Extra credit assignment – Contribute to a public discussion

A simple extra credit assignment that ask students to contribute to public discussions about media issues (such as representational politics or media policy issues).  I give students extra credit for contributing a letter to an editor, a public blog, or writing a letter to a public official concerning media policy.

Here’s the way I introduce it:

** Extra Credit Assignment

You can earn up 2% extra credit added to your final grade for documenting how you have contributed up to 2 pieces of media criticism to the public sphere (1% added for each contribution).  By “media criticism,” I mean that that you have contributed to a public discussion about the societal implications of media invoking some of the themes from this class.  Some examples of ways of contributing to the public sphere include: a letter about media policy sent to the FCC or a legislative representative, a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine, a comment submitted to a blog or online periodical (the only thing I require is that the blog is not run by you or a friend of yours).