Paul Mason Fotsch, Ph.D.
http://www.csun.edu/~pfotsch/
email:
office: Manzanita Hall 348
Comm Studies Office: Manzanita Hall 220
Office hours: Tuesday, Thursday 12:30-1:30, and by appointment
Communication Studies 454
Communication and Technology Fall 2008
Course Description and Objectives:
This course examines the development of information technologies (and specifically the Internet) from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Politicians, corporate media spokespersons, and scholars alike have joined in the chorus pronouncing the information age the final revolution in human social, political, and economic institutions. For years now we have been bombarded by the discourse of cyberspace, virtual reality, the information superhighway, electronic communities, etc., but the media offer little in the way of a frame of reference from which to evaluate the various claims being made about these developments in communication technology.
This course helps students build such a perspective by introducing both the analytical and the technological skills necessary to understand and navigate information society. Theoretical topics include the history, ideology and current cultural uses of "information," the models of sociality, community and commerce that underlie & permeate the Internet, and the cultural significance of the networked societies within which we live.
As Lawrence Lessig insists, "Cyberspace is built, not found," -- and WE are the ones who are building it. The Communication Studies discipline offers a wealth of scholarly, critical research and analysis of the computer-mediated environment we move in, and its various components and functions. We understand that we construct our social reality and our virtual reality through communication practices, which are framed by ideology. We know that culture is a process accomplished through communication. In this class we will examine how our experience of social reality shapes the ways we communicate on the internet, and also how our use of technology to communicate is changing the ways we relate to our physical and social world.
We will explore this process of mutual influence: just as technological developments enable and constrain communication norms and practices, so too do the ways we use communication technology enable and constrain its future development. Indeed, we invent the technology we can imagine, and the horizon of our imagination is based in our current uses of and needs for technology.
Practical topics include the use of email, newsgroups and the World Wide Web to communicate effectively. Students will learn how to analyze and evaluate web-based messages, and to design web pages using the HyperText Markup Language (HTML). More importantly, students will develop a critical vocabulary and methodology to evaluate the ways current technologies are shaping how we communicate on personal, communal and global levels, and in turn how we are shaping technology in our uses of it.
Required Texts:
Available from My Website:
How to install and use the CSUN Virtual Private Network (VPN): http://www.csun.edu/~it/services/vpnmain.html
how to publish a web page at CSUN: https://www.csun.edu/~csunitr/guides/webpublishing/general.html
My First Website HTML tutorial:
http://www.yourhtmlsource.com/myfirstsite/
Literature Reviews:
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html
Available at Matador bookstore:
Manuel Castells, The Internet Galaxy.
Gerard Goggin, Cell Phone Culture
Available at ASAP copy at Prairie & Reseda:
Readings with an * are from a Reading packet.
Recommended Texts:
Elizabeth Castro, Creating a Web Page with HTML: Visual QuickProject Guide
A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker
Pocket Dictionary
College Dictionary
Course Requirements
Blog 15 pts Due Weekly
Simple Web Site 10 pts Due: 10/2
Midterm 10 pts 10/30
Short Presentation: 10 pts 11/25-12/9
Research Paper: 25 pts Due: 12/9
Final Exam 20 pts 12/11: 3pm
Attendance/ Participation 10 pts
Email and Grades
This is an internet campus. All information for this university is now only officially provided via the internet. This means you are required to have internet access and an email account. However, grades CANNOT be given over the email for security purposes, so do not request information on grades via email. If you would like to discuss a grade for a particular assignment please make an appointment to see me.
Attendance and Participation
Students are required to attend every class and be on time. There are NO excused absences! Emergencies of various kinds--illness or death in the family, job conflicts, automobile accidents--unfortunately happen every semester. If something of this kind should happen, please do not bring me any documentation such as a doctor's note or a receipt from the towing company. Unfortunately, there is no way of making up a missed class, but missing one or two classes will not harm your grade. This is why you should make an extra effort to never miss class. If you have a problem that requires missing multiple classes, and you are concerned about its impact on your grade, you should come see me.
I take attendance at the beginning of class, so if you are late do not assume I have counted you as here. You can tell me after class, and I will mark you as here but with a blue pen indicating you were late. Students who miss class or regularly show up late will lose points. If you miss class, please do not ask me what you missed, instead acquire the notes on what you missed from a fellow student. Please exchange phone numbers with at least two student partners with whom you can share notes, in case one of you misses class.
Please do not use your laptops during class! Of course this also holds true for cellphones or other electronic devices. An open laptop makes it difficult for us to look at one another and be focused on what the other is saying. Texting during class is simply juvenile. Participation is just as much about attentive listening and focusing on what others are saying as contributing your own voice.
Students must be prepared to discuss the readings and participate in class discussions in a respectful manner. Students who whisper or speak to their neighbor while someone else is trying to be heard will lose points. If you must communicate with your neighbor during class, passing notes, even texting, is more respectful.
If after a particular class I judge someone to have been especially disruptive, I will mark a green line for their attendance that day. Having many green days will seriously harm your grade. If you feel that your neighbor is causing you to talk, I strongly recommend sitting next to someone else.
Examples of attendance and participation grades:
10 pts= Student attends every class or nearly every class, participates when given the opportunity and listens respectfully to the contributions of others.
9 pts= Student attends every class but almost never speaks in class, even when called upon.
8 pts= Student attends class regularly, but is often checking the cellphone or reading non-class materials (e.g school newspaper) rather than following discussion.
7 pts= Student misses more than 5 hours of class time, regularly comes late to class or leaves early.
6 pts= Student attends nearly every class but often whispers while other students are talking.
The instructor is also responsible for showing up on time as well as being prepared to facilitate learning through respectful engagement with students and provide thoughtful and responsible assessment of student learning.
Research Paper:
Your paper is due at the beginning of class except in cases of true emergency that are discussed beforehand with the instructor. DO NOT HAND ME A DISK OR SEND ME AN EMAIL ATTACHMENT! The paper should be typewritten, double spaced, printed on white paper and be fastened with a staple in the upper left-hand corner. If you do not have a stapler, use one at the library! Do NOT use a cover page or any additional binding material. Simply place your name, professor name, class in the top left hand corner, type your paper title--centered and bolded--then begin writing. Use APA style for all citations.
LATE PAPERS: It is hard to predict breakdowns, illnesses, deaths in the families and other tragedies large and small. For this reason you should always get an early start on your assignment and not wait until the last minute! Do not bring me a funeral program, note from your doctor or towing receipt as an excuse for a late paper. Each day a paper is turned in late one tenth of a point (.1) will be taken off. This will be determined by the date submitted to turnitin.com (see below). When you turn in your paper late it is your responsibility to calculate the points to be subtracted. At the top of your paper write the date due, the date you are submitting it and the number of points I should subtract. YOUR PAPER WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED COMPLETE WITHOUT THIS CALCULATION!
If you cannot turn in your paper to class bring it to the Com Stud Dept Office next to the elevators on the second floor of Manzanita Hall. DO NOT SLIDE UNDER MY OFFICE DOOR!
Writing Assistance:
While a student at CSUN you are fortunate to have access to a wonderful resource to aid you with your writing. Both the Writing Center and Writing Lab are in the Learning Resource Center
Bayramian Hall 408 (BH408), 818-677-2033.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is intentionally or knowingly representing the words, ideas, or works of another as one's own in any academic exercise. According to the CSUN policy on Academic Dishonesty (see pages 531-532 in the Academic Catalog), plagiarism is an offense for which a student may be expelled, suspended, or given a less severe disciplinary sanction. If you are uncertain about the ethical responsibilities of particular assignments, citations, research processes, etc., please consult the instructor before submitting the assignment.
To assist you in keeping your papers free of plagiarism, you are required to electronically submit your paper to www.turnitin.com in addition to turning in a hard copy to me (instructions on setting up an account, signing into the class, and submitting assignments will be provided to you).
Your paper must be turned into turnitin.com by the due date to be considered on time! I will provide a sample the first week of class so you can make sure that you know how the website works before the first assignment is due.
It is highly recommended you visit the following website to help you identify what constitutes plagiarism and strategies to avoid it: http://www.georgetown.edu/honor/plagiarism.html
Course Schedule
The following is an outline for when we will cover the readings. At times we will we will meet in the computer lab Manzanita Hall 363. I will announce ahead of time, but if we are not in the regular classroom, most likely we will be there.
Week 1 8/26, 8/28 Introductions
READ:
How to install and use the CSUN Virtual Private Network (VPN): http://www.csun.edu/~it/services/vpnmain.html
how to publish a web page at CSUN: https://www.csun.edu/~csunitr/guides/webpublishing/general.html
My First Website HTML tutorial:
http://www.yourhtmlsource.com/myfirstsite/
Castells, The Internet Galaxy, "Opening: The Network is the Message"
Week 2 9/2, 9/4 History of the Internet
Castells, The Internet Galaxy Ch 1
Literature Reviews:
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html
Week 3 9/9, 9/11 Blogging
Castells, The Internet Galaxy, Ch 4
Week 4 9/16, 9/18 Culture and Economy
Castells, The Internet Galaxy, Ch 2, 3
Week 5: 9/22, 9/24 Government and Politics
Castells, The Internet Galaxy, Ch 5
Week 6: 9/30, 10/2 Privacy and Surveillance
Castells, The Internet Galaxy, Ch 6
Simple Web Site Due 10/2 Email me with your web address!
Week 7: 10/7, 10/9 Geography of the Internet
Castells, The Internet Galaxy, Ch 8
*Sassen, "The Global City: Strategic Site/ New Frontier"
Week 8: 10/14, 10/16 Digital Divide
Castells, The Internet Galaxy, Ch 9
*Davis, "Planet of Slums"
Week 9: 10/21, 10/23 Multimedia
Castells, The Internet Galaxy Ch 7
Week 10: 10/28, 10/30 Introduction to Cell Phone
Goggin, Chapter 1
MIDTERM 10/30
Week 11: 11/4, 11/6 History of Cell Phone
Goggin, Chapter 2
Week 12:(11/11 Veterans Day-No Class) 11/13 Design of Cell Phone Culture
Goggin, Chapter 3
Week 13: 11/18, 11/20 Emergence of Text Messaging
Goggin, Chapter 4
Week 14: 11/25 (11/27 Thanksgiving)
Presentations
Week 15: 12/2, 12/4
Presentations
Week 16: 12/9 (last day)
Presentations
Final Papers Due 12/9
Final Exam 12/11: 3pm