Fandom High School

"Hi, ladies," Logan greeted. "Today we're looking at an area of journalism that some of us might be overly familiar with." He gave Zero a look, smiling slightly in sympathy.

"There's a specific area of journalism that focuses on the personal lives of people, primarily celebrities, and usually those in the entertainment industry, like actors and musicians. Undoubtedly you're familiar with it on some level, how there are magazines and TV shows that exist to discuss and pick apart gossip about those in the limelight."

He gestured to the laptops open for them to use. "Your assignment for today? Find a piece of gossip-column 'news' and tell me what effect you think that has on the public - by which I mean, do you think people will think less of them? Better of them? What do you think about it personally?

"And keep in mind, your final projects are due next week."

[Syllabus / Attendance]

"Guys," Logan greeted the class as they filed in and sat down. "We're getting close to the end of the term, and you know what that means? Finals.

"What I'm going to ask you to do is incorporate some methods of propaganda and some of the advertising ideology we learned into a sort of self-advertisement. You'll be selling yourself - but not in any way that'll get me into trouble, thanks."

The screen behind him flipped through pictures both from the posters of the last couple weeks and some advertisements from a while ago.

"You can treat it as a political position, make something up, or however you want to run it. Just come up with a campaign - posters, word of mouth, commercials, however you want to do it - and what you'll be working for are signatures."

Logan held up a clipboard with a piece of paper on it and a pen affixed to the top by a string. "You'll have to actually collect the signatures yourself, using whatever tactics you like, but I do want to see something concrete when you turn in your signatures. Bring your poster, a taped copy of your commercial or even someone who helped you spread your campaign. I trust you guys to not just get a load of signatures from people who think they're signing up for swim team or something. Just remember, I can tell if you're lying."

He gave everyone a hard look, then smiled. "You have this day to begin your projects. Feel free to use any of the resources from prior classes.

"This is going to be a somewhat different assignment," he said, perched on the front of his desk as usual. "But this will be a big help to those of you who might have missed some classes and are, as of right now, looking at a less than perfect grade. For every five signatures, you'll get one absence knocked off. Or you'll get points toward extra credit and possibly a reward, if you have no absences or you get more points than absences needed to be taken off.

"If you need to see how many absences you have, you can talk to me. If you're wondering why they count against you when I haven't said anything, well, it was always on the syllabus. It is, in fact, the only class expectation," he said somewhat dryly. "I don't think any of you would flunk from your absences, but if you want a better grade, just get a few more signatures."

[Syllabus / Attendance]

When everyone had filed in, Logan was putting out art supplies and copies of the poster books they'd had last week on everyone desks.

"Hey, guys," he greeted them, moving to sit at his desk again. "Today's a fun exercise, I hope."

Logan gestured to the supplies. "Last week we talked about propaganda and how it works as a tool for influencing opinions with biased information.

"Today, you get to put that to work. Choose the topic, your audience, how you want to skew your information, and then create a poster designed to convey that. If you need any suggestions, take a look at some of the techniques listed on the handout from last week."

[ooc: If you choose to participate, feel free just to describe your poster, draw something in the artpad, or find a picture on the web to work with. Please wait for the comments to proceed have fun making your posters!]

[Syllabus / Attendance]

Logan was waiting as everyone filed into class, looking somewhat subdued as he leaned against his desk, coffee in hand.

"Hope you guys enjoyed the chance to gather blackmail where you needed," Logan smiled slightly. "Not that you guys are probably So, today is February 19th, which means your projects are due. If everyone wants to take some time, I'll give you ten minutes to finish the last little things. Then we'll present, group by group.

"After everyone's done, you're free to go, even if the class period isn't done yet. So let's see what you've got, ladies."

[OOC: Syllabus / Attendance]

"All right guys, proposals are due," Logan said when everyone had filed into the classroom. "But I'm giving you the entire class time today to discuss with your partner and turn in the short, written proposal by the end of the period. Very easy, and if you have problems or questions, I'm right here."

[OOC: Vacation is done and today is my first day back at work, so I'll be around but I didn't want to commit to playing when I wasn't sure how busy I'd be.]

Logan was sitting on his desk, as usual, when the students filed in. The screen was rolling through a slide show of print ads from magazines from many eras and for many different products. The coffee machine was burbling happily in the back of the class for anyone interested.

On each desk, there was a laptop, all of them on and connected wirelessly to the school network. Alongside each was a handout.

"Morning, guys. This week we'll be looking at printed media, specifically advertisements. Your assignment is to look through the archives of ads provided and choose one in particular that you think does its job - in other words, the logo, the color scheme, something about the ad makes you interested in the product. Then choose one that does the opposite, or that you feel wasn't executed well somehow."

Logan turned slightly where he was sitting and typed something on a keyboard on his desk, bring up a couple of advertisements [ooc: warning, large image] on the screen behind him. "Once you've done that, we'll bring them up for everyone to see and you can tell us why it is you chose them. Everyone's encouraged to give their opinion on the advertisements you chose as well."

[ooc: Syllabus // Wait for OCDeeeeee is done. If you need me for anything, I'll be around all day, just slowish as am at work.]

As the students file into the old journalism classroom, those who've been there before would notice that most of the desks and chairs had been moved out, so that there's one of each for all four five students, side by side and facing the larger desk at the head of the class. All along the wall above the desk there were screens, like huge flat panel monitors, that seemed to be flickering silently through a variety of mostly news and documentary programs, as well as some commercials, sitcoms, music videos and talk shows. A coffee maker brewed fitfully in the back of the room for whomever wanted some.

Their teacher was leaning against the front of the desk as they came in, smiling cheerfully, and he waited until everyone had seated themselves before speaking. "Good morning and welcome to Media Studies and Communication. I'm Logan Cale - Mr. Cale is fine, really, or Professor if that makes you more comfortable. Looks like we have a small class, but hopefully that'll mean we can get into things with a little more depth."

He spread his hands, looking at all of them. "Communication is a vital part of our existence. You guys do it every day, right? You pass each other in the halls, maybe say hello, or stop to talk about last night's radio broadcast." He gestured at the screens behind him. "Mass communication - TV being one example of it - has pretty much the same function.

"It's all about information. The exchange, dissemination, and, sometimes, deliberate modification of it in many different forms - which we then study to see how they work, the pros and cons of each type, and how it all can apply to you specifically.

"Communications and media studies is a pretty mixed bag," he said, picking up a Y-People comic book. "Pretty much anything you can think of, that you can read or watch or-" He put the comic down and picked up a box labeled Half-Life 2. "-even play on your computer - is a medium for information, and the study of these things involves a bit of intuitive anthropology, psychology, and sociology, but not, I think, anything you guys can't grasp as reasonably intelligent individuals.

Logan paused a moment to pass out a syllabus to each student, then sat against his desk again. "Those are probably going to be a vague guideline now, but at least it's something to start with. So now let's find out who you all are. Tell us your name, place of origin, and, in keeping with, you know, the theme of the class, tell me what your favorite medium of communication is and a little bit of why."

[OOC: Wait for OCD is up. And since we have as small a class as we do, I'll be reworking the syllabus a bit, hopefully to make use of the few students we have.]

Logan was in a wheelchair today, but as he wheeled it around his desk to talk to the class he seemed not at all hampered by the alternative mode of mobility. "Good morning," he said. "Sorry about last week, but I imagine some of you had your own troll-related problems. I'm sure you all used the extra time to work on your final projects anyway, right?" He grinned.

"Those will be due next week though, so you've still got time. This week we'll be looking at stereotypes," he said, and handed a stack of handouts to a student to pass around. "Unsurprisingly, stereotypes are something used quite a bit in popular media, in advertising. You'll hear a lot of people say stereotypes are bad, but why is that? Is there any reason they might be useful?"

Logan spread his hands, looking at the class curiously. "I don't doubt a lot of you have been identified as being part of a stereotype at one point or another, whether true or not. So here's an exercise as well; name the stereotype you believe you are closest to - or one of them, if there's multiple - and identify at least one way each that someone might use the appearance of that stereotype in a good way and a bad way, either to assume something about you specifically or the group you belong to in general."

[ooc: ocd in a moment is finished. hope the assignment makes sense - feel free to bug me in ooc if it doesn't.]

When everyone had filed in, Logan was putting out art supplies and copies of the poster books they'd had last week on everyone desks.

"Hey, guys," he greeted them, moving to sit at his desk again. "Today's a fun exercise, I hope."

Logan gestured to the supplies. "Last week we talked about propaganda and how it works as a tool for influencing opinions with biased information.

"Today, you get to put that to work. Choose the topic, your audience, how you want to skew your information, and then create a poster designed to convey that. If you need any suggestions, take a look at some of the techniques listed on the handout from last week."

[ooc: If you choose to participate, feel free just to describe your poster, draw something in the artpad, or find a picture on the web to work with. Please wait for the comments to proceed have fun making your posters!]

[Attendance / Syllabus]

Logan looked refreshed and cheerful as he waited for everyone to arrive and pick up the handout for today on their way in. The coffee machine was on and the screen tuned to CNN for the current political news but muted - one probably wouldn't notice immediately that he had several pertinent webpages.

"Welcome back, guys," he greeted, smiling. "Hope you had a good break - I know I enjoyed mine."

He stood up, hooking a thumb at the screen as he looked over the students. "US election time is upon us, and though I know these races in particular may not affect you, it's still important to be aware, at least, that politicians wherever you're from will probably screw you over," he said ruefully.

"Maybe that's a bit pessimistic, you say?" Logan spread his hands, shrugging. "In my experience, it's become the job of the people to hold the government responsible for things they've done that have been reprehensible, sometimes only just irresponsible to the public they claim to work for. There are some individuals who are all they claim to be, working for the good of the people, but not nearly as many as anyone would like.

"As a part of the public - voting or non-voting - sometimes all you can do is raise awareness, make known what's going on so that people will be informed. Your assignment today is to come up with a way you could do that, either personally or something more general. Big or small."

[OOC: Wait for OCD plz. Thar be open class post. And hi, I suck? I blame courier_gavin in part for the lateness, but mostly it's just me and lj having disagreements.]

Seeming much more fit and healthy perhaps because of an exciting adventure into the Z-Cases? just maybe, Logan was at his desk when everyone came into the room, smiling at the class when everyone had sat down. Each desk had a laptop computer again and the coffee machien continued to burble in the back of the room.

"Good morning! So last week I'd asked for your project proposals - and thank you D'anna and Jake for your rousing performance in mime. I hope the rest of you all can at least get a word to me on what you have planned even very handwavily by the end of today. The projects are due on the 23rd -- and yeah, that's next week."

Logan tapped out a URL that displayed on the large screen behind him. "So, today we're looking at News Stories of the Century. I know not all of us are from around here exactly, but I think the headlines speak for themselves in terms of their importance.

"I'd like you to take a look at the results of their poll, in which the public were asked to rank these pages by importance in their opinion. Your assignment is to pick your top five headlines and tell me why, even just briefly. If you agree with the public or the journalists' picks, then just tell me why as well.

"After that, you're free to work on your projects," Logan said, motioning to a side table where he had laid out supplies for posters and other things and sign ups for equipment of different types all very handwavey, of course. "Or browse the website a bit, if you prefer. I particularly recommend the section on women photographers or the trivia game."

[ooc: wait for ocd! go go go!]

The coffee machine burbled at the back of the classroom as the students filed in, Logan sipping his own cup of java as he waited for everyone to take a seat. The screen was off, and a table with all of the handouts so far, as well as a few new ones, in nice neat stacks was at the sidewall.

When everyone had seated themselves, Logan stood up, smiling at the class. "'Morning, class. As I said last week, today we'll be covering what your midterm is.

"Until now, we've been covering media and how it conveys information - now I'll be asking you to put that knowledge to work. Your project will be to construct a mini marketing campaign around a product, either real or imagined, and come up with some sort of advertisement that you think would adequately market it. It could be as a print advertisement or a commercial or something of your own devising."

Logan gestured to the side-table with the handouts. "Feel free to reacquaint yourself with what we've covered so far as you guys pair up. If you really want, you can go solo, but I'd prefer if you made more of a concerted effort - two perspectives can give you a better idea of whether you're hitting your mark than just yourself.

"I'll be asking for a short proposal to be submitted by next week. You don't have to detail it too much, but I'd like to know what other information I can have available as well as what kind of equipment you might need.

"The midterm projects will be due by October 23rd. We'll have at least a half-session between then and now where you can work on it in class and ask me any questions that come up. Today you can just focus on finding your partner and brainstorm campaign ideas. Go ahead and have fun with it, be silly or serious. Bonus points for creativity."

[ooc: Wait for OCD la. Play nice! As with all assignments, you can do as little or as much as you like. You can be elaborate and actually photoshop something up or just describe it when the time comes - it's all for fun, so go crazy.]

As the class trailed in, the screen was the sort of black that indicated it was on, but receiving no image. Logan was still involved in conversation, the voices somewhat muted but definitely coming in through the speakers.

( The medium is the message. )

[OOC: Roster/Syllabus]

[OOC: Roster/Syllabus]

As the students file into the old journalism classroom, those who've been there before would notice that it hasn't changed much. There are the requisite desks fanned out across the room, all facing the head of the class where there is a heavy desk and chair. All along the wall above the desk there are screens, like huge flat panel monitors, that seems to be flickering silently through a variety of mostly news and documentary programs, as well as some commercials, sitcoms, music videos and talk shows.

Their teacher leans on the side of the desk, looking through a folder of papers as everyone finds a seat.

When he glances up, he smiles and takes off his glasses in dramatic fashion. "Good morning, class. Welcome to Media Studies and Communication. I'm Logan Cale - Mr. Cale is fine, really, or Professor if that makes you more comfortable."

( Introduction to Media Studies and Communication )


[ooc: I'm on until ungodly hours of the night on PST time and, since I have tomorrow off, will hopefully be up most of the day for whatever you all might want to do. Of course, all you really have to do is sign in.]