com-462_syllabus-fa11-07-11-11-21-22

RICHMOND THE AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY IN LONDON Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Cyberspace by Candace Taylor Lange COURSE: SEMESTER: INSTRUCTOR: SCHEDULING: LOCATION: OFFICE: OFFICE HOURS: 16:30 and COM 462 New Media/Cyber Culture Fall 2011 Anna Feigenbaum Tues 13:30.00-14.50 and Thur 13.30-14.50 Ken Briggs Hall 208 Ken: 205 Ken: Tuesday 9.30-10.30; Hill: Friday 14:30- by appointment PHONE: 0207 368 8449 EMAIL: anna.feigenbaum@richmond.ac.uk CLASS WEBPAGE:Powercampus Dr Feigenbaum COM 462 Page of 11 Course Description This course traces the development of new media, emphasizing the social, political and cultural contexts of emergent media technologies It introduces a number of contemporary theoretical and practical approaches to understanding the technological, economic and political transformations that come with the convergence and digitalization of media Course Aims and Objectives This course aims to develop an understanding of the technological, economic and political structures of convergent media and the consequences of digitalization on culture and communication It aims to familiarize students with the key issues, concepts and debates within media and cultural studies concerning new media and to engage students in a close reading of some of the main academic texts dealing with digital cultures and new media Furthermore, the course aims to develop previous research strategy skills by engaging students to a close analysis of some aspect of new media texts Learning Outcomes By the end of the course, successful students are expected to be able to:  engage with the main debates related to digital cultures and new media Threshold: For a threshold pass students must demonstrate some basic understanding of the main arguments related to the new media technologies and how their influence of economy, politics and culture Furthermore, students must attempt to develop some independent arguments  conduct research on the Internet and find and evaluate information relating to specific new media texts, phenomena, products, institutions and organizations, and critically evaluate them Threshold: Students need to carry some independent research on the internet in order to find examples of new media texts, phenomena etc that will illustrate their theoretical arguments  gain more confidence in expressing their ideas, asking questions, and responding to others Threshold: Students should have some minimum participation in class discussions, demonstrating their ability to present rational, independent arguments  become adept at giving ‘formal’ presentations; Threshold: Students should give a class presentation, individually or in a group The presentation should advance well supported arguments based on critical thinking and some basic theoretical understanding  reflect critically on the course material and its relevance for contemporary societies Threshold: Students should be able to develop a clear research question that will address in their coursework They should also demonstrate adequate knowledge of research issues related to new media Teaching Methods The course combines formal lectures with interactive discussion and cooperative assessment The former introduces the main arguments related to debate The latter are encouraged through presentations aiming to link the theoretical arguments with the analysis of new media texts and Dr Feigenbaum COM 462 Page of 11 practices All students are expected to be fully prepared to participate in classroom discussions Written Work Requirements Students will submit two formal written assignments as a midterm and final essay: Conceptualizing New Media (midterm paper) PodCase Research Paper (final paper) week week 13 Failing to submit any piece of coursework by the deadline, will result in the reduction of a third a letter grade per day late CLASS POLICIES Laptops and mobile devices may only be used in the classroom for notetaking and class-related research Mobile phones should be switched to silent and only answered in cases of emergency You may eat in class so long as it does not distrub others around you If you must arrive late or leave early, please arrange in advance with the instructor and so in a way that respects both the instructor and your classmates ATTENDANCE POLICY A demonstrably regulated attendance policy is required both by UK immigration law and by our accreditation bodies Attendance is also of key pedagogical importance Successful progress towards a degree depends on the full cooperation of both students and faculty members Most courses at Richmond utilize lectures and classroom discussions, which means that regular attendance and active participation in classes are essential parts of the educational process Attendance is required in all courses In any course, students who accumulate more than the permitted number of absences, regardless of the reason, will receive an attendance failure (grade of F) unless they withdraw from the course In courses that meet twice per week, students may not have more than four absences Absences and Petitions A demonstrably regulated attendance policy is required both by UK immigration law and by our accreditation bodies Attendance is also of key pedagogical importance Successful progress towards a degree depends on the full cooperation of both students and faculty members Most courses at Richmond utilize lectures and classroom discussions, which means that regular attendance and active participation in classes are essential parts of the educational process Dr Feigenbaum COM 462 Page of 11 Attendance is required in all courses In any course, students who accumulate more than the permitted number of absences, regardless of the reason, will receive an attendance failure (grade of F) unless they withdraw from the course In courses that meet twice per week, students may not have more than four absences In summer sessions, due to the intensive nature of the classes, students may not have more than two absences Students in the Foundations Program who miss more than four class sessions may be administratively withdrawn from all three courses in the Program Absence Recording Attendance is taken by instructors in on-line registers within the university's student records system As the registers are constantly updated as students add and drop courses, attendance in all courses is taken from the first day of the semester, including Add/Drop week Students must be aware that the University is obliged to report to the UK Borders Agency any student who is in the UK on a student visa, but who is not attending classes Students who have been issued with attendance failures that take them below the level of a full-time student will be reported to the UKBA It is the student's responsibility to report any mitigating circumstances to Student Affairs Even if the actual absences from class are not excused as a result (see below), evidence of legitimate mitigating circumstances will be reported in the comments section of the UKBA reporting form Absences are recorded within the attendance monitoring system as "excused" or "unexcused" It is entirely at the individual instructor's discretion whether or not to accept an excuse on the part of a student regarding an absence The instructor’s decision is final Students should note in particular that illness does not automatically excuse an absence from class, as the policies detailed above are designed with expectations as to material to be covered in the course, and in consideration of the connection between contact hours and credit awarded (for further information, see under “Student Status”) In other words, if absence due to illness means that, in the instructor’s judgment, course work cannot be satisfactorily completed, the absence(s) will not be excused If the number of unexcused absences exceeds that detailed above, regardless of the reason, an attendance failure should be issued Any absence from a class session does not exempt a student from the completion of all required work for a course The student is responsible for making up any missed work, and for covering the material covered in any missed class session Students with a disability must provide the Office of Student Affairs with the appropriate documentation in accordance with the instructions outlined at: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/content/student-affairs/studentsDr Feigenbaum COM 462 Page of 11 with-disabilities.aspx Student Affairs will then inform the Registrar’s Office, who will liaise with instructors Reasonable accommodation will be made for students with disabilities with regard to attendance (for instance if a hospital appointment cannot be rescheduled), but the points above concerning material to be covered in class must be observed by all students It should also be emphasized that if a student is late for a class session, and enters after attendance has been taken (and an absence has been registered), it is his or her responsibility to alert the instructor to this immediately after class Changing an attendance entry from “absent” to “late” is entirely at the discretion of the instructor, and such a change will not be considered at any other time than the actual date of the late entry Students must make themselves aware of any additional policies regarding lateness that an instructor may specify in the course syllabus, and adhere to these Dr Feigenbaum COM 462 Page of 11 What the letter grades mean? The requirements for each piece of assessed work are clearly specified in the assignment details However, the following general criteria apply to all work: Grade A applies only to the exceptional piece of work which: • has continued beyond the B grade band to develop a more advanced analytical and integrative command of the material and issues • gives evidence of very wide reading and extensive knowledge of relevant theory and recent research • is very well structured, putting forward cogent arguments which are well supported by carefully evaluated evidence • superior (A-) or outstanding (A) Grade B applies to work which: • goes beyond the foundation level to develop a more questioning and analytical approach • goes beyond the basic required reading, to study and discusses recommended texts and articles • indicates an increasing ability to appreciate an extensive body of knowledge and to conceptualize the key theories, issues, debates and criticisms • demonstrates the skills to present a balanced and comprehensive discussion • has been completed with a thoroughness aimed to get the most learning out of the exercise • good quality (B-), very good (B), or excellent (B+) Grade C applies to work which: • is basically competent, although undeveloped • fulfils the requirements of the assignment at a foundation level, involving: - adequate coverage of the essential information specified, and - the skill to present that material coherently • selects relevant named references and quotations • just below average (C-) average (C), or showing signs of reaching above average (C+) Grade D applies to work which: • has been done without proper understanding of the requirements • is too short, or long and unedited or lacks structure • relies on superficial, subjective statements • uses unreliable and inappropriate sources, such as Wikipedia • uses incorrect, or confused information • fails to make proper use of named references and quotations • unsatisfactory work (D-), very poor work (D) and work which is weak (D+) Grade F, a fail, applies to: • non-submission of work or work which is illegible • late work after one extension has been given • work which may be competent, but is either: - irrelevant (i.e does not address the requirements of the assignment), or - uses un-attributed material (plagiarism) Dr Feigenbaum COM 462 Page of 11 Academic Dishonesty Academic dishonesty is any action by which a student seeks to claim credit for the intellectual or artistic work of another person or uses unauthorized materials or fabricated information in any academic exercise Academic dishonesty includes receiving or giving assistance in tests and examinations; intentionally impeding or damaging the academic work of others; submitting another person’s work as your own, or providing work for this purpose; submitting work purchased from an essay mill or a ghost scholar service or an e-tutor; submitting work of your own that has been substantially edited and revised by another person, or providing an editing service for others; submitting material from a source (books, articles, internet sites) without proper citation and bibliographic reference; paraphrasing material from a source without appropriate reference and citation; submitting substantially the same piece of work in more than one course without the explicit consent of all of the instructors concerned; assisting other students in any of the above acts Students who are academically dishonest will receive a penalty for the work in question or the course as a whole or to their degree classification, depending on the importance of the work to the overall course grade and the judgment of the instructor and the Academic Standards Committee Assessment Policy Work will be evaluated on the basis of content, carefulness and thoroughness of presentation according to the assignment Detailed assignment sheets will be handed out in class and posted to blackboard weeks prior to the due date of the assignment Work which demonstrates the principles of academic writing and research discussed in class will be rewarded In-class contributions are evaluated in terms of theoretical engagement, clarity and appropriateness to the point in question Assessment Criteria Critical Reading Presentation & Discussion Conceptualizing New Media (midterm) PodCase Individual Research Paper (final) PodCase Project Pitch Proposal Final Production 20% 20% 30% 5% 5% 20% Critical Reading Presentation 20% Everyone is responsible for one of the core class readings On your presentation day you will facilitate the class discussion of the texts by offering: (1) a contextualization of the article or chapter (2) a summary and discussion of its key arguments Dr Feigenbaum COM 462 Page of 11 (3) two to three critical questions for discussion For your presentation day you are also required to create a 500 word write up to handout to every student in the course that contains elements 1-3 above You are also required to facilitate a class discussion of at least 15 minutes Conceptualizing New Media Paper 20% Your first paper will explore new media as a concept You must offer an overview of definitions of new media from both academic and nonacademic perspectives (i.e industry, policy, government) Then you must take a position or sketch out what you think is the best way to conceptualize new media Use examples to illustrate your claims Words: 1,250-1,500 PodCase Research Paper (including proposal 5%) 30% Each student will develop and write an individual research paper based on the background research done for the PodCase project (1250-1500 words) PodCase Project 30% (total) Throughout the course of the term we will work together to develop a podcast on the topic of Social Media and Social Change The project will develop in three stages: Every student will prepare a 'pitch' that responds to the topic assignment given out in the beginning of term The class will collectively vote on the top pitches These top pitches will be developed into class podcasts Students will be divided into programme teams of 3-5 students.The student who pitched the podcast will become the team leader for the project (or s/he can delegate this role to another member) Detailed proposals for these podcasts will then be developed by the entire team Podcast proposals are due at half term Each student team will follow the proposal guidelines to develop a professional proposal for your programme This proposal will be assessed and given feedback before you enter the production stage after break Programme production will begin after break Each team will work together to finalise research, script their programme, and finally, record and edit their podcast for public broadcast ASSISTANCE The University Writing Center and Mathematics Workshop are available to all students who need help with academic writing and/or mathematics Venues and times are posted towards the end of the first week of the semester The Term Paper Assistance service is operated by the library staff If you need help with research and/or accessing information, book either 15 or 30 minutes with a librarian There is also an electronic service that can be accessed by emailing reference@richmond.ac.uk Dr Feigenbaum COM 462 Page of 11 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES A student with a diagnosed learning disability must provide the Office of Student Affairs with the appropriate documentation and a disability selfdeclaration form at the point of admission to the University, or as soon as possible after enrolment For those conditions diagnosed after enrolment, declaration to Student Affairs should be made immediately upon diagnosis The University will make all reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities, but students must report their requirements in a timely fashion in order for what can be quite complex arrangements to be made Please see: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/content/studentaffairs/students-with-disabilities.aspx Required Reading COM 462 Coursepack Powercampus digital texts Extended Reading  Bell, D and Kennedy, B, (eds.) (2000), The Cyber-Cultures Reader, London and New York: Routledge  Burnett, R and Marshall, D (2003) Web Theory: An Introduction, London and New York: Routledge  Castells, M (2001), The Internet Galaxy, New York: Oxford University Press  Creeber, G and Royston, M Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media Maidenhead: Open University Press  Livingstone, S and Lievrouw, L (eds.) (2002), Handbook for New Media, London: Sage  Lister, M et al, (2003) New Media: A Critical Introduction, London: Routledge Dr Feigenbaum COM 462 Page of 11 Course Schedule – Spring 2010 Week 1: Introduction  Go over syllabus and course requirements  'New Media Mind Map' & ‘What is New Media’ handout from Digital Cultures Week 2: What's New About New Media?  Lisa Gitelman and Geoffrey Pingree, "What's New About New Media?" Introductory essay to New Media, 1740-1915 (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2003) available at http://web.mit.edu/transition/subs/newmediaintro.html  Lev Manovich, “How Media Became New” version available at www.manovich.net/DOCS/new_media_users_guide.doc Published in The Language of New Media (2001) Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: The MIT Press Week 3: The Early New Media • Carey, J.W (1989) ‘Technology and Ideology: The Case of the Telegraph’, pp 201-230 in James Carey Communication as Culture Essays on Media and Society Boston: Unwin Hyman Week 4: The Rise of Mechanical Reproduction  Walter Benjamin (2008) “The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility” from The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility and other writings on media, Jennings, et al (eds.) Cambridge & London: Harvard UP, read X-XIX  Joshua M Greenberg (2008) “Videophiles and Betamania: Hacking the VCR” in From Betamax to Blockbuster: Videostores and the Invention of Movies on Video, Cambridge & London: MIT Press, pp 17-40 Week 5: The Origins of the Internet  Oliver Burkeman “Forty years of the internet: how the world changed forever” Guardian 23 October 2009 available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/oct/23/internet-40history-arpanet  PAPER DUE THURSDAY: Conceptualizing New Media (midterm paper) Week 6: Digitization  Viktor Mayer-Schonberger (2009) “The Demise of Forgetting—And it’s Drivers” in Delete: the Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, pp 50-91 Week 7: Web 2.0 • Charles Leadbeater (2009) “You are What You Share” in We-Think Croydon: Profile Books, pp 1-26 Available online at Dr Feigenbaum COM 462 Page 10 of 11 http://www.charlesleadbeater.net/cms/xstandard/ChapterOne.pdf • Dnytri Kleiner & Brian Wyrick (2007) “Info-Enclosure 2.0” in Mute vol 2:4, pp 10-19 Week 8: BREAK Week 9: Piracy and Property  Jonas Andersson (2009) “For the Good of the Net: The Pirate Bay As A Strategic Sovereign” in Culture Machine vol 10, pp 64-108 (end p 95) available at http://culturemachine.net/index.php/cm/article/viewFile/346/359  McKenzie Wark “Hacker Manifesto version 4.0” available at http://subsol.c3.hu/subsol_2/contributors0/warktext.html (focus on ‘Property’ and ‘Information’) Week 10: Facecrack?  Daniel Miller (2011) “preface” and “Fifteen Theses on What Facebook Might Be” from Tales From Facebook Cambridge: Polity Press, pp ix; 164-204 Week 11: The New Panopticon  Christian Fuchs (2011) “New Media, Web 2.0 and Surveillance” Sociology Compass 5/2, pp 134–147 Week 12: New Media Activisms  Christina Dunbar-Hester (2009) 'Free the spectrum!' Activist encounters with old and new media technology vol 11: 1-2, pp 221240 Week 13 & 14: PodCase Project Dr Feigenbaum COM 462 Page 11 of 11