DUE: Midnight, 26 Feb via Turnitin and hard copy in your tutorials

~5pp. (12 font, double-spaced)

For this assignment, select a media object, device or phenomenon–from present-day or in the past–to critically assess and analyze. Your assignment should address the following:

1. Historical context. What is the relationship of this object, device or phenomenon in the history of media? How did it innovate, diverge, or respond to even earlier media?
2. Dynamics. How does your object, device or phenomenon work?
3. UI. What senses does the object, device or phenomenon affect?
4. Socio-cultural context. What were/are its cultural effects? What cultural values (implicit or explicit) does your object, device or phenomenon engender? In what aspects of contemporary life does this have acute effects–politics, art, work, or other spheres?

For inspiration and a model, I would strongly suggest going to the Dead Media Archive from the the Media Archaeology Seminar at the Media, Culture and Communication Program at NYU. Check out their dossiers of “dead media” (broadly defined).

Your writing will be assessed on the following characteristics: Structure, Clarity, Accuracy, and Connections.