LIB 3040 - Francoeur - Spring 2014

Homework

Throughout the course, you will be asked to write on the course blog:

  • 5 substantive and useful posts in which you propose a provocative and interesting question relating to the course. These posts should be sparked by something you found online that you can link to: a website, an article, a post on another blog, a video, etc.
  • 10 substantive comments on the posts of your classmates or mine (something more compelling and analytical than a "that's interesting" kind of a reply is required)

In addition, there will be 5 additional homework assignments. Some of them will require you to write on the course blog; others will require you to submit your work to me directly using Google Docs (you need to share with me the document you created using my Gmail address, not my Baruch address).

Points for Homework

  • 500 points total
    • 5 blog posts x up to 25 points for each post = 125 maxium points
    • 10 comments on the blog x up to 20 points for each comment = 200 maximum points
    • 5 additional homework assignments x up to 35 points for each assignment = 175 maximum points
      • Late homework assignments: 2 points off for each day late

Homework #1

  • Due March 4 (by the start of class)
  • For this assignment, your goal is to find 4 different kinds of publications that are connected in some meaningful way to the Clay Shirky book we are reading. You will need to find all of these items for this assignment:
    • a peer-reviewed article from a scholarly journal
    • an article from a magazine
    • an article from a newspaper
    • a book
  • You must use the library databases and catalog to find materials. Do not use Google.
  • Here are valid points of connection between what you find and the Shirky book:
    • an article or book  that talks specifically about Here Comes Everybody
    • an article or book  that talks specifically about Clay Shirky in some way
    • an article or book that talks about events, ideas, or people explicitly discussed (i.e, directly mentioned in the text) in Here Comes Everybody
  • Once you have found your 4 sources (remember, you need one of each kind), youll need to:
    • create a Google Document
    • put your name on the document
    • list each of the 4 sources you found using MLA style (the Purdue OWL website has a great guide to MLA style)
    • write 1-2 sentences under each source on the list in which you tell me
      • what kind of source it is (book, peer-reviewed article from a scholarly journal, magazine article, newspaper article)
      • you explain precisely the connection between that item and Here Comes Everybody
    • When you are done with the Google Document, share it with me
      • for sharing, use either of the sharing methods detailed on this help page where you type in my email address (you must use my Gmail address, not by Baruch one) or the other method where you send a link to the file
  • Your grade for this assignment will be based on:
    • whether or not you've corrected identified your source types
    • how well you've followed MLA style for your citations
    • how well you explain the connection between the sources and the Shirky book

Homework #2

  • Due  March 13 (by the start of class)
  • In Google Docs, write a 1-2 page essay in which you assess the authority that Clay Shirky as the author of Here Comes Everybody. In what ways is he qualified to tackle the subjects in the book? In what ways is he lacking? What kinds of background would give him even more authority on this topic? To answer these questions, you'll need to research who Clay Shirky is. In your essay, You should draw on what you learned about Clay Shirky to help you answer the questions. Offer specific details to back up your assertions. Please cite your sources using MLA style and be very very careful not to copy and paste text from descriptions you read about Shirky; use your own language as much as possible and use in-text citations to indicate where you found that information. You will be graded on the quality of your argument (remember, you are trying to convince me of something), on the quaity of the evidence you use to back up your assertions, the clarity of your writing, and the degree to which you adhere to correct grammar, spelling, and citation style.
  • When you have completed your essay, share it with me but please don't share it me at my Baruch email address. Instead. share it with me at my Gmail address: stephen [dot] francoeur at gmail etc.

Homework #3

  • Due April 1 (by the start of class)
  • In the class wiki we are making:
    • Write one new entry for an idea or concept that Shirky discusses in any of the chapters of the book
      • if someone has already written an entry on that idea or concept such as "group formation") then you'll need to pick another topic
      • the entry should be at least 3-4 sentences long, should explain the term, and should discuss what role it plays in Shirky's argument
    • Edit five other entries in the wiki. Ideas for this work can include:
      • expanding the entry
      • rewriting text that could be stronger or clearer or that needs grammar/spelling work
      • adding images
      • adding links to other things on the web
  • Then, after you've added an entry and edited five others, send me an email (either my Gmail or my Baruch email account) describing to me your work on this assignment. Tell me:
    • what entry you added; why out of all the things Shirky talks about you felt like this one needed to be added to our wiki
    • what entries you edited and what specifically you did for each one

Homework #4

  • Due May 13 (by the start of class)
    • NOTE: The due date for this assignment has been moved back (it was originally for May 8)
  • Find and closely analyze two book reviews of Clay Shirky's Here Come Everybody. One must be from a magazine or newspaper (make sure that what you've got really is a magazine or journal; if you can't tell, ask me first) and one must be from a scholarly journal (if you aren't sure if what you have is a scholarly journal, ask me first). It is essential that the book reviews meet the following criteria:
    • each one is at least 2 paragraphs long (if the review is too short, you'll have nothing substantial in the article to respond to)
    • each one includes at least one comment that is critical of Shirky or the book (you need to have something to respond to in your essay that you'll write). Read the review very closely for any negative comment about Shirky, about his ideas, his book, or the social media that he is so enamared of. The criticisms you find don't have to be huge attacks on Shirky; they can be just a minor quiibble. For this assignment, that's fine.
  • Then, in a Google Doc that you share with me, write an essay in which you detail the main criticisms of the book that the reviewers mention. Make sure you tell me whether you disagree or agree with the criticisms and, most importantly, why you agree or disagree, with those specific criticisms.
  • Your essay should be between 1.5 and 3 pages long.
  • Please follow MLA style in your essay (use in-text citations and have a reference list at the end for your sources).
  • See my blog posts for more info on this assignment:

Homework #5

  • Due May 15 (by the start of class)
  • On the course blog, pick just one of these questions and answer it in a blog post:
    • Question 1: Look back over the activities we did in class over the semester. Then write about 3 things you learned this semester that you can apply to coursework here at Baruch (if you're graduating this spring, think of the classes you've taken in the past) and what is 1 thing that you wish we had covered in this class that would have helped you in your other classes?
    • Question 2: What practical steps have you taken or are you thinking of taking to make sure that you don't find yourself trapped in a filter bubble or in a situation where you are giving up more personal information on the web than you'd like?

Classroom Participation

Every class day, you will be given points for either asking a substantive question or providing a useful comment or answer to a question in class.

Group Presentation

Each collaboration team (a three-person group of students) will offer a short presentation (at least 10 minutes and no more than 20 minutes) in class on a chapter from Here Comes Everybody that has been assigned to them.

Schedule

  • Team 1--April 24--Chapter 7
  • Team 2--April 29--Chapter 8
  • Team 3--April 29--Chapter 9
  • Team 4--May 1--Chapter 10
  • Team 5--May 1--Chapter 11
  • Team 6--May 1--Epilogue

Presentations should feature:

  • each person taking a turn to speak
  • a detailed mind map of ideas in the chapter (can be drawn on the board or embedded in your team's page in the wiki)
  • a review of content the team added to the wiki page for the chapter they were assigned
    • each team should add a page in the wiki for the chapter that offers a summary or outline (or both) of the main points
    • each team should add three new entries to the wiki (entries can be on a key idea, an important person Shirky introduces us to, or a company or website or institution that is central to the chapter's main points)
    • each team should edit three existing pages in the wiki that relate to their chapter
    • each team should add a page to the wiki called "Sources Cited in Chapter ___" (you fill in the blank). Please do not copy and paste straight from the book but instead recreate the list on your own in MLA style. Organize the list into different categories as needed: books, magazine articles, newspaper articles, peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles, non-peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles, blog posts, web pages, etc.)
  • discussion of how the phenomena or ideas in the chapter can be found in examples from the lives of each of the presenters

Quiz and Final Exam

Both the quiz and the final exam will be done in class and will require you to read at the time a 1-2 page article and respond to a specific question.

Quiz: May 6, 2:30 - 3:45

Final exam: May 20, 3:30 - 5:30

Grading

Item

Points

Percent

Attendance

125

12.5%

Classroom participation

125

12.5%

Homework

500

50.0%

Group presentation

50

5.0%

Quiz

50

5.0%

Final exam

150

15.0%

TOTAL

1000

100.0%

Subject Guide

Profile Photo
Stephen Francoeur
he / him / his
Contact:
Newman Library
Room 421
Baruch College
151 E. 25th Street
New York, NY 10010

(646) 312-1620