TASK:

USE A THEORY TO ANALYSE SOME PHENOMENON IN NETWORK CULTURE Each week we discuss a range of theoretical ideas and concepts and think about how these theories can help us to understand network culture. For this assessment you will choose a thinker, theory or concept from weeks 1-7 and then use that idea to analyse a case study of your choosing. You may choose to study an artifact, platform, or practice that is relevant to one of the theories or concepts discussed in the readings and lectures in weeks 1-7. Your report will contain both text and other media (ie images, video, audio)

PRESENT YOUR ANALYSIS USING ONE OF THE FOLLOWING FORMS OF NETWORKED DISCOURSE:

1. Record a Pecha Kucha slideshow as a video essay (20 images X 20 seconds of audio)  and post to youtube or vimeo.

2. Create a Buzzfeed listicle on Buzzfeed Community combining images with concise text (Apx 20 images + 20 sentences) 

3. Create and Curate a series of Tumblr posts (Must include at least 20 original posts).

4. Write a multimedia networked essay using Storify, Medium or other relevant platform. 

5. Record a 5 minute podcast/vodcast essay posted to a relevant video (vimeo/youtube) or audio site (soundcloud). (Please submit a copy of the script along with a link to your recording.)

6. Students can suggest their own format but they must submit a clear proposal if it is not on the list above.

Please note that students should choose a format that they can work with independently.  We will discuss how to research and choose the right format and tools in class.

Length: You should aim for a project that takes about 5-7 minutes to read/watch and listen to. (It takes apx. 5 minutes to read 1000 words.)

Submission: 

You will submit the following:

1. Submit your link + the text of your project (If you've made video or audio, submit the script ) + bibliography  as a word doc via turnitin. 

2. Post a link to your project to your blog. 

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 project and your ability to communicate within the constraints of the form.
• Your ability to communicate your message using multimedia (ie picture research, audio or other audio visual)
• The overall success of your project as creative research

This is a formative assessment:  feedback will include a grade out of 100, a qualitative rubric and comments from your marker.

Submit online via the turnitin submission box:

• 1800-2000 word essay (Questions will be provided in week 4)
• 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; well-chosen examples and evidence to illustrate your arguments;
• Writing and presentation: clarity and coherence of expression, grammar, punctuation, sentence construction, layout
• Accurate and properly presented referencing (Harvard style)

This is a summative assessment. Feedback will include a grade out of 100 and a qualitative rubric.

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--see ilearn for weekly instructions. You should make use of whatever platform you are using. If your work can't be embedded in your post be sure to add a link to where the content is stored.*  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 seminar.)

Each post should:

1. Summarize key concepts and/or Identify relevant examples, platforms or technologies as requested

2. Identify and reflect on any problems, questions or challenges that remain

3. Be posted in a timely fashion (ie Before the class on Tuesdays)

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.

Assessment Criteria:

• You meet the required number of posts (min 8) (8 marks)
• Your posts are filed in a timely fashion (2 marks)
• The quality of the blog as a document of your learning activities and engagement (10 marks)

*It is the student's responsibility to ensure that all links are working and active. Do not expect that the grader will chase after your dead links.

This is a formative assessment. Feedback will include a grade out of 20 at the end of the unit.  You will also receive feedback from your peers at various points during the semester and you should be prepared to discuss your work each week.