CC 397-01: CYBERCULTURE & DIGITAL MEDIA

BRIDGEWATER STATE COLLEGE – FALL 2002

TUESDAY/THURSDAY 1:40-2:55 PM MOAKLEY M220

Dr. Arthur Lizie | alizie@bridgew.edu | webhost.bridgew.edu/alizie

| Office: Library L323 | 508-531-2170

| Hours: M 1:30-2:30; T 3:00-4:00; by appointment

| Blackboard: http://plato.bridgew.edu/

Course Description

This course examines the Internet and related digital, online, and new-media technologies as communication within a range of historical, political, and cultural contexts. The core of this investigation focuses on the ways in which digital media offer innovative channels for humans to share messages and make meaning, with emphasis on the issues of access (digital divide) and the global nature of digital communication (globalization). Through a variety of online and in-class exercises, students will learn and use basic Internet and new media skills, and develop critical-thinking skills while exploring new media environments.

Objectives

1. To develop a working knowledge of Internet terminology, concepts, and communication skills.

2. To understand the historical development of the Internet as a means of communication.

3. To consider differences between “new” and “old” media (print, audio, video).

4. To reflect on different theories about who we are (identity) and how we come together (community) online.

5. To discuss the online state of human rights, democracy, free speech, and privacy.

6. To balance utopian and dystopian views of the Internet.

7. To recognize the role of the Internet and new-media technology in complex political and social concerns such as globalization and the digital divide.

Expected Student Outcomes

From a hands-on perspective, students who successfully complete this course will possess advanced-basic Internet tools and the ability to discuss those skills in an intelligent manner. In addition, successful students will have the ability to approach Internet and new media issues and concerns from a critical, historically and culturally informed vantage point. This combination of technical and cultural methods will equip students with skills crucial for success in future academic and professional endeavors.

Required Texts

Wood, Andrew F. and Matthew J. Smith. Online Communication: Linking Technology, Identity, & Culture. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001.

Additional texts, readings, and artifacts available online through Blackboard

Philosophy

This class is conducted in a lecture-discussion format, supplemented by online and in-class group and individual exercises and activities. It is essential for your success, and the success of the course, that you attend every class and come prepared: Read the assignment before each class and expect to discuss it in class.

This is not a school-designated Web Course, since we usually meet physically rather than virtually. However, this course will require that you spend many hours with a computer preparing for each class, as many readings and references are online. If you do not have the desire to use your computer as a critical learning tool rather than as an entertainment source, do not take this class.

Attendance

Attendance at all class sessions is required. More than two absences will drop your final grade, as will habitual lateness, leaving early, and leaving during class. While I appreciate the information, merely noting your intended absence does not constitute an authorized absence. Authorized absences, in general, include “illness, participation in official college events, personal emergencies and religious holidays” (Course Catalog, p. 52). These absences require third-party documentation. You are responsible for all material covered in your absence.

If you miss an exam without prior authorization, you will receive a 0 for that exam. For an authorized absence, I may substitute an essay or research paper.

Be aware that participation is not the same as attendance. Attendance, which is a minimum requirement, means showing up; Participation, which is an evaluated requirement, means joining in – comments, clarifications, and questions.

Communication

You must have an e-mail address that you read daily, and access to the Internet/Blackboard. If you don’t have a home Internet link, BSC and most public libraries offer access.

Academic Integrity

Acts of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to: cheating on exams; plagiarism (using someone else’s work and passing it off as one’s own); presenting work from another course; purchasing exams or term papers; and submitting work completed by another person.

It is not wrong to consult other works, but you need to document your sources. This means using proper citation if you use someone else’s ideas, and proper citation and quotation marks if you use someone else’s exact words. When in doubt, cite.

This course has a zero-tolerance policy for cheating and plagiarism: Cheat and you get a zero. A documented instance of cheating will result in a zero (0) for the assignment and notification of the Vice President of Academic Affairs as outlined in the Academic Integrity section of the College Catalog (pp. 48-9). This could result in expulsion.

Papers

Written assignments must be typed and double-spaced, with proper margins. Use MLA style to document your work. Do not submit first drafts: edit your work for spelling, punctuation, grammar, and paragraph and sentence structure. I grade papers for form and content: the way you communicate affects what you communicate.

Papers are due during class. For late papers, I drop one grade for each 24-hour period after the end of class.

Missed presentations will be made up at my discretion.

Evaluation

% of Final Grade	Assignment	Grade	Scale
10%	Exam 1	A	93-100
10%	Exam 2	A-	90-92
10%	Exam 3	B+	87-89
20%	Research paper & Presentation	B	83-86
20%	4 response papers	B-	80-82
15%	Web Project	C+	77-79
15%	Participation	C	73-76
		C-	70-72
		D+	67-69
		D	63-66
		D-	60-62
		F	0-59

Schedule of Discussion Topics, Readings, and Assignments

This schedule lists discussion topics, readings from Online Communication and Blackboard links (*), and assignment due dates. Additional materials will be supplied in-class and online. The instructor reserves the right to make minor adjustments to the schedule.

DATE	TOPIC	READING/ASSIGNMENT
R 09 05	Introduction & Expectations · Blackboard, On-Campus Help	OC: Preface
T 09 10	Online Talk · CMC, E-mail, Cyberspace	OC: Chapter 1 *A Beginner's Guide to Effective Email
R 09 12	Internet Terminology & Tools · Browsers, Protocols, Why the “Net”?	OC: Chapter 2 *Surf the Web: Under the Hood of the World Wide Web
T 09 17	History of the Internet · In-class viewing: Nerds 2.0.1, Volume One: Networking The Nerds	*Networking the Nerds

DATE	TOPIC	READING/ASSIGNMENT
R 09 19 ONLINE	Who started the Internet? · Ownership of ideas	*It Was The Audacity Of My Thinking: History Of The Internet
T 09 24	Searching the Web · Search Engines, Directories	*Search Engine Showdown: The User’s Guide to Web Searching RESPONSE 1
R 09 26	Information on the Web · Evaluation, Citation	*Evaluating Information Found on the Internet
T 10 1	TBA
R 10 3		EXAM 1
T 10 8	Examining Identity · Who am I online?	OC: Chapter 3 *Basic Psychological Features of Cyberspace
R 10 10 ONLINE	Online Relationships · Who are we online?	OC: Chapter 4
T 10 15	Virtual Communities · Are we “we” online?	OC: Chapter 6 RESPONSE 2
R 10 17	New Media: Visual	PRESENTATIONS
T 10 22	New Media: Audio	PRESENTATIONS
R 10 24	New Media: News	PRESENTATIONS
T 10 29		EXAM
R 10 31	Democracy · Human rights	OC: Chapter 9 *Regardless of Frontiers
T 11 5	Free Speech · Censorship, Hate groups
DATE	TOPIC	READING/ASSIGNMENT
R 11 7 ONLINE	Privacy · What do they know about us?	*Beyond Concern: Understanding Net Users' Attitudes About Online Privacy
T 11 12	Digital Divide in the US · Is everyone online?	OC: Chapter 8 *Pew Internet & American Life Report RESPONSE 3
R 11 14	Globalization · The Global Net, BBC report: Africa online	*USIC’s State of the Internet 2000: The Global Net (.pdf) *Bridging the digital divide
T 11 19	Online Utopias & Pop Culture · Pre-class viewing: The Matrix, · Utopia: Search for the Ideal Society	OC: Chapter 10 *Utopia: Search for the Ideal Society RESPONSE 4
R 11 21		EXAM
T 11 26	TBA
R 11 28	Thanksgiving – No Class
T 12 3	HTML & Web page creation	OC: Appendix A
R 12 5	HTML & Web page creation
T 12 10	HTML & Web page creation & wrap-up	Web Page due date: TBA