Week 9

Week 9: Tu 3.21/Th 3.23
Read: SHAMED—7. Journey to a Shame-Free Paradise – 15. Your Speed
Class: EDITORIAL ESSAY*; Reading discussion; Presentations

*Note the change from out-of-class to in-class

Upcoming:

Week 10: Tu 3.28/Th 3.30
No class: Spring break

Week 11: Tu 4.4/Th 4.6
Read: eR—“The 100 Best Infographics” (Creative Bloq), “10 Tips for Designing Better Infographics” (DotDash), “12 Warning Signs that Your Infographic Sucks” (Visme)
Class: Presentations; Writer’s workshop; Lecture—“Infographics 101”
Due: INFOGRAPHIC—DRAFT 1 (Bring 2 copies—B&W okay)

Social Media News 3.14.17

• Man pretends to hump "Defiant Girl" statue on Wall Street and his photo goes viral (US Weekly)
• Male and female coworkers switch electronic signatures in a shocking sexism experiment (Huffington Post)
• Here are some of the photos of female bodies censored by Instagram (Artsy)
• The struggle is real: Dad pens viral letter about the challenges of eating out with his kids (ScaryMommy)
• Amazon tricks both conservatives and liberals with a hashtag designed to promote one of its shows (Buzzfeed)
• Did you catch these changes Facebook is quietly testing? (Mashable)

Week 8

Week 8: Tu 3.14/Th 3.16
Read: SHAMED—4. God That was Awesome – 6. Doing Something Good
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 4

Upcoming:

Week 9: Tu 3.21/Th 3.23
Read: SHAMED—7. Journey to a Shame-Free Paradise – 15. Your Speed
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: EDITORIAL ESSAY

Week 10: Tu 3.28/Th 3.30
No class: Spring break

Reflection 4: Infected—Understanding the Nature of Viral Videos

Viral videos—those videos that quickly gain popularity throughout the Internet (usually via social media)—are seemingly made for an era in which information is transmitted rapidly and social networks are the new water coolers. Sometimes entertaining, sometimes even annoying, these videos often take on a life of their own, even if their shelf life is short. Yet, for every "Gangnam Style" there are thousands of videos that no one ever pays any attention to. Why? What is it magic formula for a video going viral? And what of the stars of these videos? While many people were inadvertently (and regrettably) associated with viral videos, many others hope that they will catapult them to stardom. Have viral videos become a shortcut to fame? And are they a legitimate way to break into show business? Finally, what are some of your favorite viral videos and why?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "Why Do Viral Videos Go Viral?" (Wired) 
• "How To Make a Viral Video: A Guide" (Huffington Post)
• "Ten Years Later, the 'Star Wars Kid' Speaks Out" (McLean's)
  
• "Viral Video’s Greatest ‘Stars’: Where Are They Now?" (Yahoo!)
• "Why that Video Went Viral" (New York Times)
• "Here are the Most Popular Viral YouTube Videos of 2016" (Time)

Required:

• MLA Style
• Two pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: We 3.15

Social Media News 3.7.17

• Facebook debuts "disputed news" (aka "fake news") label for questionable posts (Fortune)
• NCIS investigating secret Facebook group exchanging nude photos of female Marines (AP)
• Are you #foreveralone? You might be spending too much time on social media (NPR)
• Facebook "testing" a dislike reaction, bit only in messenger (TechCrunch)
• Actor Don Cheadle takes on "racist" Trump on Twitter (Telegraph)
• BBC in child porn entanglement with Facebook (Guardian)

Week 7

Week 7: Tu 3.7/Th 3.9
Read: SHAMED—1. Braveheart – 3. The Wilderness
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: EXPOSITORY ESSAY

Upcoming:

Week 8: Tu 3.14/Th 3.16
Read: SHAMED—4. God That was Awesome – 6. Doing Something Good
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 4

Expository Essay: American Girls and Social Media

Nancy Jo Sales' American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers is a harrowing look into the social media landscape teenagers must navigate. Just like previous generations of Americans, today's young girls must contend with challenges ranging from peer pressure to self-esteem. Unlike previous generations of Americans, today's young girls must also contend with an increasingly sexualized and aggressive online culture. American teenage girls today are routinely encouraged to feel shame about their bodies, sexually exploit themselves, and even bully one another. In short, social media culture is openly hostile to young women. But what can be done to help them? What should teenage girls know about the dangers of social media?

In a concise expository essay, identify three distinct steps teenage girls can take to not only protect themselves from the harms of social media, but to empower themselves to become discerning users. Cite exclusively from American Girls to support your thesis.

Requirements:

• Approximately 750 words
• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• Word cited page

Due:  Th 3.9