Digital
Culture and Communication



 

 

 

COMM 4544/5544
T/TH:
9:30-10:45am (01) ITTC 136
Course website: sites.uni.edu/fabos/dcc/dcc.html


Bettina Fabos, Ph.D
Professor of Visual Communication

Office Hours: MW,
12-2:00, or by appt

342 Lang Hall
273-5972
fabos@uni.edu

                                 
                                   SCHEDULE                                     ABOUT                                       ASSIGNMENTS
 
 
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

DATE

TOPICS READINGS, ASSIGNMENTS, DUE DATES
                                                                                           1
Tuesday
Jan 14

Introduction to Digital Culture

Syllabus, course schedule.

Explain Blackboard/Content


Syllabus

 

FORTEPAN Project introduced

FINAL PAPER introduced

IN CLASS: Introductions and interviews

Questions for Bettina

Thursday
Jan 16

Health and Tech

Digital immigrants vs. digital natives

Our relationship with our smartphones

READINGS/VIEWINGS (due today)

  • Bored and Brilliant: Introduction: The case for Boredom
  • Bored and Brilliant: Ch. 1 What We Talk About When We Talk About Boredom

DUE: 1/2 page write up 01 (uploaded to elearning before class) SINGLE SPACE PLEASE, TIMES NEW ROMAN. Grading guidelines are here.
Take notes as you read through the introduction and Chapter 1.
Q1. Describe your relationship with your phone. How healthy is it?
Q2. Summarize your notes: what stood out for you from Zomorodi’s description of where our phones and tablets are taking us, and how might boredom be a healthy break from digital culture.

REMINDER: THIS SHORT PAPER (approximately 2-3 paragraphs--one paragraph per question, single space, times new roman--must be loaded onto Elearning as a digital file--no rtf or wordperfect files please!). If you don't have Word write your piece in Google Docs and then simply save as a Word File. DO NOT SEND ME A LINK TO A GOOGLE DOC.

ASSIGN: B&B CHALLENGE 1: pp. 49-53: Download “Moment” App or “BreakFree” App and OBSERVE YOURSELF Friday-Monday, Friday Jan. 17-20.

2
Tuesday,
Jan 21

Health and Tech

Reorganize the APPS on your phone; reduce notifications

From One Second to the Next, Herzog

A Dark Consensus About Screens and Kids Begins to Emerge in Silicon Valley: “I am convinced the devil lives in our phones.”

The Digital Gap Between Rich and Poor Kids Is Not What We Expected: America’s public schools are still promoting devices with screens — even offering digital-only preschools. The rich are banning screens from class altogether. New York Times, Oct. 26 2018.

DUE: CHALLENGE 1

READINGS/VIEWINGS (due today)

  • Bored and Brilliant: Ch. 2, Digital Overload
  • Bored and Brilliant: Ch. 3, Out of Sight

DUE: 1/2 page write up 02 (uploaded to elearning before class) SINGLE SPACE PLEASE, TIMES NEW ROMAN. Grading Guidelines are here.
Q1. First describe your experiences with deep reading, maybe in terms of the kind of assignments you are given in college, and your preferences for reading in print, e-book, online, etc; Then, explain what author Manoush Zomorodi means by biliteracy as an educational goal, and what you think about it?

Q2. How are smartphones, according to Zomorodi, like a four-year-old child? To what extent can you relate, and please offer an example?

ASSIGN: B&B CHALLENGE 2, pp. 67-72: Keep your devices out of reach while in motion; CHALLENGE UPGRADE: Note 5 things you've never noticed before.

Thursday,
Jan 23

Black Mirror: It's All About You

DUE: CHALLENGE 2

READINGS/VIEWINGS (due today)

  • Bored and Brilliant: Ch. 4, Making Memories

DUE: 1/2 page write up 03 (uploaded to elearning before class) SINGLE SPACE PLEASE, TIMES NEW ROMAN)
Q1. How does that persistent need to capture the moment change how we actually experience the moment?
Q2. What should we expect from our cumulative photos in the future?

ASSIGN: B&B CHALLENGE 3, pp. 82-84: for ALL DAY Friday: Photo Free Day.

REMINDER: THIS PAPER must be loaded onto Elearning as a digital file. Please no rtf fonts or word perfect...If you don't have word write your piece in Google Docs and then simply save as a Word File.

3
Tuesday,
Jan 28

Addiction

Tristan Harris presentation to Google:
A Call to Minimize Distraction and Respect Users Attention

Tristan Harris Ted Talk

Growthhackers.com

Headspace

Inside a Gaming Addiction Rehab

Network Effect

Can't Put Down that Device? That's by Design

Essena O'Neil

National Day of Unplugging 

DUE: CHALLENGE 3

READINGS/VIEWINGS (due today)

DUE: 1/2 page write up 04 (uploaded to elearning before class) SINGLE SPACE PLEASE, TIMES NEW ROMAN)
Q1. Do you have an experience with someone who is, or has been, addicted to video or mobile games, which you can relate to the Bored and Briliant Ch. 5?
Q2. What kind of tactics, mentioned in the Binge Breaker article and also Bored and Brilliant, are used in the industry to manipulate people to continue using a particular program, software, or app?


ASSIGN: B&B CHALLENGE 4 IN CLASS, pp. 107-109: Delete that App

ASSIGN: B&B CHALLENGE 5, pp. 127-131: Take a "Phonecation" either on Wednesday  Jan. 29, Thursday Jan 30, or Friday Feb. 31. One of these three days.


Thursday,
Jan 30

Work

When you're a Digital Nomad the World is your Office

Gloria Mark: The Cost of Interrupted Work (bad study)

Data Crunching is coming to help your boss manage your time-NYTimes

- Morning Call

"TechLash" hits college campuses (New York Times, 1/11/2020

DUE: CHALLENGE 5 (BEFORE CLASS TIME)

READINGS/VIEWINGS (due today)

DUE: 1/2 page write up 05 (uploaded to elearning before class) SINGLE SPACE PLEASE, TIMES NEW ROMAN
Q1. Why is creativity valued so highly in the modern, white collar workplace?
Q2. Summarize the conditions of Amazon's workplace as described in the article "Inside Amazon." (ANSWER IF LAST NAME BEGINS WITH A THROUGH F)
Q3: Summarize the conditions of Amazon's workplace as described in the article "I Worked at an Amazon Fulfillment Center."
(ANSWER IF LAST NAME BEGINS WITH G THROUGH W)

ASSIGN: B&B CHALLENGE 6,pp. 144-148

ASSIGN: B&B CHALLENGE 7, pp. 163-165: The Bored and Briliant Challenge:
TO BE COMPLETED INDEPENDENTLY DURING CLASS TIME. Get really bored.

4
Tuesday,
Feb 4

Reclaiming Wonder and "Wandering Away"

DUE: CHALLENGE 6 (by SUNDAY NIGHT)

DUE: CHALLENGE 7 (completed during class)

READINGS/VIEWINGS (due today)

DUE: 1/2 page write up 06 (written during class) SINGLE SPACE PLEASE, TIMES NEW ROMAN)
Q1 (relating to Challenge 6). Describe your experience hanging out, watching people, etc. for an hour. What went through your head? How was this Experience novel, positive or negative?

Q2 (relating to Challenge 7).  Similar to the "Observe" challenge, what happened when you allowed yourself to become totally bored? Please incorporate the readings from Bored & Brilliant Chapters 8 and 9 and the two video viewings, which you just need to dip into, not watch completely.

team

Thursday,
Feb 6

Physical Health and Technology

1. Construction

2.Use

3. Deconstruction

READINGS/VIEWINGS (due today)

  • Bored and Brilliant: Ch. 9, You Are Brilliant
  • A book chapter or a long article from the New Yorker, Wired the Atlantic, or Harpers that has to do with the following topics: Technology as it has to do with a) Assembly Plant workers in China or India--their health and safety; b) the Physical or Mental health among users (for example, eyesight, brains, etc), or c) Environmental HGealth with the rise of technology being thrown away. YOUR CHOICE.
  • DUE: 1/2 page write up 07 (uploaded to elearning before class) SINGLE SPACE PLEASE, TIMES NEW ROMAN)

    • Q1: What are your Key takeaways from Bored and Brilliant?.
    • Q2: What book chapter or magazine article did you read and what did you learn about Health and Technology?

     
5
Tuesday,
Feb 11

If You See Something, Write Something, NY Times, March 28 2018

 

Creative commons

LESTENING (due today)

DUE: 1/2 page write up 08 (uploaded to elearning before class) SINGLE SPACE PLEASE, TIMES NEW ROMAN)

1. Type up your NOTES from the interview, rather than answer a particular question (these should be substantial).  Bring your notes to class (and hand them in on Blacboard beforehand). Take good notes.

3. In your own words, what did you learn about the CC?

HOMEWORK: Please refer to the YELLOW section of the WIKI Assignment.
GO TO ROD LIBRARY AND CHECK OUT A NON-FICTION BOOK CONTAINING INFORMATION ABOUT ANYTHING YOU MAY BE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED OR EVEN CASUALLY INTERESTED IN. THIS BOOK WILL PROVIDE CONTENT FOR A WIKIPEDIA ENTRY. YOU MUST BRING THIS TO CLASS ON TUESDAY.

WIKIPEDIA ASSIGNMENT INTRODUCED

Thursday,
Feb 13

The Creative Commons and Democracy on the Web

Creative commons

Wikiality/Steven Colbert

Turks click away: but Wikipedia is Gone

Turkey Purges 4000 more officials and blocks Wikipedia

WORK IN CLASS (WE WILL BEGIN, AND MOSTLY FINISH, IN CLASS)
 WIKIPEDIA ASSIGNMENT DUE.


6
Tuesday,
Feb 18

Copyright, CC and the Public Domain

FORTEPAN PROJECT Part I: Copyright, CC and the Public Domain

FORTEPAN PROJECT ASSIGNED

Thursday,
Feb 20

Digital images and the public web 
Getty, Flickr, Creative Commons, LOC, New York Digital Library, UNI/Rod, FORTEPAN

Robert Wadlow

Getty using Public Domain images and selling them

FORTEPAN PROJECT Part II

candyfactory

7

Tuesday,
Feb 25

Studyguide

EXAM 1

Thursday,
Feb 27
NO CLASS
8
Tuesday,
Mar 3

Government Control, Aaron Swartz, and Net Neutrality

PART 1 of KILLSWITCH: Directed by Ali Akbarzadeh, written by Christopher Dollar and Ali Akbarzadeh, featuring Peter Ludlow, Tim Wu, Lawrence Lessig. Available on Netflix. Expect some swear words.

JOHN OLIVER on the Patriot Act and Section 215

WE WILL VIEW PART I OF "KILLSWITCH" IN CLASS

 

MAKE SURE YOU BEGIN READING 1984 

Final Paper assigned

Thursday,
Mar 5

The American Surveillance State, Panopticism, & Edward Snowden,

PART 2 of KILLSWITCH

READ:


MAKE SURE YOU ARE READING 1984 for next week

9
Tuesday,
Mar 10

John Oliver on Edward Snowden

READINGS/VIEWINGS (due today)

  • 1984, George Orwell Part 1 and 2

DUE:QUIZ

Thursday,
Mar 12

1984 Part III

GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE PPT

Swartz & Snowden

Foucault, Panopticon, Fear and power and control

North Koreans reaction after Kim jong Il's death 

 

SPRING BREAK
11
Tuesday,
Mar 24

Facial Recognition and China's Surveillance State

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 1, MARCH 24-26 INSTRUCTIONS





Thursday,
Mar 26

Facial Recognition and China's Surveillance State

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 1, MARCH 24-26 FOLLOW UP
11

Tuesday,
Mar 31

 

Privacy and Surveillance

 

 

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 2, MARCH 31-APRIL 2 INSTRUCTIONS

Thursday,
Apr 2

Privacy and Surveillance  

ACTIVITY:Digital Security Plan

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 2, MARCH 31-APR 2  FOLLOW UP

12

Tuesday,
Apr 7

 

digital intimacy

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 3, APR 7-APR 9  INSTRUCTIONS

FOTOMONTAGE CONTEST Assigned

 

Thursday,
Apr 9

 

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 3, APR 7-APR 9  FOLLOW UP

13
Tuesday,
Apr 14

 

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 4, APR 14-APR 16  INSTRUCTIONS

Thursday,
Apr 16

 

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 4, APR 14-APR 16  FOLLOW UP




15
Tuesday,
Apr  21

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 5, APR. 21-23 INSTRUCTIONS

Thursday,
Apr 23

 

16

 

Tuesday,
Apr 28

 

 

 

 

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 6,  April 28-30 INSTRUCTIONS

club

Thursday,
Apr 30
   
EXAM WEEK

Wednesday, May 6

 

 

 




FINAL PAPER: any time, May 6-May 8.

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 7 (LAST WEEK) INSTRUCTIONS


 

 

 

 


 

 

 

ABOUT

Digital Culture and Communication (COMM 4544/5544) gets you to begin thinking seriously about how the Web connects us and what kinds of digital innovations are shaping our future.  You will learn about the Internet as a positive, social networked sphere with a thriving creative commons, but you will also begin to see the dark side of our hyper-connected world: a digital culture plagued with questions about technology addiction, copyright, government and corporate controls, and issues about privacy and unethical digital citizenship. You will also begin to consider how being increasingly connected to digital tools is affecting our daily lives. Finally, you will participate in a publicly-minded digital culture project by scanning images for the creative commons, participating in the vast Wikipedia community, and analyzing your relationship with technology.

Objectives:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of digital culture and the critical debates that define our digital age.
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of digital citizenship (e.g.,  image licesnsing & the creative commons/public domain); social media ethics.
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of future digital trends.
  4. Apply theory to practice by participating in digital culture.
  5. Develop well-researched, well-rehearsed, and visually-powerful critical arguments.
  6. Be an effective collaborator and self-learner.
  7. Develop the ability to explain a complex set of ideas through public speaking , writing and, topic lists.
Readings
  • Bored and Brilliant, by Manoush Zomorodi, St. Martin's Press, ISBN-10: 1250124956



  •  1984, by George Orwell, Berkley Press (or earlier editions).

  •  The Circle, by Dave Eggers, Vintage Books 2014, ISBN-10 0385351399.


  • Other readings/video viewings, and podcasts are also required for almost every class period (either linked off of the syllabus or in the Blackboard/Content folder), and are due on the day the readings are listed.
Materials

You will need the following for this class:

  • A notebook: there is a requirement in this class to take notes.
 
ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING
A. EIGHT 1/2-3/4 PAGE RESPONSES (1st half of the semester). Approximately one paragraph per question, single space, times new roman--must be loaded onto eLearning as a digital file--no rtf or wordperfect files or Google links please! These are graded. Grading guidelines are here.

15 % (weeks 1-8)

B. WIKIPEDIA CONTRIBUTION 5 %
C. FORTEPAN PROJECT (FOTOMONTAGE CONTEST) 10%
D. MIDTERM. Based on the core concepts of the first 8 weeks of class. The exam is essay-based. 15 %
E. 1984 QUIZ Based on the reading 5%
E. CIRCLE QUIZ Based on the reading 5%
F. SHARED DISCUSSION (Slack) 10%
G. FINAL PAPER Based on the core concepts of the second 8 weeks of class. 30 %

H. PARTICIPATION AND COMMITMENT

5 %
TOTAL POINTS 100 %
AMOUNT OF WORK EXPECTED: The College guideline is that one semester hour of credit is the equivalent of approximately three hours of work (class time + out-of-class preparation) each week over the course of a whole semester. In a typical lecture/discussion course, each hour of class normally entails at least two hours of outside preparation for the average student. You should plan set aside 6 hours/week outside of class to work on classwork if you want to succeed in this class. This standard is the basis on which the Registrar's Office assigns hours of University credit for courses.
GRADUATE STUDENT EXPECTATIONS
Note taking: I expect you to take notes during class discussions, and use the notes to doodle and think creatively. Notetaking is proven to promote learning. We have laptops in the classroom, and sometimes we will use them. But not often--they can be a huge distraction. This study illustrates why even the smartest students are academically derailed by laptops.
GRADING POLICY

GRADING SCALE
97-100% = A+ 93-96% = A 90-92% = A-87-89% = B+ 83-86% = B 80-82% = B-77-79% = C+ 73-76% = C 70-72% = C-67-69% = D+ 63-66% = D 60-62% = D-Below 60% = F

LATE ASSIGNMENTS
Please save work and be responsible for all saved work. Assignments handed in past the due date will have 1/2 grade deductions for every day late. 

ATTENDANCE POLICY 

As noted in the UNI Catalog, “Students are expected to attend class, and the responsibility for attending class rests with the student. Students are expected to learn and observe the attendance rules established by each instructor for each course. Instructors will help students to make up work whenever the student has to be absent for good cause; this matter lies between the instructor and student. Whenever possible, a student should notify the instructor in advance of circumstances which prevent class attendance.” This idea is neither novel nor unreasonable. Students should realize that an hour missed cannot be relived, that work can seldom be made up 100%, and that made-up work seldom equals the original experience in class.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT  

Plagiarism, cheating, improperly sourced work, and other academic misconduct will not be tolerated.  The UNI Catalog is clear on this: “Students at the University of Northern Iowa are required to observe the commonly-accepted standards of academic honesty and integrity. Except in those instances in which group work is specifically authorized by the instructor of the class, no work which is not solely the student's is to be submitted to a professor in the form of an examination paper, a term paper, class project, research project, or thesis project. Cheating of any kind on examinations and/or plagiarism of papers or projects is strictly prohibited. Also unacceptable are the purchase of papers from commercial sources, using a single paper to meet the requirement of more than one class (except in instances authorized and considered appropriate by the professors of the two classes), and submission of a term paper or project completed by any individual other than the student submitting the work. Students are cautioned that plagiarism is defined as the process of stealing or passing off as one's own the ideas or words of another, or presenting as one's own an idea or product which is derived from an existing source.” See the UNI Catalog for full details.

OTHER HELPFUL INFO
Office of Compliance and Equity Management“: The University of Northern Iowa does not discriminate in employment or education. Visit 13.03Equal Opportunity & Non-Discrimination Statement (https://policies.uni.edu/1303) for additionalinformation.”

Student Accessibility ServicesNon-Discrimination Based on Disabilities“: The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) complies with the Americans with Disabilities ActAmendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the FairHousing Act, and other applicable federal and state laws and regulations that prohibitdiscrimination on the basis of disability. To request accommodations please contact StudentAccessibility Services (SAS), located at ITTC 007, for more information either at (319) 273-2677 or Email accessibilityservices@uni.edu. Visit Student Accessibility Services(https://sas.uni.edu/) for additional information.”

Disability Services

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) provides protection from illegal discrimination for qualified individuals with disabilities.  Students requesting instructional accommodations due to disabilities must arrange for such accommodation through the Office of Disability Services.  The ODS is located at 103 Student Health Center, phone number: 273-2676.
Academic Learning Center's Free Assistance with Writing, Math, Reading and Learning Strategies

Students are encouraged to use The Learning Center @ Rod Library (formerly The Academic Learning Center) for assistance with writing, math, science, reading and learning strategies. Meet with trained and certified tutors during walk-in hours or by appointment. For more information, visit us in person on the main floor of Rod Library, on the web at tlc.uni.edu or by calling 319-273-6023.