NCSU Department of Communication COM487::Internet & Society
Instructor: Dr. Adriana de Souza e Silva
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| Week | Day | Topic | Readings due | Presentations | Assignments |
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Mon. 01.09
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course overview | |||
| Wed. 01.11
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Cyberspace vs. Internet: an introduction | ||||
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1 Cyberspace = cybernetics + space |
Mon. 01.16 | no class. Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
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| Wed. 01.18 | (The utopia of) cyberspace as an immaterial and libertarian place. | Kevin Robins, “Cyberspace and the world we live in” (pp. 77-95) | Blog post | ||
 2 Cyberspace as space |
Mon. 01.23 |
Introduction to cybernetics and information theory. First, second and third cybernetic waves.
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Adriana de Souza e Silva, "Cyberspace = cybernetics + space" (pp. 20-32)
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Blog post | |
| Wed. 01.25 | Computers as (narrative) spaces. What's an interface? | Janet Murray, “From additive to expressive form” (pp. 65-96)
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Blog post | ||
| 3 Interfaces |
Mon. 01.30 |
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Steven Johnson, "Bitmapping: an introduction" (pp. 11-41) | Presentation 01: Interfaces. Memex (Vannevar Bush), Mouse and Windows (Douglas Engelbart), and Sketchpad (Ivan Sutherland): by Kenneth Bledsoe, Kimberly Willliams, Nikki Goldfarb
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Blog post |
| Wed. 02.01 |
The Macintosh and the desktop metaphor: First signs of immersion in the “computer for the rest of us.
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Steven Johnson, “The Desktop” (42-75) |
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Blog post | |
| 4 Simulations |
Mon. 02.06 | From calculations to simulations. Computers as simulation machines.
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Sherry Turkle, “A tale of two aesthetics” (29-49) | Blog post | |
| Wed. 02.08 | Computer simulations.
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Watch movie: The Thirteenth Floor | Presentation 02: Simulations. Evolved Virtual Creatures (Karl Sims), A-Volve (Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignoneau), and Technosphere (Jane Prophet): by Alexander Fantroy, Jessica Branson, Jonathan Reys |
-- mid-term 1 announcement. | |
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| 5 Internet / MUDs |
Mon. 02.13 | Connecting information spaces: the Internet and WWW. Technical facts.
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visit from the library |
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| Wed. 02.15 | MUDs as communities |
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Presentation 03: MUDs. MUD (Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw), LambdaMOO, Habitat (LucasFilm): by Marcus Allen, Zach Jeyakaran, Bailey Surrett.
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mid-term 1 due | |
| 6 MUDs as spaces / Chats |
Mon. 02.20 | Building the Internet as a social place (e-mail, e-group, list-serv, Usenet). Communication and sociability -- the history of MUDs.
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Julian Dibbell, “The scarlet balloon (or tinygeography, a long view and an overview)” (pp. 39-59) | Blog post | |
| Wed. 02.22 | Visualizing communication environments: 2D and 3D Chats. | Judith Donath, Karrie Karahalios, Fernanda Viegas, “Visualizing Conversations” (pp. 2023-2032) | Blog post
-- topic proposal for final paper due
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| 7 Chats / Bodies |
Mon. 02.27 |
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Judith Donath, “Part I: the virtual society” (pp. 15-42)
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Presentation 04 : Chats. Habbo Hotel, The Palace, Active Worlds: by Megan Justice, Michael Lakis, Garrett Larue | Blog post
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| Wed. 03.01 | computer lab class |
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| 8 Spring break |
Mon. 03.06 | no class. Spring break |
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| Wed. 03.08 | no class. Spring break |
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| 9 Bodies / MUDs as learning environments |
Mon. 03.13 | T. L. Taylor, "Life in virtual worlds", (pp. 435-449). | Presentation 05:Avatars. Bodies Inc., n0time (Victoria Vesna), and (Brenda Laurel) : by Lynden Price, Jessica Cline, and Lauren Allen | Blog post
-- initial references for final paper
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| Wed. 03.15 | The construction of the online body: Avatars | Angela Thomas , “Digital Literacies of the Cybergirl” (pp. 358-382)
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Blog post
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| 10 MUDs as learning environments |
Mon. 03.20 | Educational MUDs | Sasha Barab et. al., “Making Learning Fun: Quest Atlantis, a game without guns ” (pp. 86-107)
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Blog post
-- mid term exam 2 |
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| Part III: The mobile Internet |
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Wed. 03.22 | The mobile internet: an introduction |
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| 11 Cell phones, society and places |
Mon. 03.27 | Mobile phones (site-specific factors): Japan |
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mid-term exam 2 due | |
| Wed. 03.29 | Howard Rheingold, “Shibuya Epiphany” (pp. 1-28) | Presentation 07: Cell phones - social facts. Happy Slapping, Thumb Tribes and Flash Mobs: by Candace Broadie, Tyler Helikson, Cody Butler
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Blog post
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| 12 Cell phones, society and places |
Mon. 04.03 | Cell phones in South America: relationships between cell phones, fixed phones, and the Internet. | Armando Montilla et. al., "'R-A-M' ('RENT-A-MINUTE') The Nano-enterprise: Mobile telephony letting by street vendors in the context of informal sub-economies".
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Blog post
-- paper outline
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| Wed. 04.05 | Bharat & Minakakis, "Evolution of mobile location-based services" (pp. 61-65)
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Presentation 08: Location-based services. Digital Graffitto, Lovegetty, and Ima-Hima: by Andrew Mitchell, Travis Kraszeski, Tiffany Key
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Blog post
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| 13 Wearable and ubiquitous computing |
Mon. 04.10 | Wearable computing | Film: Cyberman
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| Wed. 04.12 | Ubiquitous Computing | Mark Weiser, "The world is not a desktop" AND "Designing calm technology".
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Blog post
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| 14 Hybrid reality gaming |
Mon. 04.17 | Hybrid reality games. | Christian Licoppe & Yoriko Inada, "'Seeing' one another onscreen and the construction of social order in a mobile-based augmented public space", (pp. 1-16)
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Presentation 09: Location-based games. Geocaching, Botfighters, and Mogi Mogi: by Katie Buttcher, Jeff Breese, and Daniel Pennell
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Blog post |
| Wed. 04.19
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Hybrid reality games. | Benford et. al., "Uncle Roy All Around You ", (pp. 1-10). |
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Blog post | |
| 15 Mobile Art |
Mon. 04.24 | Hybrid Reality Games / Mobile Art | Adriana de Souza e Silva, "Art by Telephone".
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Blog post |
| Wed. 04.26 | Mobile Art |
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-- final paper due |
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| 16 Finals week |
Mon. 05.01 | ||||
| Wed. 05.03 | |||||