COM3332 Syllabus Spring 2014 Instructor J.S. Clark
COM3332: New Communication Technology &
Contemporary Society Spring 2014
Mode of Instruction: Online
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Welcome to COM3332: New Communication Technology and Contemporary Society.
This course provides an historical perspective on new communication and information technologies, and explores the ways these technologies have
influenced—and been influenced by—culture, economics, and politics. We will also examine theories that help to explain these influences. Many of these theories will be familiar to Communication majors.
This course requires you to do research in, and construct messages about, new communication technologies—in most cases, using those very technologies themselves. Resources available to you as you participate in this course include your instructor and/or mentor, classmates, the course materials and website, the Florida State University library's electronic databases, and the Worldwide Web. This is a reading and writing intensive course, and because it is conducted online
without regular face-to-face meetings, it is imperative that you manage your time carefully.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the end of this course you will be able to:
• Summarize the history of, and future trends in, the development and use of information and communication technologies.
• Describe the national and international connections among economics, politics, the "information society," and information and communication technologies.
• Identify the dynamics shaping, and implications of, the "convergence" of information and communication technologies.
• Discuss key social, political, economic, and ethical issues related to the design and use of new information and communication technologies.
• Summarize the theoretical approaches to understanding new information and communication technologies.
• Describe emerging communication technologies and discuss their potential impacts.
CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Joseph Clark Email: [email protected] Work Phone: 645.5638
Office Location: C3507 University Center (this is across the courtyard from the College of Communication, one floor above the College of Social Work)
COM3332 Syllabus Spring 2014 Instructor J.S. Clark Office Hours: Since this is an asynchronous online class, office hours are by
appointment and are usually conducted via email—but we can also arrange to meet via other communication technologies (telephone, Skype, chat) or even—gasp!—
face to face, if you are near campus. Students can generally expect a response to email inquiries within 24 hours, but that may not always hold over weekends and holidays.
You will also have an online teaching assistant (course mentor) who will grade projects and moderate discussion forums. Contact information for your course mentor will be posted on the course Blackboard site after mentor groups are assigned in the second week.
COURSE MEETING AND INTERACTION This course is taught exclusively online via the Blackboard course system and has no face-to-face meeting times. To access the course web site after registering for the class, go to http://campus.fsu.edu/, log in, and select the course link from the list of courses.
Most of your interaction with your fellow students, mentor, and instructor will take place on the discussion forums and via email.
TEXTBOOKS
REQUIRED (you will not be able to pass the course without it):
Straubhaar, J., LaRose, R., & Davenport, L. (2013). Media now: Understanding media, culture, and technology (8th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. ISBN-10: 1133311369; ISBN-13: 978-1133311362.
OPTIONAL (contains many of the readings available in course site):
Bucy, E. P. (2005). Living in the Information Age: A new media reader (2nd ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. ISBN-10: 0534633404; ISBN-13:
9780534633400
Textbook sources: The course textbooks should be available through the FSU bookstore and other traditional outlets, including online vendors. (Shop around!
Using the textbook price-comparison service AddAll.com, I found Media Now! For 40%
less than the Amazon price earlier this year.) Choose your textbook vendor with care, and be mindful of delivery times lest you get behind in your reading.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Important email notes:
Be sure that your FSU email forwarding is set up correctly. Email messages that include a clear subject line, a salutation, and a signature are received much more
enthusiastically!
COM3332 Syllabus Spring 2014 Instructor J.S. Clark Readings, mini-projects, tests, and discussion participation are the components critical for the successful completion of this course. Completing the assigned
readings before their corresponding mini-projects, tests, and discussions will enable you to raise relevant questions and to improve your learning experience and your class participation grade. The primary vehicle for communication of course updates will take place on the course site's Announcements page. Be sure to check this regularly!
Discussion Forums
Active participation in the online discussions helps create a learning community and gives you opportunities to work with and get to know other students. Your
contributions to the class will enrich your own experience and those of your classmates. Discussion questions and instructions are located in corresponding weekly folders in the course site. Due dates and times are in the course Calendar.
Credit will be given for participation in discussion sessions as described below.
Mini-Project Assignments
You will complete two mini-projects during the term. For the first one, you must complete a traditional written essay of 1200-1500 words. The second mini-project will be a new-technology “essay” using media other than text, requiring about the same amount of work. All told, the mini-projects constitute just over half of your final grade.
Detailed requirements and topics for the mini-projects will be provided as the term progresses. See the Calendar for due dates and times.
Quizzes
You will take six quizzes composed of 20 multiple-choice questions each, drawn from material assigned in each unit of the course. Each quiz will be available for a one-week window. Information about taking quizzes online will be provided when the first quiz opens. See the Calendar for due dates and times.
GRADING
The criteria for grading include the following: demonstration of student's command of course materials; research; organization; style and presentation; analysis and insight. Spelling, punctuation, grammar, and clear writing will influence your grade as part of the “style and presentation” criteria. Specific assignment instructions, rubrics, and questions will be made available on the course website in the
Assignments section.
The following elements and weights determine your final course grade.
Discussion Assignments (3% 24% Grading Scale:
Late assignments -- this applies to all course assignments -- lose one letter grade per day (or ten percent of the numerical grade).
Acceptance of late assignments is at the instructor's discretion and extensions are rarely granted.
COM3332 Syllabus Spring 2014 Instructor J.S. Clark
each) 93-100 = A (4.0)
90-92 = A- (3.75) 87-89 = B+ (3.25) 83-86 = B (3.0) 80-82 = B- (2.75) 77-79 = C+ (2.25) 73-76 = C (2.0) 70-72 = C- (1.75) and so on...
Mini-Project Assignment One 26%
Mini-Project Assignment Two 26%
Quizzes 1-6 (4% each) 24%
Please note that simply adding up the raw points for your assignments will give you an incorrect estimate of your grade. A formula and guide for calculating weighted grades is posted in the course site in the same place as the Syllabus and Calendar.
Grade Inflation
The Department of Communication is committed to reducing grade inflation in its courses. To that end, a department-wide grading standard has been adopted to insure that an "A" is reserved for outstanding performance. The following letter grades are assigned both to undergraduate and graduate credit students. These grades reflect the quality and quantity of work submitted throughout the term according to the instructor's grading standards.
• A and A- grades represent work whose superior quality indicates a full mastery of the subject. An A represents work of extraordinary distinction.
• B+, B, and B- grades represent work of good to very good quality but that does not merit special distinction.
• C+, C, and C- grades designate an adequate command of the course material.
These grades are satisfactory for undergraduate students, but unsatisfactory for graduate students.
• D+, D, and D- grades indicate work that shows a deficiency in knowledge of the material. They are unsatisfactory for undergraduate and graduate students.
• F is a failing grade representing work that deserves no credit.
COM3332 Syllabus Spring 2014 Instructor J.S. Clark ACADEMIC HONOR POLICY
The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University’s expectations for the integrity of students' academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to ". . . be honest and truthful and . . . [to]
strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University." (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at
http://fda.fsu.edu/Academics/Academic-Honor-Policy.) Plagiarism Statement
Plagiarism is "representing another's work or any part thereof, be it published or unpublished, as one's own. . . . For example, plagiarism includes failure to use quotation marks or other conventional markings around material quoted from any source" (Florida State University General Bulletin: 1998-1999, p. 69). Failure to document material properly, that is, failure to indicate that the material came from another source, is also considered a form of plagiarism. Additionally, it is expected in this course that unless otherwise specified, all test and essays assignments and the research efforts required in these assignments be conducted independently.
Evidence of collaborative work (except as required) will result in a grade of "F" for the assignment for all individuals involved and possibly failure of the entire course.
Please note: All written submissions may be processed through a text-matching service to reduce the likelihood of plagiarized work.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Your instructor considers it very important that the course be accessible to everyone. To be consistent, students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should:
1. Register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC); and
2. Deliver a letter to the instructor from the SDRC indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done within the first week of class.
This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. For more information about services available to FSU students with
disabilities, contact the Student Disability Resource Center, 97 Woodward Avenue, South, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167. Phone (850) 644- 9566 (voice) or (850) 644-8504 (TDD). Email: [email protected]. Website:
http://www.fsu.edu/~staffair/dean/StudentDisability/.
It is each student's responsibility to keep track of all assignments and their due dates (see the Calendar in the course site). At a minimum, check your email and the course web site twice a week for course updates posted by the instructor and/or course mentors.
COM3332 Syllabus Spring 2014 Instructor J.S. Clark Note: The instructor reserves the right to make slight modifications to this syllabus during the course of the semester in response to unexpected events. All
modifications will be announced.
End of syllabus.
