YouTube Group Assignment

50 Points: Group presentations on Monday, June 9 and Wednesday, June 11

50 Points: One- to two-page reflection and evaluation due Wednesday, June 11

As a class, I would like us to consider this question: In what way does YouTube reflect the reality of Asian Americans? How does YouTube address (often in hilarious ways) serious realities that Asians and Asian Americans confront?

During the week of June 4 you will work with about four of your classmates to prepare a 10 to 15-minute presentation about a YouTube channel of your choice that is pertinent to issues that we have raised in this class. Your group will do the presentation for the whole class on either Monday, June 9 or Wednesday, June 11.

Here are the steps for completing this assignment:

  1. Form a group of about five.
  2. Watch a sample of videos over the weekend between May 30 and June 4 so that you can decide which channel and which videos to focus on.
  3. Meet on Monday, June 4 in class. During this meeting you should decide as a group on the channel and videos you will focus on, and you should also decide on your role in the group.
  4. Post something to the blog (for example, what you find interesting about the channel your group has selected).
  5. Do the presentation on Monday, June 9 or Wednesday, June 11.
  6. Turn in your reflection and evaluation on Wednesday, June 11. Be sure to highlight your contributions and what kind of leadership role you took upon yourself.

Here is a list of topics you might discuss:

  • Aesthetics. Why did the person or people who produced the video make the decisions that they did? Did their choices work? Example: Personas. For whom do these choices work?
  • Background of the person or people who produced the video. You might try to contact them.
  • The parts of the page aside from the video. For instance, YouTube statistics, recommendations, ads, and comments.
  • Comparable videos and channels. Genres.

To discuss these topics you should select a sample (one or a few) of the videos to screen for the class, and then situate the videos within the video-makers' work and within broader fields (such as genre and the medium of YouTube itself).

Here are some suggestions for channels:

Back to Top