As Bill Wasik writes in his Wired article, flash mobs range from pranks in public places to demonstrations that bring down dictators. Flash mobs have also made headlines recently in Maryland as people are using them as a way to rob local convenient stores. As the originator of the earliest version of the flash mob, Wasik notes that these were intended to be “good-natured spectacles, and they often involved the crowd performing some benign group action: bowing before a robotic dinosaur, making birdcalls in Central Park. Like the violent mobs, though, they were highly spontaneous; the crowd was told where they were going and what they would do there only minutes beforehand. And the goal of the get-togethers was not to entertain but, if I may borrow a phrase, to ‘link up and cause havic.’”

As a section, you will come up with an idea for a flash mob, implement that flash mob, and document your actions. The form this documentation takes will be unique for each section. As you brainstorm ideas for your flash mob, you should take into consideration the history of flash mobs and the various ethical dimensions that flash mobs raise. Your flash mob must take place somewhere outside of Queen Anne’s Hall and can be performed anywhere in the DC-Baltimore area (including sites on campus). Your performances or interventions should either highlight or subvert the social norms of that public space.

As a group, you will decide on the most effective way to document your flash mob (in consultation with your professor). Each student will turn in their own version of this documentation and present this in your sections.

You will be graded on the following criteria:

Well chosen public space for this particular flash mob

• Documentation effectively chronicles the flash mob
• Original and creative approach to documentation
• Documentation demonstrates skill in chosen medium
• Effective use of technology for collective organizing
• Innovative use of the iPad
• Effectively intervenes in the everyday life of the public space
• Project demonstrates collaborative effort
• Builds upon and extends previous models of flash mobs
• Project goes above and beyond the parameters of the assignment

The flash mob and documentation must be complete and turned in at the beginning of your section the week of February 13. This assignment is worth 10% of your final grade. No late work will be accepted.