On today’s agenda:
- Talking about potential topics
- Setting up Twitter accounts
Potential Fandom Topics
A few things up front: let me be clear–I don’t have an exact idea for what a good project in this course looks like. This course is an experiment. Like any experiment, it is based on solid theory and previous experience. I believe that if I give you the freedom to develop your own writing course, then you will come up with something that is both meaningful and productive. My role in all of this is to provide you feedback that helps intensify that meaning and productivity.
As I said in the first class, you could approach this class as an academic course. You could choose an academic discipline and integrate yourself into that community. You would put together a reading list (say an article a week), find some professional spaces in which people in that discipline congregate, follow a bunch of scholars on twitter and pay attention to what they discuss, etc.
You also have the freedom to do something more social or cultural. I would think the choice here is by and large determined by your future trajectory and where you see yourself in 3 to 5 years.
We will spend some time in class today looking at your write-ups on Canvas.
Talking Twitter
Last summer I wrote an introductory guide to Twitter for my students. Let’s look at it.
Here’s a more extensive look at Twitter, including some “how to” information.
Let’s send out a tweet!
Homework
For homework, I want you to start drafting your project proposal. The final proposal is a 600-1000 word document that is due before the start of next Thursday’s class. I will talk a bit more about the format of the proposal on Tuesday. Here’s what you should do over the weekend to prepare.
First, you should identify 2-5 places on the Internet that readily publish material on your topic and allow comments.
For each of these places, find one or two recent articles. Read them enough to provide one sentence summaries of them.
After this research, write a few sentences that identify the controversies of this community. What’s the disagreements? What keeps people writing?
Then try to think about something this community needs, something you could research (note: this might not be possible for every community).
Take a stroll down Google Scholar with your activity.
Finally, begin generating your own calendar. For weeks 3-10, imagine what you might read and write every week. Of course, I won’t hold you to this exact calendar–I want you to respond to what’s happening in your community and to have the freedom to follow any interesting lines of thought. But, you do need to prove to me that you can sustain the project for ten weeks.
