Virginia Commonwealth University

Fall 2010. 2nd half of the semester.

220 students. 21 groups. 6 weeks.

The assignment: Organize a media-oriented service project.

Here’s what the students in MASC 101-002 accomplished.

Created a Facebook groupDistributed fliers around campusPut donation boxes around cityCollected books & other items

Created a Tumblr site to protest hyper-consumerism

Distributed posters & fliers Boycotted malls day after Thanksgiving Advocated simple lifestyle, gift-giving

Called attention to press releasesmasquerading as news

Protested hidden commercialsin TV newscasts

Wrote letters to Federal Communications Commission

And to FOX and CBS

Created sites on Facebook & Tumblrto support the local music scene

Promoted local bands & venues Music clips, interviews & event details

Also spread the wordwith fliers & posters

Designed tip sheets on how to:Create a free email accountUse Facebook, CraigslistLook for jobs online; & more

Gave packets of tip sheets to community centers & libraries

Put all tip sheets online

Adnan was imprisoned in Azerbaijan for blogging

Group 6 publicized his causewith Facebook, YouTube, fliers

Students also wrote letters to U.S. & Azerbaijan embassies

In November, Adnan was freed!

Organized a book drive, with collection boxes around campus

Promoted event with Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, posters & fliers

Collected hundreds of books

Dawit Isaac: in prison for 10 yearsThis group publicized his caseStudents wrote to gov’t. officialsAnd talked to children

in Richmond-area schools

Elementary and middle-school children joined in writing letters to Dawit Isaac & Eritrea’s president.

The ‘Don’t Be A B.I.T.C.H.’ ProjectBully In The Cyber Highway Used Facebook, Tumblr,

WordPress, YouTube, fliersSpoke out vs. bullyingSupport for LGBT students

Created a Facebook page as a guideand promotional tool for indie bookstores

Visited stores & interviewed owners Showed how indie bookstores are

vital to a community – and how they’re under pressure from chains & Internet

Researched the gap between peoplewho have access to technology and people who don’t

Wrote a letter to the Richmond mayor urging him to address the issue

Urged student to cut back on technology‘Talk instead of text’Used fliers

& Facebook

Publicized case of Mikhail Beketov,beaten into coma for exposing corruption

Used Facebook & TumblrPut up posters on campus‘We’re not free without free

speech and a free press’

Comcast, Verizon, other ISPs wantpower to limit some Internet traffic

Students sounded alarm aboutcorporate control of the Net

They wrote letters to Congress & FCC Promoted Facebook campaign

Visited Plan 9, other local storesInterviewed managers & shoppersExplained how stores help communityUsed Facebook to spread the word

Gathered info & data on link betweenvideo-game violence and real violence

Published research on Tumblr Wrote letters to video game makers,

urging them to be more responsible

The media contribute to eating disorders & low self-esteem among girls & women

This group highlighted the problemwith a website and fliers

Students wrote letters tomagazines that use anorexicmodels & sexist images

Analyzed media consolidation in RVA Posted findings on Tumblr, Facebook Created posters, too Showed how a handful of companies

own most of the local media Even the alt-weekly (Style Weekly) is

published by a big corporation

Cigarettes in films: product placement Kids imitate actors who smoke This group used Facebook

to publicize the problem & solutions Discussed issue on WVCW Radio Wrote letters to newspapers, groups

Students volunteered to help feed homeless people in Richmond

They served meals & distributed canned food & clothing

One student wrote: ‘This single experience severely altered my perception of not only the homeless

but life in general.’

Brainstormed TV shows, movies & other media that entertain & educate

Quality content exists – you must look! Gave slide show with many examples: