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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "COM 311-3"
COURSE NAME: "Digital Media Culture"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2016
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Lorenza Parisi
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
TTH 8:30AM 9:45AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisite: COM 220
OFFICE HOURS:
by appointment
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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.
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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, Vannevar Bush, danah boyd, Manuel Castells, Nicole Ellison, Christian Fuchs. Henry Jenkins, Sonia Livingstone, Tim O'Reilly, Barry Wellman among others.
All reading materials will be distributed through the class Moodle Course and will be available in digital format online.
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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, privacy, collective intelligence, online/offline, web 2.0, algorithm etc.
5. Advance one’s ability to work in team and produce qualitative research report.
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| The Johns Hopkins Guide to Digital Media | Marie-Laure Ryan, Lori Emerson, and Benjamin J. Robertson (eds.) | Johns Hopkins University Press | 9781421412245 | | Students should read only the following chapters: Artificial Intelligence, Collective intelligence, Free and Open-Source Software, Hypertexuality, Interface, Old Media/New Media, Politics and New Media, Remediation. | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Attendance and Participation | Class 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% |
| Midterm | 5 short answers and one final essay question. | 25% |
| Final exam | 5 short answers and one final essay question. | 25% |
| Group project & individual report | 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% |
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| Intellectual Autobiography | A one-page intellectual autobiography or a one-page letter 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 cour
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference 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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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SCHEDULE
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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
Week 2:
History of the Internet and the World Wide Web
Internet of the Things; Location based data
Week 3:
Hypertext
Interface culture
Week 4:
Participatory culture
The rise of networked individualism and the network society
Week 5:
Group project guidelines
The Mobile society
Week 6:
Identity management and self presentation
Socially Mediated Publicness
Week 7:
Review
Midterm
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Week 8:
Project work
Week 9:
Time and Space
Screening: Black Mirror
Week 10:
Google and Facebook ranking Algorithms
Living in the 'filter bubble'
Week 11:
Digital media and politics
Mass-self communication
Week 12:
Working and living in the sharing economy
Week 13:
Hacker culture
Week 14:
Project work presentation
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