COMS 454 - Course Schedule

Department of Communication Studies
College of Arts, Media, and Communication
California State University, Northridge

Christie Logan, Ph.D.

Communication Studies 454
Communication and Technology

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Spring 2006 Course Schedule

** check this online schedule weekly -- readings may be changed
revised 4/6/2006

Course Introduction & Overview
1/31	fundamentals, principles, premises of the course
2/2	meet in lab: MZ 363 - tour of web site & course materials Required Reading: Pew Internet & American Life Project: browse the current data on Online Activities Internet Evolution summary and The Mainstreaming of Online Life -- reports by the Pew Internet & American Life Project Jonathan Krim, "Pentagon Creating Student Database" Washington Post,6/23/05. Assignment: By class time, post a response to my question in the "Main" section of the course newsgroup
Perspectives on Communication Technology
2/7	Required Reading: Bernardo Alexander Attias, "Introduction to Communication and Technology." Edward Tufte, "Powerpoint is Evil. Power Corrupts. Powerpoint Corrupts Absolutely." Wired 11:9 (September 2003) David Byrne, "Learning to Love Powerpoint," Wired 11:9 (September 2003)
2/9	Required Reading: Terhi Rantanen, The Message is the Medium: an interview with Manuel Castells (2005) Frantz, Meyer & Schmitt, Cyberspace Gives Al Qaeda Refuge, LA Times 8/15/2004.
Current Issues for Communication Research
2/14	Class meets in Oviatt Library lab C - first floor, west wing. for demonstration of resources and research training by Kathy Dabbour Required Reading:** Kathy Dabbour, Communication Studies Librarian, Communication Studies Research pages. Follow the links as well. COMS 454 Online Research Resources Manuel Castells, Power and Politics in the Network Society
2/16 *new assignment based on Tuesday's library training session	Required Reading: Scott Harris, "Freedom Fighters of the Digital World," LA Times, January 13, 2002 EFF on The USA Patriot Act - new -- scan these pages and read at least one of the articles (your choice). Be prepared to report on what you read in class. new -- Find one article related to the class research topic - (e.g. online privacy, electronic surveillance, civil liberties online, or other keywords generated in the research session on Tuesday) from one of the Oviatt databases. Be prepared to cite and report in class.
Hypertext Environments: Interface as Worldview / Fundamentals of Web Design
2/21 readings revised [1 added; 1 cut] on 2/17/06	class meets in COMS Lab -- MZ 363 Required Reading: new: What is Hypertext? Read this page and follow at least three links from this page (your choice). Joy Hart, " Review: Narratives & Spaces by David E. Nye," American Communication Journal 4:3 (Spring 2001) George P. Landow, "Bush's Memex as Poetic Machine" George Landow, Roland Barthes & the Writerly Text and "Reading and Writing in a Hypertext Environment" Alt-X Interview with George Landow Peruse the elements of Digital Storytelling - check out the Relationship pages & choose others to peruse
2/23	class meets in COMS Lab -- MZ 363 Required Readings: Chris Lapham, "Why The Book Is Always Better Than The Movie: Guidelines For Developing Online Content," Computer Mediated Communication Magazine(June 1997). (mirrored here). *new* Jeffrey Vreen Foundations of Web Design UC Berkeley Library, Evaluating Web Pages Carole Guevin, "Visual Architecture: The Rule of Three," Digital Web Magazine (April 2001). Jakob Nielsen, Top 10 Mistakes in Web Design Writing as Virus, Hypertext as Meme, by a diverse cast of authors, assembled by Steve Cook Beginner's Guide to URLs Introduction to HTML: Read through Chapter 1 "Terms and Concepts." Take the Quiz for Chapter 1. HTML Fun course resources page
Medium and Message/Massage: Technological Determinism
2/28	Required Reading: Marshall McLuhan's Interview with Playboy (1969) Recommended Reading: Technological Determinism: Special Issue of Computer Mediated Communication Magazine 3:2 (1 February 1996).
3/2	Web Page Critique Due Required Reading: Daniel Chandler, "Technological or Media Determinism" Daniel Chandler, " Shaping and Being Shaped: Engaging with Media," Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine 3:2 (01 February 1996)
Internet History & Culture
3/7	Required Reading: Castells, "Opening: The Network is the Message," and Chapters 1 & 2 [1-63]
3/9	Required Reading: Christopher Keep, Brief Bio of Vannevar Bush Vannevar Bush, "As We May Think," Atlantic Monthly (July 1945).(Mirrored here.) George P. Landow, "Vannevar Bush and the Memex" Useful Links: Memex and Beyond Links to Vannevar Bush Reference Carl Mitcham, " Timeline of Technology" A History of the Internet - timeline of the development of the Internet. Hobbes' Internet Timeline
The Network Society: The Challenge of the Social
3/14	Required Reading: Castells, Chapter 4 Rebecca Trounson, 'Hi, What's Your Major?' is Reinvented on Website, LA Times 1/23/05
3/16	Required Reading: Castells, Chapter 3 (64 - 115)
Technology, Sociality, and the Public Sphere
3/21	Required Reading: Habermas' Public Sphere Mark Poster, "The Net as Public Sphere?" Wired 3:11 (November 1995). mirrored here
3/23	Required Reading: Castells, Chapter 5 [137-67] DeLuca & Peeples, "From Public Sphere to Public Screen: Democracy, Activism, and the 'Violence' of Seattle," CSMC19 (June 2002), 125-51. Recommended Reading: Howard Reingold, speaking at BBC Online Community Day Jon Katz, "The Digital Citizen," Wired Special Report, 5.12 (December 1997) John Decker, Covington's Homeless, a documentary. 1994
Public Discourse and the Blogosphere
3/28	Web Page Due Required Reading: Andrew Sullivan, "The Blogging Revolution," Wired (May 2002). Tim Dunlop, "If You Build It They Will Come" (17 June 2003). Cynthia Webb, "A Look Back at Blogging," Filter: WPost (January 2005) Cynthia Webb, "Microsoft Hopes its Blogs will Hunt," Filter: WPost Dec. 2, 2004 Lee Rainie [PIP] The State of Blogging - January 2005
3/30	Required Reading: LA Times editorial, "Bounced Bloggers, July 25, 2004 NPR story: Soldiers' Iraq Blogs Face Military Scrutiny (August 24, 2004) Cynthia Webb, "Your Own Election Night Newsroom," Washington Post, Nov. 2, 2004 Cynthia Webb, "Bloggers Let Poll Cat Out of the Bag" Washington Post, Nov. 3, 2004 Jay Rosen, "Blogging vs. Journalists is Over," Press Think: January 21, 2005 check out these blogs: The Agonist (News) Metafilter and Romenesko (media blogs) Baghdad Burning and The Iraqi Agora (Blogs from the new Iraq) Instapundit and Vodkapundit (Conservative blogs) Daily Kos and TalkLeft (Liberal blogs
The Ideology of Information
4/4	Required Reading: William F. Birdsall, "The Internet and the Ideology of Information Technology" Roberto Verzola, " Towards A Political Economy of Information" Charles Platt, "The Future will be Fast but not Free," Wired 9.05 (May 2001)
4/6	Required Reading: *newLife Amid the Data Dealers -graphic new* David, Colker, ID Theft Coverage Draws Criticism, LA Times, 5/27/2005. Lawrence Lessig, "They're Not Worthy," Wired 13.01 (January 2005) Lawrence Lessig, "Why Wilco is the Future of Music," Wired 13.02 (February 2005)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Spring Break: 4/11 & 13 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
revised - unit moved to this week Privacy, (in)Security in Cyberspace
4/18	Required Reading: Castells, Chapter 6 [168-87] John Twelve Hawks, How We Live Now, 2005. Brad King, "Fear and Lockdown in America,"Wired News (25 July 2002). Paul Boutin, 101 Ways to Save the Internet, Wired 12.01 (January 2005) Terry McDermott, Breaking, Entering Your PC, LAT 11/26/04 Brian Krebs, Phishing Schemes Scar Victims, 11/18/04; Phishing Feeds Internet Black Markets 11/18/04; and Companies Forced to Fight Phishing 11/19/04 - all Washington Post Josh McHugh, The Firefox Explosion, Wired 13.02 (February 2005) Useful Links: Shields Up - click on "shields up" icon and test your port security [wintel machines only, alas] PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) homepage Interview with David Brin, author of The Transparent Society" Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Electronic Privacy Information Center
4/20	Required Reading: Mark Andrejevic, "The Work of Being Watched: Interactive Media & the Exploitation of Self-disclosure," Critical Studies in Media Communication 19:2 (June 2002) 230–248. other reading tba
revised - unit moved to this week Ideology of Information cont'd: Intellectual Property
4/25	Required Reading: John Perry Barlow, " The Economy of Ideas," Wired 2.03 (March 1994). Mirrored here. John Perry Barlow, "The Next Economy of Ideas," Wired 8:10 (October 2000). (mirrored here) Recommended Sources: if you're on broadband, watch the movie Building on the Past Recommended Reading: Julian Dibbell, "We Pledge Allegiance to the Penguin," Wired 12.11 (November 2004) Richard M. Stallman, " The GNU Operating System and the Free Software Movement." Chapter 1 of Open Sources Richard M. Stallman, " Why Software Should Not Have Owners"
4/27	Required Reading: *revisedLessig, Free Culture, pp. 1-30 and Chapters 10,11, 12 Jon Healey and David G. Savage,"Firms Can Be Held Liable for Net Piracy," LA Times* 6/28/05 Semi-Hooray for Hollywood ..., LA Times editorial, 6/28/05 Recommended Reading: Siva Vaidhyanathan, "Copyrights and CopyWrongs: Why Thomas Jefferson Would Love Napster," MSNBC.com (3 July 2001) What Is Copyleft? Copyleft: Pragmatic Idealism Useful Sites: Copywrongs site Creative Commons, a nonprofit offering a flexible copyright for creative work
Critical Issues in Communication & Technology
5/2	Review for exam
5/4	Exam
5/9	Groups workday
5/11	Class Presentations of Research Projects
5/16	Class Presentations of Research Projects
5/18	Class Presentations of Research Projects Hard copies of Projects due

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Last update: April 26, 2006
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