With film of a baby laughing hysterically or a bawling fan blubbering about Britney Spears, videos on YouTube.com tend to lure students away from their studies.
For a class at a private, liberal arts college in California, students’ entire grade depends on posting, watching or commenting on such videos.
Alexandra Juhasz, a Pitzer College media studies professor, introduced a “Learning from YouTube” class this fall. The course examines how the video posting site has become what Juhasz calls a “major cultural force.”
All class sessions are filmed and posted, and have received thousands of hits since the class’ Sept. 4 debut.
“It’s been quite a shock,” Juhasz said of the buzz her class has created. “I thought this might happen, but you can never plan for as much attention as this.”
Juhasz said she had been “underwhelmed” by content on YouTube.com, which she visited on occasion since its launch two years ago.
“It seemed like a tremendous opportunity for self expression and community building, but I wasn’t really seeing a whole lot there,” she said. “Some of the videos on YouTube we may look at in class come off as superficial or unimportant, and as a class, we’ll ask important, meaty questions. Why are we drawn to videos like these? What are some of the limitations of new media?”
Juhasz said critics have dismissed her class as “a bunch of college students watching bad videos for credit.” MSU professor Gary Hoppenstand said dismissive arguments like these are regrettable.
“At first glance, a single course on YouTube seems amusing, but something about it makes good sense,” Hoppenstand said.
College programs like film studies were dismissed as students sitting around, watching movies and eating popcorn 20 years ago, he said.
“I think it’s important to understand something that millions of people are engaged in,” he said. “These are the kinds of topics where doors need to be opened, not shut.”
MSU professor William Vincent, who is teaching two film studies courses this fall, said he supported the idea of such a class.
“YouTube is a phenomenon that’s part of a trend toward a world where anyone can make a movie and anyone can have their movie seen,” he said.
Vincent has used the site to watch and give feedback to students who made films and posted them on the Web site.
“To study (YouTube) in terms of contemporary culture — I don’t see why you wouldn’t,” he said.
About three weeks into the class, Juhasz said she’s not yet sure how her experimental course will turn out.
“Either this class will crash and burn, or it could be really cool,” she said.
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