Welcome!

Hello and welcome!  This online workspace was created by me, Brendan McGillicuddy, for the course CINEMA AND IDEOLOGY: CSCL 3115.  It is a space to continue our discussions of contemporary media culture outside of the classroom.  We will use this online writing space to converse, to collaborate, and to share and create knowledge together. 

By the end of the semester, you will be very familiar with this blog.  Assignments based on our course readings and screenings will be posted on a weekly basis.  Unless otherwise noted, you will be asked to POST once a week, and to COMMENT on a classmate's post once a week. POSTS will be due by midnight every MONDAY; COMMENTS will be due by midnight every WEDNESDAY.  See the handout "How to Blog About Movies" for more info on how to complete these regular assignments.

In this space, you will have the opportunity to converse, to debate, to share your own opinions (positive or negative) and to learn about the opinions of your classmates (a representative movie watching public.)  Within certain limits (outlined below) you are free to express your thoughts as you wish to present them on this space.  However, our conversation will be more productive if you keep in mind the four following four guidelines for communicative conversation (shamelessly borrowed from my colleague Robin Brown, who himself took them from language philsopher Paul Grice.)

1) QUALITY: You are free to express any viewpoint on any issue, but you should back any statement you make with sufficient evidence. In the context of this course, this will often mean reference to a film screened in class, or a citation from a page in a course reading.  This blog is a space to learn from each other, and comments like "I liked the movie because it was exciting" or '" the reading doesn't make sense" or "Great post!" don't really explore the course texts or your reaction to them.  Even if you want to argue that, "Fredric Jameson's article on Utopia doesn't make any sense," provide your reader with sufficient evidence to support your belief that his argument is, indeed, nonsense.

2) RELATION: The advantage of using a blog to complete our writing assignments (as opposed to response papers or quizzes) is that it gives us the ability to share our thoughts with each other.  However, this only functions if we all are responsible for paying attention to each other.  Keep posts and comments relevant, and treat this blog as a space for dialogue by reading all other people's posts before you write posts or comments.  This will keep a much more coherent conversation going.

3)  MANNER: Write as clearly as possible. The point is to make yourself clear to the rest of us, and to convince of the truth of your arguments.  This goal is best achieved if you try to make your posts as clear and readable as possible.

4) QUANTITY: Express your viewpoints thoroughly, with good argument and evidence.  At the same time, avoid writing unnecessarily long or repetitive posts.
 
...as well as one fifth rule of my own:

5)  RESPECT (The Golden Rule):  Please respect all participants in the discussion at all times — even, or perhaps especially, when you must respectfully disagree.  This conversation can only succeed if it is a safe space where all learners feel comfortable participating.  Help me maintain this space by showing respect to all participants in the conversation, even in cases of disagreement.  

In extreme (and rare) cases, I reserve the right to moderate this forum by deleting anything that may threaten the integrity of this space, including threatening hateful speech.  You are responsible for all speech on this forum and can be disciplined for speech that violates the University of Minnesota Student code of conduct.