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 use a 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 or practice that is relevant to one of the theories or concepts discussed in the readings and lectures in weeks 1-7. You will contextualise your analysis within scholarly debates.  Your report will contain both text and other media (ie images, audio/visual).

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 with visual media and text).

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

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 minutes to read/watch and listen to. (It takes apx. 5 minutes to read 1000 words.)

Submission: 

You will submit the following:

1. Submit a pdf or word doc of your project including text and images (If you've made video or audio, also submit the script/storyboard) + bibliography + link to the online project via turnitin. (See iLearn for help creating this record).

2. Post a link to your project in the appropriate slack channel (see iLearn for more details.)

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 visual media (ie picture research 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.

Throughout the semester we will inquire into the relationship between culture and technology with an emphasis on digital network technologies, aesthetics and social change. We will explore a range of concepts and theories and consider how we can use them to understand complex phenomena and pressing social questions. We will also critically examine a variety of networked platforms and consider how they shape expression and everyday life. In this assessment you will demonstrate that you have engaged with and understand these ideas and can use them to analyse real world phenomena and contemporary questions about networked culture. 

As your final project you will submit an essay that offers your contribution towards answering the big questions we have discussed this semester. We will discuss these questions in-class and through experimentation with a variety of social media platforms and practices. You will engage in in-class activities that help you to devise an appropriate research question, identify relevant ideas and concepts and select evidence to build your argument. These in-class activities and this essay activity will help you build the analytical skills necessary to understand the research process, think critically about qualitative research and make a contribution to the community of scholarly inquiry.  n.b. You must draw upon the unit's reading list to write your essay. You are welcome to bring in other relevant academic work (and it should be cited) but it is not required. You are also encouraged to draw upon relevant news media and grey literature to provide evidence about the networked cultural phenomena you may be discussing. Support for this will be provided during the seminars.

Submit online via the turnitin submission box:

• abstract 200 words
• 1800-2000 word essay
• A formal bibliography  

Assessment Criteria:

• Engagement with the course: Demonstration of a productive engagement with issues, ideas and theories raised by course material; 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
• Thesis: Evidence of a clear sense of conceptual direction, and the development of a thoughtful discussion and analysis of your own  
• Writing and presentation: clarity and coherence of expression, grammar, punctuation, sentence construction, layout
• Accurate and properly presented referencing

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