1. Tech Updates (500-1000 words, due 9:00pm, 10.4).

The short report aims to introduce a latest new media technology in non-technical terms (i.e., rephrased rather than copied from the original sources), which can be an item of hardware, software, or services, which should be correctly identified in the report form. Preferable items include (but are not limited to) the Internet, mobile phone, digital TV and other new media platforms.

In the report, you should 1) describe its technical features, 2) evaluate its commercial potential, and 3) discuss its impact on individuals, organizations (e.g., media, advertising firms, PR departments, web companies, etc.) and the society. TThe report will be judged along these dimenions, plus writing style and correct identification of the above technological categories.

Submit the report in the Tech Update Form.

Notes on the format of the update report:

1. Submit everything of your report directly and entirely into the Tech Update Form. That is, it is not sufficient to submit only a web link to your report that is stored elsewhere (because the link may be broken at some point in the future).
   
2. You can and probably should provide web link(s) to the original source(s) or for additional information. When you do so, please make sure to use HTML hyperlink tag (i.e., "a" tag) to embrace the link(s) to allow the reader to click directly on the link(s). For example, if you want to make a link to MACNM website (http://newmedia.cityu.edu.hk), you need to type < a href="http://newmedia.cityu.edu.hk" >http://newmedia.cityu.edu.hk< / a > (note: there should be no blanks in < a ... > and < / a>; they appear here only for illustration purpose).

How is your group formed? You shall form the group by yourself, with each group consisting 3-4 students. Please report your group membership before 9:00pm, 10.12 by filling in the online form. You can also review or revise your group membership from the membership list.

What is the paper about? The paper should cover two related sections, with about equal length for each section: a) to review a given theory on structure, diffusion, production, consumption, and/or effects of conventional or new media and b) to apply the relevant theory(ies) to a practical issue in Hong Kong or the Greater China region.

What theory should your group work on?You will be assigned a theory from the list of theoretical perspectives covered in the course. When reviewing the theory, focus on the following aspects, with information about both the classic studies and the latest developments:

1. the central hypothesis (or argument, proposition, etc.) stated in the studies reviewed;
2. the research methodology used in the studies;
3. the major findings from the studies;
4. the conclusions and implications drawn by the author(s).

How to apply the theory?Choose a practical issue or problem that bears importance for communication industry and the society; preferably, the issue is something relevant to your work, or currently under debate. Use the theory reviewed above to discuss the following three aspects:

1. a detailed description of the characteristic(s) (or symptoms) of the issue/problem;
2. a theoretical analysis of possible cause(s) of the issue/problem;
3. a theoretically-informed discussion of possible solution(s) to the issue/problem.

How to submit the paper? Submit a softcopy to the Assignment page of COM5101 on Blackboard, where the paper will be subject to plagiriasm check by Turnitin. You will see a similarity score reported back after a few minutes (or hours depending on the traffic). You can revise and resubmit your paper multiple times before the deadline. Submission (either before and after the deadline) to the instructor's email account will not be accepted. To play safe, you're strongly advised to submit well ahead of time.

What format to use for the paper?

1. Only Microsoft Word or PDF file is permitted.
2. Name your file as "xxxx paper.doc" (where "xxx" = your group ID, to be assigned after 10.12).
3. Don't use Chinese to name your file because the server doesn't support Chinese file name.
4. If you want to update your paper, please upload it again. The later version will always overwrite the previous version.
5. New: The paper should be 4,000-5,000 words long, exclusive of references, tables, figures, and all other appendices. Use 12-point font, single space between lines, with an extra line between paragraphs.

Instructions for Research Students:

1. Each research student is required to write a paper on his/her own.
2. Focus on section a of the above (i.e., theoretical review without practical application). However, the review should be much elaborated than the outline above. Specifically, you need to review the entire evolution of the chosen theory(ies) and the relevant research, including the latest modifications and extensions, in a format similar to Zhu and Blood (1997) listed in the additional readings.
3. Fully discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the theory(ies) based on Chaffee-Berger's criteria.
4. Comparative review of two or more complementary or competing theories are encouraged.
5. Make the paper 5,000-6,000 words long, exclusive of references, tables, figures, and all other appendices and follow all other format requirements above.

3. Final Exam (12.8).

The exam will cover the textbook, additional readings, and class lectures, with each accounting for roughly one-third of the exam. It is in close-book, with the following format: a) definition of key concepts and b) short essay questions. A review list will be announced near the end of the semester.