MDIA 4420-001: History of Media Technology (Fall 2014)

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MDIA 4420-001: History of Media Technology (Fall 2014)

Dr. Ed Youngblood

Contact Information: Email: Office: Tichenor 223 Office Phone: 334.844.0257

Class Meets: TR 11:00 am - 12:15 pm in Davis 302

Office Hours: MW 9:00-10:30 am; TH 3:30 - 4:00 pm; and by appointment. Office hours will be held in my office or HC-1204

Office hours may be used for discussions related to coursework, and academic or career advising.

CLASS OVERVIEW: This class focuses on the development of electronic media technologies from the introduction of the telegraph through the World Wide Web. During the course of the semester, students will look at the social implications of electronic communication technologies as well as the social influences that lead to the success or failure of a technology.

COURSE OBJECTIVE: To provide students with a solid understanding of the development of electronic media history and the reasons why a technology might or might not be adopted.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

·  To obtain a basic understanding of the historical development of electronic media technologies

·  To achieve a knowledge of the current electronic media technologies

·  To be able to relate the development of older technologies to the development of new technologies

·  To be able to discuss the social, economic, environmental, cultural and behavioral effects of electronic media technologies in a culturally and ethnically diverse world

ASSESSMENT: Formal: Exams, quizzes, reading responses, class discussion. Informal: Polling the class, non-graded quizzes, active learning techniques, muddiest point activities.

TEXTS: Brian Winston, Media Technology and Society: A History: From the Telegraph to the Internet (Routledge, 1998).

Tom Standage, The Victorian Internet (Berkley, 1999). Other readings will be posted on Canvas.

ASSIGNMENTS: Assignments are to be turned in by the date and time assigned. Assignment grades will be cut one letter grade (10 points) for each day the assignment is late. Points will be deducted for not following all instructions and/or if assignment is not complete. Readings for class will be discussed on the day listed on the syllabus. . Students with university excused absences (see the Student Policy eHandbook) are still responsible for missed class material.

BOOK REVIEW & PRESENTATION: Each student will be responsible for selecting, reading, and discussing, a book dealing with electronic media history. The professor MUST approve the book selection. Books should be a minimum of 250 pages, not including end matter such as references and notes. Each student will give a 10-15 minute presentation of the book, emphasizing themes, important information, and relating it to the other readings from the class. The presentation will be accompanied by a 1250-word analysis of the book, which includes the previously mentioned information, as well as a discussion of sources used by the author of the book. Full details for the book review project are on Canvas.

GRADING: Grading criteria will be provided for each assignment. Students will be evaluated on both the use of specific content creation tools as well as knowledge and ability to apply design concepts and techniques. Final grades are on a 10-point scale, with 90-100 equaling an A, 80-89 a B, 70-79, a C, 60-69 a D, 59 or below an F.

Grades are broken down as follows:

·  35% - Midterm Exam

·  35% - Final Exam
Possible format for exam questions include multiple choice, matching, true/false, short answer, and essay components.

·  15% - Written Book Review

·  10% - Book Review Presentation

·  5% - Quizzes and/or reading responses. Some reading responses may count as two quiz grades. Quizzes may be given online or in class. In-class quizzes may be given at any time in the class and it is possible that there might be more than

ATTENDANCE: Students are expected to be in class and to participate in discussions. You are allowed three (3) unexcused absences. Absences beyond that will result in a deduction of five (5) points from your final grade for each absence. Absences caused by extended illness or hospitalization will be considered as excused absences. The student is responsible for bringing adequate documentation and ensuring that their attendance is properly recorded. Students must present documentation within one week after they return to class unless arrangements are made with the Instructor. Make sure you sign the role sheet everyday. If you do not see the sheet, please ask me for it. Unless prior arrangements are made, you need to be in class the entire period to be counted as having attended class for the day. If you are more than 10 minutes late for class you are considered absent for that day. Students with university excused absences are still responsible for missed class material. In the case of missed exams, the instructor may change the exam format. For more information, see the Student Policy eHandbook (http://www.auburn.edu/student_info/student_policies/).

WITHDRAWING FROM THE COURSE: Students may withdraw from the course through midsemester with no grade penalty. “W” assigned.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students who need accommodations are asked to electronically submit their approved accommodations through AU Access and to make an individual appointment with the instructor during the first week of classes – or as soon as possible if accommodations are needed immediately. If you have not established accommodations through the Office of Accessibility, but need accommodations, make an appointment with the Office of Accessibility, 1228 Haley Center, 844-2096 (V/TT). Please note that I do not make accommodations without university verification, nor do I backdate accommodations.

DIVERSITY: The Department of Communication and Journalism recognizes the importance of both reflecting and teaching diversity. Our policy is intended to be inclusive of all underrepresented and minority groups whatever their race, religion, national origin, gender, age, ability or sexual orientation.

ACADEMIC HONESTY: All portions of the Auburn University Student Academic Honesty code (Title XII) found in the Student Policy eHandbook at http://www.auburn.edu/student_info/student_policies/ will apply to this class. All academic honesty violations or alleged violations of the SGA Code of Laws will be reported to the Office of the Provost, which will then refer the case to the Academic Honesty Committee.

CLASS TIME IS FOR LEARNING. You are expected to stay focused on the class. The following activities are among those I consider inappropriate use of lab time—e-mail, playing games, surfing the Web, using chat programs. After the first warning, a student may be asked to leave the class with an unexcused absence. If you have an emergency situation that requires you to leave your phone on, please talk to me before class.

CIVILITY IN THE CLASSROOM: Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. In order to assure that all students have the opportunity to gain from time spent in class, unless otherwise approved by the instructor, students are prohibited from engaging in any other form of distraction. The AU Classroom Behavior Policy is strictly followed in the course; please refer to the Student Policy eHandbook at http://www.auburn.edu/student_info/student_policies/ for details of this policy. Students asked to leave the classroom for disruptive activity will not receive credit for being in class that day, i.e. it will counted as an unexcused absence. Before each class, please turn off or silence all cell phones, beepers, alarms, or any other electronic noise-making device.

EMERGENCY CONTINGENCY STATEMENT: If normal class and/or lab activities are disrupted due to illness, emergency, or crisis situation (such as an H1N1 flu outbreak), the syllabus and other course plans and assignments may be modified to allow completion of the course. If this occurs, an addendum to your syllabus and/or course assignments will replace the original materials.

COMMUNICATION: Course announcements will frequently be made by email using your Auburn email address and/or through Canvas. Make sure that you check your Auburn email account. Grades and some course material will be distributed using Canvas. Many of the course assignments will be turned in through Canvas as well. Because of the problems posed by spam, please put “MDIA 4420” in the subject line of any email you send me. Be aware that failure to use the correct subject line may mean that your email message will not be read. Students can typically expect me to respond within 24-hours during the week or by 5:00 p.m. on Monday if you email me late on Friday or over the weekend.

Important University Dates (Not all of these may be in the schedule below)

·  Aug 25-Sep. 8: Dropping a course during these days will result in a $100-per course drop fee.

·  Sept. 8: 15th Day. Last day to drop from course with no grade and for potential tuition refund for dropped classes.

·  Oct. 7: Mid-semester (36th day). Last day to withdraw from course with no grade penalty. "W" assigned. Student deadline for request to move finals.

·  Oct. 14: (41st class day). Student deadline for request to move finals to Associate Dean.

·  Oct. 16-17 Fall break

·  Nov. 23-28: Thanksgiving Break

COURSE SCHEDULE (Readings highlighted in yellow are sustainability specific)

Wk / Date / Topics / Readings
1 / 8/19 / Talking about technology / Principles of Mediamorphisis, pg. 1-29 (Canvas)
8/21 / Patent Disputes and the Telegraph / Media Technology: Introduction, Chapter 1
2 / 8/26 / The early telegraph, skepticism, acceptance, and utopia / Victorian Internet, Introduction, Chapters 1-4
8/28 / New devices, changing relationships, and crime / Victorian Internet, Chapters 5-8
3 / 9/2 / International relations, business, and the end of the telegraph / Victorian Internet, Chapters 9-12
9/8 (15th Day)
9/4 / The telegraph versus the Internet and unintended consequences of technology / Victorian Internet, Epilogue and Afterward.
A Victorian Ecological Disaster (Canvas)
4 / 9/9 / Introducing the Telephone / Media Technology: 2-3
Impact of the Telephone (Canvas)
9/11 / Networks, universal service, and anti-trust / Universal Service (Canvas)
Anti-Trust (Canvas)
Media Technology: 13, 14
5 / 9/16 / Wireless telegraphy / Media Technology: 4
9/18 / Questioning history / Fessenden Readings (Canvas)
Music Box Memo Readings (Canvas)
6 / 9/23 / More on radio / Freer Men (Canvas)
Made to Break, Radio, Radio (Canvas)
Planned Obsolescence (Canvas)
9/25. / TBA / Tuning In: Early radio in the UK (Audio on Canvas)
7 / 9/30 / Midterm Exam / Midterm Exam
10/2 / Book review panel #1 / Book Review Presentations
8 / 10/7 / Early Television / Media Technology: 5-6 (Midsemester)
10/9 / Television, spinoffs and the international scene / Media Technology: 7
9 / 10/14 / Television under the Swastika (video)
10/16 / Fall Break
10 / 10/21 / Book review panel #2 / Book Review Presentations
10/23 / Satellites / Media Technology: 15-16
Kessler Syndrome (Canvas)
Space Junk (Canvas)
The Growing Peril of Space Debris (Canvas)
11 / 10/28 / Cable TV / Media Technology: 17
Cable TV History (Canvas)
“Rethinking the Digital Divide” (Canvas)
10/30 / Early computers and computing devices / Media Technology: 8-9
“As we may think” (Canvas)
12 / 11/4 / Computers go mainstream / Media Technology: 10-11
UNIVAC and the 1952 Election (Canvas)
The Night a Computer Predicted the Election (Canvas)
11/6 / Personal computers / Media Technology: 12
13 / 11/11 / Book review panel #3 / Book Review Presentations
11/13 / What about all these devices?
Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground / Afterlife of cellphones (Canvas)
14 / 11/18 / The Internet / Media Technology: 18
How the Web was Won (Canvas)
11/20 / The World Wide Web / Information Management: A Proposal (Canvas)
Being Digital (Canvas)
15 / 11/24-28 / Thanksgiving / Thanksgiving
16 / 12/2 / Book review panel #4 / Book Review Presentations
12/4 / Course wrap up
17 / 12/11 / Final Exam 12 noon – 2:30 p.m. / Final Exam

Readings (Sustainability specific material is marked with an asterisk).

Bibliography

Books

Standage, T. (2014). Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-Line Pioneers. Bloomsbury, USA.

Winston, B. (1998).Media technology and society: A history: from the telegraph to the Internet. Psychology Press.

Book Chapters

Fidler, Roger F.“Principles of Mediamorphosis,” in Mediamorphosis: Understanding new media. Sage Publications, 1997.

Negroponte, N. (1996).“DNA of information,” in Being digital. Random House LLC.

*Slade, G. (2009).“Radio, radio,” in Made to break: Technology and obsolescence in America. Harvard University Press.

Articles

Benjamin, L. (2002). In search of the Sarnoff" Radio Music Box" memo: Nally's reply.Journal of Radio Studies,9(1), 97-106.

Bush, V. (1945). As we may think.The Atlantic monthly,176(1), 101-108.

Cole, B. G. (Ed.). (1991).“Introduction,” in After the breakup: Assessing the new post-AT&T divestiture era. Columbia University Press.

Haring, K. (2003). The" Freer Men" of Ham Radio: How a Technical Hobby Provided Social and Spatial Distance.Technology and Culture,44(4), 734-761.

*Kessler, D. J., Johnson, N. L., Liou, J. C., & Matney, M. (2010). The Kessler syndrome: implications to future space operations.Advances in the Astronautical Sciences,137(8), 2010.

Light, J. S. (2001). Rethinking the digital divide.Harvard educational review,71(4), 709-734.

O'Neal, James E. "Fessenden: World's First Broadcaster?--A Radio History Buff Finds That Evidence for the Famous Brant Rock Broadcast Is Lacking"Radio World Online. October 25, 2006

Pound. A. (1926). "Of mills and markets," inThe Telephone Idea. New York: Greenberg, pp. 40–46. Republished in Albert Bushnell Hart, ed.,American History Told By Contemporaries, Volume 5 (New York: MacMillan, 1929), pp. 672–676.

*Schefter, J. (1982). The Growing Peril of Space Debris.Popular Science,221(1), 48-51.

*Tully, J. (2009). A Victorian ecological disaster: imperialism, the telegraph, and Gutta-Percha.Journal of World History,20(4), 559-579.

Web-based readings

“A tangled family tree,” Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704471904576229250860034510?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052748704471904576229250860034510.html

Belrose, J. S. (2007). “Fessenden’s 1906 Christmas eve broadcast,” http://www.radiocom.net/Fessenden/BelroseXmas.pdf

Berners-Lee. T. (1989). Information management: A proposal. http://www.w3.org/History/1989/proposal.html

Bochannek, A. (2012). Have you got a prediction for us, UNIVAC?