Homework  

Before the First Class

1. Read the syllabus and assignments. Note any questions you have and be prepared to share them in class.
2. Share some information about yourself on this google slide (you'll need to use your SDSU google ID to access it). 
3. In Canvas edit your "profile" setting (if you have not already done this for another class)..

Week 1: Monday 08/23 

1. Join the course wiki. To do this, go to the front page of the course wiki. At the top right corner of the page click on the “Request Access” link.
   You will soon receive an email inviting you to set up you wiki account (your username will be your email address). Follow the instructions, then try logging
   into the wiki.
2. Go to the Canvas Discussion Board and click on the "Introduce Yourself" thread. You will be prompted to say a bit about who you are, but also to talk about
   your academic interests and potential topics you might want to explore in this class.

Week 2: Monday 08/30

1. Read Thompson's “Public Thinking,” and post a response to the discussion board. 
2. Which parts of the text seemed most interesting to you? What connected most to your own experiences? Discuss elements you had questions
   about, liked, disagreed with, or would like to investigate further. 
3. Thompson claims that the recent, dramatic emergence of mass, public online writing has had many positive benefits. What are these benefits?
4. Thompson thinks digital media is powerful because it offers many new opportunities for us to write for audiences, and he believes this "audience effect" 
   can make us better thinkers and writers. Consider the many ways you write online. Have you experienced the "audience effect"? Are there any forms
   of public thinking you might be interested in exploring, or any audiences you might want to write for, no matter how small?  
5. Compose a brief response to the texts by McNamee  and Tufecki (they are short - just one page long.) These two authors present a much darker vision of social media. 
   Discuss a claim and a persuasive strategy, and discuss an element of one text that seemed interesting or relevant.      
6. Reply to two of your peers' posts.   
7. Students who have been assigned to introduce the texts will spend a few minutes at the start of class sharing their analysis.

Week 3: Monday 09/06

In groups, select one of the following texts below: 

1. Sloan and Harding, "How Streaming and Social Media Changed Music," 
2. Tufecki "It's the (Democracy-Poisoning) Golden Age of Free Speech"
3. Boyd, Be Careful What You Code For (on the politics of algorithms) 
4. Cadwalladr on Facebook and Democracy (TED talk) 
5. Metz, “Feeding Hate With Video: A YouTuber Explains His Methods.” 
6. Hiar “Twitter Bots Are a Major Source of Climate Disinformation.” 
7. Rampell, "Covid-19, and the Misinformation Conundrum"
8. Elizabeth, "Covid Misinformation and Nextdoor.com"

Present your text to the class. Provide an overview of the argument, main claims, the evidence, and persuasive
strategies. What was most interesting, provocative or important about the text? What issues does the text raise,
and how might one explore these issues further - that is, how might you build on, challenge, or use this argument? 

Extra credit opportunity: write a response to one of the texts not selected by groups.

Week 4: Monday 09/13

1. Read Ong's text. Ong claims that in "oral cultures," or cultures without writing, thought, knowledge, and communication 
   tend to take very particular forms. What are some of these forms? What did you think of Ong's claims?
   
   Ong argues "orally composed texts" (texts composed without writing) take distinctive forms. For example, they tend to
   be somewhat repetitious, there is often redundancy, and many "formulas" (sayings, proverbs, stock characters).  Texts
   often take the form of songs or poems, since these are easier to memorize, and they tell a story that is dramatic.
   
   Use Ong to examine a sample oral composition, “Sundiata.”  The Sundiata text is a short example of an orally composed story/song. The text contains two versions
   of the story. The first has been turned into a traditional "literate" prose text, and the second is a transcription of an oral performance.
   Read version 1 for background, but analyze version 2 (the "song"). Discuss two or three features of the text that seem to fit Ong's list. The text
   has been translated, so any analysis will involve some guess work. Give it your best shot, and don't be afraid to speculate. (1-2 pages.) 
   What are some elements of the “Sundiata” text that seem to fit Ong's list of characteristics?
   
   
2. Discuss one or two of Sacasas's main claims. How does Saracas extend Ong's arguments? What was most interesting about the text?
   What issues does the text raise, and how might one explore these issues further? 

Week 5: Tuesday 09/20

1. Describe three of Boyd's most important claims. Which parts of the text seemed most interesting or useful? Discuss elements you
   agreed/disagreed with, had questions about, or would like to know more about.  
2. Boyd claims the “rhetoric of digital natives” has been damaging. Why has it been damaging, and what does she argue we should we
   replace “digital natives” and “digital immigrants” with?
3. Boyd claims that young people should be taught critical digital literacy. Do Boyd's suggestions for equipping young people with
   critical digital literacy skills seem useful? How relevant do they seem to you? Are there things she leaves out that you think need to
   be added? What sort of critical digital literacy skills would you like to learn?
4. Skim the Stanford History Group's short paper on digital literacy. Their 2020 study suggest we are not teaching students the 
   skills they need. What is the problem?
5. In your opinion, what can, or should, be done to combat fake news, disinformation, maniulation, and information warfare?
6. What do you think can we do to teach young people critical digital literacy, and to learn the skills needed for digital citizenship?