English 2269: Digital

Media Composing
“Television and
the Rise of Digital
Media”
WF (2:20-3:40pm), DH 312
Instructor: Jacinta Yanders
Office: DH 569
Office Hours: Mondays,
2pm-5pm & by appointment
Email: yanders.1@osu.edu

Course Description

What do we make of TV in the digital age? Does Throughout the semester, we will carefully
the fact that a viewer can livetweet an episode consider the ways in which these digital media
of Scandal, interact with the show’s cast and productions are both reflective of contemporary
creator digitally during the show, create any culture as well as responsible for shaping that
number of memes, gifs, artworks, and very same culture. Though we will take up
fanfictions immediately following the show, and television as our primary area of inquiry, our
immediately share those creations with millions ultimate goals in this course are to build an
of others via social media fundamentally change understanding of the mechanisms of various
the televisual viewing experience? digital media forms and to further develop your
digital communication capabilities.
In this course, we will utilize digital media
resources to both analyze how these
innovations have changed television, especially
with regards to production, distribution, and
audience engagement, and to create digital
compositions that will challenge you to reflect
on and expand upon your initial analyses.
 Objectives
 To explore the critical strategies that can be employed to analyze the aesthetic, cultural and
industrial relationships between television and digital media
 To understand how digital media makes arguments by combining multiple modes of
communication, including text, speech, visual, and auditory
 To understand how digital media changes the nature of speaker, audience, and message in
digital communication
 To understand ethical responsibilities of digital composing

How to Get the Most Out of This Class

 Come to every class.
 Be prepared to think critically and creatively about television and digital media.
 Do everything: Read, watch, listen, etc.
 Connect with your classmates.
 Connect with me (*cough* office hours are a great time *cough*).

GE Fulfillment
English 2269 fulfills the following GEC requirement:

Visual and Performing Arts

Goals: Students evaluate significant works of art in order to develop capacities for aesthetic and historical
response and judgment; interpretation and evaluation; critical listening, reading, seeing, thinking, and
writing; and experiencing the arts and reflecting on that experience.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

1. Students analyze, appreciate, and interpret significant works of art.
2. Students engage in informed observation and/or active participation in a discipline within the
visual, spatial, and performing arts.

Course Requirements

 Access to a Netflix account. Rather than purchasing a textbook, you will need to maintain access
to Netflix for the duration of this course. We will use the service for viewings.
 Course Readings via Carmen
 Headphones
 AA batteries
 Strongly recommended: Portable Hard Drive (formatted for Macs or partitioned for use on PCs
and Macs)

Assignments and Grading

Grading Scale

A 93-100 B+ 87-89 C+ 77-79 D+ 67-69

A- 90-92 B 83-86 C 73-76 D 60-66
B- 80-82 C- 70-72
 GRADE BREAKDOWN
Participation Personal Digital
10% Composing
History
5%

Digital
Transmedia Blog
Extension 20%
Project
25%

Twitter/Storify
Project
15%

Podcast
25%

Personal Digital Composing History: You will discuss your experience with composing in digital
contexts and consider how digital media functions in your daily life, how comfortable you are with both
writing and utilizing various forms of technology, and what you’re expecting to get from this class.

Blog: You will each contribute posts to the course blog that allow you to engage with the numerous
readings, viewings, and forms of digital media that we will be encountering. The blog will also provide
you with space to document your own research and work progress.

Twitter & Storify Project: You will use this assignment to not only engage in the process of
livetweeting, but to also think critically about it with the assistance of Storify.

Podcast: You will create a television show podcast based on a show of your choosing.

Digital Transmedia Extension Project: You will build on everything we explore in class and everything
you’ve composed in order to create a transmedia extension for a contemporary television show.

Participation Logs: Participation takes shape in a variety of ways, including but not limited to, posing
and/or answering questions, making connections between class discussions and readings/viewings,
drawing in relevant outside examples, staying on task and producing quality work during group activities,
willingness to provide assistance to each other, etc. You will be required to submit a participation log
every four weeks (the template can be found on Carmen). These logs, in combination with my
observations of your participation, will be used to assess your final participation grade.

Course Policies

Classroom Community and Inclusivity: The classroom is comprised of people with a rich variety of
backgrounds and perspectives. We should all be committed to building an atmosphere for learning that
respects and appreciates a range of perspectives and identities. While working together to build this
classroom atmosphere, we are all tasked with:
 Sharing unique experiences, values and beliefs
 Being open to the views of others
  Honoring the uniqueness of others
 Appreciating the opportunity that we have to learn from each other
 Valuing each other’s opinions and communicating in a respectful manner
 Keeping confidential discussions that the community has of a personal (or professional) nature
 Using this opportunity together to discuss ways in which we can create an inclusive environment
beyond the classroom
P.S. The devil does not need an advocate.

Inclusive Language: Everyone should be referred to by their preferred name, the correct pronunciation
of their name, and their preferred pronouns (such as she, ze, he, or they). Please be respectful.

Content Warning: It’s possible that students may find some element of the course material traumatic for
a variety of reasons. The classroom is a space in which each person should be challenged. However, the
aim of this course is not to do harm. So that each person can take whatever steps necessary to prepare to
productively engage with the material, I will do my best to provide content warnings when I know
material contains some of the more common concerns. When presenting and/or sharing work and/or
examples, students are expected to take the same precautions.

Attendance and Punctuality: Being present in each class is a necessity with the exception of a few
particular excused possibilities (subject to my discretion). Accruing more than two unexcused absences
will result in the loss of a 1/3 of a letter grade for each subsequent unexcused absence. I will take
attendance at the beginning of each class. If you are not present when your name is called, you will be
marked absent. If you come to class late, it is your responsibility to check in with me at the end of class. If
you choose not to do so, the absence will remain on the record and will not be removed later.

Student Work: All assignments should be posted to Carmen by 11:59pm on the assigned due date
(unless otherwise instructed). Late work will result in a drop of one letter grade (for example, from B to
C) for each day late. Unexcused absences or technological misfortunes are not acceptable excuses for
failing to meet a deadline. You should back up all work, save often, and keep at least 2 electronic copies
of your work (on your hard drive and on a computer, for example). In particular, make sure to keep a
backup of any work that you complete in this classroom because it may not always remain on the
computer (these computers are public and shared between several classes). I strongly encourage you to
save ongoing drafts of your work so that you may have an opportunity to go back to an earlier version if
you’re not satisfied with changes you’ve made. All written work should be submitted in MLA format (12
pt. font, double spaced, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins, header, heading, etc.) and as .doc or .docx
files.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the unauthorized use of the words or ideas of another person. It is a serious
academic offense that can result in referral to the Committee on Academic Misconduct and failure for the
course. Faculty Rule 3335-5-487 states, “It is the responsibility of the Committee on Academic
Misconduct to investigate or establish procedures for the investigation of all reported cases of student
academic misconduct. The term ‘academic misconduct’ includes all forms of student academic
misconduct wherever committed; illustrated by, but not limited to, cases of plagiarism and dishonest
practices in connection with examinations. Instructors shall report all instances of alleged academic
misconduct to the committee.” In addition, it is a violation of the student code of conduct to submit
without the permission of the instructors work for one course that has also been submitted in fulfillment
of the requirements of another course. For additional information, see the Code of Student Conduct
(http://studentaffairs.osu.edu/resources/).
Class Cancellation Policy: In the unlikely event of class cancellation due to emergency, I will contact
you via email and request that a note be placed on the door of our classroom announcing the cancellation.

Department and University Resources

The Digital Media Project (DMP) is the division of the English department that provides equipment and
technical support to students enrolled in English classes. The DMP general office is located in Denney
324, and offers equipment borrowing and support from friendly, expert staff. For more information,
including borrowing policies and requirements, see https://dmp.osu.edu/.

The Ombud of the Writing Programs, Debra Lowry, mediates conflicts between instructors and
students in Writing Programs courses. Her Autumn 2016 office hours in Denney Hall 441 are Mondays 1-
3, Thursdays 9-11, and by appointment. Email lowry.40@osu.edu. All conversations with the
Ombudsman are confidential.

Students with documented disabilities who have registered with the Office of Student Life Disability
Services will be appropriately accommodated and should inform the instructor as soon as possible of their
needs. SLDS is located in 098 Baker Hall, 113 W. 12th Ave; Tel.: 614-292-3307; VRS: 614-429-1334;
Email:slds@osu.edu; Web: slds.osu.edu

Counseling and Consultation Services provides a wide range of resources for undergraduate students.
For more information, call 292-5766.

Student Advocacy Center (as they note in their mission statement) is committed to assisting students in
cutting through campus bureaucracy. Its purpose is to empower students to overcome obstacles to their
growth both inside and outside the classroom, and to help them maximize their educational experience
while pursuing their degrees at The Ohio State University. The SAC is open Monday-Friday from 8:00
AM – 5:00 PM. You can visit them in person at 001 Drackett Tower, call at (614) 292-1111, email
advocacy@osu.edu, or visit their website: http://studentlife.osu.edu/advocacy/

Course Schedule

Week 1: Getting Started

August 24th
 Introductions, Syllabus, Getting Started
 Due: Sign up for Twitter, Wordpress, & Storify

August 26th
 Viewings: “The New Housekeeper”(S1), The Andy Griffith Show; “Give Me a Ring
Sometime”(S1), Cheers; “The Pilot”(S1), Friends
 Readings: Spiegel, “Installing the Television Set”; Sepinwall, “From Must-See TV to Peak TV:
20 Years of Covering Television”; Jenkins, “Introduction: ‘Worship at the Altar of
Convergence’”
 Due: Personal Digital Composing History
 Week 2: The Second Screen

August 31st
 Viewings: “Sweet Baby” (S1), Scandal; Scandal 2x08 Promo “Happy Birthday, Mr. President”
(linked in “Week 2” module on Carmen)
 Readings: Kapko, “How Live Tweeting is Changing Broadcast Media”; Byrd, “Twitter: The New
Way to Watch Television”; Steinhauer, “Shondaland's #TGIT: Promoting Live-Viewing & Flow
Through Block Programming”
September 2nd
 Readings: Essenmacher, “#HashtagKiller”; Lahey, “Data Collection, Television, and Twitter”;
Schirra, Sun, and Bentley, “Together Alone: Motivations for Live-Tweeting a Television Series”

Week 3: The Second Screen (cont.)

September 7th
 Introduction of Twitter/Storify Project
 In-class Livetweeting
September 9th
 In-class Storify
 Readings: Carlson, “Step Away From the Keyboard: How Live-Tweeting TV Shows Ruins
Everything”; Bailey, “How Not to Live-Tweet Your Favorite Television Show”

Week 4: The Netflix Effect

September 14th
 Readings: Sinwell, “The Netflix Experience: Immediate and Unlimited Television Viewing as
User Fantasy”; Schatz, “HBO and Netflix-Getting Back to the Future”

September 16th
 Viewings: “Massimo Bottura”(S1), Chef’s Table; “Bojack Horseman: The Bojack Horseman
Story, Chapter One” (S1); Bojack Horseman
 Readings: Wu, “Netflix’s War on Mass Culture”; Leonard, “How Netflix is Turning Viewers into
Puppets”
 Due: Participation Log #1

Week 5: Binge Watching and Narrative

September 21st
 Viewing: “The Murder of Sherlock Holmes” (S1), Murder, She Wrote
 Readings: Williams, “Programming as Sequence or Flow”; Newman, “From Beats to Arcs:
Toward a Poetics of Television Narrative”; French, “Serial Narratives”; Bordwell, “New Media
and Old Storytelling”

September 23rd
 No Class
 Due: Twitter/Storify Project
 Week 6: Binge Watching and Narrative (cont.)

September 28th
 Viewing: “One Moore Episode” (S2), Portlandia; Idea Channel, “How is Technology Changing
TV Narrative?” (linked in Week 6 module on Carmen)
 Readings: VanDerWerff, “Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu get one basic thing about TV very wrong”;
Poniewozik, “Streaming TV isn’t Just a New Way to Watch. It’s a New Genre”; Pagels, “Stop
Binge-Watching TV”; Poniewozik, “Go Ahead, Binge-Watch That TV Show”
September 30th
 Copyright and Fair Use
 Blog Review #1
 Viewing: “A Fair(y) Use Tale” (linked in Week 6 module on Carmen)

Week 7: Fandom and Participatory Culture

October 5th
 Introduction of Podcast Project
 Viewing: “Serenity” (S1), Firefly; Coppa, “Things We Don't Have in the Future...and How Fan
Arts Can Help” (linked in Week 7 module on Carmen)
 Readings: Bury, Deller, Greenwood, and Jones, “From Usenet to Tumblr: The Changing Role of
Social Media”; Christian, “Fandom as Industrial Response: Producing Identity in an Independent
Web Series”

October 7th
 Audacity and Recording Devices Tutorial

Week 8: Fandom and Participatory Culture (cont.)

October 12th
 Reading: Weiner, “The Voices: Toward a Critical Theory of Podcasting”; Menjivar, “Using
Music: Jonathan Menjivar For This American Life”; Lewis, “10 Production Mistakes Podcasters
Make”
 Viewing: “Pilot” (S1), Gilmore Girls
 Listening: “101-Pilot”, Gilmore Guys podcast
October 14th
 Fall Break: No Class
 Due: Podcast Proposal

Week 9: Fandom and Participatory Culture (cont.)

October 19th
 Podcast Workshop Day
 Due: Participation Log #2
October 21st
 Podcast Workshop Day
 Due: Podcast Draft

Week 10: Transmedia Storytelling

October 26th
  Podcast Conferences
October 28th
 Viewing: “Pilot: Part 1” & “Pilot: Part 2” (S1), Lost
 Readings: Jenkins, “Transmedia Storytelling 101” & “Transmedia Storytelling 202”
 Due: Podcast

Week 11: Transmedia Storytelling (cont.)

November 2nd
 Introduction of Digital Transmedia Extension Project
 Viewings: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (Episodes 1-10), available via Youtube
November 4th
 iMovie and Cameras Tutorial

Week 12: Transmedia Storytelling (cont.)

November 9th
 Viewing: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1992 Trailer” (linked in Week 12 module on Carmen);
“Welcome to the Hellmouth” (S1), Buffy the Vampire Slayer
 Listening: Buffering the Vampire Slayer, “Episode 1.01: Welcome to the Hellmouth”
 Reading: Beddows, “Buffy the Transmedia Hero”
 Due: Digital Transmedia Extension Project Proposal

November 11th
 Veterans Day: No Class

Week 13: Transmedia Storytelling (cont.)

November 16th
 Blog Review #2
 Readings: Smith, “Lost Transmedia Lessons: 5 Takeaway Techniques”; Kopp, “The 15 Things
I’ve Learned about Transmedia Storytelling”
November 18th
 Digital Transmedia Extension Project Workshop Day

Week 14: No Class

November 23rd
 Thanksgiving Break: No Class
November 25th
 Thanksgiving Break: No Class

Week 15: Digital Transmedia Extension Project Prep

November 30th
 Digital Transmedia Extension Project Workshop Day
 Due: Digital Transmedia Extension Project Draft
December 2nd
 Digital Transmedia Extension Project Conferences
  Due: Participation Log #3

Week 16:
December 7th
 Presentations, Evaluations
 Due: Digital Transmedia Extension Project