Study Groups and avatar names

Below are your groups and avatarnames

Grp. 1

Agne – Jazzamor Silverfall

Ruta – Ladette Greymoon

Zuzanna – Suzy Numbanumba

Louisa – Nike Reikaz

Grp. 2

Juste – Justele Mocha

Maja – Ruby Belargio

Steffi – Steffifi Auster

Celina – Celina Bluebury

Grp. 3

Nel – Scarta Chiantelle

Vanda – Calluna Crystal

Mathilde – Tilly Bumblefoot

Grp. 4

Giulia – Giuly Texan

Marine – Timarine Toxx

Catherina – Aurelia Mildor

Workshop Programme ;-)

Metrotopia Urban Plan

Video about Metrotopia Design

WEEK 36

Monday 31:

Introduction

Theory: Paradigms and semiotics

Practice: Introduction to Second Life (SL) and creation of avatars

Tuesday 1:

Theory: Semiotics

Readings: Chandler, Daniel pp. 13-83

Practice: Introduction to Metrotopia

Exercise 1:

An important first step when you move into a virtual world like Second Life is to create an avatar, decide on the avatar’s looks, clothings, accessories, etc., in order to present yourself to the other residents of the world.

Therefore, the first exercise of this workshop is to create an avatar and reflect on the choises that you made. Present your avatar and reflections to the other members of the group.

Wednesday 2:

Theory: Semiotics

Readings: Chandler, Daniel pp. 83-123

Practice: Linden Lab’s presentation of their virtual world

Exercise 2
Each time you log on to Second Life you are met with a picture chosen by Linden Lab; a picture which signifies the image which they want to convey of the world.

Therefore, collect a set of screen shots of the welcoming pictures and analyze them with reference to the semiotic concepts of semiosis and signification. Write a brief summary of your analysis in a SL notecard.

Thursday 3:

Practice: Music videos: Michael Jackson, U2, Queen, Robbie Williams

Exercise 3
I have collected some music videos from YouTube in a playlist which you can access from the big screen in your Second Life group rooms. They have been chosen to make possible two different semiotic analyses:

1) Perfomers’ self-presentation (Billie Jean – live concert, U2 live, Robbie Williams in Hyde Park)

2) Music videos as a mean of expression (Queen, Billie Jean music videos)

In your analysis you should make references to semiotic theory and concepts e.g. signification, semiosis, paradigmatic, syntagmatic.

Theory: Remediation

Readings: Bolter & Grusin, pp. 20-52

Method 1: Observation

Exercise 4:

Travel to your in-world group rooms (grp. 1 blue, grp. 2 yellow, grp. 3 green, grp. 4 red zen)

Find examples in Metrotopia which you find appropriate for an analysis that refers to the concepts of immediacy, hypermediacy, remediation (borrowing, reshaping, redefining).

Use the chat to communicate and coordinate your work. Copy and paste the chat discussion to a notecard and then edit and post it on the blog as a comment to my post: Remediation in Metrotopia.

Friday 4:

Exercise 5:

Travel to your group room in Metrotopia and then 1) choose a place in Metrotopia (museum, bazaar, library, gym, fight club, residential area) and 2) decide on a communication objective and purpose. Then 3) decide on a design that will help you communicate the objective chosen. Use the chat, copy and paste the chat discussion to a notecard to 4) use the notes to write a brief account of your reflections, thoughts and ideas about the design. Post the brief account as a comment to my post: Design in Metrotopia.

The Freudian Bench Talk

Video about Metrotopia as a Laboratory

WEEK 37

Monday 7:

Evaluation

Theory: Reception research

Video about Media Reception Experiments

Readings: Schrøder, Kim, Nordicom 1/ 2001

Tuesday 8:

Theory: Semiotics

Readings: Chandler, Daniel pp. 175-211

Group projects: Scenario and script

In the year 2050 fatal disasters are threatening humanity and the earth. Only your group can save the world and humanity! In order to do so you will have to develop mutants with supernatural powers. Go to the museum in Metrotopia to seek knowledge and inspiration from reading about the mutants that once were – way back in the history almost a hundred years ago. Then create new mutants that are like the old ones only now in a 2050 version and with different identities, persona and deeds.

Create the identity and persona of your supernatural mutants by year 2050. Write a brief account of their personal history, identity and deeds.

In order to fight the threats, a symposium of different groups of mutants with supernatural powers has been called to take place in Metrotopia. Each of the mutant groups have been asked to present to the symposium the threats that they see and also to show a design they have created that will help solve the crisis – be it a space ship, a giant earth covering or a firework of healings. To find out about the threats, the deeds and designs go and find knowledge and inspiration in the museum. What is the most serious of all the threats that you will have to fight? Find the answer to this question and discuss how to communicate it. Decide on a design that will help you fight the threats and solve the crisis. Then create the design.

Go to the symposium to present the threat, the design and the solution and be prepared to convince your fellow mutants about your solution.

Write the account about the threat, the deeds and design as it is seen by the end of the 2100^th century, that is, in year 2099.

Group discussions

Wednesday 9:

Theory: Design as Communication

Readings: Roland Barthes (1994). The Semiotic Challenge, pp. 156-159

Method 2: Observation

Readings: Hine, Christine, pp. 141-157

Group decisions

Thursday 10:

Theory: Design in virtual worlds

Readings: Lunenfeld, Peter pp. 112-129

Communication and design

Project work and in-world meetings

Friday 11:

Communication and design

Project work and in-world meetings

Exercise 6:

Write a brief account about your chosen figures and their personal history, identity and deeds. Post the presentation on the blog and comment on the other group presentations

Designing Collaboratively

Video about Designing Together

WEEK 38

Monday 14:

Communication and design

Project work and in-world meetings

Readings: In-world texts

Tuesday 15:

Communication and design

Project work and in-world meetings

Readings: In-world texts

Wednesday 16:

Presentation and evaluation of design

Video production

Written reflections to be posted on the blog

Thursday 17:

In-world events in Metrotopia

Video production

Friday 18: Showtime

Reader

• Bolter, Jay G and Grusin, R. (1999). Remediation. Understanding New Media. Cambridge Mass., London: MIT Press. pp. 20-52.
• Van Leeuwen, Theo (2005). Introducing Social Semiotics. London and New York: Routledge. pp. 3-26.
• Lindhof, Thomas R. (1995). Qualitative Communication Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, London, New Delhi: Sage Publications. pp. 27-61, 132-163
• Guimaraés, M. (2005). Doing Anthropology in Cyberspace: Fieldwork Boundaries and Social Environments. In: Christine Hine (Ed.): Virtual Methods. Issues in Social Research on the Internet. Oxford, New York: Berg. pp. 141-157.
• Barthes, R. (1994). The Semiotic Challenge. California: University of California Press, pp. 156-159.
• Mitchell, W. (1999). Replacing Place. In: Peter Lunenfeld: The Digital Dialectic: New Essays on New Media. Cambridge Mass., London: The MIT Press, pp. 112-129. RUCs book store.
• Schrøder, K. (2001). Beyond the Pioneer Days. Where is Reception Research Going? Nordicom 1, 2001.

Textbook

• Chandler, Richard (2007 2^nd Edition). The Basics of Semiotics. London and New York: Routledge. pp. 1-123, 147-227. RUCs book store, appr. 130 DDK.
• Electronic texts and videos: Available in the Library on the virtual island Metrotopia in Second Life

Welcome to the workshop: Communication and Design in Virtual Worlds

Hi!

We are looking forward to run this workshop together with you here at Roskilde University, module 1, Communication Studies 2009.

Se you all Monday 31 August at 9:30

Avatar Chenet Shan

Sisse Siggaard Jensen, Professor

Avatar Mandal Vlodovic

Ates Gûrsimsek, PhD student