This assignment (750 words, submitted via email) asks you to analyze a serial publication of your choice, focusing on its purpose and design choices. Our thinking on publications can go in a number of directions, including magazines, newspapers, newsletters, journals, etc., online or print. Your analysis should address the following prompts:
- What is the purpose of the publication? What does it aim to achieve?
- What type of articles or other content does it publish? How does this content reflect the larger purpose of the publication? Point to specific examples.
- Why is the publication important or significant? Why should we be interested in it?
While you don’t have to address all the following specific prompts, you should consider them to see how they help you develop your analysis further:
- Look across the top of the publication (or elsewhere as applicable) at the tabs for different sections of types of content. How do these different aspects of the publication and types of content shape your analysis?
- What sort of social media presence does the publication have? How does this shape your understanding and analysis of the publication?
- Look at the bottom of the main page of the publication to see what features or links are there. How do these add to the publication? See if you can find an About/FAQ link or a mission statement. See if you can find a link for advertising.
- Try doing research on your publication to see if you can find other people writing about it. For example, look for a Wikipedia entry (search for “[your publication]” + “wiki”) or search for “review of [your publication].”
Matt King 