Course Overview
Duration: May 27 - June 19 (4 weeks)
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:40 PM (15 three-hour classes, with a break from 7:15 PM - 7:30 PM)
Location: AS0013
This course focuses on developing skills and aptitudes in searching, analyzing, and utilizing information available via the Internet. Students will learn computer-mediated communication techniques, covering ethics, privacy, information quality, search techniques, critical analysis, and text-based communication technologies such as email, asynchronous discussion, and real-time chat.
Course Objectives
- Define and describe the Internet and its relationship with the Web.
- Articulate the impact of the Internet on communication methods.
- Identify strengths and weaknesses of electronic communication.
- Gain working knowledge of Internet-based communication tools.
- Develop experience working in virtual teams.
You Will Learn How To:
- Take responsibility for your own learning.
- Create an Internet e-zine.
- Communicate via email, newsgroups, mailing lists, and web conferencing.
- Access and transfer files with Telnet and FTP.
- Build web pages using Dreamweaver 4.
- Organize information into HTML presentations.
Project Focus: Clearly define your audience and demonstrate why your resource will benefit them. The final project must include a wide range of links to supportive or augmentative sites, as it will be a web resource.
Course Schedule
| Date | Week | Lecture Topics | Practical |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 27 (Tuesday) | 1 | Computing Concepts and Issues; Overview of Course; Computer-Mediated Communication | Setting up journals; Introduction to e-zine components (individual, small group, class) |
| May 28 (Wednesday) | 1 | Basics of an E-zine; E-zines and E-mail Marketing; Cyberculture and Digital Society | - |
| May 29 (Thursday) | 1 | Preparation and Research; Planning and Development with Dreamweaver; Digital Media, Hypertext, Cybernetics, Cyborgs, and Virtual Realities | - |
| June 2 (Monday) | 2 | Content Development and Writing Portfolio/E-zine/Folder | - |
| June 3 (Tuesday) | 2 | Newsgroups | - |
| June 4 (Wednesday) | 2 | Listservs; Publishing and Mailing List Management | - |
| June 5 (Thursday) | 2 | FTP and TELNET | - |
| June 9 (Monday) | 3 | Create a MOO or MUSH Virtual Community | - |
| June 10 (Tuesday) | 3 | Interviews on the Net | - |
| June 11 (Wednesday) | 3 | Story Collaboration via the Net | - |
| June 12 (Thursday) | 3 | Web Design and Delivery; Theory, Cognitive Aspects, Human-Computer Interaction, and Best Practices | - |
| June 16-19 | 4 | Final Project Work and Submission | - |
Note: All assignments must be submitted on time. Grades will be finalized by June 20.
Assessments
| Component | Weight | Due Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Journal | 20% | 5% (June 2), 5% (June 9), 10% (June 16) |
| Sectional Tests | 30% | 10% (June 2), 10% (June 9), 10% (June 16) |
| Bulletin Board Contributions | 20% | 5% (May 29), 5% (June 5), 5% (June 12), 5% (June 19) |
| Attendance | 10% | Checked after break (7:30 PM); 2 points deducted per class missed |
| E-zine | 20% | 5% (June 5), 5% (June 12), 10% (June 19) |
Recommended Texts and Readings
- Ess, Charles, Ed. (1996). Philosophical Perspectives on Computer-Mediated Communication. State University of New York Press, Albany, NY.
- Herring, Susan C., Ed. (1996). Computer-Mediated Communication: Linguistic, Social and Cross-Cultural Perspectives. John Benjamins, Philadelphia, PA.
Weekly Readings
- Week 1: Ontological Perspective on CMC (Condon & Cech, Korenman & Wyatt, Ziv, Gurak)
- Week 2: Epistemological Perspective on CMC (Kolb)
- Week 3: Ethical Perspective on CMC (Elgesem, Danielson, Lawrence, Herring)
- Week 4: Religious Perspective on CMC (O'Leary & Brasher, Mullins)
Additional Resources
- Pew Internet and American Life Project: Studies on Teenage Life Online, Online Communities, and Wired Seniors.
- Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.