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*Please note that this is a living document. Check back here for changes.*

Instructor: Zoe Fraade-Blanar
Email: Fraade@gmail.com
Student office hours: Please email for office hours, available every day by Zoom.

Graduate Assistant: Alanna Okun
Email: alanna.okun@nyu.edu
Student office hours: Please email for office hours availability

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Looking to become famous on the internet? Getting attention online may be easy, but controlling it is a lot harder. As traditional celebrities continue to struggle with their digital images, a wave of micro-celebrities and influencers has rushed to fill the gap with viral content, product suggestions, memes, and conspiracy theories. This new breed of stars rules a media landscape where anyone can be their own manager or PR department - for a price. This class examines the transformation of celebrity from a 19th-century sales gimmick into the formidable cultural, social, and technological force it is today. It explores what happens when fame is freed from its traditional magazine and TV gatekeepers, delving into issues of media manipulation, fan management, commercialization, exploitation, cancel culture, and the surprising importance of cute cat pictures. And we'll also experiment with the raw tactics and techniques of stardom for anyone looking to chase their own celebrity dreams.

DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES AND LEARNING MODES
Your success in this class is important to us. We all learn differently and require different kinds of accommodations. If there are aspects of this course that prevent you from learning or exclude you in any way, I invite you to communicate this privately with me. Together we’ll develop strategies to meet your needs and the requirements of the course.

BOOKABLE OFFICE HOURS
We all enter this classroom with different sets of skills. In virtue of this fact, I open my office as an extension of the classroom. I am available for you during that time and if you can’t make it to the scheduled times, please let me know and together we will find a solution. There’s no incorrect way to approach office hours, and they can be as formal or informal as you would like. In this class, we will not shy away from difficult conversations and work closely together to cultivate a space of openness and mutual support. I welcome you to contact me outside of class and office hours through email.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Explain how the practice of Celebrity has changed over the past 30 years due to the rise of social media platforms and decentralized content distribution on the internet.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the entrepreneurial implications of internet celebrity, both as a money-making process and a marketing tool.
3. Utilize emerging digital and non-digital platforms to engage in celebrity-creation activities, including audience building, personal branding, and fan recruitment and management

COURSE MATERIALS
Students are required to create and maintain a digitally accessible blog, social account, diary, or other viewable location to post assignments, reading responses, and other course materials. The blog can use any platform, and be either public or private, and shared with other classes or separate. If private, ensure that the teacher and GA have any neccesary access to see all past coursework at any time during the semester.

COURSE TEXTBOOK
No texts are required, but there will be a number of required readings from various sources.  In addition, further readings and source material will be found in the following highly recommended books:

Abidin, C, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online. 2018

Marwick AE. Status Update, Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age. Yale University Press; 2013.

Brodie R. Virus of the Mind, The New Science of the Meme. Hay House Incorporated; 2011.

Tashiro T. Awkward, The Science of Why We're Socially Awkward and Why That's Awesome. William Morrow; 2017.

Cavicchi D. Listening and Longing, Music Lovers in the Age of Barnum. Wesleyan University Press; 2011.

Blackmore S. The Meme Machine. Oxford Paperbacks; 2000.

Jenkins H, Ford S, Green J. Spreadable Media, Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture. NYU Press; 2013.

Fussell P. Class, A Guide Through the American Status System. Simon and Schuster; 1992.

Aunger R. The Electric Meme, A New Theory of How We Think. Free Press; 2010.

Carlin P. How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity, A Guide to Financial Freedom. Quirk Books; 2014.

Sternheimer K. Celebrity Culture and the American Dream, Stardom and Social Mobility. Routledge; 2014.

Pringle H. Celebrity Sells. Wiley; 2004.

Cashmore E, Cashmore E. Celebrity Culture. 2014.

Rojek C. Fame Attack, The Inflation of Celebrity and Its Consequences. A&C Black; 2012.

Phillips W. This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Mapping the Relationship Between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture. Mit Press; 2016.

Solove DJ. The Future of Reputation, Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet. 2008.

Rojek C. Celebrity. Reaktion Books; 2001.

Piazza J. Celebrity, Inc., How Famous People Make Money. Open Road Media E-riginal; 2011.

Lynch A. Thought Contagion, How Belief Spreads Through Society. Basic Books (AZ); 1998.

Shifman L. Memes in Digital Culture. MIT Press; 2013.

Chess S, Newsom E. Folklore, Horror Stories, and the Slender Man, The Development of an Internet Mythology. Palgrave Pivot; 2014.

Halpern J. Fame Junkies, The Hidden Truths Behind America's Favorite Addiction. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 2008.

Fraade-Blanar Z, Glazer AM. Superfandom, How Our Obsessions Are Changing How We Buy and Who We Are. 2017.

TEACHING STYLE
Classes will be a mixture of lecture, reading discussion, group and individual presentations, and homework critique. 

COURSE SCHEDULE
The course will be two (2) times per week for an hour and a half (1:30) for a total of 14 weeks.

GRADING AND ATTENDANCE
Grades will be determined by the following breakdown:

30% Participation
20% Assignments
20% Reading responses and other written work
30% Final project

ASSIGNMENTS
It isexpected you will spend 6-8 hours a week on the class outside of class itself,depending on the week.

As a class engaged in the exploration of an ongoing phenomenon and the theory underpinning it, there will be regular readings, podcasts, and videos. Students should arrive in class ready to discuss their reactions and criticism of each piece, and participation is mandatory.

Responses to reading and other written assignments are also due by email or in personal blogs within one day of the class discussion.  Written assignments are expected to be 200 to 500 words in length unless otherwise specified. Responses that are on time and meeting the criteria specified will be marked as complete.  Late (up to 1 week) or partially completed work will be given half credit.  Work that is more than a week late, not turned in, or fails to meet the criteria specified will be given no credit.

In addition, students are expected to contribute to the class email thread of breaking news related to celebrity use of digital platforms and media.

There will be regular assignments that are relevant to the class material. These assignments must be documented (written description, photos, screenshots, or video all qualify based on the assignment) on at least one group member’s blog or emailed to the teacher. Each assignment is due by class time one week after they are assigned unless stated otherwise.

It is expected that you will spend 6 to     8 hours a week on the class outside of class itself.  This will include reading, watching video, completing assignments and so on.  Please budget your time accordingly.

Each assignment will be marked as complete (full credit), partially complete (half credit), or incomplete (no credit).  To be complete an assignment should meet the criteria specified in the syllabus including documentation.  If significant portions are not attempted or the assignment is turned in late (up to 1 week) then it may be marked partially complete.  If it is more than a week late, not turned in, or an attempt isn’t made to meet the criteria specified it will be marked incomplete.

PARTICIPATION
This class will be highly participatory. You are encouraged to contribute to discussions, engage in group work, give feedback to your peers, and otherwise fully participate in class.

ITP/IMA is committed to facilitating the fullest possible participation of all students. There are many forms of participation. Please communicate what kinds of engagement are best for you so it can be taken into account.Examples of modes of participation can look like: asking questions, going to office hours, sending and reading emails, class group discussion, arriving on time, going to class, taking notes, listening to peers, submitting responses to a form (anonymous or not), following instructions, active listening, etc.

EXTENSIONS
An assignment extension may be granted upon request. If you request an extension before the due date, your grade will not be affected. However, if you do not request an extension, the grading rules above apply. Please clarify with your instructor and set a deadline together. The recommended timeline is 1 to 5 days.

Note: There may be instances where having an extension may result in not being able to participate fully in activities such as feedback sessions or workshopping ideas/projects, which likely cannot be made up if it could disrupt the overall course schedule. Extensions are distributed at the discretion of the instructor.

MAKEUP WORK POLICY
This is an option for those who have attended more than 50% of the class (if you have missed more than 50% of class sessions, it will result in an automatic F for the course). While there is no distinction in this course between excused and unexcused absences, you may inquire about makeup work. Makeup work could be content you can consume, a conversation with someone in class, additional office hours, writing a paper or an additional project. Not all course content can be made up. Please clarify with your instructor and set a deadline together. The recommended timeline is 1 to 5 days.

AI STATEMENT
You should treat AI tools just as you would any other source: cite the source and note how it was used (Harvard has a useful guide to citation of AIs). You should be prepared to explain how your use of it is the appropriate tool to fit your goal or concept and does not detract from your experience meeting the learning objectives of the assignment or course. There are some cases where the use of AI may fall under a form of plagiarism. Differentiate your work from your source’s work in a way that's clear to the reader or viewer. Additionally, you should be prepared to discuss the ethical concerns around the widespread use of emerging AI tools.

ATTENDANCE POLICY
After the first two weeks of the add/drop period, effective in week three onward, students are permitted the following number of absences: 3. There are no excused absences and unexcused absences. There are only absences. Any more than 3 absences will affect your grade. Two late arrivals (more than 10 minutes after start time) will count as 1 absence.
For example:
4 absences will result in your highest possible grade being a B instead of an A
5 absences will result in your highest possible grade being a C instead of an A
6 absences will result in your highest possible grade being a D instead of an A
7 absences will result in an automatic F for the course

PHONE, TABLET, LAPTOP, AND OTHER ELECTRONICS USE
Laptops and other electronic devices are essential tools for learning and interaction in classrooms. However, they can create distractions that hinder students' ability to actively participate and engage. Please be mindful of the ways in which these devices can affect the learning environment, please refrain from doing non-class oriented activities during class.

STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as though it were your own. More specifically, plagiarism is to present as your own: A sequence of words quoted without quotation marks from another writer or a paraphrased passage from another writer’s work or facts, ideas or images composed by someone else.

Collaboration is highly valued and often necessary to produce great work. Students build their own work on that of other people and giving credit to the creator of the work you are incorporating into your own work is an act of integrity. Plagiarism, on the other hand, is a form of fraud. Proper acknowledgment and correct citation constitute the difference. 

ACCESSIBILITY
It’s crucial for our community to create and uphold learning environments that empower students of all abilities. We are committed to create an environment that enables open dialogue about the various temporary and long term needs of students and participants for their academic success. We encourage all students and participants to discuss with faculty and staff possible accommodations that would best support their learning.  Students may also contact the Moses Center for Student Accessibility (212-998-4980) for resources and support. The Moses Center for Student Accessibility

Your health and safety are a priority at NYU. Emphasizing the importance of the wellness of each individual within our community, students are encouraged to utilize the resources and support services available to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via the NYU Wellness Exchange Hotline at 212-443-9999. Additional support is available over email at wellness.exchange@nyu.edu and within the NYU Wellness Exchange app. The NYU Counseling and Wellness Center

STATEMENT ON TITLE IX
Tisch School of the Arts is dedicated to providing its students with a learning environment that is rigorous, respectful, supportive and nurturing so that they can engage in the free exchange of ideas and commit themselves fully to the study of their discipline. To that end, Tisch is committed to enforcing University policies prohibiting all forms of sexual misconduct as well as discrimination on the basis of sex and gender. Detailed information regarding these policies and the resources that are available to students through the Title IX office can be found by using the following link: Link to the NYU Title IX Office 

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLE
Teachers and students work together to create a supportive learning environment. The educational experience in the classroom is one that is enhanced by integrating varying perspectives and learning modes brought by students.