Course Outline

Alternative Media Course Outline (Working Copy)
Fall 2011 – Wednesdays, 18:00-20:15
Concordia University

Download Course Outline and Major Assignments(PDF)


Course Objectives

Hi Everybody,

In this class we're going to apply best practices in new media to our work as journalists. Through class discussions, assignments, and guest lectures, we will explore the theoretical and practical principles motivating citizen journalism.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

* Identify their niche
* Apply basic technologies involved in citizen journalism (e.g. blogging, podcasting, social networking) to their work as journalists
* Read and write for the web
* Market and brand themselves and their work on the web
* Understand the economic motives of Web 2.0
* Understand the tensions between copyright and technology

If you have any questions or comments, you can email me at any time.

Best,
Matt Forsythe



COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Attendance and Participation: No marks are awarded for class participation. However, up to 10 per cent of a student’s final grade can be deducted for chronic lateness, lack of seminar participation, and/or unacceptable deportment.

Applied Blogging Assignment (35%): Students will apply the principles and practices researched in the course to their own personal weblog in an area of their interest (or niche). The blog must be approved by the instructor by January 31. Due Date: April 3

Audio/Video Component (15%): Students will create a feature audio podcast, videocast, photocast, or extended written piece (1500) to complement the topic of their blog.

Blog Responses (50%): Students will write blog posts on the class blog in response to readings, class discussion, or related content (either on the web or in the "real" world).


COURSE OUTLINE

January 8
WEEK 1: Getting Started

* Introductions
* group blog
* How do you use the Internet?
* Informal discussion. What are your passions? What is your niche?
* Present concept map of course
* Personal questionnaire
* Course Outline / Overview


Learning outcomes: Students will be given a formal survey of concepts and grading system of the course.


January 15
WEEK 2: The Future of Journalism

READ: Are Reporters Doomed?
David Leigh, The Guardian
November 2007

READ: "Amateur Hour"
Journalism without journalists.
by Nicholas Lemann
The New Yorker

READ: The New Old Journalism
by Adam L. Penenberg
Wired Magazine

Objectives: What are the challenges facing journalists today? What is the role of citizen journalism?

Learning outcomes: Students are able to critically observe and discuss the transitional landscape of contemporary journalism.



January 22
WEEK 3: Reading and writing for the web (Part I)
READ: "Truth and the Net", by Cory Doctorow

READ: "Ten Tips for writing a blog post", by Darren Rowse

READ: Basic HTML Tags

WATCH (in class): Blogs vs. Journalism (54m)

Objectives: Though new media require a new way of reading and writing, the basics of style, concision, and grammar are more important than ever. But writers on the web are writing for a new audience... Google. We will discuss the basics of formatting HTML and RSS for the web and best practices for linking and image-use.

Learning outcomes: Students will apply the following with respect to writing on the web:

* Concision
* "Publish then select" philosophy - what does this mean?
* Understand the fundamental difference between Web and Print
* Basic HTML mark-up
* Basic RSS tools (FeedBurner, etc)




January 29
WEEK 4: Reading and Writing for the web (Part II)

GUEST LECTURE: Kate McDonnell, Montreal City Weblog (confirmed)

READ: Selection of short articles by Darren Rowse:
Montreal City Weblog
Should I blog for money?
Using images on blogs
Use your blog to land paid writing gigs; 9 Practical Tips
Kick Your RSS: Jumping on the Syndication Bandwagon

Objectives:
* Does the inverted pyramid still apply?
* Daily Blog Tips articles
* The fine art of linking
* Citation on the web
* Creative Commons licensing
* Why the anchor text is important

Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to link appropriately, use Creative Commons images with their posts respectfully, and write subjects that are Google and RSS-readable.



February 5
WEEK 5: The Long Tail
READ: The Long Tail, Chris Anderson

READ: The Death of the Blockbuster, Chris Anderson

READ: What is Participatory Journalism, J. D. Lasica

Objectives: The Long Tail

Learning outcomes: Students will understand the economic variation within the Long Tail and critically discuss what that means for citizen journalism.


February 12
WEEK 6: Giving it all away

READ: Better Than Free (PDF) by Kevin Kelly


READ:
Better Than Owning by Kevin Kelly

READ:The Economics of Abundance" by Chris Anderson

Objectives: For discussion...

* Economies of Scarcity and Economies of Abundance
* The “reputation” economy
* The “gift” economy
* Why SEO is the journalist's new Query Letter

What is compelling all these people to work for free? We will discuss why the concept of niche and focus is more important than ever to journalists and the emergence of the "meganiche".

Learning outcomes: Students can differentiate between economies of abundance and economies of scarcity. They will be able to define the "gift" economy and the "repuation" economy.



February 19
WEEK 7: Audio and Video for the web (Part I): Podcasting
READ: "A Canadian Broadcasting Policy for a world of Abundance," by Michael Geist

GUEST: Brett Gaylor, Film-maker (Basement Tapes / OpenSourceCinema, etherworks.ca)

Objectives: Podcasting, Videocasting, Videoblogging, Vidcasting, Vlogging... What's it all mean?!

*Podcasting
*RSS and Syndication

Learning Outcome: Students will be able to tell their friends what "it all" means.

February 26 << MID TERM BREAK ? >>


March 5
WEEK 8: Audio and Video for the web (Part II)


*Videoblogging


March 5
WEEK 9: Copyright and Free Speech

READ: Free Culture, chapters 1, 4 & 5 (PDF):

Objectives:
* The Free Culture movement
* Copyright on the web
* Tensions between copyright and technology
* What is fair dealing (fair use)?


March 12
WEEK 10: Digital Distribution
GUEST LECTURE: Hugh McGuire, (confirmed) Community Builder (Librivox.org)

READ:The Paradox of Choice - An interview with Barry Schwartz

Objective: How does unlimited choice affect the news? Does it create greater accountability or just engender a race to the bottom?

Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to list reasons for curated and edited content in a world of unlimited choice.


March 19
WEEK 11:

The Wisdom of Crowds

READ: "The Rise of Crowdsourcing", by Jeff Howe, Wired Magazine
READ: The Wealth of Librivox, Michael Erard, Reason Magazine
READ: Citizen Journalism Wants You!, Jay Rosen, Wired Magazine

* Wiki culture
* Aggregators



March 26
WEEK 12: Checking your Facts in a Networked World

GUEST: Craig Silverman (confirmed), Journalist (Globe & Mail, NY Times) and author of Regret the Error

READ: We Stand Corrected: When Good Journalists Make Stupid Mistakes
by Christopher Scanlan
Poynter Online

Objectives:
* NewAssignment.net
* Regret The Error
* Fact Checking - How to do distributed fact-checking, the rise of external fact-checking groups, and the potential for using CJ to achieve better accuracy in the press.


April 2
WEEK 11: Blogging and Making a Living
Guest lecture: Sean Michaels (SaidTheGramophone.com)

READ: Pay Me for My Content, by Jaron Lanier (Free registration required)

Objectives:
* Search Engine Optimization
* Branding yourself and your work on the web

Discussion: Revenue streams for the online journalist


Check out these books:
We The Media, Dan Gillmor
The Search, John Batelle
The Long Tail, Chris Anderson
The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki
Reference
On Writing Well, Zissner
Elements of Style, Strunk & White