Course Requirements

Due Dates

Feb. 9	Film Screening, "Bowling for Columbine" - 7:30 pm, ES 242.
Feb. 25	Media Review.
Mar. 8	Class website group: Dreamweaver workshop (Digital Workshop 2).
Mar. 8	Film Screening, "The Celluloid Closet" - 7:30 pm, ES 242.
Mar. 29	Class website group: Dreamweaver workshop (Digital Workshop 2).
Mar. 29	Film Screening, "Daughters of the Dust" - 7:30 pm, ES 242.
Apr. 21	Media Watch.
May 3-5	Presentations of Media Activism Projects.

Class Participation (15 points)
Your regular attendance and participation are required for the success of this class. Participation includes your weekly contributions of discussion questions and commentaries on reading/film assignments on our WEBCT discussion board, in addition to your regular contributions to classroom discussions. You are allowed 3 unexcused absences; however, if you go over this number, you stand to lose 1 point for each additional absence from your final grade. If you cannot avoid an absence due to illness or emergencies, please notify me in advance so that you may be excused. A bonus of 2 points will be added to your final grade for perfect attendance.

Film Screenings (15 points)
Three screenings are scheduled this semester on Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. in Earth Science 242. You can earn up to 15 points for attending these (5 points/screening). You will also need to read 2-3 reviews and criticisms of the film, prior to attending the screening, and to prepare an annotated bibliography of these secondary sources, to be submitted at the end of each screening. On the Mondays when we have an evening screening, regular class sessions will be canceled (with two exceptions: special workshops on web design for the Class website group only [see below]). If you will be unable to attend these events, you will need to drop this class or stand to lose 15 points from your final grade!

Media Review (20 points)
You will be expected to submit a review (4-5 pages, typed and double-spaced) of a current movie, TV show, music CD, zine/website, video game/software, or print journal/magazine, using feminist media analysis. The assignment is due Wed., Feb. 25.

Media Watch (20 points)
We have an opportunity, as a class, to create a tool for public education and human rights advocacy: the collection of various media materials depicting women in either problematic or subversive ways, to be prepared for the activist work of Breakthrough, a human rights organization. This organization would especially like us to collect media images of women of color/"Third World" women, so you will be encouraged to collect materials featuring African/American, Arab/American, Asian/American, Latina, and Native American women and girls. You may choose one of two options: 1.) Turn in a Scrapbook of clippings of print advertisements, postcards, greeting cards, flyers, etc. 2.) Turn in a Videotape of recordings of music videos, TV commercials, movie trailers, or segments from TV programs (you may choose to focus on one genre here). In addition to this collection, you will need to write a 3-4 page overview and analysis (typed and double-spaced) of the items that you collected. Two bonus points will be added to this assignment when you share any of your media watch images on our webct board (by scanning images or passing on to me videotaped segments, converted into media files to be uploaded on webct). The assignment is due Wed., Apr. 21.

Media Activism Project (30 points)
To create media awareness, you will be expected to incorporate creative resistance in a group project. Media activism could include such projects as spoof ads, magazines and commercials, PSA videos, and radio station activities. (See Adbusters or Breakthrough TV.) You may sign up for one of the following group activism projects (to be presented last week of class):
o Creative Video - make a spoof commercial video, documentary short, an informative 30-second PSA, or a progressive music video or experimental film.
o Resistance Advertising - create a spoof advertising poster campaign or build a parody magazine.
o Feminist Radio - through a campus or local radio station (i.e. - WRPI), seek air time (anywhere between 15-45 minutes) for the broadcasting of an antiracist, global feminist radio show, featuring announcements, readings, audio performances, and progressive music (the preparation of a playlist of possible music selections should be completed in advance).
o Class Website - construct a web site featuring the above class projects and assignments.

Grading Policy:
Your final grade is based on accumulative points.

A = 100-93
A- = 92-90
B+ = 89-86
B = 85-83
B- = 82-80
C+ = 79-76
C = 75-73
C- = 72-70
D = 69-65
E = Below 65

Late assignments will result in 5 points deducted from your grade for each day late; no extensions will be granted with the exception of emergencies. In addition, plagiarism (passing off ideas and writings that are not your own) is a violation of University at Albany's policies and will not be tolerated. If you do not use proper citations (either in MLA or APA format), you will automatically fail assignments.