Shannon Bradshaw, Ph.D.
302 Hall of Sciences
973.408.3198
sbradsha at drew dot edu
http://users.drew.edu/sbradsha

The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture by Andrew Keen 2007. (Required)

Web 2.0 refers to a second generation of web user behavior in which individuals have become not just consumers but producers of web content. Blogs, YouTube, and Facebook are notable examples. Many news providers enable readers to post comments in response to articles they read. Google and other search engines make extensive use of queries, clicks, and other user behavior to refine its results ranking metrics. In this course, we explore the effect on news, art, and other forms of information and media imposed by a blurred line between producer and consumer.

In most weeks, you will be given a reading assignment. Many weeks will also include a writing assignment. Due dates will be clearly specified and immutable. Most reading assignments will be approximately 30 pages. Writing assignments will be 2-3 pages.

You should expect to present your written work in class and be prepared to do so each time an assignment is due. You should also expect to share each completed writing assignment with the rest of the class. We will use a workshop format to critique most writing assignments.

To facilitate sharing of written work, please register for a Google account if you have not already done so. We will use Google Docs as a means of exchanging written work and making it available for review by other members of the class.

Please contact me as soon as possible if you have a disability or condition that may require some modification of seating or any class requirement, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. If you have any emergency medical information about which I should know, or if you need special arrangements in the event the classroom must be evacuated, please let me know.

It is my sincere hope that no student in this class submits work that is not his/her own. However, it seems prudent to clarify in advance the policy on cheating. If I determine that any work submitted for a grade was not created solely by the student seeking credit for that work, the assignment grade for that student will be zero (0) and the course grade may be an F. All incidents of cheating will be reported to the appropriate deans and the student may be placed on disciplinary probation.

Your grade will be determined by the number of points with which you finish the semester out of a total of 100. You will earn points based on assignments and participation. You will lose points for class absences. Letter grades will be earned as follows: A (93-100), A- (90-92), B+ (88-89), B (83-87), B- (80-82), C+ (78-79), C (73-77), C- (70-72), D+ (68-69), D (63-67), D- (60-62), F (0-59).

Written Assignments (64 points): There will be approximately six papers assigned throughout the semester, each 2-3 pages in length. Together your grades on these papers will account for 64 points of your final grade. On most papers you will be given a chance to revise your initial submission based on feedback from myself and other members of the class prior to receiving a grade. Marked improvement in your writing over the course of the semester is the primary objective of the writing assignments. Papers assigned later in the semester will be weighted more heavily than those assigned near the beginning.

Participation (36 points): I expect you to contribute to the course process at least once each week. Your contribution may take the form of a thoughtful comment made in class, a helpful critique of another student's paper, or an email to me pointing out a recent news article or other piece of information that is germane to the topic of the class and relevant to our ongoing discussion. We will meet for a total of twelve weeks. Each contribution you make will be worth three points toward your final grade.

Attendance: Attendance is highly valued in this course both because of what I hope you will take away from each class and for what I hope you will contribute. To encourage class attendance, there is a two point penalty for every class missed for any reason.