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Media Life
Field Assignment Paper Guidelines
For the second paper assignment you have the choice of writing a 4-5 pg. paper based on an off-campus Interactive Museum experience OR an analysis of Depictions of Technology in Film, focusing on technology-related themes in current movies. Both options require you to get out “in the field” by either visiting a museum or attending a few movies—in a movie theater (not just watching one on your laptop). Youʼll see why below.
Option 1: The Interactive Museum Project
For the museum option, you may visit the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, the WonderLab Museum here in Bloomington (308 W. 4th St.), or any museum of science and industry/technology (or even an arcade or play
zone) with “hands on” interactive exhibits. When deciding what form of museum experience to pursue, keep in mind that what you observe needs to involve user experiences with, and reactions to, technology. By users, I mostly mean “kids at the museum with their parents,” but it may be adults, too. They are generally
fun, and fascinating, to watch.
For the paper, identify a relevant approach to interactivity in the readings from Week 4 and apply it to your experience. For example, if visiting WonderLab or the Children’s Museum you may want to consult a reading
on interactive spaces or, if observing kids interacting with an exhibit, Normanʼs “Three Levels of Design” on the syllabus for June 2. My article on “Interactivity in Society” discusses the problems associated with too
much interactive stimulation; that offers another usable framework. You can use more than one framework.
In the introduction provide an overview of your observational experience and perhaps offer a reason why you were intrigued by the forms of interactivity you observed. Then, explain the reading(s) and conceptual
approach(es) that you think best fit with the experience. Describe the general parameters of the approach and how it applies to the interactions with the exhibits you saw. Next, describe the experience: What did it
consist of? Who were the visitors/users (i.e., were they all kids; if so, what age range)? What were you doing throughout? What were other people doing? Some of the following questions may also be useful to ask:
• At the exhibits you observed, what worked well? What worked poorly?
• Did users consistently misunderstand anything?
• Were users ever confused; if so, why?
• Were mistakes consistently made? Which tasks did users have the most trouble with?
• Did users ever look visibly frustrated, stomp off, or make sarcastic or denigrating remarks? If so, what were they trying to do?
• Did users ever do things that you did not expect them to do—if so, what? #p#分页标题#e#
• Did they do things in the order in which you expected? If not, what order did they do them in?
• Did users miss any obvious features, or affordances, of the technology that they should have seen or engaged with—why?
• Did the exhibit appear to meet their expectations—was their experience successful? If not, where did it fail them?
• Would you describe the station you observed as “universally usable”—why or why not?
• What obvious and not-so-obvious improvements should be made to the exhibit?
• Does the technology represent an improvement compared to a more familiar activity or form of entertainment (e.g., a videogame, board game, amusement park)—why?
If room allows, describe the relationship between theory and reality. In what ways did your experience “fit” the conceptual approach or framework you adopted? In what ways was the framework inadequate or
irrelevant? If the theory didn’t fit with your experience, can you explain why not?
In the conclusion reflect on your initial expectations of the experience and the match, or mismatch, between theory and reality. One suggestion to enhance your analysis is to select one exhibit that seems highly
interactive and engaging to kids (and/or others) and compare it to one that isn’t. This contrast between differing experiences could yield interesting insights. Lastly, donʼt try to describe every exhibit at the
museum, only a few that are really interesting. Field Paper Guidelines
Option 2: Depictions of Technology in Film
This option requires that you watch and analyze at least two technology oriented films and write a structured, 4-5 pg. paper based on your observations and interpretations of the films. Importantly, the paper should
analyze one or more themes illustrated by the films beyond a simple plot summary.
First, decide on which films you want to view. At least one needs to be seen in a movie theater. When determining your films, make sure that there is some clear technological content in the movie. Most of your
paper should be devoted to a thematic analysis of the films; the conclusion should also address the experience of watching at least one film in a local movie theater.
Film Analysis
Although analysis of a film may focus exclusively on the movie itself, it may also link a film to external events, personages, and/or institutions—whether in the past, present, or (more likely) future. The point of film
analysis is not merely to review the movie and offer a summary of the plot and characters but rather to explain the filmʼs broader (or “deeper”) meaning and make connections to issues weʼve been discussing in #p#分页标题#e#
class, such as dystopian views of the future, information overload, media saturation, societal acceleration, the control revolution, cyborgism (melding of man and machine), or representations of hackers in popular
culture. This is what I mean by “themes.”
In terms of structure, your paper should open with an introduction that overviews the assignment and your approach to it. Next, briefly identify and describe the two films you viewed and the themes you will be
analyzing. Be sure to pay close attention to your films and take good mental notes so that you can put together an insightful examination. Note: Ideally, it is best to watch a movie twice before writing about it, if
possible. Viewing a film for the second time allows you to closely scrutinize the details and worry less about following the plot. By the second time, you will already know the plot. In your paper, address as many of the
following items as are relevant:
• First, identify and illustrate how one or more themes operated in the two films that you viewed; some relevant themes are mentioned above.
• Then, ask whether your films engendered any particular sentiments or emotions, perhaps anxiety about the impact of new technologies, a sense of outrage at how they are being used, or
a sense of hope that technology will somehow assist in “saving the day” sometime in the future?
• What about the filmsʼ content bothered, confused, or surprised you? Was your overall impression strongly positive or harshly negative? Explain how the themes you identified caught your
attention.
• Did your films promote a certain perspective, agenda, or ideology, especially one view over another (e.g., a dystopian outlook over a utopian outlook, a strong determinism that technology
will directly impact society or a softer version that “man is still in control”)? If so, explain how.
• To what extent did your films reflect prevailing moods and attitudes about technology that are widely evident today? How was any of this accomplished?
• Was your filmsʼ major purpose—to entertain only, to send some sort of message, or something else? Explain why you think the film had a purpose (most films do, even if formulaic).
• What do you think the overall impact of your films were on viewers? In your opinion, did the films convince viewers to carefully reflect on an issue, or think about technology differently, perhaps
more critically? Explain why.
Again, the specific approach you take in your paper is up to you.
Experience of Viewing the Films
In the conclusion, address the contextual aspects of viewing your films in a movie theater. Whatʼs it like to watch a film in a theater these days? Sometimes, especially with well-attended movies, movie-going is a #p#分页标题#e#
social activity and you can learn much about a film from the reactions of other movie-goers. Additionally, movies are intended to be viewed on a large screen, and some elements of cinema, such as the framing of a
scene, are difficult to appreciate on a small screen. Field Paper Guidelines
While in the theater, take stock of your fellow movie-goers: are they younger, older, mainstream or “geeky,” mostly guys or a good mix of both genders? Also, try to be aware of how other members of the audience
react to various parts of the movie. Are they generally interested, bored, riveted, shocked, anxious or even scared? What emotions can you pick up on? Is there laughter at moments in the film that arenʼt intended to
be funny, or is the audience predictable in its responses? Consider, also, your own reaction to the social experience of watching the film—how did the experience, combined with the movie itself, make you feel? http://www.ukassignment.org/yingguozuoye/ying_liu_zuo_dai_/
In writing your paper, address as many of the above items as apply; there may be some that simply donʼt apply to your particular films. Do not feel obligated to address all of the above points—only those that are relevant to your analysis. Finally, close your paper by summarizing the main points and arguments or observations you have made.
On the last page note the title of the movies viewed, the year they were released, and who the directors or filmmakers were. You can find this information at the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) or any number of
other online movie sources, including the websites of the films themselves.
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