SemesterSpring Semester, 2025
DepartmentMaster's Program in Global Communication and Innovation Technology, First Year Master's Program in Global Communication and Innovation Technology, Second Year Master's Program in Global Communication and Innovation Technology, Third Year
Course NameDigital Narratives and New Media Technology
InstructorCOOK CHRISTINE LINDA
Credit3.0
Course TypeElective
Prerequisite
Course Objective
Course Description
Course Schedule

























































































































































Course Schedule & Requirements



 

Week

Date

Topic

Course Content

Required Readings

Notes

1

18/02

Introduction



 



 



 



 



 

  • Introducing the instructor

  • Going through the syllabus with students

  • Q&A with instructor

N/A

Please bring something you can use to fill out a digital survey!

2

25/02

Writing a fictional story – Part I

  • The anatomy of a story

  • Story formats: The Novella

  • Story formats: The Script

1, 2

N/A

3

04/03

Flexible Learning Week – Work on your assignment!

4

11/03

Writing a fictional story – Part II

  • Vocabulary choices and target audiences

  • Writing practice (demand writing)

3, 4

Please bring something to write with – either pencil and paper or a laptop.

5

18/03

Emotions & Narrative

  • Basic theories of emotion (media and traditional psychology)

  • Creating self-transcendent experiences



Topics of importance around the world

5, 6, 7

N/A

6

25/03

Guest Lecture – Dr. Velli-Matti Karhulahti

This will be a guest lecture given by an esteemed expert on video games, one of the newest ways to tell a story using new media technology. He will discuss how narrative works in video games and their unique considerations.

N/A

First written assignment due by 11:59pm

7

01/04

Crafting a real-life story

  • How real-life stories are different from fictional ones

  • Journalism vs. “based on a true story”

  • Writing practice (demand writing)

8, 9

Please bring something to write with – either pencil and paper or a laptop.

8

08/04

Formatting and New Media

  • Learning basic video editing

  • Presenting journalistic topics in short form and long form

  • Reviewing and evaluating short documentaries

N/A

N/A

9

15/04

Immersive Storytelling

  • Initial workshop from expert “game master” with over 20+ years’ experience of D&D

  • Learning about ARG’s and LARPing

  • Integrating technology into immersive storytelling experiences

13

N/A

10

22/04

Midterm Presentations

We will look at all the photojournalism projects as a class and have the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback.

N/A

Be sure to bring multiple copies of your project, on a USB and in the cloud!

11

29/04

The Power of Stories

This will be a class discussion in which we discuss how stories, both fictional and real, can dramatically impact individual lives and society at large.

N/A

Please come ready with your favourite fictional and non-fiction stories to discuss!

12

06/05

Guest Speaker – Prof. Dr. Alfred Hermida (I)



 

The business of digital journalism: Funding models, audiences and sustainability

10, 11

N/A

13

13/05

Guest Speaker – Prof. Dr. Alfred Hermida (II)

Media innovation: Approaches to innovation in digital journalism

N/A

Second written assignment due by 11:59pm

14

20/05

Guest Speaker – Prof. Dr. Alfred Hermida (III)

Sharing of news: Evolving audience engagement with news on social media

N/A

N/A

15

27/05

Visit – National Palace Museum

We will be going to the National Palace Museum, one of the largest in Taiwan, to experience their virtual and augmented reality exhibits and see the integration of new media to bring history to life.

12

Transportation to be arranged individually.

16

03/06

Creating Short-Form Content

This class will consist of an in-class activity in which students will create short-form journalistic content in pairs which we will watch in class and give feedback to one another.

N/A

Make sure to bring something to record with, such as a phone or tablet!

17

10/06

Flexible Learning Week – Work on your final project!

18

17/06

Final Presentations

We will watch all the final content pieces and have the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback.

Final audiovisual project due



 

Be sure to bring multiple copies of your project, cloud and physical!

Teaching Methods
Teaching Assistant

Natalie Lin (111ZM1005@g.nccu.edu.tw)


Requirement/Grading

  • Written Assignments       40%

    • The course includes two written assignments: one writing a fictional story (20%), and one writing a journalistic-style story (20%).

      • Fictional Story = 2000-3000 words

      • Journalistic Story = 1000-2000 words



    • Specific writing prompts will be given on March 11, 2025 (fictional story) and April 29, 2025 (journalistic-style story).

    • These are individual assignments that can be submitted by e-mail to Dr. Cook at christinelcook@outlook.com by the due dates indicated in the schedule.

    • Specific rubrics will be discussed in class, but the following is a rough outline of how each project will be graded:

      • English quality, including word choice, orthography, and grammar (40%)

      • Story structure follows what was taught in class (30%)

      • For journalism, accuracy of information (15%) – for fictional story, presence of a discernible theme or message (15%).

      • Following the word count (%10)

      • Creativity (5%)





  • Projects                              50%

    • There will be two projects that need to be completed in this class. The first one (20%), to be presented at the midterm point, will be a photojournalism project where students design a mini-newspaper, while the second one (30%), to be presented at the end of the course, will be an audiovisual project (video) telling a real-life story, either current or historical.

    • These will be group projects. The first will consist of a single or double-page pdf document with images and the second will be a video whose duration will depend on the size of the group:

      • 2 people = 1000 words, 3 images/7 minutes

      • 3 people = 1500 words, 4 images/12 minutes

      • 4 people = 2000 words, 5 images/15 minutes



    • Specific rubrics will be discussed in class, but a general outline of the grading is as follows:

      • Followed the story structure as instructed in class [40%]

      • Effectively made use of the correct equipment for the job [10%]

      • Incorporated techniques mentioned by industry speakers throughout the course, as appropriate to the format adopted by the student(s) [10%]

      • Clear and understandable English – as it is spoken English, and targeted at a non-academic audience, written grammar and word choice will not be graded, but it must be easily understood by the instructors [15%]

      • Included … [20%]

        • Accurate information [15%]

        • Inclusion of footage relevant to the story [5%]



      • Creativity/Originality [5%]





  • Late projects and assignments will be docked 5% per 24-hour period that they are late, to a maximum of 20% of the total project grade lost. Projects and assignments submitted more than a week late will not be graded and will receive a 0.

  • Attendance                        10%

    • Because this class has several guest lecturer appearances that will not be recorded, and includes in-class discussions and field trips, attendance is mandatory.

    • Unless 24-hour notice is given alongside a valid excuse (these are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but include medical incidents and bereavement), 0.5% of the final grade will be removed for each class missed, to a maximum of 10% of the total grade.




Textbook & Reference

  1. Barros, L. M., & Musse, S. R. (2005). Introducing narrative principles into planning-based interactive storytelling. In ACE ’05: Proceedings of the 2005 ACM SIGCHI International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (pp. 35-42). https://doi.org/10.1145/1178477.1178482

  2. Rolfe, B., Jones, C. M., & Wallace, H. (2010). Designing dramatic play: Story and game structure. In Proceedings of HCI 2010 (pp. 448-452). https://doi.org/10.14236/ewic/HCI2010.54

  3. Glatch, S. (2020, August 24). The importance of word choice in writing. Writers.com. Accessed April 27, 2022. Retrieved from https://writers.com/word-choice-in-writing

  4. Sitar, D. (2019, February 6). Who is your target audience? Use this simple trick to figure out if they actually exist. Writer’s Digest. Accessed April 27, 2022. Retrieved from https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-faqs/does-your-target-audience-exist-use-this-simple-trick-to-figure-it-out

  5. Rieger, D., Frischlich, L., & Oliver, M. B. (2018). Meaningful entertainment experiences and self-transcendence: Cultural variations shape elevation values, and moral intentions. The International Communication Gazette, 80(7), 658-676. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048518802218

  6. Oliver, M. B., Raney, A. A., Slater, M. D., Appel, M., Hartmann, T., Bartsch, A., … & Das, E. (2018). Self-transcendent media experiences: Taking meaningful media to a higher level. Journal of Communication, 68(2), 380-389. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqx020

  7. Tamborini, R., Bowman, N. D., Eden, A., Grizzard, M., & Organ, A. (2010). Defining media enjoyment as the satisfaction of intrinsic needs. Journal of Communication, 60, 758-777. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2010.01513.x

  8. Meleen, M. (2022). Core difference between fiction and nonfiction writing. YourDictionary. Accessed April 27, 2022. Retrieved from https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/writing/core-difference-between-fiction-and-nonfiction-writing.html

  9. The University of Ari Writing Center. (2021). Journalistic writing. The University of Ari: Global Cam Writing Center. Retrieved from https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/journalistic-writing

  10. Küng, L. (2017). Going digital: A roadmap for organisational transformation. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

  11. Hermida, A., & Young, M. L. (2021). Journalism innovation in a time of survival. In M. Luengo & S. Herrera-Damas (Eds.), News Media Innovation Reconsidered: Ethics and Values in a Creative Reconstruction of Journalism (pp. 40-52). Wiley-Blackwell.

  12. Shehade, M., & Stylianou-Lambert, T. (2020). Virtual reality in museums: Exploring the experiences of museum professionals. Applied sciences, 10(11), 4031. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10114031

  13. Geek & Sundry. (2017). Write One-Shot RPG Campaigns! (GM Tips w/ Matt Mercer) [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0fP5x-O9lg


Urls about Course
Here is the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/d7Tiz2LAk8nqedWf/ Please only join if you are actively taking the class or auditing.
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