My name is John Haydon. I’m currently a student at UMass Boston, a single dad, and a songwriter.
This blog started out as a journal for a media studies class I took in the summer of 2008 at UMass Boston. After finishing the class, I decided to continue posting my observations regarding corporate media and local media. At some point, I’d like to be active in a local media project.
As stated in the syllabus:
“Media and Community Building will explore the importance of media and electronic communication in creating and maintaining community. The course will examine the expanding ensemble of practices and technological applications [print, audio, radio, video, television, computer communication and the Internet] now being put to use as means of empowerment and communication supporting community building and social change. We will also explore the potential of media to destroy communities through misrepresentation, under representation and stereotyping and delve into the economic and regulatory policies that underpin both the creation and destruction of communities.
The class will be introduced to leaders in the growing fields of community media, community technology, media arts, community networking and the independent media movement. The class will also survey a number of community media organizations and practices, view / listen to videoblogs and podcasts from professionals in the field, and read a number of articles and essays that explore the range of historical and contemporary uses of community media.”
The instructor for the class was Ali Farhoodi.
