JOUR130: Self-Presentation in the Age of YouTube
In today’s world of evolving technology, individuals need to be able to present themselves effectively in front of different audiences through various kinds of outlets. This course focuses on the key principles and techniques of public speaking and aims to strengthen students’ skills of oral communication by providing them with opportunities to speak on a variety of topics under different scenarios. Meanwhile, students will also learn to make their voice heard by more people outside of the classroom through self-produced video presentations on social media platforms, such as Youtube and Vimeo.
Highlights of the course:
- This is a non-traditional public speaking course. It combines knowledge of new media technologies and public speaking skills. Besides key principles and techniques of public speaking, we are going to explore and utilize new media tools such as Twitter, Storify, YouTube and Xtranormal to spread your ideas. This class will help you become confident in giving speeches, conducting interviews, and producing as well as sharing your own audios and videos online. Each of you will walk out of the class proudly with a video production of your own on a topic of your interest.
- There will be a field trip to the Newseum in downtown D.C. (Free of charge for students in this class). Experienced and active journalists/anchors and public relations specialists in D.C. might be invited to share their stories in the "real world."
- This class adopts a student-centered approach to teaching. It requires active input from YOU, the students. It is going to be fun and interactive. There will be a good number of in-class projects, presentations, and discussions. Some of your speeches will be recorded.
- Everything will be online. Textbooks are optional. Reading materials will be posted online. Your homework will also be turned in online. A class website is coming soon!
Click here for course meeting times. Sample Course Syllabus available here. Enrollment limit: 18.
Instructor Information
This course is taught by Jing Guo. Jing Guo was trained as a bilingual broadcaster at a top broadcast journalism program in Beijing. Before moving to the US, she worked with China Central Television to produce one of their largest TV documentaries, The Lancang-Mekong River, and served as a part-time reporter and video editor with Hunan TV and Broadcast Corp. While working on her master's degree in mass communication in Miami University, she produced and broadcast news for WMUB, NPR in the Cincinnati area.
In the past five years, she taught and helped teach courses on Media Literacy, TV Production, International Journalism, and Journalism History. At UMD, she is currently an international teaching fellow with the Center for Teaching Excellence. Meanwhile, as a doctoral candidate in journalism studies at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, she examines various research topics that lie at the intersection of journalism, intercultural communication and cognitive psychology.
Jing Guo has presented many research projects at national and regional journalism and communication conferences. She won a top-paper award with her colleague and now has multiple journal articles under review.
