In a 150 - 300 word post on the COURSE BLOG, please consider the following prompts:
What, in your opinion, are the key ideas, themes, concepts of feminist media and feminist media making? What "lessons" in feminist media will you take away from this class? What do you learn from feminist media praxis? What should feminist media studies and feminist media making [thinkers / makers] being doing?
For this assignment you are to attend EITHER:
Wonder Women :: Art & Technology / culturing nature :: culturing technology exhibit (details below; March 6th post)
Note: this event is FREE, but you must RSVP to willow@umn.edu for FRIDAY, MARCH 14th Events (Studio Action Workshops, Panel, etc). The Gallery is free and open to the public.
OR
Women with Vision at the Walker Arts Center (details below; March 6th post)
OR
Visit Assemblage: The Women's New Media Gallery
OR
Another feminist media event (talk, gallery, video screening). Note: You must EMAIL me for an approval of this event!
BLOG POST WRITE-UP INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Attend the event. Take NOTES! You will need DETAILS to do your reflection post.
Note: If you choose to write on Assemblage, you must watch/visit at least 5 of the sites, and choose 1-2 to write about. Your viewing (navigating the pages of the site/show) will count as your attendance. Think about how "traveling" and viewing media on the Internet affects your experience.
2. Research the artist(s) you intend to discuss.
3. Write a 500 - 1000 word reflective write-up of the event. In your post, you must:
- Share the CONTEXT (a bit about bg of the artist) of the work (the who, what, where, when ?s)
- Reflect on the CONTENT (the subject, issues, themes... explored in the work
- Discuss details of the FORM (aesthetics, materials used, technical stuff...) of the work
Post this write-up by Tuesday, APRIL 1 at NOON!
What makes a good story? Read about stories on iRoom Stories
This week you'll be viewing digital stories [and videoblogs]. Start at the suggested links on this blog (on the right sidebar), in the Week 5 folder of our WebVista site, and in the Digital Storytelling reading for this week (excerpt 2, Appendix C "Web Resources for Digital Storytelling"), and follow the links to whatever interests you.
Post links to at least two of your favorites. For each post an image (and/or pull image grabs of your favorite images), and link to the original piece.
For each write a short reflection (about 100-150 words) for each piece you've selected. Consider:
1- the context (where the story was created, or anything you know about the maker)
2- the content
3- the form of the piece
4 - why this is a "good" story (read: why/how this piece engages you, draws you in, why you like it...)
Post by NOON on Tuesday, 2/27.
+ + + + Rachel's Example + + + +
untitled by Kevin West is a really powerful digital story. Kevin is a transguy who lives in Santa Cruz, California. The piece tells his story of being a queer youth trapped in the juvenile (in)justice system, until a social worker who understands GLBTQ issues helped him. In the piece he uses personal photos, "borrowed images", graphic elements (like texts), motion graphics to edit the pieces together. The music (a drum beat helps to build the rhythm of the piece. The story is structured by Kevin's story, told in a voice over.
I chose to share this digital story because I really like Kevin's honesty. He speaks in a clear, engaging and honest way about his life. He's telling us an emotional story without the boo-hoo sobs (whoa is me stuff), but with clarity. I like that he uses the piece as a way to thank the social worker who helped him change the course of his life.
Read CHAPTER 8 Essay "Representing Women: The Politics of Self-Representation" from Reframings (Handed out in class; copies are available in the FMC if you were absent)
In a 750+ word post on YOUR PERSONAL BLOG, post a reflection of Reframings: New American Feminist Photographies.
Include:
- aims/goals of the collection (articulated in the foreword and intro)
- key terms / feminist theory
- critical response / key theory / key terms / key quotes / themes
- your reflection to the entire collection
- AND, why did we read this text COLLECTIVELY!
Please be thoughtful in your response. Avoid generalizations, go for specificity and depth.
For this assignment, please complete steps I - III, detailed below.
Part I. For 48 HOURS, I want you to KEEP A LOG (date, time, location, form of media, details about content, your response) of your media exposure (things like all the ads on bus benches or the video screens in the bathrooms at restaurants/clubs downtown), and the times & places that you choose to watch media. (Note: This could be a great basis for this week's reflection on your personal blog.)
Part II. Reflect on your media watching log. How typical was your viewing during these 2 days? Consider your normal media watching habits: How do you watch / view media? In theaters? On television? Do you rent DVDs and watch on a laptop while riding the bus home? Do you have a video Ipod?
How does who you are and where and how you watch, affect what you see, how you see it, what you "read" and how you understand media and the world.
Part III. Post your answer(s) to the prompts on the COURSE blog, give us some excerpts of your log, and reflect on your interaction(s) with the media by NOON on Tuesday, 2/12.
In a post of 150 to 350 word post, please consider the video that we watched in class about Judy Chicago's feminist methodology. Here's Judy at work:
Reflecting on the video, consider: What lesson(s) do you intend to take from Judy’s method? What seems effective practice(s) for you? Why? What ideas do you want to challenge, and why?
Please post by NOON on Tuesday, 2/5.
Think about the examples of the artist self-portraits that we viewed in class like this:
Post an introduction to yourself, but remember this is a public blog, so don’t reveal details of your “real� identity if you don’t want to (create an alias for your account - click on your x500 on the top right of the blog entry screen).
Feel free to post a drawing, sound recording, collage, photo, artwork or anything that let’s us know about who you are, what you are watching, reading, listening to, thinking about. If you have a personal blog, or you've set up your individual course blog and want to share, link us!
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