New media fast assignment
I just handed out the following assignment to students in my Introduction to Communication and Technology class (CMUN 240). Interestingly, a couple of my students have already given up FB for Lent and are having a pretty hard time.
CMUN 240 – Assignment 2 (15% of final grade)
Due March 18 by 9:00am via e-mail
For this assignment, you will reflect on the role that communication technologies play in your everyday life. Thompson (quoted in our text) suggests that “an everyday world external to the media is central to individuals’ experience of their lives and their self-formation” (Lister et. al., 2003, p. 253). This assignment is designed to challenge that assumption. There are two parts.
First, you need to take a two-day (48 hour) fast from unnecessary new media consumption. During your fast, you should abstain from all non-essential exposure to new media. By “new media” I mean text messaging, Facebook and other web surfing, instant messaging, iPod listening, etc. While I don’t expect that you will be able to refrain from all interactions with new media (after all, you do have to check your e-mail for classes, etc.), I do ask that you create a typed log the time you spend using it (and for what purpose) during the course of your two-day fast. You will turn this log in with your completed assignment.
After completing your fast, I would like you to write a 4 to 5 page reflection on your experience. In your paper, you should focus on Thompson’s suggestion that an experience of life outside the media is critical to our identity and self-formation. This can be done in several ways. You might, for example, reflect on your sense of identity and how this is/is not changed by not having access to new media. Or, you could discuss the ways in which your interactions with others changed (or remained the same) as a result of your lack of new media access. Still another possibility is for you to write about the connection (or lack thereof) you felt towards the communities of which you’re a part. The goal of this paper is for you to reflect on your experience in light of one or more of the recent course themes we’re discussing (identity, community, cyborgs/embodiment, etc.).
In your reflection, (1) make a clear argument (provide a thesis) as to the role technology/new media plays in your everyday life, (2) offer clear, specific examples from your fasting experience to support your thesis, and (3) draw upon the course texts to support your argument. Your paper should include an introduction, good transitions between ideas, and a well-conceived conclusion. Be sure to include your communication log when you turn in your paper. Please be creative and have fun with this!
Basics:
- Word file (.doc or .docx)
- 4-5 pages using 12 pt. font (Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana, etc.) double-spaced with 1” margins
- Citations should use APA 5th edition guidelines
- Send your paper by 9:00am on 3/18 to me (amassanari@luc.edu)
You can use the grading rubric included in the syllabus as a guide as to how your work will be assessed.