So, the course Digital America is back this fall, but with a twist: the students have to create an “experience” at the end of each unit that somehow relates to our readings/viewings and discussions. There are a few guidelines: the experience has to completed during class, it must be documented…
Church Hill is the oldest neighborhood in Richmond and it is undergoing a dramatic transformation. While large areas of the neighborhood remain mired in poverty, other parts of the neighborhood are the homes of upscale restaurants and hipster businesses. How can Church Hill youth use archival sources, including transcripts of Church Hill…
Madison Moore, culture maven extraordinarre, brings his course Nightlight as Art Form to the University of Richmond for the second time. And, really, what more could we ask for? Dr. Moore’s syllabus asks students: Why do we go out at night? How do the rhythms and bass of dance music…
Final Thoughts on the Project How many US troops do you think are currently stationed in the United States? What about Vietnam? South Africa? Guam? What if I asked how many were stationed in Italy in, say, 1971? The students in Professor Tim Barney’s “The Rhetorical Lives of Maps” class…
Before Digital America (the journal) was a glimmer in my eye, the course Digital America promised University of Richmond students a rather bumpy tour through the history of digital culture and digitization. From the LSD infused Acid Tests of the 1960s to Edward Snowden’s stealth asylum in Russia, students attempt…
David Golumbia’s course “Challenging Media Studies” at Virginia Commonwealth University provides a topical survey of issues in current digital media studies. Dr. Golumbia passed out a list of dozens of topics that were possible entry points into the class. Students voted on which topics they wanted to discuss, and each…
Games of all shapes and sizes have been integral parts of society for team building, strategizing, collaborating and entertaining purposes. Students in Professor Bezio’s class at the University of Richmond used board games, video games, and game theory to examine significant concerns and issues that pertain to leadership theories and…
Today’s cities are becoming increasingly dense as people choose to live more urban lives, which affects sustainability efforts put in place to protect the environment. Through the use of digital publishing platforms, students in Professor Scott’s class research innovative ways that a smart city can be implemented. How is it…
Instant access to friends, family, and information is part of the fabric of 21st century American life. Our devices are part of our extended selves, and we rely on them to archive our past, entertain our present, and coordinate our next future. So what happens when you unplug from your…
What does it mean for something to be virtual? And what does it mean for something to be a world? These are the questions that we rarely ask ourselves as we routinely engage virtual interactive spaces. We take virtual worlds for granted as we are led through them in stunningly…