TC375: New Media, Old Media

Dr. Nicole Ellison

Dept. of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media, Michigan State University

Fall, 2006

Content and Reading Schedule

Primary texts

Thurlow, C., Lengel, L. & Tonic, A. (2004). Computer-Mediated Communication: Social Interaction and the Internet. Thousand Oaks : Sage.

A course reader will be available from the Ned’s on Grand River (across from the Union ). Please note that these readings are required for the course and will be covered in exams. If you aren’t able to access the readings for any reason, you should discuss this with the instructor.

NOTE: “CMC” refers to the Thurlow, Lengel, and Tonic text.

Date

Topic

Readings Due

Tues., Aug. 29, 2006

Introductions and Syllabus

“BT 1: Defining CMC” (CMC, 13-22)

Strongly recommended: “Intro 1: For students” (CMC, 1-7)

Thurs., Aug. 31, 2006

History of the Internet 

 Rheingold "Visionaries and Convergences: The Accidental History of the Net" (http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/3.html). Warning: this is a long article; you may need to skim sections

to check out: http://www.smartmobs.com

Recommended: Computer History Museum Exhibit on Internet History: http://www.computerhistory.org/exhibits/internet_history/

Tues., Sept. 05, 2006

History of the WWW

“BT 2: Situating CMC” (CMC, 25-33)

Kelly, "We are the Web" (online at http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.08/tech.html ) (note: article is 5 pages long)

Thurs., Sept. 07, 2006

Online Journalism/Blogs

Hiler, "Blogosphere: the emerging Media Ecosystem" (online at http://www.microcontentnews.com/articles/blogosphere.htm )

Selected pages from Pew Internet report on Bloggers (online at http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/186/report_display.asp  (click on ‘View PDF of Report’); Read the following sections only: Summary of Findings, Part 2, 3, and 5)

Recommended: Pew Report, "Internet as a unique news source" summary of findings only (online at http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_News_Images_July04.pdf )

Recommended: Hourihan, "What we are doing when we blog" (online at http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/javascript/2002/06/13/megnut.html )

Tues., Sept. 12, 2006

Internet Credibility

Complete the "Internet Detective" online tutorial at http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/

“FW 1: Searching and Researching on the Internet”  (CMC, 163-169)

Thurs., Sept. 14, 2006

Wikis, blogs continued

Schiff, "'Know it All" (from The New Yorker, online at http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060731fa_fact )

WA1 Due

Recommended: Lanier, "Digital Maoism" (online at http://edge.org/3rd_culture/lanier06/lanier06_index.html )

 

Recommended: Rosenberg , "Fear of links" (online at http://www.salon.com/tech/col/rose/1999/05/28/weblogs/ )

Tues., Sept. 19, 2006

CMC Theories

“BT 3: Theorizing CMC” (CMC, 35-43)

Grossman, "Penguins, Predictions, and Technological Optimism" (from Technological Visions, in PACKET)

Thurs., Sept. 21, 2006

Interpersonal CMC

“BT 4: Describing CMC: Interpersonal Dynamics” (CMC, 45-55)

 Walther & Parks, "Cues Filtered Out, Cues Filtered In" pp 529-452 (in ANGEL)

Tues., Sept. 26, 2006

Online Identity

“CI 2: Online Identity: Real or Virtual?” (CMC, 95-105)

WA2 Due

 Who Am We? Interview with Sherry Turkle in Wired (online at http://www.wired.com/wired/archive//4.01/turkle.html?person=sherry_turkle&topic_set=wiredpeople ) (Note: read all ten pages)

Thurs., Sept. 28, 2006

Catch-up and Review

Tues., Oct. 03, 2006

EXAM 1

Thurs., Oct. 05, 2006

CMC in Groups

“BT 5: Explaining CMC: Group Dynamics” (CMC, 58-67)

“BT6: Contexualizing CMC: "Flaming" and Embedded Media” (CMC, 69-80)

Tues., Oct. 10, 2006

Online Communities

“CI3 3: Online Communities: Real or Imagined?” (CMC, 107-116)

WA3 Due

Rheingold, "The Heart of the Well" (online at http://www.well.com/user/hlr/vcbook/vcbook1.html

Thurs., Oct. 12, 2006

Virtual Communities Governance.

Dibbell, A Rape in Cyberspace (available online: http://www.juliandibbell.com/texts/bungle.html ) (contains descriptions of sexuality and violence)

Tues., Oct. 17, 2006

Ethics, Digital Divide, Race Online

Nakamura, "Race in/for cyberspace" (online at http://www.humanities.uci.edu/mposter/syllabi/readings/nakamura.html )

“CI 1: Online Ethics and International Inequities” (CMC, 82-92)

Thurs., Oct. 19, 2006

Gender and Technology

AAUW, "Tech Savvy" pages ix -xiii (pdf available online at http://www.aauw.org/member_center/publications/TechSavvy/TechSavvy.pdf )

WA4 Due

Bruckman, Finding One's Own in Cyberspace (available online as PDF and Word doc at http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/~asb/papers/old-papers.html#tr )

“CI 5: Women and the Internet” (CMC, 129-135)

Tues., Oct. 24, 2006

Privacy

Consumer Reports on RFID (in ANGEL)

Rheingold, "The Era of Sentient Things" (in packet)

Recommended: Letter from EPIC to Brittan Elementary School in Sutter , CA , online at http://www.epic.org/privacy/rfid/brittan-letter.pdf

Thurs., Oct. 26, 2006

Copyright

Boynton, "The Tyranny of Copyright" (in ANGEL)

Recommended: "The Creators Own Ideas" from Technology Review (http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=14503&ch=infotech )

Tues., Oct. 31, 2006

Review

Thurs., Nov. 02, 2006

EXAM 2

Tues., Nov. 07, 2006

Political aspects of CMC

"My Nike Media Adventure" (online at http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010409/peretti )

Pew Internet Report, "Internet and Democratic Debate" Summary of Findings and Part 7 (Conclusions) only (online at http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/141/report_display.asp )

“FA1: Political Communication in CMC” (CMC, 199-201)

Thurs., Nov. 09, 2006

Gaming

Jenkins, "Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked " online at http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/impact/myths.html

Guest lecturer: Dr. Cliff Lampe

Thompson, Game Theories (in ANGEL)

Recommended: "Making of an Xbox Warrior" (in ANGEL)

site to view: http://www.factcheck.org/

Tues., Nov. 14, 2006

Hacking

Thomas, Rethinking the Cyberbody (chapter from Technological Visions; in PACKET)

Recommended: "Two views of hacking" (http://www.cnn.com/TECH/specials/hackers/qandas/ ) NOTE: Read both full interviews

Thurs., Nov. 16, 2006

No class meeting: In lieu of meeting, students are responsible for attending Mobile Technologies lecture on 11/20/2006 at 3pm or viewing videotape

Tues., Nov. 21, 2006

Social Software

Donath & boyd, "Public displays of connection" (pdf available online at http://www.danah.org/papers/PublicDisplays.pdf)

 

site to view: http://www.thefacebook.com

Thurs., Nov. 23, 2006

THANKSGIVING: No Class

Tues., Nov. 28, 2006

Technology in the Organization

Brown & Duguid, "Home Alone" online at http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue5_4/brown_chapter3.html

Social Life of Paper (available online at http://www.gladwell.com/2002/2002_03_25_a_paper.htm)

Thurs., Nov. 30, 2006

Design

Parker, "Absolute PowerPoint" (online at http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~wilkins/group/powerpt.html)

“Topic 8: Visual Communication"(CMC, 224-227)

Tufte, PowerPoint does Rocket Science - Skim, Don't need to read comments at bottom of page. (online at http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0001yB&topic_id=1)

Recommended: "How People with Disabilities Use the Web" (online at http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/Overview.html)

Recommended: Norman , exerpt from Design of Everyday Things (in ANGEL)

Tues., Dec. 05, 2006

Future of the Internet

Pew Internet report on "The Future of the Internet," read the executive summary and one of the predictions (available online at http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Future_of_Internet.pdf)

Thurs., Dec. 07, 2006

Review

Monday, Dec. 11

3:00-5:00 p.m.

Final Exam