ENG 367C01: Virtual Culture

 

Everyone in class will take part in an oral presentation to the class. For the most part, these will be group presentations, with each member of the group sharing responsibility for the preparation and delivery of the presentation. For the presentations, I would like each group to select a website that ties in with the issues raised in this class in some way. For example, you might select a personal site during the Virtual Identity phase of the class, or a fan site during the Virtual Community phase of the course. Sites that tie in to or expand on issues raised in the readings would also be acceptable as well (for the latter, you might check out the CyberReader website at http://www.abacon.com/vitanza/cyber/). The group will then show the website to the class and analyze it. Your analysis could address any or all of the following aspects:

• Content: What makes the site interesting to you? What issues/point does it raise? How does it add to the conversations we are having in class about virtuality in its many forms?
• Credibility: Is your site a credible source of information? How do you know? What steps do its authors take to demonstrate their authority and qualifications? How do they show the validity or relevance of their information. Why would you or wouldn’t you trust the site?
• Design: How does the site make use of nonverbal elements (color, images, font choices, link structures) to enhance (or diminish) its effectiveness? Is the site hard or easy to navigate? Is it visually appealing? Do these design elements complement or distract from the apparent purpose and intent of the site?
• Audience: Who is the site targetting? What audience expectations seem to be built into the site? Are there audience that are clearly excluded by the site? What do these audience factors say about the purpose and overall effectiveness of the site?

Presentations will be graded on the basis of (a) relevance to course issues, (b) depth of analysis offered, and (c) clarity and effectiveness of the presentation itself. Individual groups are encouraged to discuss their presentations with me beforehand if they have questions about any aspect of the assignment.

Presentation Dates and Sites Analyzed

Date	Group	Topic/Site
4/12	Doug Johnston Aaron D'Amico Alex Hipple	Excalibur's Homepage (http://www.e-my.net/penang/excalibur)
4/24	Matthew Reineck Rick Burns Chris Helzle	Eric's and Suzanne's Homepage (http://web.singnet.com.sg/~elimdive/)
4/26	Susan Hudson	PETA website (http://www.peta.org)
5/1	Jude Alvarado Brent Welch Melissa Jayme	ESPN website (http://www.espn.com)
5/10	Beth Hoover Caren Winemiller Jeremy Freeman
5/15	Joe Schafer Ryan Kowaleski\ Craig Gildenblatt
5/22	Brad Melsheimer Kamel Bouraoui Greg Williams

 

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