Syllabus, AIM 500:  Media Analysis                    Fall 2009

 

Instructors

 

            Instructor: Dr. Forrest Gilmour, Dr. Robert Bergland

            email address:  gilmour@missouriwestern.edu, bergland@missouriwestern.edu

            Office: Potter 114,  Eder221a       Phone: 271-4421,  271-4446

            Course blog: http://aim500.blogspot.com

 

Required Materials

 

Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media, The MIT Press, 2001.

 

Chion, Michel. Film, A Sound Art, Columbia University Press, 2009.

 

Other readings as assigned.

 

Course Goals         

 

                        The course is designed to give you

 

                        ¥     An overview of the history of the development of media

 

                        ¥     An awareness of the terminology dealing with each media 

 

                        ¥     An introduction to the key concepts  involved in the various media

                         

¥    An understanding of how new technologies are integrating old media

 

¥    A familiarity with some of the best examples of new media creation

 

¥    An ability to analyze and criticize commercial media products

 

Groundrules          

                        ¥     Attendance.  This is a graduate class, and you are expected to not only attend but to contribute to the discussion during every class period.  Absences, especially without a valid excuse, will significantly affect your class participation grade.

 

                        ¥     Plagiarism: An act of plagiarism or other academic dishonesty in unacceptable especially at the graduate school level and usually results in an F for the course.

 

¥     Disabilities: Students with disabilities that may affect their performance in this class should contact the instructors individually as soon as possible.

 

 

 

Planned Workload  

 

Integrated media analysis 1 (4-5 pages)                                                          100 pts

Integrated media analysis 2 (8-10 pages)                                                        200 pts

Essay Final Exam                                                                                            200 pts

Weekly blog entries                                                                                        200 pts

Weekly analysis/wiki entry/presentation                                                         200 pts                       

Class Participation                                                                                           100 pts

Total                                                                                                                1000 pts

Grading Scale : 90/80/70/60

                                                                                   

                    

 

 

Preliminary Schedule

 

           

Week               Class activity                                                     Due

Week 1

Intros, overview

 

Week 2

History of Media

Manovich Intro and Prolog Chion/Murch Preface, Benjamin

Week 3

History, discussion of readings

Manovich Ch 1, Chion Ch. 1, McLuhan

Week 4

Manovich readings, discussion

Manovich Ch 2, Chion

Week 5

Video—guest speaker, Kelly Wittenberg

Manovich Ch 3, Chion

Week 6

Image—guest speaker, Geo Sipp

Manovich Ch 4, Chion

Week 7

Text

Bolter handout, Landow handout,

Week 8

Sound

Manovich Ch 5, Chion

Week 9

Integrated Media and the Web

Manovich Ch. 6

Week 10

Design process and storyboarding—Alan A.

Assigned readings

Week 11

Guest speaker: Hallmark

Due: Media Analysis 1

Week 12

Discussion of readings

Assigned readings

Week 13

Discussion of readings

Assigned readings

Week 14

Discussion of readings

Media Analysis 2

Week 15

Review

Essay exam finals week