Curating a MediaCommons Collection on Algorithms

screen capture

I was flattered a few months ago to be asked to develop a MediaCommons Field Guide survey on the general topic of algorithms. In consultation with (and following the sage advice of) the MediaCommons editorial team, I formulated the following question to be addressed by respondents: What opportunities are available to influence the way algorithms are programmed,…
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Rhetoric of Email and Text Messages in Cases of Rape

Trigger warning: This post addresses acquaintance rape and victim blaming. I read this February 17 Chronicle of Higher Education article with interest about the use of texts and emails in rape cases, especially the bit about facing the “court of public opinion”: In Rape Cases, Students’ Texts and Emails Face the Court of Public Opinion….
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Outlining a CV in Composition & Rhetoric

outlines visualization

Composition and rhetoric is a little bit of an intimidating field to write one’s CV into, because we study and have expertise on the rhetoricity of things. Applying those same guidelines and standards to my own work can be intimidating. Nevertheless, here’s a beginning outline. Personal Information Include meaningful contact information: where I live is…
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Case Study #4: FrankenTheory

latte with cream illustration of Google Analytics - photo

Boundaries in My Analysis of Google Analytics I am limiting my analysis of Google Analytics as an object of study by focusing on its activities and its data model as reported in terms of dimensions and metrics. Google defines Analytics activity as collection, collation, processing, and reporting. Google describes its data model as consisting of…
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Mindmap #13: Concept Groupings 1

Israel/Palestine border wall

This week is the first of two focused on grouping theorists and/or theories by concepts. I identified five concept groups to which I’ve connected theories: Agency, Flow, Meaning, Boundaries, and Composition/Rhetoric. I’ve included a screenshot of the area I’ve set aside for concept grouping, along with a full-map version. I described the concept groups as…
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Reflections on the First Semester

The time lag between this post and the previous post is roughly proportional to my level of stress and busy-ness over that same period. As long as the time was between posts, so was I stressed and busy. The first semester of my PhD studies has drawn to a close—I submitted my two exam question…
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The Discipline is Dead. Long Live the Discipline

Harvard English Department

English studies no longer exists. That’s the conclusion I’ve drawn after half a semester of PhD coursework. Too bad I’m getting a PhD in English. An English department may exist as a political or organizational unit on some campuses, but it’s unclear to me that, at the graduate or higher level, there needs to be…
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