Reflections
Expect to spend time outside of the seminar on posts to the course blog. These include both specific assignments (detailed below) and reflections that tie together assigned texts with your own project. Blog posts must be posted by no later than the end of the day on Sunday each week to receive full credit. At least 8 posts are required for full credit. These 8 posts include:
- A post introducing yourself and your interest in the seminar.
- A book report,
- Your final project proposal,
- A revision of shared seminar notes;
- Your final project write-up.
- (6-8) The remaining 3 posts are open ended reflections.
Example posts
“Reflections on the May 16th FCC Ruling and Protests” (PDF) by An MIT Student. Used with permission.
“Reflections on Anonymous (both as a term and as a movement)” (PDF) by Oset Babur. Used with permission.
Book Report
Each student chooses one book to read, summarize in a post, and present to the class.
Example Book Reports
“Electronic Civil Disobedience” (PDF) by An MIT Student. Used with permission.
“Here Comes Everybody” (PDF) by Oset Babur. Used with permission.
Final Project Proposal
Includes short overview (abstract), research question, case selection, methods, tools, detailed workplan.
Example Proposals
“Media’s Role in Organizing the Occupy Gezi Movement” (PDF) by Oset Babur. Used with permission.
“The Motivation and Process behind the Formation of Social Movement Coalitions” (PDF) by An MIT Student. Used with permission.
Revised draft: “Differences in Desired and Actual Outcomes between Moments in the course of a Social Movement” (PDF) by An MIT Student. Used with permission.
Final Project
The final project is a written research paper (approx. 20–30 pages) focusing on some aspect of social movement media (tools, practices, production, circulation, reception, impacts, etc). Your project may focus on any social movement, or on multiple movements in comparative perspective, if you prefer. Your project must involve original research, although the research methods you employ are wide open. You’ll analyze findings from your research within a framework drawn from social movement studies. The final project should include a short review of the literature you’re drawing on, a discussion of your research question and methods, analysis of what you find, and a conclusion that discusses the implications.
Example Project
“From Stop Watching Us to The Day We Fight Back: An Analysis of the Success of Actions Within the Broader Context of the Anti-Surveillance Movement” (PDF) by An MIT Student. Used with permission.
Final Project Presentation
A presentation of the final project. This is presented to the seminar f2f, and should also be available online in a (rich media) format of your choosing (slide deck, prezi, video / audio, etc)
Example Presentation
“#Occupygezi.” By Oset Babur.
