First, on your blog, address issues related to class "content":
Where do you currently stand in regard to definitions of "media culture" and the appropriate objects of its study?
I think most of us are still on shakey ground but formyself I belive:
Media Culture is the affect Media has on a society, or lack of media has on a society. It shapes and changes the world in which we live for better or for worse.
How would you describe methods appropriate to "media culture"?
I think any method is ok but I think ethics are a huge part of this field. You have to be ethical! Without Ethics the world is lost and our views are distorted.
Where do you see your own interests fitting into these approaches thus far (or not)?
I will keep what I learn he in mind when I move forward in my chosen career. I do not see myself becoming a scholar by any means.
Then address aspects of taking this class online:
How is working on the wiki going for you?
It is slow. I am still a bit gun shy since this is my first semester at the M.A. level. I am the first in my family to attempt such a feat so it is not like I have a whole lot of guidance when it comes to acedmia. So I am err;ing on the side of caution as for now.
How is course discussion going for you?
Like all other classes. People wait to the last minute and so I have to as well. Little vexing but I am use to it. The discourse is good though.
How about "Media Culture is *the study of the* effect media has on a society, or lack of media has on a society. *Media Culture* as a discipline studies how media shapes and changes the world in which we live for better or for worse."?
ReplyDeleteThe differences between what you wrote and what I wrote is subtle, but my definition defines a field of study, a discipline.
I agree with you that any study or discipline needs to be ethical in its methods. But you and I might define "ethics" differently: what do *you* have in mind when you want this study to be ethical?
And I am going to push you out of the too-easy response of "any method"! I want you to list methods that are appropriate and not appropriate, so that we can start to consider just what sorts of methods help us learn what we need/want to learn with a Media Cultures approach.
I am going to continue to push and challenge you throughout the semester, Richard, precisely because you are in graduate school now and precisely because you are the first in your family to go this route. You are smart (I know this from previous experience!) and capable of some fine distinctions and intriguing analyses -- and I want to encourage you to continue developing these fine abilities.
Okay?