[iDC] Which programs address the challenges of participatory cultures?

[Trebor Scholz]

Hi Jon, et al,

A kind of ratemy_newmedia_program.org site or a participatory survey, while open to
manipulation, would probably be useful but that's not my current focus. 

John Hopkins:
>How much accurate information does one get from the banner 
>introductions that a program frames on its home page? 

Descriptive mission statements offer limited insight but they are not useless. You'll see the
historical strengths of a department and a particular approach to the field. These
descriptions are usually results of a collective process and therefore, at least to an extent,
reflect the program. A mission statement that emphasizes "social context, media theory,
experimental cultural production, and community" is different from a program that
foregrounds vocational training. 

Fred Stutzman recently looked at several social networking syllabi. Perhaps his collection
could be a good entry point-

"The focus of the syllabus will be a course about online social networks. We'll look a the
study of social networks, the nature of social organization online, and the actualization of
social networks in websites like Facebook, Myspace, Flickr ..."

<http://chimprawk.blogspot.com/2006/09/designing-social-software-syllabus.html>


best,
Trebor