Intro Sejin Kim

      My role in media is not big compare to other people. People often use Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. to communicate with people, however, I am not a big fan of social media. I do have some social media accounts such as Facebook and Instagram, all though I have my own social media account I do not spend a lot of time on them. I use Instagram to post my art works. I used to use Facebook when I was in high school, however, I never post on it and rarely get on it.

       Media is powerful. Especially in 21st century we can get media anywhere. It can be through your TV, computer and even smartphone. Power of media is incredibly strong these days. People often get brain washed by media or people can be inspired by media. Media allows a person to travel and virtually cross boarders. Though media outlets people have the world at their finger tips. An example would include a photo of a war torn Vietnam and a suffering child can be viewed by millions all over the world in seconds in the comfort of their own home. 

http://100photos.time.com/photos/nick-ut-terror-war

       The #MeToo is the biggest movement this past year and is still on going. This movement which became popular on social media starting from twitter, help bring light to the sexual harassment problem women face in Hollywood and day to day life. Celebrities' involvement on social media regarding the #MeToo movement influenced greatly to other women to speak out against injustices done to them. 

First post

Hello everyone,
Despite being on the computer like all day, I actually don't use a lot of social media. Primarily snapchat and a bit of twitter when something I know is trending but that's where my consumption of social media typically ends. I specifically use snapchat for friends and sometimes watch their stories and twitter occasionally. I don't really make media nor do I critique it not because I wouldn't but probably because of snapchat being the only media I really use.

I do not really post any stories on my snapchat I usually just send individual snaps to my closest friends I may post a story occasionally but typically not. I would consider myself only a consumer, and I use it as a fun way to talk and interact with my friends, the filters specifically make it really funny to use.


I think its important for people to express their views and opinions, however I think in todays day and age you have to be very careful with what you post as well as what you comment. Overall I think it's great people have a bigger and more accessible way to express their views as well as people being able to criticize said views. Personally, as I said I only use social media as a means of entertainment with friends, I have never used it for activism, but I have seen activists work on twitter.

 It is really inspiring seeing people stand up for what they believe in. I think in media activists at the moment are seen as being over dramatic and trying to be the "victim" which I think is generally not true. I'm excited for this class and how it will explore activism in social media.
Just an example of how I use twitter as a news outlet.
https://twitter.com/hashtag/marçal?lang=en

Intro on the blog

Due 1/30

READINGS

John Berger Ways of Seeing Ch7 on BLACKBOARD

·       “Publicity, it is thought, offers free choice.”

This encapsulates twitter, IG, Facebook, any public platform where we’re heard and recognised, free to post whatever we want to. There is, however, a backlash for some people when they do post what they feel, as comment arguments and twitter wars are much too common. Your free choice doesn’t make you exempt from backlash. I feel this is very important in today’s world of free information and a lack of privacy.

·       “Being envied is a solitary form of reassurance.”

Again, social media allows this internal desire to be adored and liked to thrive, but businesses have capitalised on this. There are faux-luxury experiences people can attend, such as sitting in a fake private jet seat, or even buying a fake Gucci bag for the bragging rights of such splendour. With every like or retweet, we can become conditioned to judge ourselves based upon this and have our emotions changed dependant on it; if we have plenty of likes, it was a successful post and people envy the content. If it didn’t reach the average, it was unsuccessful, despite all of the likes it attained so far and your content isn’t enviable.

Susan Sontag excerpt from On Photography http://www.susansontag.com/SusanSontag/books/onPhotographyExerpt.shtml

·       “Photographed images do not seem to be statements about the world so much as pieces of it, miniatures of reality that anyone can make or acquire.”

To me, I read this that a flower in a park may be a sign that the park is well kept and receives care. If there’s bad graffiti all over a window, the area may not receive care. But these two things don’t say anything about the world itself in entirety, but the world that they belong to, perhaps. But these things can occur anywhere in the right conditions, such as a bad area with a little plot of grass no one tramples over, letting a flower grow without trouble, and a nice area in the dead of the night with an impulsive young person looking for some creative outlet without considering the consequences may think window is the best canvas for their first masterpiece. An expensive branded bag can be owned by anyone, technically, as it is available for everyone to by. The condition is if you have the money or not. It exists, but not necessarily you're world if you can't finance it, or don't desire those sorts of things. 

·       “That age when taking photographs required a cumbersome and expensive contraption -- the toy of the clever, the wealthy, and the obsessed -- seems remote indeed from the era of sleek pocket cameras that invite anyone to take pictures.”

I feel as though I fit into this; I love to travel, and despite owning a few good quality cameras in my life, none of their quality can surpass the convenience of the smartphone camera. A large bag with a variety of different lenses and a tripod to lug around wherever I went made me feel vulnerable, yelling out “I’m a tourist, please rob me, I won’t know what to do or how to report the crime here!” With a smart phone, I’m still stunned by the quality of the camera, as well as able to whip it out and stow it away again the moment inspiration comes along. I like to take pictures I think look good and I’ll admit I sometimes put a bit of effort into getting a nice shot, but my father who is approaching 65 takes pictures whenever he wants, usually it’s blurred, out of focus, or the subject isn’t even centred, but he’s pleased with the pictures and enjoys taking them. This is a joy some people wouldn’t experience because they weren’t interested enough to commit the hundreds of pounds that a camera used to cost.

Intro

Who do you think you are?

My role within the mass media includes several titles, as is the case with most people; none of us are only creators of media, or consumers, or reviewers. I like to believe we all have favoured options, but we participate in all aspects of the modern technological junctions in today's world. I think my roles specifically involve, first and foremost, consuming. I have favoured news sources, artists, music producers, things that I like and actively look for. I do this much more than I create text posts, statuses, IG posts, memes, anything. With some social networking sites, doing this is easier than others. In the cases of things like Tumblr or Instagram, it’s much more first nature to share an image, whereas Facebook and Twitter are a little more text based for some people. In my group of friends, I find that people don’t necessarily just choose one social media platform, I have accounts on most of them myself.

I’ve usually seen the activists referred to in two ways; negatively, as thugs or trying to stir up something, or positively, such as artists who would make us look at something critically. Banksy comes to mind for the positive take people usually give them. This is ironic considering their pessimistic outlook on the media and the scandals they’ve performed as art pieces in full view of the media. The artists who are demonised usually attack something more systematic, something the majority of people may not have initially considered as bad. I'd personally seen the art that came with the Black Lives Matter movement considered wasted talent dedicated to something people were implying to be pointless and rejected what the art was trying to explain. It was criticised on the basis of the content rather than the way it explained; by the nature of being controversial, it was immediately rejected.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/07/13/the-most-powerful-art-from-the-blacklivesmatter-movement-three-years-in/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.7e54ee8b08bb

As of right now, I don't necessarily think I use my social networking for serious activism. I follow a lot of feminist pages on facebook, and I'll engage in discussions with people who are open to considering different ideas, but I've not been to too many rallies or protests. In fact, the only protest I've been to was for an Independence referendum in my hometown in Scotland due to a lack of recognition of our wishes as Scottish people from the English government down in Westminster. I'll occasionally post my thoughts on IG too such as when I visited Auschwitz and was faced with the proof of sheer concentrated and purposely constructed hatred or the New England Aquarium's conservation efforts.

With this class, it's a personal goal to participate more in sharing my thoughts and participating in activism. I've had a twitter account since 2013, but it had about four tweets on it from the same year and nothing else. I'd like to model this into a more professional account directly related to my career goals, hopefully in partnership with the final project I will be graded on.

When it comes to Social Media

Hi Everyone,

     When it comes to Social Media,  I am a consistent user in all the platforms such as Instagram / snapchat / Twitter / Facebook. My experience on social media has been a very fun and light interaction with the occasional educational side. I do use the platforms as a source of entertainment and catching up with friends and family ( especially family overseas). But at the same time, social medias always end up being my first exposure to news and events that are happening all over the US and the world. I would usually see an image/tweet or screenshot of a news headline and that is what will spark the interest for me to go research whatever I just saw up more in-depth. For example, when trump served Mcdonalds to the Football team, I had no clue that even happened until I saw a meme of it on twitter and went ahead and googled it myself. That was just for a quick giggle. Also, I was not aware of the amount of money Trump was asking for in regards to the "wall" until I saw a very detailed post on Facebook on how much money he wanted to investigate in it and how It's gonna impact us. Even though I get all my information from Social Media, I never take what is said for facts. I always end up doing my own actual research on the topic.

     

       The best thing about Social Media is it's role of activism and awareness that it provides to all the things that are happening worldwide. I take part in that. I am  HUGE supporter of spreading awareness online. I use all my platforms simultaneously to spread the word about cruelty happening that is not being paid enough attention to. The following images are from my Instagram account about the war that is happening in Syria and Iraq. 

The same girls living two completely different lives. One just came out of a bombing while the others are playing and having a normal childhood

A father and son in Syria vs a father and son anywhere else in the World.

       There are some of the many pictures on my Instagram account to bring as much awareness to this war as possible. I do post more issues but this is the one I tend to lean towards the most. I do not know who made these pictures but they honestly brought a whole new light to this issue.  Even though Social Media can be very negative and judgemental at times, when we use it to spread awareness like this, it is simply so powerful and beautiful.
     This is how I use Social Media to spread awareness on an issue that is very dear to my heart. But there are so many other people doing the same on tons of issues that I had no idea even existed. I was on twitter recently and I saw an account made to inform people of the concentration camps that are holding Muslims in China. I had no clue such a thing was happening in China and it blows my mind how little people know about this. Social Media makes information so accessible and it is so great that people use it like this. A person can post their sexual abuse stories online and how that dealt with it and it would reach thousands of people and spread a message and also help anyone in a similar situation. Small things like posting online an inappropriate Uber driver could make a huge difference in someone's life. Social Media does an amazing job in spreading information that then leads to activism.  

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/china-holds-million-uighur-muslims-concentration-camps-180912105738481.html

Who do I think I am...

Intro on the blog

Who do you think you are?

Greetings everyone, 

         A little about myself: my name is Johanna and I am a junior Biology major at this institution. In terms of media making, I consider myself to be an avid user of Instagram. The content I post on my personal account is related to my travels and family. In addition to this, I also like to post different inspirational posts. Reason being that I enjoy sharing my personal beliefs in efforts to possibly impact someone. Below are screenshots of previous posts from Instagram: 

   

Swing at the end of the world in Baños, Ecuador. From this
swing there was an incredible view of an active volcano called
Tungurahua. Very scary!  

The purpose of this post was to share the importance
of readings and gaining new knowledge from different content. 

     Overall, I do not aim to a specific audience nor do I post about a specific topic. The above post relates to my passion about reading. Personally, I believe that constantly reading books truly instills an appreciation for growth. In terms of media consumption, I enjoy following medical related pages on Instagram. These pages can range from surgical video procedures to tips on how to better prepare for medical school. Pinterest is another platform I enjoy using for my personal benefit in terms of looking up recipes, fashion and other random fun information. My personal most used platform is Pubmed (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ ). Pubmed is basically a library database of published scientific research articles. I was first introduced to this website back during my freshman year when I started doing cancer research in the biology department at NJCU. This website is very useful as it allows it's audience to search up anything they are interested in knowing about and will provide you with instant recent research articles along with data to inform you. 

Other than that, I do not use any other platforms.  However, I am very excited to become more involved via twitter and trying to connect activism with the medical field. 

     Activism has truly been an influence on society.  Such movements include, ending slavery, advocating equality for women, protecting the environment and much more. However, it has also had its controversial inputs such as attacking minorities. I believe that activism is neither good nor bad. It really depends on the reasoning behind it. I do believe that the media has become more accepting of it as opposed to before. However, there is always a more negative connotation to activism. I believe the  reason for this is because typically activism seems to be lead by people with less power. Given that people with power would achieve their end goals through a traditional route.  Take for example, Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist and successfully became a vital part of the civil rights movement. Yet, he received much negativity because of his skin color and eventually caused assassination. Had he been a person with light skin leading an anti-racism movement perhaps, things would be a bit different. 

         I believe that this relationship between the media and activism, acts of resistance, protests is not necessarily right because everyone should be able to voice their passions and opinions about certain topics. As mentioned previously, activism has significantly impacted society. However, I also believe that there is not much one can do about this relationship since it incorporates the publics opinions. 

       

       

Intro to the blog- Karla Almonte.

Ferguson Case Protesters.

            I personally consume lots of media, in many different ways. Twitter is my daily newspaper, I browse through the news section whilst drinking my coffee in the morning and also check it several times throughout the day. In addition to this, I also become aware of current events by watching comedy skits which satirically bring attention into those occurrences and through many public figures whom tend to inform the masses through cybernetic platforms. 

It is apparent that social media forms an enormous part of our daily life, there’s no larger place to consume media than through our phones. Aside from Instagram being the place where people mostly pretend to live a far more interesting life than they actually do, it is also a great source utilized to incentivize others to research about certain social and political issues. One can become aware of stories and events much faster through those platforms, rather than waiting for a scheduled news program for a detailed overlook of the happening. Deciding whom to follow heavily affects the content which one intakes, for example, I prefer to follow people that are unbiased and care about issues that heavily affect the world socially, environmentally and sometimes politically. 

In regards to how the media covers activists, acts of resistance and protests; the media has become more accepting to a certain extent. Some have started to support the different causes, yet some also consider these group of revolutionaries as a bunch rebels wasting their time. However, by using their platforms to displays those acts of resistance, they are facilitating those groups to reach larger masses. It does not matter if the purpose of the article or a news’ segment is to slander them; the media is doing them a favor. Due to the limitations that traditional media has involving what they can say and cannot, social media has become activists’ new best-friend. We are in an era where everybody wants to be considered “woke”, some falsely support protesters just to seem cool and some do it for passion; either way they are able to get the attention they have wanted to get their message across.

In the link below, an example of the relationship between the media and activist is presented.  At first, the protesters were not taken seriously due to their age and inexperience, but once they united forces with reputable groups and drew in more people the media started to pay attention. When it escalated to a more violent protest, they received their full attention. It is evident that the media wants to portray activists as “dramatic, irrational extremists who will stop at nothing”, while in fact there are several cases which are the exception; meaning less violent protests. 

https://socialmediaferguson.wordpress.com/2015/03/05/how-are-social-movement-activists-portrayed-in-the-social-media/

Intro on the blog by LG

Luis Gonzalez

Acts of Resistance: Activists, Interlopers and Pranksters 

Professor Cacoilo

January 29, 2019

Intro on the blog – Who do you think you are?

Hi everyone, as of today I don’t have a specific role when it comes to the media consumption, but I do often check the media for updates such as sports and news. Some of the media applications that I use on a weekly basis are Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. When something major happens in the media I would usually get notifications to my phone and that would get me to open the information being and look more in debt about it. I would compare this matter similar to amber alerts. In today’s generation, the media is a huge tool when it comes to informing and modernizing.  

One of the first positive effects I can think of at the moment, is probably that mass media keeps people informed of any recent events within a short amount of time. When, for example, a politician is assassinated, you will hear this immediately, so that you will know what is going on. Media keeps you informed. I believe that mass media has affected our society both positively and negatively. It has programmed our thoughts, how we dress and how we relate to one another. Certain images shown on television influence kids to misbehave, disobeying parents under the impression that its cool. Disobedience leads to destruction, that leads to teenage pregnancy, and even drug abuse. On the other hand mass media can persuade young kids positively, if you tune to programs that motivates positive force. Overall, knowing that many things happen electronically and not so much paper, for example Newspapers being the main source, we have an advantage to the accessibility of the information.

Protesting has worked many times throughout history. The biggest one that I can think of was the anti-segregation movement. From small acts of individuals such as Rosa Parks not moving on the bus to Martin Luther King and his movement toward a country based on equality. Another notable protest was that against the Vietnam war. It was a country wide protest which brought our country into the decade long hippie movement. These are only 2 examples of a time when protesting changed things on a grand scale. Time and time again people protesting on a smaller level have done the same things. I would like to use Martin Luther King Jr as an example of an activist of his time. The media tried to portray him in a negative light prior to him gathering and rallying with people for equality. Martin Luther King was also a great man and his efforts are appreciated and celebrated today because of his movement in history. When Martin Luther king was shot and killed, the media included racial terms on the biography of the local newspaper, saying things such as “angry negros spill into streets in some cities in the country.” I believe that his death was the foundation for our national holiday and the reason why we educate our youth today about his willingness to believe in more than just blacks vs whites. If I could go back in time, I would make sure that the media portrays all of the good he did for everyone instead of continuing to compare his skin complexion to his actions.

Please see link below for additional information: 

MLK Assassination LINK

Intro on the blog

By Justin McHugh

My role in media consumption is I usually just read the news, and sometimes I may repost or make a comment on Facebook, but it is mostly based on my degree in Biology or my other degrees.  I signed up for twitter with the class now too so I will post more from degree content there.  Over the last 10 years a large part of mass media shared, including events, images, and stories played a role in our everyday lives.  With the internet being accessible on Wi-Fi and cellphone it has made it a lot easier for anyone from the elderly all the way down to the youth to access the internet, anywhere someone goes with their cellphone they have the internet, and everywhere they go they can be influenced by mass media.  Years ago, mass media through the internet was not as prevalent and social media was more looked at as a joke, or something weird to be participating on, but today it is the norm.  With the integration of mass media with social media events occurring in real-time can be monitored by private citizens or news sources, and can be accessed anywhere in the world, unlike 25 years ago when television was the primary source of mass media along with newspapers.  I know everyone knows what newspapers are, but many do not realize the significance the newspaper played in the past towards mass media, but now newspapers unless online editions, have little influence on mass populations. 

Figure 1: Media evolution

Today I have a tablet, 3 laptops, and 2 cellphones which all I can access the internet with a few pushes of buttons or a swipe of the screen.  As I mentioned, I don’t comment much on mass media, especially politics as it seems people can be more violent or argumentative over the internet or through social media.  In the past, I was posting a lot of mass media, but it caused issues in my life, so I backed off and tried to become a ghost.  I feel it is dangerous to always voice your true opinions online as you never know who is watching you or interacting with your posts. 

            When it comes to activists or protesters in most cases the news portrays them as rebels or rioters who destroy things.  In many cases governments lash out and these people who are standing up and arrest, harm, smash the protest or kill them, and in many cases the issue is not solved but rather the government tries to smear the protesters as anarchists or terrorists.  I simple search on google illustrates this.  I searched protesters and news and here is what came up on top:

Figure 2: google search with protester AND news as strings searched 

           As I suspected the top results for protests entailed violence by the people, or rioting, and even government torturing of protestors.  I feel like the bad sides of the protests are always covered, not why they are there or asking more people in the protests what was so grave to make them rise up and come to the streets to stand up against the wrongs that are being done against them, but nevertheless it is usually just a government smear campaign on the protestors and sometimes the news joins in on this smear without even knowing what is going on.   A recent example of the news distorting mass media was at Lincoln Memorial in Washington.  There Catholic boys were accused of mocking a native American in clipped videos, however, later videos showed that most likely that was not what happened and that the videos were trimmed to incite the masses.  A version of the story can be found at: USA News: Catholic boys falsely accused of discrimination by mass media.  On a last note, I am Justin McHugh and I am looking forward to the semester with all of you.  

      

Syllabus SP 2019

Acts of Resistance: Activists, Interlopers and Pranksters

Wednesdays 9:55-12:35pm   

Prof. Doris Cacoilo                      

Course Description

This is a course about media subversives: people working outside of mainstream media institutions who nonetheless find creative and provocative ways to use the media for cultural, political, and/or economic critique and resistance. Over the course of the semester, we will examine a range of "alternative" media phenomena.

This is a general education course that is paired with the Tier 2 course, DIY + Making.

Activists + Interlopers + Pranksters will engage social analysis and cultural critique to examine and reflect on the media influences that effect (or distort) and inform (or misinform) our communities and culture. This course places value on being meta-aware of the relationship between culture and creative production within communities, as well as the necessity of being socially conscientious citizens.

This course uses culture studies and social analysis to investigate the myriad ways in which individuals, groups and subcultures use creative productions to perform and manifest ‘acts of resistance’ against the hegemony of western Eurocentric culture, dominant societal institutions, and class/power structures. The course will examine the American consumer culture and unpack the influence capitalism can have on communities and the production of culture and sub-culture.

The goal of this course will not be simply to romanticize "outlaws", nor will it merely condemn them as criminals or troublemakers. Instead, it will focus on how and why such figures struggle against the global "media monopoly" so that students might come to a richer understanding of the nature of the media's considerable political and cultural power, and the ways that ordinary people can engage with powerful cultural institutions as active participants, innovative creators, and powerful critics. 

This course encourages a broader consideration of citizenship by thinking critically about the relationship of images, values and ideals in a highly complex visual world. Conscientious citizenship is also honed by examining cultural forces and the effect they have on personal and social values and ideals. Students will think critically and complexly about issues of media, culture, politics, and how creative productions can influence these.

Course Requirements and Grading

Our class time will be split between discussion, lecture, and presentations.  While in discussion please be respectful of the opinions of others even if they stand diametrically opposed to your own. You must be in class ON TIME and prepared for class each week. Failure to do so will be reflected in your participation grade. Failure to do so consistently can lead to failure in the course.

READINGS Various weekly reading assignments will be assigned from your required texts and linked on the blog. The full reading schedule will be distributed on the class blog. Readings are due each week. All readings are REQUIRED unless otherwise stated.

CLASS PARTICIPATION Attendance and participation in the class discussion when appropriate and in critique and comments on the blog and twitter is part of your participation grade. For each week’s readings you must select two quotes or passages from the readings and write a brief description of one art project that strikes you from that week’s readings. You must briefly describe the project, the context and the artist/collective/collaboration that created the project or work and why you responded to it. I will often collect these. Please have them written or typed on a sheet of paper you can hand to me with your name on it each week. I will call on students each week during discussion to read and discuss these quotes. You must have these prepared for each reading. 

TWITTER You must create a twitter account (if you do not have one already) we will share links and comments with each other using the class hashtag: #actsofresistanceAIP

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS You must consult the class blog weekly (even several times per week) to check for announcements, readings and to post your writing assignments. The blog is crucial to the course and completion of the requirements. You MUST have access to the blog to complete assignments, readings, post work and comment on students’ posts. All writing assignments will be published to the blog.

CLASS PRESENTATIONS: Students will present in pairs the work of an artist from the We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85 at the Brooklyn Museum, from the readings or students can choose to present an exhibition past or current that presents specifically activist artwork. Presentations must be between 10-15 minutes maximum and should include a short discussion with the class. Students will present once throughout the semester. This schedule will be determined in class on the second week of classes. Presentations will be entirely collaborative, all students must participate equally and will receive just one grade per group. 

SEMESTER PROJECT

Mapping Social/Cultural Hot Topics and Interventions: Art, Movements and Civic Action

The goal of this assignment is to get you to take a stand on a significant issue related to the course material and then to highlight and support a past or current act of resistance. In order to be a conscientious participant in community and society, one must attend the current events and important social/political struggles of current times. Race relations, gender equality, social justice, health care, reproductive rights, privacy, corporate regulation, marriage equality, religious tolerance, LGBT rights, etc. are all examples of issues citizens have engaged in acts of opposition and resistance, using any number of creative strategies.

From the database of current events and social issues that we have been discussing during the course, choose an issue, artist, movement or citizen action that exemplifies an act of resistance as we have outlined throughout the semester. Using one (or more) of the readings and resources we have used as a way to make a critical argument, create a writing project that encourages or supports the artist or movement and presents their work to a larger audience. Make a case for why this act of resistance is important, timely and worth engaging in and promoting. Be sure to research extensively and thoughtfully in choosing and supporting your artist or movement. Be sure that your project coincides with your own political motivations, ideas and your professional ambitions.

Consider and research extensively and thoughtfully the history and development of the issue you have chosen. The themes and topics of the course have had a recurring history of friction within America’s culture and institutions.You will need to describe and explain the strategies that have been used and are now being used to engage this issue currently and explain how the example you have chosen to highlight fits into the larger issue. The writing project can take the form of an online article, an essay, a blog, a website, tumblr, or even a podcast. Students can present ideas outside of this list if they would like to propose other ways of presenting their writing for this assignment. All students will propose their final projects at midterm and must have their project topic approved by the professor.

In addition to the writing project, each student will do an oral presentation, with visual support materials that summarizes your project. Be prepared to facilitate a discussion with your peers by preparing questions that will be topics of discussion.

Grading

Attendance is mandatory and all assignments must be finished and handed in on time to receive a passing grade for this course.

40% semester project 

30% 3 blog posts 

10% group presentation

20% attendance/participation (Contributions to class discussion, on the class blog + attendance)

Attendance

Attendance is, to put it simply, mandatory.

Attendance is taken at the beginning of each class, and will be considered when determining the final course grade. Absences affect your participation grade. More than four (4) unexcused absences will result in an 'F' (failure) for the class. No exceptions. Class begins on time, so you must be punctual. Lateness, leaving early or leaving class unexcused for an extended period of time will also be recorded. Two of these instances will count as one absence. You must bring documentation to class and hand in to me for any absences to be excused. 

You are required to make up any and all work that is missed if you are absent. Notify the professor if you will be absent. As work will not be accepted late, please contact the professor to hand in work on time. It is your responsibility to get any missed work or notes from other students in the class and to discuss any problems or questions you have with the professor.

NOTE: BACK-UP your work frequently, even as you are working on your writing assignments and on your projects. Write and edit your posts locally before uploading them to the web. No excuses.

Required Texts 

Seeing Power: Art and Activism in the 21st Century by Nato Thomson, Melville House Publishing, Brooklyn 2015

The Interventionists: Users’ Manual for the Creative Disruption of Everyday Lives edited by Nato Thomson and Gregory Sholette, MIT Press, Cambridge 2004

Confessions of the Guerrilla Girls by the Guerrilla Girls, HarperCollins, New York 1995

On Blackboard http://blackboard.njcu.edu/ and linked online.

Course Objectives

Students will:

1. Develop an objective understanding of visual communication practices.

2. Value judging, appropriation, and cooperation as strategies for creative problem solving.

3. Correlate the role of information and visual design to cultural production as a means of mass influence.

4. Interpret the difference between cliché and archetype, cultural construct and stereotype, representation and signification.

5. Create alternative strategies for cultural interactions as a means to disrupt common interpretations.

6. Integrate social and empirical research into projects.

7. Consider creative problem solving as a way to invent solutions to real world problems.

8. Engage substantially with a significant social, cultural, and/or political issue.

Health and Safety 

You are not to risk the health or safety of yourself or any of the other people in the Art department. To ensure safety strictly follow all safety procedures explained to you as well as the New Jersey City University regulations. If you have any concerns or questions or are ever unclear about proper safety and health procedures, then ask the instructor or appropriate authority.  

If you feel you have any special concerns or problems that you would like to address please feel free to bring them to my attention. If there are any health concerns, either physical or psychological, that may affect your ability to fully participate in the class or complete assignments I am available to discuss possible solutions or address any of your concerns. If you have health or disability concerns that you would like to address but do not feel it is appropriate to discuss them with me there are services on campus available to address your concerns; contact Student/Health Services (Vodra Hall, Suite 107, 201-200-3456), the Art Department Office, or feel free to see me for contact info.

Class Schedule

ALL READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE SPECIFIED WEEKLY IN CLASS AND ON THE CLASS BLOG 

It is the student’s responsibility to check the blog each week for required readings and assignments. All readings can be found in the required texts, online (linked from the blog) or on Blackboard.

If you ever have questions or concerns about the schedule, due dates, changes or anything else please ask me after class or e-mail me: dcacoilo@njcu.edu

Students are required to read the appropriate readings for each class BEFORE class, complete all assignments on time and post two links to twitter each week.

Class Discussion Topic	Readings/Assignments due
1/23 Introduction to Acts of Resistance Introduction of the course syllabus, class blog and themes
1/30 Identity, Self and Media messages	ON BLACKBOARD John Berger Ways of Seeing Ch7 and ONLINE Susan Sontag excerpt from On Photography (linked from the blog)
2/6 Intervention - Images, Identity and Power	Lemmerman Gallery See blog for readings due. bell hooks Understanding Patriarchy
2/13 Activism, Power, Consumption, Art	Introduction to Seeing Power and Anarchy in the Ruins pg 143-146 and  Encyclopedia Entries pg 147-154 Interventionists
2/20 Collective - What to make, the didactic	Post 1 Due (gallery post) Project topics due  Chapter 1 and 2 pg 3-54 Seeing Power Chapter 4 The Experimental University pg 111-132  Interventionists
2/27 Intervention - Rethinking individual space and power for public discourse	Chapter 1 Nomads pgs. 25-60 Interventionists  Chapter 5 and 6 Seeing Power in Spaces pg 107-146 Seeing Power
3/6 MIDTERM in class presentations of project proposals	Full project proposal including resources due on the blog and in class
3/13 SPRING BREAK
3/20 The Guerrilla Girls	Confessions of the Guerrilla Girls pgs 7-95 (the whole book)  second part of class.... We will be attending the Big Read event in VA B08. Details on the blog
3/27 Pranksters - The Yes Men	See blog for readings due. Chapter 4 Seeing Through the Haze of Social and Cultural Capital pg 83-106 Seeing Power ***Group 1 Presents***
4/3 Pranksters - Ready to Wear	Chapter 3 Ready to Wear pgs 97-108 Interventionists  *check the blog for additional readings ***Group 3 Presents***
4/10 Interlopers - Reclaiming the Streets	TRIP TO PAUL ROBESON GALLERIES at Rutgers, Express Newark. Post 2 due  Chapter 3 Infrastructures of Resonance pg 55-82 Seeing Power
4/17 Interlopers - Reclaiming the Streets	Chapter 2 Reclaiming the Streets pg. 63-94 Interventionists   Work on your final projects. Post 3 Due *Group 2 Presents*
4/24 Interlopers- Pussy Riot	Chapter 7 Occupying Space 147-164 Seeing Power *Group 4 Presents*
5/1 PRESENTATIONS OF FINAL PROJECTS	All projects must be posted to and linked from the class blog on 4/30 before 11pm.
5/8 PRESENTATIONS OF FINAL PROJECTS - continued	PIZZA PARTY All students must attend even if they have already presented.