Category: NMCC + UO Events
Fall 2017 Open House Oct. 19
Join us for coffee and snacks at our first Open House of the new school year! Meet fellow certificate members and affiliated faculty, or say hello to those you already know. Event is also open to anyone interested in learning more about the New Media and Culture Certificate program.
The Digital Scholarship Center is once again providing a space for the event in their offices on the first floor of the Knight Library in Rm. 142 from 5pm to 7pm. Coffee, tea, and an assortment of snacks will be provided.
Link to event on Facebook:
Welcome Back to a New School Year
As a new school year kicks into gear, NMCC wants to send a note of welcome (and welcome back) to NMCC students, new prospective students, and our faculty affiliates.
As you get ready for your classes, we wanted to draw your attention again to the list of NMCC-eligible courses. We updated this list over summer, so check it out to see if there’s a course of interest to you that can count toward your NMCC certificate.
We also wanted to draw your attention to one new course offering that came online over summer so would not have been on your radar back in Spring. Jeremiah Favara’s ‘Digital Cultures and Sexualities’ in WGS will interrogate digital cultures as multi-faceted sites composed of material technologies, social practices, and cultural meanings that convey ideas about sexuality and gender. Drawing on the work of gender studies and new media scholars, the course will explore how sexuality and gender is articulated through narratives of technological innovation, the role of sexuality and the digital in processes of identity formation, and the possibilities and limits of digital worlds for disrupting, reinforcing, and/or challenging sexualized and gendered dynamics of power. For more information on the course see our latest NMCC blog post.
Lastly, Colin and Laura just wanted to again introduce ourselves as the new NMCC leadership. Colin Koopman (Associate Professor of Philosophy) has taken over as Director of NMCC from Kate Mondloch in the College of Design — Colin works on the politics of information, media archaeology, and data genealogy. Laura Strait (an advanced Ph.D. candidate in Media Studies in SOJC) is our new social media coordinator and administrative assistant — she works on feminism and technology, and new media and social movements.
The two of us are excited to work toward further deepening the NMCC community here on campus. We will be organizing a few open houses over the course of the year as well as a few academic-plus-social events, including a faculty book discussion, and (we hope) an invited guest lecture. Stay tuned on the blog for details on our upcoming Fall open house. In the interim, contact one or both of us with any NMCC questions you may have and we can set up a meeting or chat via email. We’re here for you.
Welcome Summer!
The NMCC blog will be joining everyone on summer vacation until September. We wish everyone a safe and relaxing summer, and look forward to seeing new and returning students in the fall for another great year!
If you missed our announcement about next year’s transition of NMCC leadership, be sure to catch up as we say farewell to the founding director Kate Mondloch, and hello to incoming director Colin Koopman. And please give a warm welcome to next year’s NMCC GE Laura Strait! Thank you to everyone’s participation in making this year such a success, it has been a pleasure working with Kate, and Colin through the transition, and getting to know past, present, and future students!
Don’t forget to stop by our table at the annual Graduate Student Resource Fair during orientation week in September!
Congratulations again to all of our 2017 graduates!
Lisa Nakamura at the University of Oregon
A New Era: NMCC Director Transition
NMCC Founding Director Kate Mondloch is stepping down after four years of leading the NMCC. Under Kate’s direction, the program has enrolled over forty MA and PhD students from a wide range of degree programs, from Comparative Literature to Conflict Resolution. The NMCC now lists ninety affiliated staff and faculty from across campus and boasts a vibrant social media presence, making NMCC a widely-recognized hub for all things “new media” at UO. “I’m honored to have overseen the NMCC from proposal-on-paper to thriving transdisciplinary program,” says Kate. “It’s a great feeling to know that we’ve helped so many grads enhance their new media credentials and secure top positions– tenure-track jobs at the Universities of Maryland and Georgia, postdoc fellowships at Penn and Lafayette, research positions at IBM and Microsoft, and the list goes on.” Kate notes that special thanks are due to Doug Blandy and Carol Stabile, who served as the architects behind the certificate proposal and tirelessly shepherded it through the approval process, as well as the advisory committee members and the staff in the Digital Scholarship Center. Deans Scott Pratt and Christoph Lindner were instrumental in securing a permanent home for the certificate in the Graduate School, where the NMCC will transition to new leadership.
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Colin Koopman is an Associate Professor in Philosophy whose current research is focused on new media theory and the politics of data. He is currently writing a book on the history of information-driven conceptions of selfhood in the early twentieth century. Colin has been enthusiastic about NMCC since its inception during his first few years at UO and is looking forward to his new role as Director. As he settles into helping manage the regular operations and strategic vision of the program, Colin is excited about expanding the kinds of opportunities NMCC offers to students. Next academic year he hopes to begin growing the number of events put on for the community, pairing the quarterly NMCC open houses with events geared explicitly at NMCC students. These events might range from workshops to guest lectures to panel presentations featuring NMCC faculty.
If you have an idea for an event you would like to see, please email Colin at koopman@uoregon.edu and let him know!
Congratulations NMCC Graduates!
We are delighted to announce the talented group of NMCC graduates for the 2016-2017 academic year: Jolene Fisher, Wade Keye, Matthew Pittman, Jeremiah Favara, and Alec Tefertiller, from SOJC. We are very proud of the hard work and perseverance that all have displayed in their academic pursuits during their time with us, and we look forward to celebrating their scholarly and technological accomplishments in the years ahead.
Congratulations class of 2017!
Jolene Fisher, Ph.D. Media Studies
Jolene Fisher is a Summer 2016 NMCC graduate from the School of Journalism and Communication, where she taught and assisted in classes ranging from media history, video and TV news production and reporting, and media communications in developing countries. She played an active role in her professional field at the University of Oregon, writing numerous papers for international, national, and regional conferences; and publishing articles in three key journals and one book focusing on the intersection of communication and culture. She is interested in continuing on this road in the future, turning her academic writing into a book that demonstrats how new media such as games and apps can be a valuable tool in bringing aide and education to developing communities, particularly those of minorities and dealing with illness and extreme poverty.
Wade Keye, M.A. Media Studies
Wade Keye is a Spring 2017 NMCC graduate from the School of Journalism and Communication who’s interests lie in film studies and the phenomenon of death on social media. Building upon his background in film theory, production, and tech journalism, his research has centered around a humanistic inquiry into the the communicative practices engaged in by living users with the social media profiles of the dead, and questions the possible impact of data collection and algorithmic representation on the boundary between life and death. Wade hopes to pursue doctoral study and a career in media education in the future, while continuing his personal work in film production and fondly remembering his time in the NMCC, which he hopes will one day become a major of its own.
Matthew Pittman, Ph.D. Media Studies
Matthew Pittaman is a Spring 2017 graduate specializing in the social and cultural impact of an increasingly digital world. His dissertation, entitled “Phoneliness,” explores the relationships between mobile social media, personality, and loneliness. He is specifically interested in how new and social media augment or diminish our shared humanity. Matthew looks forward to a position as an Assistant Professor at Rowan University and thanks the NMCC for the variety of course options available. He enjoyed being able to experiment with different classes while knowing he would always be able to find one that fit; John Russel’s seminar on Digital Scholarship made a particular impact.
Jeremiah Favara, Ph.D. Media Studies
Jeremiah Favara is a Summer 2017 NMCC graduate whose research focuses on the intersections of media, technology, nation, and gender in representations of militarization. His dissertation, “An Army of Some: Recruiting for Difference and Diversity in the U.S. Military,” explores military recruitment advertising during the era of the all-volunteer force and proposes that the project of military inclusion was driven by a need to recruit bodies in maintenance of the military institution. He argues that military inclusion in recruiting ads obfuscates class inequalities critical to recruiting, reconfigures ideas about military masculinity, promotes ideologies of colorblindness, and regulates ideas about gender and sexuality, particularly for women in the military. Though his future plans are uncertain, he hopes to continue his work in feminist media studies, utilizing the interdisciplinary avenues he enjoyed during his coursework with the NMCC.
Alec Tefertiller, Ph.D. Media Studies
Alec Tefertiller is a Summer 2017 NMCC graduate specializing in technology, social media, advertising, and social science. His favorite course while participating in the NMCC was a seminar in Digital Scholarship, which opened his eyes to new ways of approaching, collecting, and understanding digital information. His primary research during his time at the University of Oregon focused on the use of social context cues in Facebook advertisements, during which he discovered that the mere presence of social impact in Facebook advertisements affects brand attitudes even if the presence does not exert much influence itself. He also found that a person’s social capital in their Facebook network increased their willingness to share advertisements and positively influenced their purchase intentions. Alec is looking forward to building on this research and his NMCC coursework in his future position as tenure-track Assistant professor of Advertising at Kansas State University
NMCC GE Position
The New Media & Culture Certificate is hiring for a .49 GE position for the 2017-2018 academic year! Preference will be given to current participants in the program, so please apply!
Duties:
We are seeking a highly-motivated and research-oriented graduate student for a position as an assistant to the Director of the New Media and Culture Graduate Certificate Program (NMCC). The successful applicant will work closely with the Director on projects and tasks that will help you enhance your existing skill sets in: social media strategy, curating a cross-platform web presence that includes blogging and basic website development in addition to a variety of social media, networking with UO faculty and outreach with UO students, and basic skills in research, writing, and presentation. The job duties for this position will be focused on social media engagement, digital humanities toolkits, research, and writing; the position will additionally include administrative duties assisting with regular program operations.
For more information on NMCC please visit our website at: newmediaculture.uoregon.edu.
Specific job duties will include:
- Collaboratively updating and expanding NMCC’s social media presence across twitter, Instagram, facebook, email subscription list, and other platforms standard in academia and industry
- Collaboratively updating and improving the NMCC blog; curating a regular stream of content geared toward an interdisciplinary group of students all focused on the study and use of new media in their work
- Researching events, conferences, and other opportunities of value to the NMCC students in order to publicize these opportunities.
- Active outreach with NMCC faculty and students in order to curate an online presence featuring some of the best work in new media and culture going on across campus; collaborate with NMCC Director on a year-long research and development project to employ existing digital humanities curation and presentation platforms to design user experiences for navigating this content
- Researching UO course offerings focused on new media and culture, communication with faculty offering these courses, and maintaining data on these courses.
- Assist NMCC Director in managing applicants to the program and maintaining a database of current and past students; including meeting with students and NMCC Director on occasion
- Assist NMCC Director and collaborating faculty across campus in preparing for a variety outreach events including NMCC Open Houses, NMCC sponsored events (workshops, lectures, etc.), and the UO Graduate Fair.
- Assist with other NMCC administrative tasks, as needed
- Meeting regularly with NMCC Director (on an approximately weekly basis, and more frequently leading up to and following registration)
- Meeting quarterly with NMCC Director to assist in preparation of quarterly reports
- Performing other duties as assigned
Graduate students pursuing any master’s or doctoral degree may apply.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Preference will be given to PhD Students (but this is not a requirement, and all interested UO graduate students are encouraged to apply)
- Preference will be given to NMCC graduate students (but this is not a requirement, and all interested UO graduate students are encouraged to apply)
- Strong writing and editing skills
- Social media development and maintenance skills (preference for experience)
- Familiarity and efficiency with a variety of basic software suites, including: social media platforms (especially Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), digital humanities tools (e.g., Omeka, Voyant Tools, TaDiRAH, Google Ngram), internet search engines, data retrieval & organization methods, word processing software (e.g., MS Word and Google Docs), spreadsheet software (e.g., MS Excel)
- Basic web development experience (at a beginner or above level) is a plus
- Interdisciplinary interests and some interdisciplinary research experience
- Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail
- Ability to communicate effectively with faculty, staff, and students in writing, over the phone, and in person
- Self-motivation and ability to work independently
Deadline: May 25th – Open until Filled
Full Position Posting
Application Procedure:
Submit your application via email with subject line titled “NMCC GE Application” to Colin Koopman, incoming NMCC Director, koopman@uoregon.edu
Your application should include:
- cover letter explaining your interest and applicable skills in relation to this position
- brief (no more than 1 side of 1 page) resumé of your social media and web development experience
- academic cv
- names and contact information for at least two references.
Shelfie: Bonnie Sheehey
Bonnie Sheehey is a third-year PhD candidate in the Philosophy Department. Her research interests include social and political philosophy, pragmatism, 20th century French philosophy, critical theory, and media theory. She is currently working on a dissertation that “traces a philosophical mode of critique disentangled from the habits of judgment through the work of William James, Michel Foucault, and Bruno Latour. In this project, I attend to the resources these figures provide for contemporary debates in political philosophy and new media theory that concern the relation between critique and normativity.”
Bonnie was introduced to the New Media & Culture Certificate through Dr. Colin Koopman’s and Dr. Wendy Chun’s Habitual New Media course, and Dr. Michael Allan’s Comporative Literature course on Transmedia Aesthetics.
“My interest in the NMCC stems from a curiosity in how contemporary digital culture informs our subjectivity and sociality, and from a commitment to teaching philosophy courses that reflect areas of contemporary concern. The research I’ve conducted toward the NMCC brings the critical methods of genealogy, pragmatism, and actor-network-theory to bear upon aspects of new media that include the use of algorithms in policing practices and in the curation of memories on Facebook.”
Currently enrolled in the common seminar course taught by Dr. Seth Lewis, as well Data Genealogy taught by Dr. Koopman, Bonnie is working on research that “extends the use of Foucault beyond media archaeology to outline a critical methodology called ‘media genealogy.’” She seeks to highlight “the limitations of media archaeology for inquiring into formations of power and presses a turn toward media genealogy as an analytic for historicizing what Foucault called “technologies of power.”
Through these courses, she is interested in exploring “the possibility of applying Foucauldian methods of archaeology and genealogy to critically inquire into the power of data in our present” and particularly appreciates the “fruitful resources…interdisciplinary engagement and focused inquiry around a set of themes, debates, and issues connected to new media.”
Bonnie’s New Media Resources:
Online Tools:
https://socialmediacollective.org/reading-lists/critical-algorithm-studies/
Books:
Discipline and Punish – Michel Foucault (1975)
Gramophone, Film, Typewriter – Friedrich Kittler (1986)
Digital Keywords – Benjamin Peters (Ed.) (2016)
A Prehistory of the Cloud – Tung-Hui Hu (2015)
Control and Freedom – Wendy Hui Kyong Chun (2006)
The Politics of Possibility – Louise Amoore (2014)
Articles:
“The Relevance of Algorithms” – Tarleton Gillespie (2014)
“Toward an Ethics of Algorithms” – Mike Ananny (2016)
“Real Time/Zero Time” – Tung-Hui Hu (2012)
“Without you, I’m nothing: Performances of the self on Twitter” – Zizi Papacharissi (2012)
NMCC Alumni Update: Emily Ridout
Emily Ridout received her MA from the University of Oregon in Folklore in 2015 and now works as Program Coordinator for the Confucius Institute at the University of Oregon and spends her spare time running her own own astrology/yoga business and teaching at Mudra Yoga.
During her time as a student, NMCC helped her refine skills she used while filming, editing, and producing documentary films on topics ranging from environmental tourism to the chemistry of effective birth control. The certificate “added depth, and made it easier applying to jobs post-graduation. Also, having the skills to produce media content made building my personal business much easier.”
In her current position at the university, she continues to produce films as well as posters and web content. In her business, she manages web design and photo editing, and produces her own podcast: “Spirit Lore—a podcast where I interview all the people whose esoteric jobs we wish we knew more about (shamans, acupuncturists, tantric scholars, meditation guides, etc).”
Emily’s favorite thing about the program was the common seminar, “which positioned producing and using media within a larger context.”
Her favorite thing about working at the Confucius Institute is the diverse population she encounters, the institute often hosts interesting scholars from around the world. She is passionate about digital humanities because “they have given me tools to connect to people, communicate ideas, and listen to others on a broader scale than I previously thought possible.”
For anyone interested in working in this field, Emily has a great tip: “Start producing media today! Even if you’re not sure you’re doing it right, even if you’re not sure it will be perfect (it never is!).”
Emily’s Resources – “they get the job done in a fraction of the time!”
- Squarespace – website design, domains, eCommerce, hosting, galleries, analytics, support.
- Canva – create designs for Web or print: blog graphics, presentations, Facebook covers, flyers, posters, invitations and more.
- VSCO – an art and technology company that provides the tools and resources for people to create, discover, publish, and connect using superior mobile presets & advanced camera controls.