ENGL 108D F22 Kim

ENGL 108D Digital Lives

Fall 2022 Mondays at 1:00-2:20pm in HH 138

Wednesdays asynchronously on LEARN

Instructor Information

Instructor: Jin Sol Kim (pronouns: she/her)

Office hours: Mondays 2:30pm to 3:30pm on Teams or by appointment Email: js2kim@uwaterloo.ca

Territorial Acknowledgement

I acknowledge that I am living, learning, and working on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (also known as Neutral), Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes ten kilometres on each side of the Grand River.

Course Description

This course examines how digital communication technologies construct and constrain the formation of online identities and social spaces. We will explore the technical, cultural, and social forces that make digital lives both familiar and unfamiliar, traditional and subversive. Throughout the course, we will develop strategies and methods for studying media and digital platforms, online content, and other contemporary manifestations of “digital life.” We will use these critical tools to look at several themes that include identity presentation and politics.

Our course is divided into three units:

Understanding What We Mean by “Digital Life”

In this unit of the course, we will be exploring the various theories and methods of analyzing media, generally, and digital media, specifically. In addition to the history of digital media, we will be learning about the affordances and constraints of media: how media shape content and users’ engagement with content. But we will also consider the ways users shape media and media usage, providing thematic and theoretical groundwork for the subsequent course units.

Digital Lives and Belonging

After familiarizing ourselves with the theories and methods of analyzing the affordances and constraints of media, we will study the creation and performance of online identities on various (social) media platforms. In this section, we will begin to consider the ways in which digital media often reinforce the status quo, and how the creation and performances of online identities may serve, in turn, as a form of resistance against various intersecting oppressions.

Digital Futures

This final unit will ask you all to think critically about our contemporary situation of Digital Life, both in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as moving forward. Drawing from what you have learned in Units One and Two, we will consider if and how digital environments have changed as a result of pandemic living, and what we can do to create a more ethical digital future for all users.

Course Goals and Learning Objectives

The design of the content and schedule of the course is determined by our goals of scholarly engagement with the idea and practice of ‘digital lives’ and of becoming stronger academic writers in a university setting.

Knowledge—by the end of the course you should be able to:

Identify the basic terms by which scholars study and theorize (digital) media & online materials

Write clear and persuasive short academic papers, supported by evidence

Discuss the affordances and constraints of media, and the various cultural uses and imaginations of media

Application—over the course of the term you will:

Take notes from various media and lectures to understand, remember, and apply new ideas

Interpret texts using scholarly methods of analysis

Frame persuasive arguments in writing

Integration—this course encourages you to:

Develop a clear and concise scholarly voice

Write more professionally: conceive, research, draft, edit and proofread your work

Connect your reading and writing strategies to the larger project of your degree This course is reading intensive, writing intensive, and participation intensive.

Pandemic Objectives

1. To be patient and kind with ourselves and with each other.

2. To embrace the opportunity to learn in new ways and grow as students and citizens.

3. To do our best, knowing that this will probably look different than other terms.

4. To communicate openly and clearly about our expectations, concerns, and goals. Tell me what you need, and I’ll tell you how I can help.

5. To be flexible. This is a strange time. We’re all a bit anxious. Circumstances may change over the course of the term. Let’s work together to make this the best class possible, knowing that this may be a moving target.

Required Text/Materials

Digital Media and Society

1st edition by Simon Lindgren

Available for rent or used/new copies available for purchase. Other readings and resources will be made available on LEARN.

Course Assessment

* Note: The full information for the course assignments stated above are available as separate PDF documents located within the “Course Syllabus” module on the LEARN course site.

Course Outline

Unit 1: Understanding What We Mean by “Digital Life”

Week 1: Logging on

September 7: Course Introduction/ Syllabus Review

Week 2: “New” Media and the Birth of the Digital Frontier

September 12: Read: DMS, Ch 1, pp. 3-15

September 14: Tutorial: How to Write an Academic Essay

Due: Sign-up for History of Digital Culture (HDC) Project closes

IR: Latour, “Where are the Missing Masses?” pp. 225-229

Week 3: “The Medium is the Message”: Media as Environments

September 19: Read: DMS, Ch 1, pp. 16-25

September 21: Tutorial: How to do Academic Research (library visit to Dana Porter)

IR: McLuhan, “The Medium is the Message”

Week 4: Cyber debates

September 26: Read: DMS, Ch 3

September 28: Tutorial: Proper Citation Practices (MLA 9)/ Annotated Bibliographies

IR: “The Place of Talk in a Digital Age”

Week 5: (Dis)Embodiment and Identity

October 3: Read: DMS, Ch 4

October 5: Due: Response paper

IR: Manti Te’o Hoax (original article) and US Magazine’s timeline

Week 6: READING WEEK

October 10: No classes

October 12: No classes

Unit 2: Digital Lives and Belonging

Week 7: Social Media

October 17: Read: DMS, Ch 2

October 19: HDC Groups 1 & 2 Presentations

IR:  It’s Corn (original video) + duetted/remixed versions

Week 8: Selfies

October 24: Read: DMS, Ch 6

October 26: HDC Groups 3 & 4 Presentations

IR: West: “You’re so Brave”, #HospitalGlam, The Yolocaust Project, The Full Body Project

Week 9: (Counter)Publics and Online Communities

October 31: Read: DMS, Ch 5

November 2: HDC Groups 5 & 6 Presentations

Due: Final project proposal

IR: Mommy Blogs: The centrality of community in the performance of online maternity

Unit 3: Digital Futures

November 7: Read: DMS, Ch 8

Week 10: Digital Citizenship

November 9: HDC Groups 7 & 8 Presentations

IR: Global News article on Milton’s Restaurant incident in Kitchener Week 11: Online Activism

November 14: Read: DMS, Ch 10

November 16: HDC Groups 9 & 10 Presentations

IR: Instagram is Biased Against WOC

Week 12: A Digital Future and Algorithmic Justice November 21: Read: DMS, Ch 9

November 23: HDC Groups 11 & 12 Presentations

IR: Joy Buolamwini’s TED Talk

Week 13: Logging Off

November 28: Peer Editing: Rough draft of final project

November 30: Due: Final project

Accommodations/ Accessibility

In our class environment, we will be mindful of the reality that everyone learns differently. If you have any concerns about accessing course content or accommodating your learning style, please let me know. You can also arrange for formal accommodations with AccessAbility Services by registering at the beginning of each academic term. Please call: 519-888-4567 ext. 35082 or email: access@uwaterloo.ca. Further information may be found on the following website: https://uwaterloo.ca/accessability-services/.

Late Work

All assignments are to be submitted in electronic copy via the various Dropbox or discussion forums on LEARN on the due date noted on the class schedule and syllabus. Late assignments will receive a 2% deduction from the assignment grade per day. To avoid the deduction of late marks, prepare your work in advance (i.e. if you have any questions or concerns, I expect to hear from you well before the assignment is due).

Late marks will not apply for the two following reasons:

1. If you have notified me in advance (minimum 7 days prior) about a concern or conflict, and we have come to an agreement on an alternate deadline.

2. If you invoke the COVID clause (valid one time only, see below)

COVID Clause

Before I am your instructor and you are my students, we are first and foremost fellow humans, and I understand that sometimes we can’t prepare for things that happen in our lives (like COVID-19). If something comes up that you didn’t anticipate and that you don’t have documentation for, you may invoke this clause as a “get out of late marks free” pass. You may use it on one assignment throughout the term and receive a three (3) day extension, no questions asked, though I do request that you contact me as soon as you think you might need it. You may not retroactively apply the clause once an assignment is already late. This clause is my gift to you. Please use it wisely.

Communication Policy

Though we do live digital lives, I do not live 24/7 on my email. Do not expect me to respond to your email instantaneously; allow for 24 hours on weekdays and 48 hours on weekends for me to get back to you. If you feel the need to chat via phone or video call, please email me to arrange a meeting.

In addition, please be professional in your email. Use a clear subject heading, begin with a proper salutation (e.g. “Hi Jin Sol), and end with a sign off (Best, [student name]). This allows me to know right away who the email is from and what the email will be about.

Academic Integrity

In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for their actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. For typical penalties, check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of their/her/his university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a

ground. A student who believes they/she/he has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals.

Mental Health Support

Life is hard, especially during the pandemic, and all of us need a support system. Below is a list of mental health support services you can access. I encourage you to use them as needed.

On Campus

Counselling Services (online for Fall 2020): counselling.services@uwaterloo.ca / 519-888-4567 ext. 32655

Off campus, 24/7

• Good2Talk: Free confidential helpline for post-secondary students. Phone: 1-866-925-5454

• Grand River Hospital: Emergency care for mental health crisis. Phone: 519-749-4300 ext. 6880

• Here 24/7: Mental Health and Crisis Service Team. Phone: 1-844-437-3247

• OK2BME: support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or questioning teens in Waterloo. Phone: 519-884-0000 ext. 213