JOUR 498 — Los Angeles ethnic media in the digital age
Professor Daniela Gerson | Email: daniela.gerson@csun.edu
Office Hours: Wednesday 11:30–1:30 / Thursday 2–4:00| MZ 332
Spring 2017
Links for class:
- Google doc link for assignments
- Final project: Ethnic Media Report
- Ethnic media LA database
Class schedule (subject to change!)
Week 1: 8.30
Introduction: Overview of course structure and assignments, examples of how we will look at shifts in ethnic media.
Class 2: 1.30
Assignments
Read: “One Nation with News for All” Washington Post
Read: A Parallel Chinese-Language Internet Los Angeles Times
Be prepared to answer these three questions: 1) What is ethnic media? 2) What purpose does it traditionally serve? 3) How could a parallel internet in another language shift that?
Review database of LA immigrant press (link) and write your name next to at least three news outlets you want to investigate. Feel free to add some on the bottom too if you know about that is missing.
Topic: What is ethnic media and how are digital shifts changing it?
Class links:
- Voices of New York
- El Boletín de Pacoima
- https://www.facebook.com/elboletindepacoima.
Week 2: 9.13
Assignments:
Read What is Medium and How to use Medium
Medium post: Create a 200-word Medium profile and introduce yourself and write about your experiences with ethnic or immigrant press. Also include how one of the ethnic press outlets you’re following is covering Trump’s immigration actions. Embed at least one image and one tweet/ video/ map or FB post.
Example: https://medium.com/@dhgerson/reading-yiddish-5d053c223a7c#.aisodyd91 (Note, this is only first half of assignment. Does not include ethnic media’s reaction to immigration actions).
Submit on Google doc
Read your three ethnic media outlets. Find one story that is a good example of coverage that is different than local coverage of immigration actions. (You can use same example that you use in your Medium page.) Submit on Google doc
Class topic: Intro to Medium, and different experiences with ethnic media.
Week 4: 9.20
Assignment
1. Read sections from book “Understanding Ethnic Media” — “What is Ethnic Media” and “Types of Ethnic Media”. Each one of you should summarize 2 pages. Sign up here for the pages you wish to summarize and write in a few sentences explaining what they are all about.
2. Identify one story about immigration from the ethnic media you are following. Place it on this sheet with a few sentence summary.
3. Edit and revise your initial Medium post. If you learn anything in the readings on Understanding Ethnic Media, integrate those as well.
Topic: Defining immigrant and ethnic press
Week 5: 9.27
1. Read sections from book “Understanding Ethnic Media” — “What is Ethnic Media” and “Types of Ethnic Media”. Each one of you should summarize 2 pages. Sign up here for the pages you wish to summarize and write in a few sentences explaining what they are all about.
2. Identify at least one story about immigration from the ethnic media you are following that fits into a larger trend. Post it on this sheet.
Topic: Going deeper with these definitions of ethnic media and how it’s changing.
Week 6: 10.4
Read:
Topic: Ethnic media in the digital age
Week 7: 10.11
Read Digital Cosmopolitans: Why we think the Internet Connects Us, Why It Doesn’t by Ethan Zuckerberg/ Chapter 5 (Found in Translation — we will cover the elements shared here for free) Guiding questions.
Week 8: 10.18
The new face of digital ethnic media?
Choose three digital ethnic media outlets from this list. Fill in the database as done in the example in the top row with your notes. You can find information on the sites, social media platforms and other articles written about the sites.
Topic:
How is digital-first ethnic media different from the immigrant media outlets we have reviewed?
Links:
Week 9: 10.25 and 10.26
Guest lecture from Scott Lamb, VP International BuzzFeed (potential)
Tweet two questions to Scott Lamb by 9am Monday based on reviewing his newsletter and bio.
Read your news outlets for immigration coverage.
Topic: Looking for international media developments
Week 10: 11.1 and 11.2
- Submit an updated story for class publication.
- Interviews should be completed for enterprise project.
Week 11: 11.8 and 11.9
Ethnic media field trip or guest lecture, An Xiao Mina
Read:
Week 12: 11.15 and 11.16
http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/08/tweeting-across-borders-with-a-new-mobile-app-meedan-is-working-to-improve-social-media-translation/ (The creator of the project may come visit us in class).
Post an update from your ethnic media outlet
You should also be completing your interviews for your final project this week.
Week 13: 11.22 and 11.23
Post an update from your ethnic media outlet.
Post a potential horizontal image for “Ethnic Voices” on Google doc.
Interviews should be completed.
Week 14: 12.6 and 12.7
Workshop 1: First half of alphabet presents on final projects (Stacey → Carolyn)
Week 15: 12.13 and 12.14
Workshop 2: Second half of alphabet presents on final projects (Natalie → Andrea)
Ethnic media report due at 9am on 5.8.