2020SP COMM 1255 SEC01 |
Office hours | Content |
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TU/FR 9:50 - 11:30 am Dodge Hall 070 |
TU appointments starting at 12:00 Joseph Reagle, Ph.D., <j.reagle> Comm Studies, 215 Holmes Hall Tip: Enter at 41A Leon St. |
Policies |
Assignments | ||
Rubric | ||
Resources | ||
Schedule |
Digital communication is central to contemporary life and yet (or consequently) we take it for granted. Communication in the Digital Age will remedy this. At its successful completion, you will be able to explain the technical basis, communicative effects, and commercial aspects of digital communication. For instance, you will learn about web protocols, attention and multi-tasking, the shape and strengths of one’s relationships; you’ll learn about online ads, content, and privacy; and we’ll discuss how bias can emerge in online platforms.
Successful completion of this course enables one to:
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” – Confucius
This is an active learning course meaning that you will be engaged with activities such as class and group discussion, participating in and designing class exercises, collaborative note-taking, and peer assessment.
I also make much use of the Web. For instance, this syllabus is a Web page that I update; I expect you to bookmark it and to follow links. (If you find a broken link or typo, let me know!) You can easily find things on this page with ⌘+f. You can open links in new tabs with control-click. We will also make use of Google Docs. In emails I often use markdown conventions and respond below your quoted (‘>’) text.
In short, come to class on time and with the readings and assignments completed; be respectful and willing to collaborate. There are no provisions for missed exams or late assignments.
In general, if you have an issue, such as needing an accommodation for a religious obligation or disability, speak with me before it affects your performance. Do not plead afterwards. Instead, beforehand, offer proposals that show initiative and a willingness to work.
Academic Integrity is of utmost importance: “The promotion of independent and original scholarship ensures that students derive the most from their educational experience and their pursuit of knowledge.” Violations include cheating, plagiarism, and participating in or encouraging dishonesty. If you cheat on an exam, you will receive zero credit and be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. If you plagiarize seven or more words in a row, the same will follow.
Deviations from classroom professionalism and respect may result in dismissal from class and demerits against your grade. See full course policies for more detail.
NOTE: I usually discourage use of devices during class, but during COVID/NUflex they are necessary. It’ll be doubly important, then, that you contribute in person or remotely and can’t be mistaken for being distracted. Also, I think having our cameras on makes for a better experience. Feel free to turn your camera off if you need to attend to something; if you have a larger concern/issue, please let me know. Aside from the first few days of class (for students that join later) my preference is not to record our classes, but this, too, is something we can discuss and if you have a specific request or concern, please let me know.
There are 1000 points at stake over the term. This is converted to letter grades based on thresholds.
(200 pts) Class participation
This entails much more than (even perfect) attendance; participation is not an easy “gimme grade” and is assessed rigorously. Please see the participation rubric for more.
Web assignments
You will be creating a website that will have webpages for five practical exercises and two sets of reading responses.
When you send me an assignment, email it ninety minutes before class; include your page’s <URL>
at the top followed by assignment’s markdown content so I can give you feedback—no attachments. Email submissions to me (j.reagle) with a descriptive subject for the email beginning with hackmd. (For example, “hackmd: Privacy response” or “hackmd: Web search and evaluation.”) If you fail to do this, I may not see the email and you could fail to get credit. Submissions sent since the last class are viewable by others on the Web.
(200 pts) Practical exercises
These are mandatory and require you to document a specific competency (e.g., filtering your email) on HackMD within the context of that class’s readings—don’t forget to discuss the reading! If you want to include screenshots, use an image host such as imgur.com. Make good use of markdown: use headings, links, quotes, and embed images, video, or audio as appropriate. Email me your assignment 90 minutes before class: include hackmd
in the subject, include the <link> to your page, followed by the markdown. Do not create a new account for each assignment; create a new page with your existing account. These are typically 400-600 words.
I assess these based on: substantive engagement with the assignment’s task and accurate results; good use and integration of that day’s readings; deft use of markdown (headings, links to readings, images, etc.); and prose quality.
(200 pts) Reading responses
You must read and prepare to discuss all readings for each class.
In each half of the course, you must complete a certain number of reading responses—this is in addition to all practical exercises above. That is, for classes that don’t already have REQUIRED practical exercises, you must complete five responses (typically 250-350 words) by the middle of the semester (see schedule below) and five after; do not add or edit responses after they are due. Plan this ahead of time so you are not caught short. Absent a specific prompt, summarize and engage. If there are multiple readings, you can focus on one, but the best responses often manage to find some point of convergence between a few. Also, you don’t want to give the impression of always choosing the easiest reading. You can only write one response per class.
You will have two response pages on your site—see the first example on my website. If you do a response, email me your assignment 90 minutes before class: include hackmd
in the subject, include the <link> to your page, followed by the response’s markdown.
I assess these solely on the quality of the content: you do not need to use links, images, etc. I recommend you spell and grammar check your writing and maintain a checklist of how to write an excellent response.
(200 pts) Exam
The exam includes multiple-choice, fill in the blank, and short essay questions.
(200 pts) Topical essay and proposal
These assignments must be double-spaced, 12 point font, 1-inch margins. (One page contains approximately 250 words.) Citations and bibliography must be in the APA style. No APA cover page is required. Include your name and submit the electronic version via Canvas before class.
(50 pts) Write a ~500 word proposal with a thesis related to our class and sources (from class and at least three external sources, at least one of which should be scholarly). In your proposal don’t plan to “discuss” or “explore” an issue; instead, your thesis should be an argument or answer to a question and then describe how you plan to support your thesis with your sources. This is fairly open-ended, so see Choosing a Topic for help. Previous topics included: “Productive Procrastination vs Media-Multitasking,” “Homophily in Online Dating,” “Gender Differences in Social Media,” “Behavioral Targeting: Is it Ethical?,” “Social Media as a Recruiting Tool,” and “Privacy in the Digital Age.”
If you have permission to revise a written assignment for re-assessment, please see these revision instructions.
(150 pts) Write a ~1500 word essay on your chosen topic.
I assess these by way of the writing rubric.
(1pt) TRACE
Our college requires all students to complete TRACE evaluations at the end of the semester even if you (anonymously) opt-out of completing the survey. Those who send me evidence of completing TRACE receive a bonus-point.
Communication Studies courses are expected, on average, to have a GPA of no more than a 3.3 (B+); this means those receiving an A or A- are in the minority. The course rubric notes that “A” students have all of the following attributes:
Also see the participation and writing rubrics.
Many links are found through-out this syllabus (remember, ⌘+f is your friend), but I’ve gathered some of the most important ones below.
Most readings are linked to from this page, if not check this zip file. I specify the chapter (ch=) or pages (pp=) to read for selections.
I highly recommend you get a copy of:
Welcome! We introduce ourselves, cover class logistics, and consider if digital-natives are tech-savvy.
Read the following short essay and complete the assignment below. Bring a device to class.
A wiki is an easy-to-create website using a lightweight syntax—such as markdown—for specifying images, links, and headings. Markdown is simple text, easy to read and write, supported by many editors, and can be mixed with HTML when needed (such as to embed a Youtube video). It’s used on sites including Reddit and Tumblr.
REQUIRED: Go to HackMD and create your wiki.
⠪
, set Read
to Everyone
and Write
to Owners
.+
to create a note for your “Wiki tutorial.” Reflect on the reading above while using headings, links, images, and videos. (Remember to use a blank lines above and below paragraphs.)
This isn’t graded and doesn’t count toward your five reading responses, but I will give you feedback. Email me your assignment 90 minutes before class: include hackmd
in the email’s subject, in its content, include the <link> to your page, followed by the markdown of the page.
Read the chapter below and conduct the “online intention” exercise from the Attention Probes.
(Remember, you don’t have to write a response to this reading because it is not a required practical exercise; but, you do have to write five responses by the middle of the term so pace yourself carefully. If you do write a response, include it on your wiki response page and send an email with ‘hackmd’ in the subject and the
Identify something about digital communication that you would like to learn more about or something from the reading you found confusing. Don’t get too hung up on technical details (especially about cryptography), we’ll cover everything in class.
(Again, you can write a response to this toward the five due by the middle of the semester.)
Many people are not aware of the power available to them in Web searches nor how to evaluate the information they encounter. I’m asking you to use advanced search techniques and reflect on the credibility of online information.
REQUIRED: Review the instructions above and create a hackmd note using the power of the Web (headings, links, embedded images, etc.) to show me your searches and results as appropriate while engaging with the readings. For example, this link shows the results of searching for “Joseph Aoun” from January 1st to April 30th in 2014, excluding pages on northeastern.edu.
..
’) finds instances of numbers on the page (including dates) but that doesn’t mean the page is from that date.Email me your assignment 90 minutes before class: include hackmd
in the subject, include the <link> to your page, followed by the markdown.
Had everyone in the country learned and used “crap detection” skills, would we have been so affected by “fake news” and media manipulation?
We learn about the science of learning.
REQUIRED: Review the instructions above and create a hackmd note with a screenshot of your new filter while engaging with the readings on the same page.
neu-cda
).⋮
(more) button in the upper right, then Filter messages like this
.[neu-cda]
). Click Create filter
Apply the label
.Skip the Inbox
, but make sure to check the label/folder occasionally. You can edit Gmail filters via the ⚙
(settings).Create filter
and once done, take a screenshot of the filter for embedding.Remember, in your email to me, include hackmd
in the subject, include the <URL>
to your page, followed by the markdown.
Why do we cooperate, and when and why do we fail to do so? If the reading is removed from the digital realm, think about how the concepts you read about might apply to what we see online.
Please suggest a topic you’d be interested in discussing. (For example, last time students suggested the “Darknet” and how Tor and BitCoin facilitate difficult to trace transactions.)
If you do a response, craft two multiple choice questions and two short/essay questions that could appear on the exam. For each question, provide an answer/explanation, or even a mnemonic, in a section below all the questions.
How does gender figure into digital communication, participation, and contribution?
DUE: Essay proposal
In what ways are online reviews, ratings, rankings, and comments manipulated? What can you trust and how would you know?
Knowing what we know about online advertising, should users be able to easily block ads? If so, who then pays for the free content and services we consume?
REQUIRED: Review the instructions above and create a hackmd note with screenshots of a webpage with and without ad blocking while engaging with the readings on the same page. In this assignment I want you to learn how to install an ad blocker and experience what it is like to browse a saner Web. Whether you continue to use it is up to you!
Note: if Northeastern rejects your email as spam because of discussion of ads, you may send your email to me at my personal address.
How has digital communication changed the relational landscape?
On the flip-side of dating, how do people breakup in the digital age? Gershon’s chapter is a bit dated, but that can be useful: what has changed and what has stayed the same? For more recent attitudes, skim Lenhart et al.
How does digital communication affect our ability to be mindful? How does it affect self-esteem; is it making us narcissistic?
How concerned should we be about our privacy online? Is there anything we can do to protect it?
REQUIRED: Review the instructions above and create a hackmd note with some of the results of your self-stalking (via links or screenshots) while engaging with the readings on the same page. You might be surprised by what is revealed in your public online footprint, but so much more can be had for a fee. You don’t have to document everything, just the interesting highlights.
Please be mindful of your privacy in this assignment and do not share anything that weakens your privacy further, such as screenshots of your phone number.
Guest: Christo Wilson
Do algorithms exhibit biases (intentional or otherwise) in online commerce?
What does it mean to be authentic online? Is it possible anymore to have more than one persona online? Bring your device for a class activity.
We continue our discussion of authenticity and return to our discussion of gender by way of work.
How can we make sense of the odd and embarrassing behavior we see online?
Why does digital communication give rise to such toxic behavior, including that of haters and that seen in “bully battles”?
Is online communication so awful? Is it possible to opt-out of digital communication?
DUE: Reading responses. Please send me the <URL>
of your responses page following template structure. If you do a response for today, include that markdown as well, but I don’t need the markdown of all your previous responses.
DUE: Essay.
DUE: Evidence of TRACE completion due via email at 12:00 ET.
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