Course description

It has become something of a cliché to claim that the world has been "revolutionized" by digital media: i.e., the broad and eclectic range of various "new" communication technologies that includes the Internet, laptop computers, mobile phones, iPods, Blackberries, and the like. How true that cliché is, however, depends a great deal on precisely which technologies one is talking about and on just where in the world one is trying to measure their impact. This course will provide a preliminary survey of some -- but by no means all -- of the major social, cultural, and political issues raised by the growth and spread of digital media. While our readings will occasionally include brief technical discussions, this is not a course about the science of digital media (e.g., how does WiFi work? what are the acoustic limitations of satellite radio? etc.) and your ability to succeed will not depend on whether you can master the intricacies of software engineering, computer circuitry, or the like.

Bear in mind that few (if any) of the questions that we'll address this semester have easy answers. How well you do in this class will depend on your ability to think critically about the role of digital media in contemporary society and your ability to argue your position(s) well.

Grading

Final course grades will be calculated using the following schedule:

Accumulated grade point totals translate to final course grades as follows:

"I" grades will only be given under extraordinary circumstances (i.e., major life emergencies).

Attendance/participation

Our class meetings will be structured around seminar-style discussions rather than formal lectures. This means that you should always come to class (1) having done the assigned readings carefully and thoughtfully, and (2) prepared to contribute to our discussions about those readings in productive ways. This class is not a spectator event, and I will expect everyone who shows up for class to be able and willing to participate meaningfully in our conversations. I reserve the right to penalize the final course grades of students who show up for class unprepared more than once. Please note that "being prepared" does not require you to have a full and total mastery of any given reading: simply that you've done the reading closely enough to contribute focused questions and or relevant comments to our discussions.

Readings

There are no textbooks for this course, and all of the required readings will be made available in class.

Written assignments: general rules

(a) Where/how to submit assignments. All written assignments must be submitted in both printed and digital versions, and the text of each version must be identical.

• Printed versions should be double-spaced and stapled (do not use plastic covers/binders).
• Digital versions should be e-mailed to rodman@umn.edu as file attachments.
• Acceptable digital formats are OpenOffice, WordPerfect, Word, RTF, PDF, HTML, and plaintext.
• I will not print out hard copies of digital submissions, and so you will not receive written feedback unless you submit a printed version.
• If you submit printed versions of assignments outside of class, either hand such work directly to me or place it in my campus mailbox in 250 Ford. Do not submit work under my office door. Please note that 250 Ford is only open between 8 am and 4 pm on weekdays.

(b) Deadlines. At least one version (and, ideally, both versions) of any assignment must be submitted by 11:15 am on the listed due date. If you submit only one version on time, you have until 4:00 pm on the due date to submit the other version. After that time, grade penalties will be assessed in direct proportion to the lateness of your assignment. The minimum penalty for late and/or missing assignments will be one full letter grade. Deadlines are not negotiable or subject to extensions, except in cases involving:

• major life emergences (with suitable documentation (hospital receipts, funeral notices, etc.)) or
• major religious holidays (with written notice presented at least a week in advance).

(c) Grammar/spelling/etc. Assignment grades will be based primarily on content and argument, rather than form and style: insightful, smartly argued essays that contain a few spelling errors will almost always receive higher grades than grammatically flawless papers that have weak arguments. Nonetheless, grammar, spelling, and style still matter to the effective presentation of a strong argument, and assignments suffering from significant "form" problems will be penalized accordingly.

(d) Handouts. Full details about particular assignments will be made available on separate handouts.

Thought paper

This assignment (750-1000 words, due 10 Sep) will be ungraded. Assuming you turn the paper in, you should receive full credit for doing so (though I reserve the right to give partial (or even no) credit to papers that fail to meet the assignment's requirements).

Critical response papers

You will write at least three critical response papers (750-1000 words each, due dates vary) over the course of the semester, each of which should be a critical (i.e., thoughtful and analytical) response to the assigned readings from a particular unit of the course.

Oral research presentation

Our final five class meetings will be devoted to individual oral presentations of student research (7-10 minutes each) related to the future of digital media. You will be required to submit a proposed topic for your presentation by 1 Oct, and you should schedule a one-on-one meeting with me well in advance of that deadline to discuss this assignment.

Take-home final exam

This exam (due 20 Dec) will consist entirely of essay questions and will be based on the assigned readings and our in-class discussions. It will consist of one mandatory question and two questions that you will choose from a larger selection. Each essay should be 1000-1250 words long and will be weighted equally in your exam grade.

Course blog

In addition to our face-to-face meetings, we will conduct a significant amount of discussion and course business online via a course blog. A partial list of the ways we will use the course blog includes:

• discussions of assigned readings and other issues related to the theme of the course,
• occasional "virtual lectures" designed to stimulate (additional) online discussion, and
• course-related business announcements.

Academic integrity

The following is a partial list of major examples of academic dishonesty:

• plagiarism in any of its forms
• copying papers (in whole or in part) written by other students
• having someone else research and/or write substantial portions of any graded assignment, and
• knowingly assisting someone else in their efforts to engage in any of the above practices.

The minimum penalty for academic dishonesty is a zero for the assignment in question.

Further information about the University's official policies with respect to academic dishonesty -- including more detailed explanations of what constitutes "plagiarism" and "cheating" -- can be found online at http://writing.umn.edu/tww/plagiarism/

Miscellaneous

• I do not expect our class meetings to produce unanimous agreement about the issues under discussion, but I do expect all of our conversations to be characterized by mutual respect and collegiality. Strongly expressed opinions are acceptable in this class; verbal bullying and personal attacks, on the other hand, will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
• Significant disruptions of the normal flow of course-related business -- e.g., using cell phones in class, excessive side chatter -- may result in grade penalties.
• You may make audio recordings of our class meetings, provided you can do so without disrupting the ordinary flow of the class. The purchase and/or sale of either written notes or audio recordings of our class meetings, however, is strictly prohibited.
• In accordance with University policy, I will make every effort to accommodate the specific needs of students with documented disabilities.

Reading/assignment schedule