All posts by Amanda Marie Licastro

Announcements, Resources

Advertising Week at Gallatin

Leave a comment

Here is the event I mentioned in class on Wednesday:

http://gallatin.nyu.edu/utilities/events/2014/10/prototypeyourlife.html

Prototype Your Life: Advertising Alumni Panel

Oct 2, 2014 | 6:30 PM-8:30 PM

Advertising Week

Hear from marketing and advertising trailblazers and learn how to focus your passion and sell your talents—and your Gallatin degree–and discover what it takes to be a 21st century Don Draper.

This lively panel discussion will be moderated by Professor Stephen Duncombe and will feature:

Mallory Blair (BA ’10)
Named to this years Forbes 30 under 30 and Business Insider’s top 50 PRs, Mallory started her own firm fresh out of Gallatin four years ago. Since cofounding Small Girls PR, the firm has become the agency of record for technology companies such as GE and Karma, as well as the promotional arm for fashion companies such as Ann Taylor. It has never used a wire, rarely writes press releases, and never sends blanket pitches, relying instead on creative story telling and out of the box partnerships with bloggers, writers and founders. You can keep in touch with her @yourpalmal.

James Del (BA ’08)
James is the Executive Director of Gawker Media’s in-house creative and events department, Studio@Gawker. As a lifelong believer in oversharing on the web, in 2008 he joined Gawker Media Group as employee #2 in Advertising Operations. From there he made the transition to sales & marketing and eventually worked his way up to Advertising Director, overseeing all of Gawker Media’s most notable advertising partnerships and creative executions. Prior to Gawker, James consulted a variety of digital marketing agencies, including Mr Youth, Mekanism, Kadium and The Intelligence Group. He graduated from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and once dressed up as a lion on MTV’s TRL, but never mind that.

Rachel Tipograph (BA ’09)
Rachel considered herself amongst the digerati since the moment she became an eBay poweruser at 13. Forbes listed Rachel as one of its “30 under 30 Who Are Changing The World” and Business Insider named her one of “New York Tech’s Coolest People.” After being the Global Director of Digital and Social Media at Gap, Rachel traveled the world for 100 days and is now building a media company based in NYC.

Farryn Weiner (Tisch BFA ’06, GAL ’09)
Farryn heads global social strategy for fashion brand Michael Kors Worldwide, overseeing social, editorial and digital marketing and media strategy. She led the development of the first Instagram ad ever, which ran in November. Weiner previously headed up social media, editorial content and marketing strategy for Jetsetter.com at Gilt Groupe. She’s been a panelist at SXSW, Internet Week, Social Media Week and Luxury Daily Conference, among others. Accolades include Top 10 Most Stylish Social Media Gurus in Stylecaster; 140 Most Influential Twitter Feeds of 2013 in Time; and 25 Women to Watch (Nov. 2013) in Luxury Daily.

Date + Time Oct 2, 2014 | 6:30 PM-8:30 PM
Location Jerry H. Labowitz Theatre for the Performing Arts
Category Alumni Events
Contact Lauren at lnisenson@nyu.edu / 212.992.8982
Open to Public? yes
RSVP

RSVP
Announcements, Assignments

Manovich assignment

Leave a comment

For Wednesday, September 24th, you must finish reading the chapter from Manovich and use that as a basis to write a definition of “New Media” in your own words as a post on our site.

You should research this term further through our other readings (especially the “Geology of Media” article) and by searching for this term online. Please use scholarly sources, such as those found using Google Scholar and your library databases, and use them to critique the popular definitions found in the media. Your goal is to write a thorough definition of this term that we can use as a basis for further discussion in this class. You should use and define the vocabulary you have familiarized yourself with by reading Manovich and others in your post.  Cite all of the sources you use in MLA format and through hyperlinks when possible.

Post this as category “Reflections” and tag it as “New Media.”

Announcements, Assignments

Book Traces Event

5 Comments

Class,

As we discussed last week, we have been invited to participate in an amazing collaborative project called Book Traces. On Wednesday, October 8th, at 2pm we will meet at Columbia University in the Studio@Butler in Butler Library: http://library.columbia.edu/locations/butler.html. Butler Library is the main humanities library and is the large columned neo-classical building to your right as you walk into the campus from Broadway at 116th Street, not the domed classical building (that says Library) to your left. The easiest way to get to Columbia Morningside campus is to take the 1 to 116th St.

Before we go, I would like you to read the post about the event, this article from The Atlantic on the project, and the article by Dr. Andrew Stauffer which is listed under “Readings (password protected).”

Expect to be there for at least a full hour, and know that you are invited to stay until the 4pm closing event. I will meet you at the Studio with Dr. Stauffer. Class will be cancelled that evening.

For those that can make it, please RSVP in the comments with your full name. Each of you will be expected to post a short reflection about what you learned/discovered after the event (due Monday).

For those who cannot attend, I have an alternative assignment we will discuss in class. Please email me for details.

 

 

 

Assignments, Resources

Digital Literacy Assignment

1 Comment

Each of us learned to read and write using a variety of tools which have transformed the way we interact with the world. Using tiki-toki as your platform (advanced users may try TimelineJS), create a timeline that showcases your digital literacy journey. To do this:

  1. On paper, list all of the moments in your life where reading and/or writing played an important role. Then list the tools you used, and describe how you were introduced and learned to use those tools.
  2. Select the 15-20 most significant moments and arrange them chronologically. Fill in the details of those moments, giving your audience a clear sense of why they are important in your personal journey.
  3. Research the dates associated with the tools you are highlighting – when where they invented, by whom, what date were they released to the public, at what price, etc.
  4. Set up a free account on tiki-toki and experiment placing your events on the timeline. Include pictures, videos, and quotes when appropriate.
  5. Create a blog post that showcases your timeline and includes the text of your digital literacy narrative.
  6. Prepare a 5 minute presentation of your digital literacy narrative. Time yourself! Practice! You will be evaluated by me, your classmates, and your special guest.

Remember:

  • This text should be aimed to a general audience of your peers, but please edit carefully and think of this as an academic presentation.
  • I would not expect this to be longer than 5 paragraphs. The writing is a chance to expand and explain the timeline itself.
  • Please reflect on what you learned through the process of creating the timeline, and include this in your post.
  • Categorize this as “Reflections” and tag it as “timeline.”

Post the draft by Friday, September 19th (by 11:59pm), and comment on at least 3 of your classmates projects by Sunday night. You will present the finished projects on Monday the 22nd.

Announcements

New Classroom

Leave a comment

Success! We have a new classroom without the terrible little desks. The room is Bobst LL147—it has a seminar table, computer, DVD, projector. Please report to our new room this Wednesday (tomorrow) at our regular time (4:55).

Also note that I may be a few minutes late this week. You should begin by writing about what you find most compelling and least compelling in “The Machine Stops” and why. Please use specific examples, including direct quotes from the text.

Announcements

Events in NYC

Leave a comment

Hello class,

There are many exciting events happening in NYC this semester. If you attend an event and write a post that conveys the connections between the information you learned and the topics we cover in our class, I will award you extra credit. This will be worth the same amount as a reading post (5 points), which means that this could negate a missed/late post.

For example:

Thursday, Sept 11, 6:30pm, Room 5409 : Cheryl Ball on Making the Case for Scholarly Multimedia

In this presentation/workshop, Dr. Ball will briefly overview what “scholarly multimedia” is, the kinds of peer-reviewed journals it is published in, and how it relates to others kinds of digital humanities and digital media projects. Following this introduction, Ball will focus on helping participants make the case for their (or others’) digital media-based work through an interactive assessment workshop. We will start with a single webtext, go through some of the developmental and evaluative stages of feedback that Ball uses at Kairos, and spin that example out into relevant cases and questions the workshop participants might have.

Gallatin Fashion Show

 

The theme for the 2015 Gallatin Fashion Show is Literature & Fashion. We are looking forward to the many ways the Gallatin community will explore this topic! Intrigued?
Thursday, September 11 | 12 – 2 pm
8th Floor Dean’s Conference Room
 
Come to the first open planning meeting to see how you can participate.
Can’t make it? Questions? Email Tanya at tanya.gupta@nyu.edu.
Gallatin Writing Program & Writing-Related Fall 2014 EventsALUMNI ARTS & SOCIETY WITH MAIA DANZIGER (BA ’80): SYNERGY, SERVICE, AND SOUL: IMPROVISING

A CREATIVE LIFE

Friday, September 5 | 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. | Jerry H Labowitz Theatre for the Performing Arts

A life in the arts can take many forms, and requires not simply looking for opportunities, but also reflecting on one’s potential for growth and ability to cope with change. Maia Danziger (BA ’80) was an Emmy Award-winning actress before creating the Relax & WriteTM process and becoming a certified professional co-active coach who helps writers and artists realize their personal and professional ambitions. In conversation with Gallatin Founding Professor Emeritus Laurin Raiken, Danziger will discuss how successful artists and writers use challenges to help them discover and expand their talents and develop the ability to continually reinvent themselves. The discussion will be followed by a short Q&A.

GALLATIN GLOBAL WRITERS: SAADI YOUSSEF

Tuesday, September 30 | 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. | Jerry H Labowitz Theatre for the Performing Arts

The Gallatin Writing Program will host esteemed Iraqi poet Saadi Youssef for a reading and discussion.

Widely considered one of the most influential poets writing in Arabic and twice exiled for political dissent, is the inaugural speaker in the Gallatin Global Writers series, which aims to highlight contemporary nternational authors and the diverse literary traditions and cultures from which their writing arises.
Youssef, the author of more than 50 works of poetry and prose, will be introduced by Gallatin professor and poet Sinan Antoon, who has translated Youssef’s poetry into English. Youssef has translated Whitman, Cavafy, Ritsos, Lorca, Popa, Ungaretti, Ngugiwa Thiong’o, and Wole Soyinka into Arabic.

Wednesday October 1| 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. | Dean’s Conference Room (801)

On the second day of Youssef’s visit, he will lead a poetry workshop. A small group of Gallatin students will read from their original poetry and receive feedback.

GALLATIN REVIEW RECRUITMENT MEETING

Monday October 6 | 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. | Dean’s Conference Room (801)

Interested editors will have the opportunity to meet one another and learn about the Gallatin Review publishing process from past editors; the faculty advisor, Sara Murphy; and the Graduate Assistant, Syma Mohammed.

CAREERS IN WRITING AND PUBLISHING : SCIENCE FOR A GENERAL AUDIENCE

Thursday, October 16| 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. | Jerry H Labowitz Theatre for the Performing Arts

Do your interdisciplinary interests include both writing or literature as well as science, including health science and environmental science? Intrigued by the larger social and ethical issues raised by research in science and medicine? Are you interested in communicating scientific ideas to a general audience?

The Gallatin Writing Program will host a reading and discussion on these topics by prominent science writers and editors as part of its Careers in Writing and Publishing series. The panelists will be New York Times science editor David Corcoran; medical journalist and NYU Journalism School SHERPA (Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting) alumna and teacher Apoorva Mandavilli; and Gallatin alumna and author of Trespassing on Einstein’s Lawn (Bantam Books, 2014), Amanda Gefter.

Friday, October 17 | 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. | Dean’s Conference Room (801)

As a follow-up to the panel discussion, three to four Gallatin students will circulate and read aloud their own science writing and receive feedback from Amanda Gefter.

Questions? Contact Allyson Paty, Writing Program Coordinator, allyson.paty@nyu.edu


Assignments

Blog post rubric

Leave a comment

As you will notice from the syllabus, you will be posting to this course blog regularly throughout the semester. While I encourage you to post short reflections and items of interest for the class whenever you come across something worth of sharing, there are specific, directed posts you must make as a part of this course. For the “provocations” noted in the syllabus, you will be providing a close reading of a small section of text including your initial analysis and posing questions you would like to discuss further with the class.

These writing assignments are broken down into groups (3 groups, 5 students per group), which rotate roles. On the week you are not posting a provocation you must respond to at least two of your peers through the comment feature.

Here is a breakdown of how these posts will be graded:

Rating Characteristics
4 Exceptional. The blog post is focused and coherently integrates examples with explanations or analysis. The post demonstrates awareness of its own limitations or implications, and it considers multiple perspectives when appropriate. The entry reflects in-depth engagement with the topic.
3 Satisfactory. The blog post is reasonably focused, and explanations or analysis are mostly based on examples or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The post reflects moderate engagement with the topic.
2 Underdeveloped. The blog post is mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. The post reflects passing engagement with the topic.
1 Limited. The blog post is unfocused, or simply rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic.
0 No Credit. The blog post is missing or consists of one or two disconnected sentences.

(Adapted from Mark Sample)