Weekly posts will include all self-guided online course materials, including video lectures. A summary of class meetings at the end of each post is meant to supplement your own notetaking for class activities.
Course Orientation
This course uses several different platforms to facilitate virtual learning. The course website (where you’re at now) is where to find all the course content — assignments, weekly materials, etc. The course space on Blackboard is used for assignment submission and grading, and for taking quizzes. Any emails sent to the whole class are archived under “Announcements” on Blackboard. Class meetings and office hours are held on Zoom.
Weekly Schedule
Monday class meetings are optional after Week 1. Show up to ask questions and get a quick overview of the self-guided materials for the week. If you have any concerns about staying on track with virtual learning, plan to check in on Mondays to start the week off right.
Wednesday meetings are for photo critiques and discussions, using both professional examples and student work. Short answer quiz questions will be directly related to these discussions.
Friday meetings are for small-group discussions and activities, often related to readings so you can share opinions and make sure you’re understanding more complicated readings correctly.
Sometimes the weekly schedule will be different because of holidays or guest speakers, and this will be announced in advance.
Syllabus Review Questions:
- Do you need a textbook for this course?
- Is it OK to use your smartphone as a camera for this course?
- Does this course have a final exam?
- Is attendance mandatory? What happens if you miss class?
- About how many hours a week should you be spending on this course?
- What happens if you turn in an assignment two days late? Can you turn in assignments after that?
- If you took a photo last summer that perfectly fits the requirements for a particular assignment, can you use it for your submission?
- If you have another class during scheduled office hours, when can you meet with the instructor?
Getting Started
Most weeks will have a variety of self-guided materials to go through along with the week’s readings. We’ll ease into that schedule this week with a short documentary about photojournalism, which complements the readings linked on the course schedule.
Review & Reflection:
- What are a few ways photojournalism is different from other forms of journalism?
- Do you think social media makes still photography more or less important?
- Why do people react differently to a photo than a video clip of the same moment?
Monday
• Course orientation and syllabus
• Small group introductions
• Explanation of the first photo assignment
Wednesday
• Photo critique: AP monthly photo contest
• Explanation of weekly Find-A-Photo instructions with example
Friday
• MediaWise Voter Project guest presentation