Schedule

(Johnson, Clear My Schedule. There's Yarn on the Floor.) Except for the final exam period, these dates may be adjusted to reflect our progress (or lack of it). Assigned readings more than two weeks ahead may be changed. This means that you should check this page regularly for updates.
 

This page last changed on Saturday, 24 Sep 2016.
 

  Weekly Questions are due every Thu at 1 p.m.  

(Photo credit: catplanet.org)


Week 1: What is a Feed? (and Who Cares?)
6 Sep (Tu), 8 Sep (Th)

please carefully read the syllabus (this Web site)
read Donath Ch. 5 Our Evolving Super-Networks
read Marwick Ch. 5 Lifestreaming
no weekly question this week

Week 2: Algorithms and Relevance
13 Sep (Tu), 15 Sep (Th)

read Malick Facebook's News Feed: Often Changed, Never Great
read Gillespie Digital Keywords: Algorithm (excerpt)
read Gillespie The Relevance of Algorithms
watch Focus on Feed (2010) only until 14:13
watch How News Feed Works (2016)
weekly questions begin (Thursday)

Week 3: Feed UX Design
20 Sep (Tu), 22 Sep (Th)

read Donath Ch. 3 Interfaces Make Meaning
read Donath Ch. 6 Visible Conversations
read Lapides et al. News Feed: What's In It For Me?
read Eslami et al. "I always assumed that I wasn't really that close to [her]"

Week 4: Feeds From the Other Side (Advertisers)
27 Sep (Tu), 29 Sep (Th)

read Searls Ch. 2 The Advertising Bubble
read Herrman The Attention Brokers
read Herrman & Macher What the Hell With This Verizon/AOL Thing?
examine the 2016 display ad LumaScape (click the full-screen button)
watch Understanding Programmatic Digital Advertising (video; ~4 mins)
exam #1 study guide released (Thursday)

Week 5: Weird Feeds (Alternative Platforms)
4 Oct (Tu), 6 Oct (Th)

exam #1 (Thursday)

Week 6: Platform and Business Strategies (I)
11 Oct (Tu), 13 Oct (Th)

Week 7: Platform and Business Strategies (II)
18 Oct (Tu): Fall Break -- NO CLASS, 20 Oct (Th)

Week 8: Bots, Feed Farming, and Clickbait
25 Oct (Tu), 27 Oct (Th)

Week 9: Evil Feeds (Censorship, Bias, and Other Woes)
1 Nov (Tu), 3 Nov (Th)

Week 10: Feeds, Time, and Memory
8 Nov (Tu), 10 Nov (Th)

exam #2 study guide released (Tuesday)

Week 11: Metrics, Quantification, and Visualization (I)
15 Nov (Tu), 17 Nov (Th)

exam #2 (Tuesday)

Week 12: Metrics, Quantification, and Visualization (II)
22 Nov (Tu), 24 Nov (Th): Thanksgiving Break -- NO CLASS

Week 13: Social Navigation, Social Search
22 Nov (Tu), 24 Nov (Th)

Week 14: Platforms and Norms Across Cultures
29 Nov (Tu), 1 Dec (Th)

Week 15: Privacy, Transparency, and Accountability in/of Feeds
6 Dec (Tu), 8 Dec (Th)

exam #3 study guide released (Tuesday)

Week 16: Life After #SocialFeeds
13 Dec (Tu)

last day of class (Tuesday) exam #3 (Tuesday)

Finals Week: Final Project Fair
21 Dec (W): 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.,
Location TBD.

(Counts as FINAL EXAM, attendance required.)
See more details on the Final Projects Page.


"It is impossible to work in information technology without also engaging in social engineering."
    --Jaron Lanier, computer scientist