Course Description

In this course, we will examine the issues related to communication and information technologies. The course will focus on the shifts in society, culture, media, and everyday life brought about by the Internet. Thus, our objective is to understand and critically assess how the development of information technologies is embedded in a myriad of social institutions and social processes.

Some of the questions for consideration will be: How do I keep a blog? Why do I like to spend time walking in SecondLife and playing SimCity? Am I breaking laws downloading music? Can I trust email messages? Who writes Wikipedia and what can I learn from it? Why many of my friends have accounts on Facebook and Orkut? Why don’t I want my boss and parents have access to my information on MySpace? How does Amazon know which books and music I like?

The course will consist of class discussions based on readings, practical exercises, and observations of communication at the intersection of online and offline life. Individually and in groups, you will analyze communication in the context of blogs, computer games, wikis, social network systems, and/or other settings and will assess their implications in terms of popular culture, economy, law, politics, and entertainment.

Even though extensive technical knowledge is not needed, you will intensively engage with specific forms of internet-based communication, experimenting and analyzing your and others’ experiences. The students in this course will be expected to keep up to date with assigned course readings, participate in discussions, and work independently outside of class in pursuing their own research projects.