Communication Studies (COMS) 591- S01
Senior Seminar in Communication

New Media Studies in Action

Fall 2007
R 14:00-16:50 EDT 920

Instructor:	Maria Bakardjieva
Office Location:	SS 334
Office Phone:	220-7300
E-Mail:	bakardji@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:	www.ucalgary.ca/~bakardji
Office Hours:	TBA

Additional Information

The motto of this course is YouLearn.now. Class activities and responsibilities will be organized on the model of the research lab. This means that students will take the role of novice researchers pursuing their own agendas in close collaboration with supervisor and colleagues. For her part, the instructor will act as an advisor and resource person directing and supporting students in their learning endeavours. Course work will include both individual and group assignments the goal being to balance out the opportunities for individual creativity and expression with the power of collective intellectual effort.

Students should have reliable access to the Internet as well as valid UofC e-mail addresses. The course will involve regular use of Blackboard. Ideas will be shared and discussions carried out through personal blogs, webpages and online forums.

Course Description

The Internet has emerged as a major communication medium with functionalities spanning the whole range between interpersonal, group and mass communication. It has become the meta-medium of our age profoundly affecting the ways in which our personal and social affairs are conducted. Despite the fact that the Internet has penetrated every facet of life and is being taken as a given by the young generation in Canada, it remains a new medium because its technical forms and surrounding social practices continue to be in flux. Phenomena such as social networking websites, the bloggosphere, participatory media, file sharing, networked civic activism, e-government, e-commerce, civic journalism, multi-player online games, etc. mark important changes in the ways people interact with society, create identities and experience their world. For their part, mobile devices are implicated in the restructuring of our daily routes and routines as workers, entrepreneurs, family members and citizens. This course will review different theoretical frameworks through which such phenomena could be analyzed and understood. It will also discuss methodological approaches allowing researchers to ground the investigation of these phenomena in data as opposed to abstract speculations. Based on this knowledge, students will be encouraged to reflect critically on the bigger picture of the social shaping of new media technologies and practices as well as to select and focus on a concrete phenomenon or practice and examine its social significance in depth and detail.

Objectives of the Course

The objective of this course is to allow students with serious interest in the new media environment to formulate and investigate issues concerning the social, economic and cultural aspects of the Internet and mobile communication devices. The course content presented and discussed in class will provide an introduction to various theories and methodologies that have been applied to the understanding of concrete developments in the new media filed. Students will be expected to articulate and frame a specific research topic and explore it with the help of additional readings and observations. The desired learning outcomes include improved academic research and writing competence, critical understanding of the dynamics of new media, awareness of the challenges and opportunities for communication professionals presented by new media, foundation for future research-oriented projects and endeavours.

Textbooks and Readings:

The following books are recommended. Required readings will be made available through Blackboard, the Internet or library databases. More sources will be suggested by the instructor to individual students and working groups depending on their specific interests.

Bakardjieva, Maria (2005), Internet Society: The Internet in Everyday Life.  London: Sage.

 

Feenberg, Andrew and Barney, Darin, eds. (2004). Community in the Digital Age. Rowman and Littlefield.

 

Hine, Christine, ed., 2005, Virtual Methods: Issues in Social Research on the Internet. London: Sage.

 

Lessig, Lawrence (2004). Free Culture. New York: The Penguin Press. Available online at http://free-culture.cc/freecontent/

 

Assignments and Evaluation

1. Research paper: The paper (10-12 pages double-spaced, 12 p, Times New Roman) should represent a thorough investigation of a new-media related phenomenon or issue. It should be based on literary sources identified and selected by the students and should present an original perspective and/or argument concerning the topic. Empirical observations conducted by the author can also be included to strengthen the argument. These observations have to be carried out rigorously and systematically in accordance with a stated methodology. In some cases an ethics approval might be necessary. Paper topics should be selected in consultation with the instructor. Paper proposals of 200 words articulating the paper's topic, research question, structure, main points of argument (provisional) and at least four references should be submitted to the instructor by October 23. Papers will be presented in a public, conference-like mode in the last two sessions of the course (November 29 and December 6). Papers should be submitted in the instructor's mailbox in CC 110 by Monday, December 10, 4 pm.

Weight: 45%. Note: 5% of the grade will be determined by the timeliness and quality of the paper proposal.

2. Group research assignment and presentation: Students will form research groups by the end of the first class session. These groups will select an issue or phenomenon of interest to investigate and present in class (to be approved by the instructor). The research on the chosen topic should go beyond the assigned class readings to include additional sources and practical examples. The presentations will be up to 1 hour long and will involve all members of the group. It will be the presenters' responsibility to lead a class discussion on the topic following their exposition. The use of visual aids is required. Supporting materials (ppt presentations, notes, webpages, links, images, videos, etc. should be posted online.  Presentations will be scheduled in the first week of classes. Weight: 25%
   
   
3. Online participation: Students will prepare three individual responses (summary and reflection up to 500-600 words) to selected class readings and will post them on their blogs for other members of the class to view and comment. Copies of the texts should be sent to the instructor by e-mail on Wednesday and a paper copy should be handed in on Thursday. The evaluation of these responses will be based on the adequacy of the understanding of the main ideas of the reading, the ingenuity and authenticity of students' reflections, the links drawn between the ideas of that reading and other issues and ideas already discussed in class. The deadline for posting these responses is the day (Wednesday) before the class for which the respective reading is assigned. Students' choices will be negotiated in the second class session so that a more or less even coverage of all readings is achieved. Comments that students make on the responses posted by their classmates will be taken into consideration in determining the online participation grade. Weight: 15%
   
   
4. In-class participation: Since this class has a seminar format, in-class participation in the discussion through questions, statements, reflections, responses, examples and comments on other people's thoughts is essential. Familiarity with the readings for each class session is a necessary condition for adequate class participation. The evaluation of in-class participation will be done in four categories: ‘inadequate', ‘adequate', ‘very good' - regular, informed and insightful, ‘outstanding' - enthusiastic, original and strongly beneficial to the learning process. Each category carries 2.5 points of the overall participation grade. Weight: 10%
   
   
5. Conference response. For the public presentation of class papers, a respondent will be assigned to each student paper. The respondent will have to provide comments on the paper briefly addressing its strengths and the points where in her/his view improvement is needed. She or he is also expected to pose questions to the presenter. Weight: 5%

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.
Note: Please hand in your essays directly to your tutor or instructor if possible. If it is not possible to do so, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination:  No

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- to B+) for each day late.

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you need help with your writing, you may use the Writing Centre.  Visit the website for more details: www.efwr.ucalgary.ca

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

A+ (96-100); A (92-95); A- (86-91); B+ (81-85); B (77-80); B- (71-76);
C+ (65-70); C (62-64); C- (59-61); D+ (55-58); D (50-54); F (0-49)

 

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS 106, efwr.ucalgary.ca) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/su

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Ethics

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines.  Your instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research.  For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see the U of C Research Ethics "Information for Applicants," sections 3.0 to 9.0, inclusive: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/research/html/ethics/info_undergrad.html

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

 

To be distributed in the first day of classes.