Department of Media, Culture, and Communication Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development New York University Youth Media and Social Change MCC-­‐-­‐UE 1017-­‐-­‐001 Course Overview This course will combine theory and practice to explore the media production, pedagogy, and impact of the non-­‐-­‐-­‐profit youth media organizations and school-­‐-­‐-­‐based programs working in this field. Students will also conduct some fieldwork in the New York City area that further builds the related fields of youth media/youth development, teaching and learning, and community building. Research projects will document and investigate how youth media is supporting the development of young people’s capacities for 21st century skills of digital communication, critical literacy, and democratic civic engagement. Course Learner Objectives Students will be able to: Develop a critical understanding of learning, literacy, identity, and social change theories that underlie youth media pedagogy and production. Document and assess current practices in the field of youth media, guided by an ethical approach to their research. Apply theoretical accounts of educational equity, youth development and civic engagement to local contexts. Required Reading Goodman, S. (2003). Teaching Youth Media: A Critical Guide to Literacy, Video Production and Social Change. New York: Teachers College Press. Access a packet of collected articles/chapters at Advanced Copy Center, 552 LaGuardia Place (between West 3rd and Bleecker Street) (212) 388-­‐-­‐-­‐1001 Grading and Assignments Attendance and Participation Reading Responses
Reading Facilitation
Reflection Paper
1 Digital Media Inquiry Project
1 Final Paper
25% (10% attendance; 15% participation) 15%
10%
10%
20%
20%
1 *Note on Attendance and Participation: Attendance matters to us instructors as well as your fellow students who learn and collaborate with you. Attendance will be taken and no more than two absences are permitted. Any absence after that one will result in you failing the attendance portion of the course, unless I am notified in advance of class of an extraordinary reason why you cannot attend. Regardless of the reason for your absence you will be responsible for any missed work. There are no extra credit assignments for this class. Attendance includes being on time to class – if you are significantly or repeatedly late, you will be marked absent. In class, you must be prepared to discuss readings and participate in conversation; participation is not simply about showing up, but about being an active member of the class. Participation will also include your observations in the field of youth media locally, and/or globally via the Internet. Please note: attendance without active participation (i.e. vocal, verbal participation, including asking questions, answering them and/or offering your perspective, analysis, confusion, etc.) will receive no higher than a “C” grade. Cell phones are not permitted in class. If I see you on your phone, you will be marked absent. Please take care of your phone calls and/or texting before or after class. Reading Responses A paper copy (2 pages) of your reading response will be collected each class; you should respond to all readings required for that session in one typed response. Reading responses should demonstrate that you understand the author’s main thesis or arguments and the context in which they were made, and are making thoughtful connections to the ideas/issues they raise. Note any special terms or concepts the author uses to make their argument. Draw connections, where appropriate, between this reading and any others we have discussed. Your responses should include those quotes from the reading that stood out for you, and the questions, comments, connections, problems, disagreements or critiques they provoke. Co-­‐-­‐Facilitation All students will co-­‐-­‐-­‐facilitate reading discussions. Co-­‐-­‐-­‐facilitation includes providing the class with a summary of the man points raised in the reading and then leading a discussion with guiding questions or an activity that engages all students. Co-­‐-­‐-­‐facilitation teams must email an outline of their plan for review in advance. Reflection Paper You will be asked to write a 5 page paper that critically reflects on the issues and themes that have been raised by the readings, class discussions, and your inquiries in the field. 2 Digital Media Inquiry Project Working in small teams, you will produce, edit and present a digital media inquiry project that documents and explores an aspect of youth media theory and practice discussed in class, as it takes place within the context of a youth media organization. The project will include images, text, and at least one interview with a student and a youth media practitioner in New York City. Final Paper In this final 10 page paper, you will examine two central questions or themes that draw on youth media theory and practice discussed in class and observed in the research you have conducted in the field. To address your questions, you will use case studies and theoretical arguments found in readings and your own first hand observations of youth media process and products. Format of Written Work For all written assignments, follow this format: In the upper left corner, include your name, course name, date, assignment heading. All work must be typed and double spaced with numbered pages; multiple pages should be stapled. Follow a formal style manual for guidelines on citations, quotations, etc. Make sure you edit/proof your paper before submitting it. Your grade will be partly based on your ability to follow the norms and conventions of writing using Standard English styles and conventions. Style Manual Students are strongly urged to purchase at least one style manual. A good style manual will help to improve the organization and composition of your written work and, used properly, should help to ensure the proper citation of sources. I recommend the MLA or APA guides, available at any bookstore. Late Assignments 1. Your Reading Responses will not be accepted after the day on which the pertinent readings are discussed in class, unless you were absent from that class. 2. Your Reflection Paper will be marked down one grade per day late, including weekends. 3. If you miss class on the day you are supposed to co-­‐-­‐-­‐facilitate the discussion of the readings, your participation grade for the course will be marked down by half. 4. If you miss class on the day you are supposed to present your Digital Media Inquiry Project, your grade on the project will be an F. 5. Your Final Paper is due on May 9th at class time. If it is not handed it at that time, your grade on the paper will be an F. Evaluation A= Excellent: Outstanding work in all respects. This work demonstrates comprehensive, detailed and solid understanding of course lectures, readings, and discussions, and presents thoughtful interpretations, well-­‐-­‐-­‐focused and original insights, and well-­‐-­‐-­‐reasoned commentary and analysis. Includes skillful use of source material, illuminating examples and illustrations, and fluent verbal/written expression. “A” work is coherent, fluent, and thorough and shows some creative flair. 3 B= Good: This work demonstrates a complete and accurate understanding of course material, presents a reasonable degree of insight and broad level of analysis. Work reflects competence, but stays at general or predictable level of understanding. Source material, along with examples and illustrations, are used appropriately and articulation/writing is clear. Classroom participation is consistent and thoughtful. “B” work is reasonable, clear, appropriate and complete. C= Adequate/Fair: This work demonstrates understanding that covers most or some of the basics but which lacks analysis, remains superficial, incomplete, or expresses some important errors or weaknesses. Source material may be used inadequately or inappropriately. The work may lack concrete, specific example and illustrations, and articulation/writing may be vague or hard to follow. Classroom participation is inconsistent and inarticulate. D= Unsatisfactory: This work demonstrates a serious lack of understanding, and fails to express the most rudimentary aspects of the course. Sources may be used entirely inappropriately or not at all. The work may be inarticulate or extremely difficult to read. Classroom participation is limited, unprepared, and off topic. F=Failed This grade indicates a failure to participate and/or incomplete assignments. Plus (+) or minus (-­‐-­‐-­‐) grades indicate your range with the aforementioned grades. **Note on grading policy: I aim to mark your work in terms of content, not format. If your assignments are technically sloppy (overwhelming spelling/ grammar/ format/ stylistic errors), I will be forced to grade for format and not content – this will severely harm your grade. If you are concerned about your technical writing skills, please seek help well before the assignment is due. Schedule of Classes January 29 Greetings, Overview and Introduction Screening of youth media productions January 31 Youth Media-­‐-­‐ History and State of the Field Goodman, S. (2003) Teaching Youth Media: A Critical Guide to Literacy, Video Production and Social Change. New York: Teachers College Press, Introduction. pp. 1-­‐-­‐-­‐36. Dahl, I. (November 2009) “State of the Youth Media Field Report”. Youth Media Reporter. NY: Academy for Educational Development. 4 Investing in Youth Media: A Guide for Grantmakers. (2006) Open Society Institute, pp 3-­‐-­‐-­‐5. February 5 Hoechsmann, M. and Stuart R. Poyntz (2012) “Media Production and Youth Agency” in Media Literacies: A Critical Introduction. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell, pp. 100-­‐-­‐-­‐136. February 7 EVC Retrospective Screening at Film Society of Lincoln Center Youth Produced Documentaries on Race, Ethnicity and the Media: “Breaking Through Stereotypes”, “We the People”, and “Blacks and Jews: Are They Really Sworn Enemies” February 12 Framing Urban Youth: The Banking and Factory Systems – Constraints, Dialogue and Agency Goodman (2003), Chapter 1. pp. 23-­‐-­‐-­‐36. Noguera, P. (2003). “Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment: Rethinking Disciplinary Practices.” Theory Into Practice, 42 (4). pp. 341-­‐-­‐-­‐350. February 14 Freire, P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum Publishing Company. pp. 52-­‐-­‐-­‐73. February 19 Youth Voice and Social Change McDermott, M. ,D. Dukes, S. Rajkumar and D. O’Reilly-­‐-­‐-­‐Rowe. (2008) Youth Media and Social Change: One Perspective from the Field. Youth Media Reporter. Special Features Issue, 86-­‐-­‐-­‐95. NY: Academy for Educational Development. Developing Preliminary Research Questions and Sites February 21 Akom, AA. J. Cammarota, and S. Ginwright. “Youthtopias: Towards a New Paradigm of Critical Youth Studies.” Youth Media Reporter, August 15, 2008. NY: Academy for Educational Development. February 26 Critical Media Literacy-­‐-­‐ Problems and Possibilities Goodman (2003), Chapter 2. pp. 37-­‐-­‐-­‐60. Screening of “Young Gunz” Selecting Youth Media Case Study Sites; Settling on the Research Question February 28 Buckingham, D (2003). Media Education: Literacy, Learning and Contemporary Culture. London: Polity Press, pp. 107-­‐-­‐-­‐119. March 5 Studying Youth Media in the Field 5 Planning Youth Media Inquiry Projects: Interviews and Site Visits Dyson, A. H. and C. Genishi. (2005) On the Case: Approaches to Language and Literacy Research. New York: Teachers College Press. March 7 Ethical Challenges in Documentary and Youth Media Work Aufderheide, P., P Jaszi, and M. Chandra. (September 2009) Honest Truths: Documentary Filmmakers on Ethical Challenges in their Work. Center for Social Media, School of Communication. American University. Coles, R. (1997) Doing Documentary Work. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp 166-­‐-­‐-­‐170. March 12 March 14 Soep, E. (2008) “Jumping for Joy, Wracking Our Brains, Searching Our Souls: Youth Media and its Digital Contradictions.” Youth Media Reporter. Special Features Issue, 102-­‐-­‐-­‐109. NY: Academy for Educational Development. ***Reflection Paper Due Youth Identity and Agency Hull, G. , N. L. Kenney, S. Marple and A. Forsman-­‐-­‐-­‐Schneider. “Many Versions of Masculine An Exploration of Boys’ Identity Formation through Digital Storytelling in an Afterschool Program”, Afterschool Matters #6, Spring 2006. March 19 and 21 No Class -­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐ Spring Recess March 26 Buckingham, D. (2008) “Introducing Identity” Youth, Identity, and Digital Media. Edited by David Buckingham. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. pp. 1-­‐-­‐-­‐24. March 28 Apprenticeships and Situated Learning Theory Tyner, K. (1998). Literacy in a Digital World. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers. pp. 173-­‐-­‐-­‐194. April 2 Halpern, R. (2008) Means to Grow Up: Reinventing Apprenticeship as a Developmental Support in Adolescence. New York and London: Routledge. pp. 17-­‐-­‐-­‐32. Gee, J.P. (2003) What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 59-­‐-­‐-­‐71. Screening of “Aaron’s Story” 6 April 4 Social Media, Online Media and Participatory Culture Jenkins, H. (2006) Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. April 9 Jenkins continued April 11 EVC Retrospective Screening at Film Society of Lincoln Center Youth produced Documentaries on Gender and Identity: “Patriarchy is Malarky”, “Out Youth in Schools”, “Its Not About Sex” April 16 Presentation/Critique of Digital Inquiry Works-­‐-­‐in-­‐-­‐Progress April 18 Lange, P. G. and Mizuko Ito. (2010) “ Creative Production” in Hanging Out, Messing Around and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media. MIT Press. pp. 243-­‐-­‐-­‐292 April 23 Lange and Ito continued April 25 Youth Media in Schools, Third Spaces, Microcultures and Reform Goodman, (2003) Chapter 3. pp. 61-­‐-­‐-­‐98. April 30 Goodman, (2003) Chapter 4. pp. 99-­‐-­‐-­‐112. Goodman, S. (2011) “’Mad Hard Fun’: Building a Microculture of Youth Media in New York City Transfer Schools” in International Perspectives on Youth Media: Cultures of Production and Education. Edited by JoEllen Fisherkeller. New York: Peter Lang, pp. 338-­‐-­‐-­‐354. Screening of HSEI student documentary. May 2 Final Project Revisions May 7 ***Final Project Presentations May 9 ***Final Project Presentations Continued ***Final Paper Due 7