Ways to Learn and Engage

There are a number of ways to engage with the course. You can engage in it however you feel is most fruitful for yourself; however, I have also given you some specific options below. The simplest way to engage is simply by responding to discussion questions for the lectures. But also be sure to check out the collaborative group project options, which will let you get to know other learners!

1. Listen and respond to at least three lectures, and respond to at least one other person’s post!

This is a great option. You will listen to lectures, which revolve around a subtopic or a particular question. You can choose any three that interest you. After you listen to them, you can respond to any of the suggested discussion questions, or just respond in general (or both). Then choose one other learner’s comments to respond to! This should be fun and hopefully will allow people to start engaging in conversation with each other, which is one of the best ways to learn. I will also be reading discussion forums and responding to posts–I am eager to hear learners’ thoughts!

2. Complete a group project.

You can create your own group, or you can email me for getting more group members. If you do this option, it is actually suggested that you do #1 (listen and respond to 3 lectures) first, because it will probably help you to complete the group project. However, you don’t have to. The three options below are all group presentations. It’s recommended that each person talk for about 4-6 in the presentations. You would give your presentation at a live meetup.
Option 1: Choose 3 or more scholars whose ideas and perspectives I’ve mentioned in detail in the lectures (for example, Walter Ong, Matt Cohen, Lisa Gitelman, Marshall McLuhan, Matthew Brown, etc.). Create a group presentation, using slides, about these scholars’ ideas. For each scholar give a summary of the ideas that I discussed in the lectures; and explain 1-3 ways that you agree or sympathize with their ideas and why, and 1-3 ways that you might disagree with their ideas and why. You don’t have to do any outside research or reading for this, unless you’d like to.
Option 2: Why is media important and what are advantages (or disadvantages) of learning about the Puritans through the lens of media? Prepare a presentation in which you select 3 facets of the Puritans’ media that you believe are significant and explain why (a “facet” can be a particular kind of media I’ve defined, like “divine impressions” or “conversion narratives”; or a broader medium or genre like “orality” or “literacy”). Also provide a discussion with at least 3 main points about advantages and disadvantages of learning about the Puritans via learning about their media and communication.
Option 3: Choose 3 lectures. Describe any useful parallels or contrasts with today for each of them, in terms of the media that is at work. How would people in the places you live in today approach the particular kind of medium, genre, communication method, or object described in the lecture? Why would the contemporary moment be similar, and/or different? For example, you could draw a connection between scribal publication (in my “Alternative Publications” lecture) and the self-publishing industry today. Make sure to cite specific examples of old AND new media.
Do you have your own idea for a collaborative group project you want to do? You can discuss it with me!

3. Listen to all the lectures in the Introductions and Background unit and in two additional units, responding to each lecture in the discussion forum. Then respond to at least 5 people’s comments!

This will allow you to really dig into the course as well as generate discussion amongst other learners/participants.

4. Come to a live meetup!

Attend one of the live meetups with the course creator, Yi, and other learners! Check the “live meetups” page for more information.