Week #5, Class #9: Blogging Peter Hessler's ORACLE BONES, Part 4

This assignment is due by Sunday night, February 6 at midnight. No credit will be given for late posts.



Read and then blog at this course blog thread below Part 4 of Peter Hessler's book ORACLE BONES: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME IN CHINA. Remember to begin keying in on Hessler's themes - China's "deep" history, the importance of writing as a cultural unifier and censor, etc.

BLOG GUIDELINES

1. In your blog post, list and describe FIVE of Hessler's observations about China in this section of the book that you find important, intriguing, confusing, or useful, using 2-3 sentences to describe each observation. Feel free to use quotes from his book, but keep your selected quotes to a sentence or shorter, and be sure to cite a page number.

2. In the same blog post, raise one SPECIFIC question about China that this section of Hessler's book raises for you. Be sure your question starts with the following words: "My question about China is..."

Mojo a go go,

Dr. W

Pre-Trip PRESENTATION and "Sample Example": Your China Mojo 2011 Multimedia Storytelling Plan

Goal: To identify and present your individual storytelling MEDIA approach(es) of choice for documenting your CHINA MOJO March 4-13, 2011 trip.

The overarching goal is to post, at your PERSONAL blog, four different 300 word + multimedia posts about your China Mojo experience, due by April 1. What media, technologies, applications and platforms will you do to do this?











Assignment: Please answer the following FOUR questions at your personal blog (include each question for the benefit of your readers) - and be prepared to present your pre-trip multimedia beginning on Monday, February 15 in class.

Questions to answer:

1. Which media environments and technologies/applications/platforms will I use in documenting and telling the story of my China trip?

Dr. W's answer: I will be using a combination of words and "video snapshots" of 30 seconds or fewer at the China Mojo course blog.

2. What equipment/gear will I need to bring to capture my stories?

I will be bringing a Flip camera and my Mac Book Pro laptop for editing, using iMovie as a simple editing program. I will share my videos at my YouTube page.

2. How will I capture and "bottle" my stories while traveling in China?

I plan to shoot a wide variety of daily "video snapshots" while traveling, and then edit and upload them to YT as soon as is possible.

4. Please provide a "sample example" of your multimedia approach here.

See above - I shot several video snapshots of our Mandarin immersion class with Jill Madden, and then stitched the together with simple book-ended text and "cross dissolve" FX.

Week #4, Class #7: Blogging Peter Hessler's ORACLE BONES, Part 3

This assignment is due by Sunday night, January 30 at midnight. No credit will be given for late posts.



Read and then blog at this course blog thread below Part 3 of Peter Hessler's book ORACLE BONES: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME IN CHINA. Remember to begin keying in on Hessler's themes - China's "deep" history, the importance of writing as a cultural unifier and censor, etc.

BLOG GUIDELINES

1. In your blog post, list and describe FIVE of Hessler's observations about China in this section of the book that you find important, intriguing, confusing, or useful, using 2-3 sentences to describe each observation. Feel free to use quotes from his book, but keep your selected quotes to a sentence or shorter, and be sure to cite a page number.

2. In the same blog post, raise one SPECIFIC question about China that this section of Hessler's book raises for you. Be sure your question starts with the following words: "My question about China is..."

Mojo a go go,

Dr. W

LAST TRAIN HOME: A 2009 Documentary Film

This is an "in class screening" of an important new documentary film called LAST TRAIN HOME by director Lixin Fan. The film provides some stunning insights into life for China's 21st century industrial working class.








Here's their official IMDB page.

And here is a link to their Facebook page.

Week #3, Class #6: "Hu Jintao Jets Into Washington" (YOUTUBE Video)

For this Thursday's class, watch this short video and then blog 5 sentences of reaction - what is the thesis of this video? Is the thesis accurate, in your mind? Why or why not?





What questions does this short video raise for you?

China Paper #1: Short PRE-TRIP Reflective Essay

This reflection is due at your personal blog by Sunday, January 30 at midnight. Be prepared to share your reflections in class. No credit will be given for late papers. Mojo a'go go!


China and "Panda Diplomacy."

At your personal blog, craft a 300 word multimedia reflection (be sure to include at least 3 "captioned and credited" photos or video embeds) that explores your initial beliefs, perceptions, and pre-conceived notions about Chinese history and culture. Don't be afraid to address stereotypes we in the West harbor about China - this is an important part of the exercise.

Consider the following questions:

1. What do you “know” about China?

2. Where does your “knowledge” about China come from? (Can you identify various sources – direct experience? Specific media outlets? etc.?)

3. What do you wish to learn more about re: China - be very specific here.

Week #3, Class #5: Blogging Peter Hessler's ORACLE BONES, Part 2

This assignment is due by Sunday night, January 23 at midnight. No credit will be given for late posts.



Read and then blog at this course blog thread below Part 2 of Peter Hessler's book ORACLE BONES: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME IN CHINA. Remember to begin keying in on Hessler's themes - China's "deep" history, the importance of writing as a cultural unifier and censor, etc.

BLOG GUIDELINES

1. In your blog post, list and describe FIVE of Hessler's observations about China in this section of the book that you find important, intriguing, confusing, or useful, using 2-3 sentences to describe each observation. Feel free to use quotes from his book, but keep your selected quotes to a sentence or shorter, and be sure to cite a page number.

2. In the same blog post, raise one SPECIFIC question about China that this section of Hessler's book raises for you. Be sure your question starts with the following words: "My question about China is..."

Mojo a go go,

Dr. W