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Contact information:
Dr. Adriana de Souza e Silva
Associate Professor
IT University of Copenhagen
addso@itu.dk
http://www.souzaesilva.com

Teaching Assistants:
Aishath Amani Naseem
amani@itu.dk

Mikkel Stubgaard
miko@itu.dk

Class meetings:
Thursdays at 2A-12
Lecture:13:00-15:30
Exercises: 16:00-18:30

Course website:
http://www.itu.dk/courses/BMMS/E2010/

Course blog:
https://blog.itu.dk/BMMS-E2010/

Office:
3D-08

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Course Description:

This course provides a theoretical, analytical and practical overview of the state of mobile technologies in contemporary society. It explores the emergence of mobile social media and their influence on communication patterns and social behavior. Throughout the course, students learn how to conceptualize cell phones beyond mobile telephones (i.e., two-way voice communication devices). Rather, they are defined as mobile interfaces, micro-computers, remote controls and a gaming devices. The lecture class focuses on the history, current uses and future perspectives for the global social use of mobile interfaces.

Along the course we will address issues such as:
• The history of mobile interfaces,
• Mobile phones' influence on our communication patterns and behavior,
• Public uses of mobile phones, and how they blur the borders between public and private spaces,
• How mobile phones are used for safety and security,
• Mobile phones as fashion items,
• Youth behavior and cell phones,
• The creation of mobile communities,
• Locative media, camera phones and SMS,
• New developments of social mobile media, such as ubiquitous computing and location-based social networks,
• Basic concepts of cellular technologies and cell phone generations,
• Educational and entertainment uses of mobile technologies,
• The use of mobile phones in the developing world (case studies in Africa, Asia and South America).

In addition to the lectures, students are expected to collaborate with each other in class discussions, group presentations, and a practical project that is meant to apply the concepts and theory learned during the course. In summary, the course combines theory and practice in order to help students understand the various facets of mobile communication technologies today, focusing on their history, current uses and social appropriation of technology in a global world.

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Intended learning outcomes:
After this course, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate basic understanding of mobile technologies use and their functions.
• Identify and apply communication and sociological media theories to critically reflect upon the state of mobile media and social information technologies in today´s society.
  
• Describe and analyze current place-specific uses of cell phones, connecting them to mobile phone history and theory.
  
• Explain connections between cell phone usage and the social significance of digital media in contemporary society.
• Discuss basic concepts of cellular technology by analyzing mobile platforms and mobile social software as they relate to social uses.
  
• Explain how mobile, location aware and wireless interfaces influence communication and society.

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Course assignments and grading:
The course will consist of the following assignments:

• weekly readings
• practical project
• final exam

Only the final exam will be graded, but students are expected to complete all course assignments in order to take the final exam. For a complete description of course assignments, go to the assignments page.

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Course policies:

Most ITU policies and rules about exams can be found at the ITU Intranet Study Guide page.

Attendance policy
Attendance is not mandatory per University policies, but all students are expected to be present in all lecture and exercises class sections. Every lecture, discussion, and presentation from each class period will contain material covered on the final exam. Consequently, you will need to be present in class, alert, and involved in order to grasp the material, ask questions about it when necessary, learn it, and pass the course. If you should miss a class, it is your responsibility to get notes and explanations from a classmate. Late arrivals are very disruptive for other students and for the instructor, so please try to be in the classroom before the section starts.

Participation
Participation entails not only attending the class but coming prepared having done all the readings, having made an honest attempt at understanding the author’s argument, and bringing reading notes and questions you’d like to ask. Students are expected to:

• Be present in class;
• Contribute to the class with your ideas, comments and questions;
• Actively participate in the course, answering the instructor's questions and engaging in class discussions.

Laptop policy
Laptops should be used in class ONLY for class related assignments. Using your laptopt in class to check personal email and surf the web is not only distracting to you, but also to all your colleagues who might be looking at your screen.

Academic integrity
A student shall be guilty of a violation of academic integrity if he or she:

• Represents the work of others as your own;
  
• Obtains assistance in any academic work from another individual in a situation in which you are expected to perform independently;
  
• Gives assistance to another individual in a situation in which that individual is expected to perform independently;
  

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is an act of deceit that is taken very seriously. Plagiarism is writing using someone's works -- be it word or ideas -- without giving her or him credit. If you are found plagiarizing you risk failure and even more stringent disciplinary actions. This is particularly important with web-based materials. If you use someone else's image/words/audio, you must give appropriate credit.

If you are in doubt regarding any matter relating to the standards of academic integrity in this course or on an assignment, consult with me before presenting the work.