The Media Ecology Tradition
ENGL 526
Contact: ctracy1@ninthmuse.org
526 Syllabus
ENGL 526-000
Instructor: Christine Tracy
E-mail address: ctracy1@emich.edu
Office: 603E
Phone: 487-0148
Office Hours: Tuesday 12:30 to 3 p.m; Thursday 12:30 to 1:30, 5:30 to 7 p.m. and by appointment.
Course materials will be on the Web at:
www.ninthmuse.org/teaching/526.html
Course Description: Catastrophic natural and man-made disasters, such as the Tsunami and the 911 terrorist attack, demonstrate the interdependence of the modern world and the genuine need for global awareness and action to support that relationship. These events and shifting consciousness position ecology as more than a discrete discipline or set of practices: ecological awareness is also a philosophical and ideological approach for acting in the world.
Media ecology is a study of media as environments and systems. It is a theory about the complex interplay between humans, technology, media, and the environment. It focuses on the interaction between humans and the media with the goal of increasing awareness of mutual effects.
Course Goal: Students in this course will first be introduced to media ecology theory as an emerging intellectual tradition, which blends the study of media and culture, technology, and communication. Through reading, writing, analysis, and discussion, students will develop a framework for applying Media Ecology theory in their writing, teaching, and professional communication practices.
CourseText: Perspectives on Culture, Technology and Communication: The Media Ecology Tradition by Casey M.K. Lum Hampton Press Inc., Cresskill, N.J. ISBN 1-57273-623-2
Major Assignments: 1. Placing theory in context: a closer look at ME theorists. Select one of the primary theorists that will be reading in the Lum, text this semester. These include: Neil Postman, Lewis Mumford, Jacques Ellul, Harold Innis, Marshall McLuhan, James Carey, Susanne Langerm and Benjamin Lee Whorf, Walter Ong, and Eric Havelock. This assignment entails researching and presenting a biographical sketch of one (or two related theorists), analyzing their contributions to the study of Media Ecology and Rhetoric, and composing an annotated bibliography. We will publish these sketches, analyses, and bibliographies on the course Web site. (40 points).
2. Rhetorical Analysis: Each student will be develop a framework for applying Media Ecology theory to their personal and professional writing and communication practices. Using that framework as a methodology, students will conduct a rhetorical analysis of a document, image, place, event, or community. This analysis will most often be a five-page paper, however, alternative presentation formats are permitted with permission of the instructor. (30 points)
3. Team Application Project: This is a capstone project. Students will work in teams of two or three to examine an ecological challenge at EMU, Ypsilanti, or our surrounding environment and pose a solution based on the systems model presented by ME. Deliverables for this assignment include a situation analysis (paper), proposed solution (paper or other format such as Web page, visual, etc.) and class presentation. (30 points)
Course Grades
ME Theorist Biographical Analysis-40 points
Rhetorical Analysis-30 points
Team Application Project - 30 points TOTAL: 100 POINTS
Informal Assignments: In addition to the formal, graded assignments, students will be expected to stay current with class readings, to routinely prepare written responses and to apply course readings to specific examples, current events, and technical communication challenges. Many of these reponses will be posted on the class myemich space or appropriate online venues.
Course Schedule
This course schedule will change. Please check myemich and the course Web site for updates.
Week One-September 12
Course Introduction: The ME Tradition
Week Two-September 19
Reading Due: Lum Chapter One and Two
Topic: The ME Tradition
Week Three-September 26
Reading Due: Lum Chapter Three
Topic: Lewis Mumford
Student presentation on Mumford
Week Four-October 3
Reading Due: Lum Chapter Four and Five
Topic: Jacques Ellul
Student presentation on Ellul
Week Five-October 10
Reading: Lum, Chapter Six
Topic: Harold Innis
Student presentation on Innis
Week Six-October 17
Reading Due: Lum, Chapter Seven
Topic: Marshall McLuhan
Student presentation on McLuhan
All students required to submit contextual sketch and annotated bibliography of selected theorists by Oct. 17. Presentations will continue.
Week Seven-October 24
Reading Due: Chapter Eight
Topic: Neil Postman
Student presentation on Postman
Week Eight-November 7
Reading Due: Lum Chapter Nine
Topic: James Carey
Student presentation on Carey
Rhetorical Analysis Projects Due Nov. 7
Week Nine- November 14
Reading Due: Lum Chapters Ten and Eleven
Topic: Benjamin Lee Whorf and Susanne K. Langer
Student presentation on Whorf and Langer
Week Ten-November 21
No class on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Dr. Tracy traveling.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Week Eleven-November 28
Reading Due: Lum Chapter 12 and 13
Topics: Walter Ong and Eric Havelock
Student presentation(s) on Ong and Havelock
Week Twelve-December 5
Reading Due: Chapter 14
Topic: Summary and future directions for ME theorists
Week Thirteen-December 12
Final class meeting: Presentation of Team Application Projects