Social Media and Participatory Culture online class for Summer 2013

Here's the initial description for a new course I am developing and have the green light to offer through distance-learning this summer:

For the month of June 2012, Facebook had one trillion page views with 870 million unique visitors, or nearly 47% of all Web users. It is clear that social media is not just a fad that indulges our narcissistic and voyeuristic pleasures, but a powerful communication tool. This course explores the reach and potential of various social media channels from multiple perspectives. We will look at the conventional use of social media in marketing, but also as forms of individual expression and social group communication. We will also examine the place of social media in a larger participatory culture of reality TV and user-generated content.

And, in true social-media-crowd-sourcing fashion, I'd like anyone and everyone's input. Let me know your ideas, resources, projects...