key issues, contexts, perspectives, theories and debates in the area;
• Writing and presentation: clarity and coherence of expression, grammar, punctuation, sentence construction, layout
• Accurate and properly presented referencing (Harvard style)

Each week you should document your progress via your iLearn blog. You will be asked to experiment with a variety of networked genres and forms. Each post should take between 15 minutes to an hour to complete (in addition to the time it takes you to complete the readings and attend the lecture and tutorial.)

Each posts should:

1. Summarize key concepts

2. Document any highlights from your tutorial discussions

3. Reflect on any problems, questions or challenges that remain

This assessment is about engagement and you are encouraged to take risks and experiment. Your posts will be visible to your classmates as well as the lecturer.

Your post must be completed by COB on Friday each week.

Assessment Criteria:

• You meet the required number of posts (min 10) (9 marks)
• Your posts are filed in a timely fashion (1 mark)
• The quality of the blog as a document of your learning activities and engagement (10 marks)