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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "COM 311-1"
COURSE NAME: "Digital Media Culture"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2016
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Lorenza Parisi
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: MW 8:30 AM 9:45 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: COM 220
OFFICE HOURS: by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course provides students with a number of theoretical approaches to critically assess how digital media function and their expanding and expansive role in contemporary culture. The course further investigates digital media convergence in order to develop a critical lexicon that can both chart its development and engage in intellectual interventions in its use within the transformations occuring in more traditional cultural forms such as television, film, popular music, print, and radio. Special emphasis will be placed on the specific cultural, political, economic, and social issues raised by digital media forms.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The course will attempt at first to define the domain of Digital Media, proposing it as the amalgamation of different traditional media forms into new digitally based varieties. Subsequently the course will analyze the various forms which Digital Media has assumed and concentrate on the specific issues –cultural, political, economic, technological and social—that the various forms raise.

This is a lecture and discussion course. We will shift back and forth between discussing theoretical and practical issues in relation to digital media culture media and their relation to society. Lectures and discussions will be supported with several multi-media content. Students are strongly encouraged to propose their own choice of media material for the class.

Readings include essays and papers by influential scholars such as: Chris Anderson, Nancy Baym, Yochai Benkler, John Battelle, Vannevar Bush, danah boyd, Manuel Castells, Gabriella Coleman, Nicole Ellison, Henry Jenkins, Steven Johnson, Sonia Livingstone, Tim O'Reilly, Eli Pariser, Trebor Scholz, Clay Shirky, Barry Wellman and Mark Weiser among others.

All reading materials will be distributed through the class Moodle Course and will be available in digital format online.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course students will be able to:

1.  understand and analyze the corresponding influences that traditional media and digital media are having upon each other.

2. understand and analyze how digital media use contributes to shape personal identities and social relationships.

3.  recognize the influences that digital media is expressing in the cultural, social, economical and political spheres.

4.  learn the following critical terms: digitization, hypertextuality, interactivity,  remediation, Internet, network society, collective intelligence, online/offline, web 2.0, algorithm, e-democracy, sharing economy, hacktivism etc.

5.  Advance one’s ability to work in team and produce qualitative research report.
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Attendance and ParticipationClass participation consists of your contributions to class discussions and other activities. Classroom participation is encouraged and emphasized. Students are required to come to class having completed the assigned readings. For Attendance see below.15%
Midterm5 short answers and one final essay question.25%
Final exam5 short answers and one final essay question.25%
Group project A formal assignment will be handed out before Week 4. The completed group projects are due on the last day of classes. [Group presentation and report: 25%; in-depth interview: 5%; individual report on the teamwork (500 words): 5%].35%
   
Intellectual AutobiographyA one-page intellectual autobiography in which you explain your intellectual and cultural life. This will give me a sense of who you are, what your interests and aspirations are. not graded

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Please note that frequent absences automatically lower your participation grade. 

Also consider that more than 4 unexcused absences will result in your final grade for the course to be dropped by one letter grade. Anything above 6 unexcused absences will result in failure.

Lateness: Students more than 10 minutes late are marked as absent. Late arrival (less than 10 minutes) is marked as such, and 3 late arrivals are counted as one absence. 

CLASS ETIQUETTE

General: Read the syllabus. 99.9% of your questions will be answered there.

In-class: Arrive on time and remain in class during the duration of class time. If you must leave, do not leave right at the start of class (when important announcements are being made), during student presentations and during screenings.

Absence: If you do not attend class, it is your responsibility to find out if changes to the schedule were made.

 Email: Professors maintain regular working hours and have office hours. Do not email on the weekend or the night before class and expect an immediate response. When emailing, please include something in the email text. Do not just send an email with a subject line and attachment.

Phones and computers: Phones are strictly forbidden in class. If you use one, you will be counted as absent. Computers and tablets are allowed on a case-by-case basis. Please ask for permission before using computers in class. All computers must be closed during screenings of media.

Assignment approval: Most assignments require topic approval. Make sure you understand the assignment requirements and submit your proposal in a timely manner. Assignments that need topic approval that are not formally approved will not receive credit.

Assignment extensions: Under special circumstances extensions are given, but you must first ask for permission. If you submit an assignment late without first asking for an extension, your grade will be affected by the normal penalty.

Assignment: When in doubt about an assignment, check Moodle for the most recent information.

Make-up class: If we have to cancel a class for any reason, we will try to schedule a make-up session as soon as possible.

 
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

The course is structured around readings, short lectures, related in-class activities, team work, discussions, and the occasional screening of film and/or video excerpts.

The following schedule provides a general overview of the topics and themes that we will cover throughout the course. Specific details and additional readings will be revealed/assigned on a weekly basis. 

Please note that a Moodle Page will be used as support to share updates and news, to collect assignments, to archive readings and other course materials.

 Please note that your papers may be submitted to Turnitin (plagiarism detection software).

 

Week 1:

Introduction: What’s ‘new’ about Digital Media?

The Process Of Remediation

Digitalization

Convergence

Reading:

 

Baym, N. (2010). “Personal connection in the digital age”, Polity, pp. 1 – 12

 


Jay David Bolter, “Remediation.” John Hopkins Dictionary of Digital Media

 

Week 2:

 History of the Internet and the World Wide Web


Internet of the Things


Readings:
Castells, M. (2002). The Internet galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, business, and society. Oxford University Press. (Chapter 1 and chapter 2)


- M. Weiser, The Computer for the 21st Century (1991), in Scientific American 9-91

Week 3:

Hypertext

Interface

Readings:

- Johnson, S. (1997). Interface culture: How new technology transforms the way we create and communicate. Basic Books., pp. 11-25

Carl Therrien, “Interface.” John Hopkins Dictionary of Digital Media

Virtual reality, in The Atlantic, 2015

 

Week 4:

Participatory culture

The rise of networked individualism and the network society

Readings:

 

Burgess, J. and Green, J. (2009). YouTube, chapter 1: “How You Tube Matters” pp. 1-14

 

Rainie, L. and Wellman, B. (2012). Networked, pp. 3 -20 and 34-50


 

Week 5:

Group project guidelines

The Mobile society

Reading:

 

Rainie, L. and Wellman, B. (2012). Networked, pp. 81-108


 

Week 6: 

Identity management and self presentation

Socially Mediated Publicness

Readings:

 

Baym, N. (2015). “Personal connection in the digital age”, Polity, pp. 112-141 (revised and updated second edition, former edition 2010)

 

boyd d. (2010). Making sense of privacy and publicity – transcription of the talk.


Suggested reading:
Livingstone, S. (2008). Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers' use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression. New media & society, 10(3), pp. 393-411

 

Week 7:

Review

Midterm

--

Week 8:

Project work

Week 9:


Time and Space

Screening: Black Mirror 

Reading:

Castells, M., Fernández-Ardèvol, M., & Qiu, J. (2007). The Space of Flows, Timeless Time, and Mobile Networks, MIT Press, pp.171-178.

David Elson, “Artificial Intelligence.” John Hopkins Dictionary of Digital Media

Week 10:

Google and Facebook ranking Algorithms

Living in the 'filter bubble'

Readings:

Pariser, E. (2011). “Introduction”, The filter bubble: What the Internet is hiding from you. Penguin, UK.

Battelle, J. (2005). The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture, Penguin, UK, pp. 153-166


Week 11:

Digital media and politics

Mass-self communication

Readings:

M. Castells (2007). Communication, Power and Counter-power in the Network Society, International Journal of Communication 1, 238-266

Joss Hands, “Politics and New Media.” John Hopkins Dictionary of Digital Media

Shirky, Clay (2011). The Political Power of Social Media: Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change, Foreign Affairs90.1 (Jan/Feb 2011): 28-I.

 

Malcom Gladwell (2010). Small Change. Why the revolution will not be tweeted, The New Yorker, Annals of Innovation October 4,



Week 12:

Working and living in the sharing economy

Readings:

Benkler, Y. (2006). The wealth of networks: How social production transforms markets and freedom. Yale University Press, pp. 1 -16

Trebor Scholz (2014). The Politics of the Sharing Economy

Natasha Singer (2014). In the Sharing Economy, Workers find both Freedom and Uncertainty

Suggested reading:

Axel Rosenblat, The Truth About How Uber’s App Manages Drivers, Harvard Business Review, 2016


Week 13:

Hacker culture

Project work presentation

Readings:

Coleman, Gabriella (2013). “Hackers.” John Hopkins Dictionary of Digital Media

Coleman, Gabriella (2011). Hacker politics and publics. Public Culture, 23(3 65), 511-516.

Suggested reading:

McKenzie Wark, A Hacker manifesto, 2004


Week 14:

Project work presentation