iGeneration 08

Introduction

In the past fifteen years the rapid increase in widely accessible hardware, software and digital communication (epitomised by, but not limited to, the internet) has led to substantial changes in the way cultural meaning and media are conceived, created, produced and distributed. One of the most significant and widely discussed changes has not just been the way digital media is produced, but who has access to the tools of creation. While the day to day ability to offer news, cultural criticism and political commentary almost used to be the exclusive realm of professional journalists, personal publishing tools such as blogs have opened the door for millions of ‘amateur’ writers to share their voices and opinions. While the production of broadcast quality audio or video was once the exclusive realm of production companies with huge budgets, the expansion of digital technologies and their relative affordability has opened the door for non-professionals to create films and music which are of a comparable standard to those produced by their industry counterparts. Similarly, the rapid rise in video sharing websites with the concurrent increase in video-recording tools (most notably in mobile phones) has seen users across the globe becoming their own channels, epitomised by YouTube and their slogan ‘broadcast yourself’. As such, the twentieth century may be characterised by the expansion and domination of ‘big media’, but by contrast the twenty-first century is being hailed by many commentators as the digitally facilitated era of participatory culture. According to enthusiasts, digital technology and communication are allowing cultural production to enter the hands of average individuals as part of their everyday lives.

However, as more and more people participate in the creation, manipulation and distribution of digital media and cultural production, a range of serious issues have emerged. The most public battles have been fought over the right to distribute, copy and remix digital music and video in the face of mp3 and divX compression combined with peer-to-peer file sharing. Less public but equally intense debates have emerged regarding the realm of journalism and authority. If anyone can create a blog, what authority should blogs have when compared to traditional print or television news? What responsibility do bloggers have to their (potential) readership? What credibility does a communally authored online encyclopedia have? As these few questions begin to illustrate, the emerging trends and rhetoric surrounding the ideas and practice of participatory culture have opened new realms of debate, as well as re-igniting existing arguments. In this unit, you will critically explore these emerging debates, building upon the critical tools and perspectives of past communications studies units to examine social and cultural trends in digital culture, and evaluating the idea(s) and practice of participatory culture. In order to fully engage with the specificities of at least a few of tools of participatory culture, your assessment with include the participation in a group blog, and the creation of at least one other digital media piece.

Aims

This unit aims to expand and develop your critical understanding of current social and cultural trends in the production, development, use, distribution and influence of new media forms. It is expected that you will build upon the communications theory examined in past units and broaden those perspectives in relation to the ideas and practice of participatory culture. Further, students are expected to enhance their practical skills in digital media by participating in collective authorship of participatory media forms (most notably through the unit weblogs) and individual authorship (most notably through the production of a podcast). The unit is designed to enhance your existing skills in research, textual analysis, collaborative learning and digital media production.

Outcomes

At the successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

• Identify and critically analyse key issues and debates emerging from recent social and cultural trends in digital communication;
• Demonstrate a practical knowledge of participatory cultural forms;
• Plan, produce and create a form of digital media;
• Research a topic by collecting, analysing and interpreting information;
• Formulate, express and defend an argument;
• Express research findings and ideas coherently and logically in oral, textual and digital formats; and
• Engage in constructive and critical dialogue (in oral and electronically mediated forms) with peers and other course participants.

Assessment Structure

The major assessment components for the course are:

• 20% for an Audio Project (of no more than 5 minutes length) and a 750-1000 word critical exegesis posted to the course blog. The critical exegesis must also be submitted in hardcopy to the English and Communications office before 4pm, Thursday 11^th September. (Details of the Audio Projects will be discussed in detail in class.)
• 30% for continual participation in the seminars and unit weblog including three main elements:

1. A detailed presentation on one seminar topic (including notes posted to the course blog beforehand, and chairing your chosen seminar). [15%]
2. Ongoing critical participation in the course blog (including two meaningful comments posted as comments continuing the conversation after each seminar) and active participation in the seminar discussion. [10%]
3. A critical reflection on two of your peer’s Audio Projects. The critical reflections should be roughly 300-400 words each, be posted as a comment on the blog post of your peer’s Audio Project, and must be posted before 4pm, Thursday September 18^th. [5%]

• 50% for a final research project. Final projects will be discussed in depth in class. They will be due before 4pm, Thursday 30^th October.

iPods

For the duration of this course you will be issued a 40Gb iPod complete with headphones, a USB connection cord and a clear storage skin. This is intended for data storage for the unit and will be used to create your Audio Project between weeks five and seven. Any media recommended during the unit can be stored on your iPods. iPods can be collected from the Multimedia Centre Reception desk staff. iPod microphones will also be available here in week five (starting 25 August) – as there are only a few microphones, these will only be available for these three weeks and must be returned to the Multimedia Centre reception desk staff before 4pm, Friday 12 September.

Please note: choose either to use your iPod with a Mac or PC (Mac preferably) as moving between the two platforms can result inadvertently lead to data loss.

Honours Marking System

First Class Honours (H1) 80-100%

Second Class Honours, Division 1 (H2A) 70-79%

Second Class Honours, Division 2 (H2B) 60-69%

Third Class Honours (H3) 50-59%

Fail; take Pass degree 0-49%

Rules, Regulations and Information

Ethical Scholarship, Academic Literacy and Academic Misconduct

Ethical scholarship is the pursuit of scholarly enquiry marked by honesty and integrity. Academic Literacy is the capacity to undertake study and research, and to communicate findings and knowledge, in a manner appropriate to the particular disciplinary conventions and scholarly standards expected at university level.

Academic misconduct is any activity or practice engaged in by a student that breaches explicit guidelines relating to the production of work for assessment, in a manner that compromises or defeats the purpose of that assessment. Students must not engage in academic misconduct. Any such activity undermines an ethos of ethical scholarship. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to cheating, or attempting to cheat, through:

· Collusion

· Inappropriate collaboration

· Plagiarism

· Misrepresenting or fabricating data or results or other assessable work

· Inappropriate electronic data sourcing/collection

· Breaching rules specified for the conduct of examinations in a way that may compromise or defeat the purposes of assessment.

Penalties for academic misconduct vary according to seriousness of the case, and may include the requirement to do further work or repeat work; deduction of marks; the award of zero marks for the assessment; failure of one or more units; suspension from a course of study; exclusion from the University, non-conferral of a degree, diploma or other award to which the student would otherwise have been entitled.

Refer to the University’s policy on Ethical Scholarship, Academic Literacy and Academic Misconduct (http://www.teachingandlearning.uwa.edu.au/page/72852) and the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences’ notice to students about plagiarism
and other academic misconduct:

http://www.arts.uwa.edu.au/for/students/policies/plagiarism.

Plagiarism

Be aware that the work you submit must be your own with no unacknowledged debt to some other writer or source. To pass off written work as your own, whether you have copied it from someone else or from somewhere else (be it a published writer, another person, a TV program, a library anthology, a lecture, a website or whatever) is to deprive yourself of the real benefits of this unit and to be guilty of plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious offence! University policy is that plagiarism, the unacknowledged quotation of material from other people’s work, is a ground for failure. The range of penalties for plagiarism includes a mark of 0% for the assignment concerned, failure for the unit, suspension and even exclusion from the university. In all cases, your name placed on a central plagiarism register. If you take notes from other sources (critical articles, background works, etc.) you must quote carefully and accurately, and acknowledge the quotation. Even if you paraphrase, you must still acknowledge that you are paraphrasing. This is very important! It is your responsibility to read the Faculty policy on plagiarism:

http://www.arts.uwa.edu.au/for/students/policies/plagiarism

Late Work

It is necessary to speak to the Unit Coordinator or your Tutor before the due date if you think that you will have difficulty handing in an exercise or assignment on time. Work that has not been granted an extension receives a deduction of 2 marks per working day. All student work is due BEFORE 4.30pm at the office (G.10 Arts) unless otherwise stated. No work will be accepted after the end of the examination period (without formal deferral from the Academic Student Advisor). Essays will only be accepted in hard copy. Faxed or emailed essays will not be considered as fulfilling assessment requirements. Handwritten work is accepted.

Appeals against academic assessment

In the first instance, students are strongly advised to talk informally to the lecturer about the grade awarded. The University provides the opportunity for students to lodge an appeal against any mark which he or she feels is unfair. Any student making an appeal is under an obligation to establish a prima facie case by providing particular and substantial reasons for the appeal. It is recommended that students contact the Guild Education Officers to aid them in the appeals process.

There is a 20 day time limit for making any such appeal. An appeal against academic assessment may result, as appropriate, in an increase or decrease in the mark originally awarded. The University regulations relating to appeals and the form on which the appeal should be lodged can be found at

http://www.secretariat.uwa.edu.au/home/policies/appeals

Charter of Student Rights and Responsibilities

This Charter of Student Rights and Responsibilities upholds the fundamental rights of students who undertake their education at the University of Western Australia.

It recognises that excellence in teaching and learning requires students to be active participants in their educational experience. It upholds the ethos that in addition to the University’s role of awarding formal academic qualifications to students, the University must strive to instil in all students independent scholarly learning, critical judgement, academic integrity and ethical sensitivity.

The full charter is located at http://www.secretariat.uwa.edu.au/home/policies/charter

Student Guild contact details:

The University of Western Australia Student Guild

35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009

Phone: (+61 6488 2295 , Facsimile: (+61 6488 1041

E-mail: enquiries@guild.uwa.edu.au, Website: http://www.guild.uwa.edu.au

IRIS (Introductory Research and Information Skills)

From Semester 1, 2006, all newly enrolled Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences students will be required to complete an Introductory Research and Information Skills unit called IRIS (unit code COMM2000). IRIS will provide you with a foundation in generic research skills so that you can locate, evaluate and effectively use information throughout all of your university units and later when you enter the workforce. On completion of IRIS you will have the skills to become a confident, independent, more skilful researcher.

Information literacy skills give you the capacity to use information effectively, create new knowledge, solve problems and make decisions. These attributes will considerably increase your employability. Your Academic Transcript will indicate to employers that you have passed or failed “Introductory Research and Information Skills”. IRIS is accessed through WebCT. (http://webct6.uwa.edu.au). To pass IRIS you will need to obtain a minimum of 80% in the quiz. You can attempt the quiz as many times as necessary to pass.

When you have achieved a minimum of 80% you will receive an Ungraded Pass (UP). If you do not complete IRIS and achieve a minimum of 80% within your first semester of enrolment, you will receive an Assessment Continuing (AC) and you will be required to re-enrol in the unit. If you do not pass IRIS within completion of your first 48 points you will receive an Ungraded Fail (UF). Continuing students may also choose to complete IRIS to improve their information and research skills. Contact the Student Office (Ground Floor Arts Building) if you have any questions about IRIS.

Academic Conduct Essentials (ACE)

From Semester 1, 2008 all newly enrolled students are required to complete a short compulsory online unit called Academic Conduct Essentials (ACE) within the first 10 weeks of semester. ACE introduces students to essential knowledge regarding ethical scholarship, it helps prepare them for the expectations they will need to meet during their university career and it informs them of correct academic conduct.

ACE can be accessed via WebCT (http://webct6.uwa.edu.au). In order to pass the unit, the unit quiz must be completed with a mark of 80% or greater. To gain the required pass mark students may attempt the quiz as many times as they wish. Completion of the unit will be recorded as an Ungraded Pass (UP) on the student’s academic record. Non-completion (NC) within the required timeframe will also be documented on formal academic records (ie, in either case the grade will appear on transcripts). More information on ACE is available at http://ace.uwa.edu.au

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