We have, as of today, discussed 15 readings in class. Given that many of you are seniors graduating in March and will therefore end earlier than the others, the time has come for all of you to start thinking about that major class requirement called the WebWork.
You may have noticed that the first five readings in class have pages already devoted to them, as well as the the one for Dick Hebdige. Feel free to either edit those pages by adding more information to them or choose to create a page from scratch.
Whatever you decide, take note of the important thing: pick a reading for you to "own" by providing an example of a contemporary media phenomenon that can be understood with the application of the ideas found in the reading you have chosen. You must substantiate the example you've chosen with some kind of online resource (a news article,a blog entry, a YouTube clip, etc.).
Another student may then decide to "challenge" you for that reading by coming up with a "better" way to understand the reading. This may be done by providing a "better" (more appropriate) example or a better (more correct) write-up for that reading. (The write-up is where you defend your chosen example and why you think it helps to better understand the reading in question.)
Everyone else can comment and express their preference. This isn't a democracy though, and I won't precisely count votes. I will, instead, be like Caesar, providing the final verdict with a "thumbs-up" or a "thumbs-down" given my status as emperor teacher. Still, I will listen to the voice of the people, so I expect the others who are just watching the page become an arena to voice out their opinions.
For the moment, although this can change if things get chaotic, there is no limit to the number of challengers for each reading. Be aware, however, as soon as one person owns a page, that person's WebWork is already finished. The one who "lost" the page must thus find another reading to work on. (Graduating students must choose their reading and finish this assignment before their semester ends, of course.)
As I've already passingly mentioned in class, I envision this to be somewhat like Gladiator. I'd even call it Mediator, but that's not really accurate, I think. Or is it?
Any questions? And would anyone cringe if I also compare the WebWork activity to a cheesy film like Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome? "Two (wo)men enter, one (wo)man leaves"?