Please remember to come pick up your final assignments and marks next Friday starting at 9:00am. If you haven’t already voted for the film we’ll watch, you can still do so here.

I also wanted to share this story with you because I think it shows how powerful small acts of kindness can be.

- Anne

Friday’s discussion questions:

According to Sterne’s article, what relations and practices contribute to a sense of new technologies being “disposable”? According to Sparks’ article, how can the “salvaging and repurposing” of old technologies be seen as “creative acts” that challenge the ethic of obsolescence and disposability?

Note: This is the last day that students can submit reading summaries for extra credit marks.

- Anne

Mar 28 – Lecture & Discussion

The lecture will cover a variety of issues around new media & electronic waste, and your discussion will address the chapters by Sterne and Parks in Residual Media (pp.16-47)

Apr 4 – Class starts at 09:00 – Vote for the film here

- Anne

At 9:00am we’ll be showing the film that gets the most votes:

American Beauty (1999) Everyday life & the death of the American Dream
The Weather Underground (2002) Documentary on 60s/70s radical activists
Gattaca (1997) Power & resistance in a biotech future

Vote here! The poll closes at midnight on April 3rd.

- Anne & Melissa

Here are a couple of videos to get you thinking about these things:

Ryerson University News: Vinyl collectors
Lakshmi Pratury: The lost art of letter-writing

- Anne

PS – Assignment # 5 is due Friday in class

You can email me if you would like your mark/comments before then, but please give me 24 hours to respond. Thanks.

- Anne

Here’s the assignment handout (pdf) again, and the notes from Friday’s lecture (pdf) on how to effectively conduct research, write thesis statements and construct outlines.

Once you’re done your research and outlines, I’d be happy to take a look at your thesis statements to make sure you’re still on track.

- Anne

Remind Me by Röyksopp

Riaz says: “This music video breaks down the mundane realities of our everyday lives to give a new perspective on life.” Thx!

- Anne

• Assignment # 4 will be returned and I’ll be going over how to effectively conduct research and formulate thesis statements. Attendance is optional, but highly recommended. Melissa and I will be available to help people as needed.

• Your research questions must be approved by the end of this week MONDAY MAR 3/08. Please bear in mind that you might be asked to refine it before approval can be given, so try not to leave it to the last minute.

Next week (Mar 7)

• The coursepack will be available from Haven Books on Thursday (Feb 28). Please check back here for confirmation and pricing FRIDAY afternoon and it costs $15.45 plus tax.

• If you are making your own copies, the Zimmerman Umble article can be found in New Media 1740-1915 (on reserve).

• The second assigned reading is by Spigel and can be found in the Everyday Life Reader (from last term).

In 2 1/2 weeks (Mar 14)

• Assignment # 5 due.

• Last day to withdraw from full-year courses. Make sure you log on to Carleton Central and web drop by this date.

- Anne

There are many kinds of research questions we can ask, so you may find it helpful to start with some of the following:

What Questions … focus your attention on a particular aspect of a topic by asking questions about facts, such as, what is the cause of a particular problem or what caused something to occur.

For example: What are the driving forces behind DIY subcultures and practices? What happens to people without access to new technologies? To what extent are people’s identities related to consumption?

Why Questions … focus your attention on a particular aspect of a topic by asking for an explanation of something, such as why something happened or why it did not happen, or why one thing is better than another.

For example: Why is user-generated content or participatory media better than mass media? Why do people object to genetically modified foods?

How Questions … focus your attention on aspects of a topic related to process or origins.

For example: How can citizens become more engaged in making science policy? How did post-World War II domestic technologies serve to reinforce traditional gender roles? How can people become more ethical consumers? How is the city shaped by transportation technologies?

Should Questions … focus your attention on aspects of a topic related to the appropriateness of a particular action, policy, procedure, or decision.

For example: Should file-sharing be illegal? Should advertising be allowed in public? Should stem cell research be prohibited? Should Facebook’s privacy policy and terms of used be changed?

(adapted)

See also: Developing a Research Question, Developing a Research Question 2, Creating a workable research question, Using A Topic to Generate Questions

Please remember that you can email your question(s) to me anytime, but they need to be approved by the 29th.

- Anne