Reynolds School of Journalism and
Center for Advanced Media Studies
The University of Nevada, Reno
Fall semester 2005

Jour 791 -- Media Technologies for Interactive Journalism

Instructor: Professor Michael Edward Lenert

Time and location: Wednesday 4:00-6:45 PM in room 201. (The class meets online asynchronously on Mondays.)

Email: Lenert@UNR.edu

Office Hours: Wednesdays 2:00 – 4:00 PM and by appointment.

Office: Room 303A. Telephone: 784-1003

Summary of class:

This graduate seminar is an introduction to some of the tools needed to create content for interactive journalism including Blogs, RSS, Wikis, tagging and folksonomy. Students in this course will focus on developing the creative and critical thinking skills regarding the new forms of media made possible by the Internet and related technologies. We will strive to keep the discussion about the high-level experience and not about what software or buzzwords people are using today.

For example, we will consider questions such as: How does the rapid expansion of weblogs alter news production and civic discourse? Can it counter ever-increasing concentration of ownership in the traditional mass media? How do traditional notions of editorial standards and journalistic professionalism apply to this new medium? Is the "blogosphere" an enhancement of the public sphere, or does it threaten its disintegration?

By the end of the course each student will contribute a publishable chapter on a specific emerging technology and its applications and implications for journalism. You will likely work with a partner to research and write your chapter.

Requirements:

• Midterm exam (10% of grade).
• Serve as discussion leader for two sessions. Students enrolled in this class are required to attend and actively participate in each class meeting. (Leading and participating in discussions will account for 20% of your grade.)
• An annotated bibliography that lists and describes current literature about a topic related to the course. (10% of your grade for the course). This is due on the day that you present on your technology to the class.
• Semester project. A final project "chapter" on a specific technology and its application to journalism. (50% of grade).
• Final examination (10% of grade).

Textbooks:

There are no required textbooks. Readings will be assigned online or handed out in class. The class website is http://www.commlex.com/791

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Tentative schedule:

 

Additional information:

The class will “meet” online on Mondays (except the first two weeks) and your participation is required. More details about this will be given in class. All posts are due by midnight on Monday.

Most class periods will include a discussion of reading materials. One student will be selected to present a brief overview of the materials for each class and lead the class discussion. All students are expected to have done the readings and be able to participate in discussions.

All graduate students are expected to draw upon their experience and knowledge gained elsewhere to enhance the formation of connections between the topics covered in this course as well as related topics not explicitly covered in the course.

I expect all of your work in this course to be your own, and I expect you to uphold the highest standards of academic honesty. This includes awareness of what constitutes plagiarism with respect to the specific assignments in this course, and avoidance of it.

 

Tentative Syllabus – Subject to Change