About this Class

On this page: Course Credit; Course Description; Instructors and Office Hours; Course Structure; Course Requirements; Grading Scale; Course Policies; Acknowledgements;

 Course Credit

Completing this course provides three hours of credit.

This course satisfies the general education requirement for a UIUC Social Sciences Course.

This course partially satisfies the coursework requirement for the Minor in Science and Technology in Society.

If in a prior semester you completed this course under its previous number (SPCM 199AL), you may not receive credit for this course.

 Course Description

Considering technologies from video games to stone tablets, this course will evaluate how communication technology shapes society and vice versa, providing a general overview of theory and research about communication technology, as well as an introduction to social scientific research methods. The central propositions of the course are that communication technologies...

1. ... are constitutive (that is, they have the power to shape, make, or determine other things)
2. ... are contingent (they aren't required to be the way are now)
3. ... depend on an underlying infrastructure (an elaborate human and material foundation)

First, the course reviews the state of research and theory about communication technology. Next, the course surveys the implications of communication technology for such contexts as creativity, community, organizations, childhood, commerce, design, science, and public policy in order to provide a broad introduction to basic concepts, processes, and methods in the study of technology. Finally, the course steps back to consider the ways in which society attempts to envision, shape, and control the development of technology.

The course will emphasize the theoretical perspectives of mass communication research, science and technology studies, and the history of technology. Throughout the course, students will complete assignments that each introduce a new means of collecting data to test theory. This course is intended to be useful to anyone who uses communication technology and anyone interested in the social sciences, defined broadly. It will also prepare students for more advanced courses in this area.

 Instructors and Office Hours

Professor Christian Sandvig
Office: 166 Coordinated Science Laboratory
Office Hours: 2 - 3 p.m. Tuesdays and by appointment
Office Telephone: 265-6287 (use only during office hours)
Messages: 333-2683
Email: csandvig@illinois.edu

Emily Shaw (Head Teaching Assistant)
Office: Room 7, 2nd Floor, University YMCA (Wright St. & Chalmers)
Office Hours: Fridays, 10-11 and by appointment
Office Telephone: 265-0094
Email: efshaw2@illinois.edu

Jason Rittenberg (Teaching Assistant)
Office: 704 S. Sixth Street (just South of Green St.)
Office Hours: Mondays, 2-3 and by appointment
Office Telephone: 333-2683 (for messages only)
Email: jason.rittenberg@gmail.com

Max Rodriguez (Teaching Assistant)
Office: 704 S. Sixth Street (just South of Green St.)
Office Hours: Wednesdays, 1-2 and by appointment
Office Telephone: 333-2683 (for messages only)
Mailbox: 244 Lincoln Hall
Email: mrodri64@illinois.edu

Stephanie Ho (Teaching Intern)
see details below

Josh Hawthorne (Teaching Intern)
see details below

 Course Structure

The course consists of two lectures and one discussion/lab section each week. These class meetings supplement but do not duplicate the readings; readings supplement but do not duplicate the class meetings. Some of the content of the course is available only from lectures and discussion/lab sections, and students are responsible for learning the detailed content of both of these.

In addition to the textbooks, there will be some electronic readings available on the Web, one or two assigned screenings of DVDs. Even though assigned media are not textbooks, they function as readings and you are responsible for doing them (that is, watching or playing them).

Each week there will be a short assignment due (usually on Wednesdays). Short assignments are about one page long and are submitted electronically. With some exceptions, you can choose which short assignments are graded. As long as you make a legitimate effort to respond to the assignment before the deadline, you can return to the assignment and revise it later in the semester.

There is a multiple-choice midterm and final exam. Both exams may also include 1-2 short-answer questions (about 1 page).

Participation is graded by your discussion/lab section leader on the basis of your performance in section. This includes attendance in section.

There is no term paper. There are no final projects.

 Course Requirements

1. Careful listening to, close reading of, and critical reflection upon course lectures, discussions, and readings. To derive maximum value from course meetings, finish the day's assigned readings before you arrive.

2. Courteous and informed participation during discussion/lab sections.

3. Timely, thoughtful completion of short writing and technology assignments. This is a course about technology -- technical problems at the last minute are never an excuse for not turning an assignment in on time.

4. Completion of an in-class midterm and a final exam.

Note: Previous experience with technology is not required.

 Grading Scale

Your final grade for this course will be determined as follows.

Midterm Exam: 25%

Final Exam: 35%

Weekly Assignments: 30%

Weekly assignments begin in the third or fourth week. They are always assigned on Friday afternoon and due online the following Wednesday morning. A subset of all of your weekly assignments will be submitted for grading at the midterm and again at the final exam. You will choose which assignments to submit for grading. You may also revise an assignment to improve it after you've finished it, but before you've submitted it for grading. This is to help you make small changes only: you may only revise assignments if you initially turned them in on time and your assignment was complete at the time it was due. Assignments posted late (or incomplete assignments) may not receive credit or be revised for credit. (See the class policy on late work.)

Participation 10%

Participation includes: section attendance, quality & quantity of contribution in section and other contributions to class (if applicable) as determined by your discussion/lab section instructor.

Letter grades will be calculated using the following scale.

For more details on how these grades are applied to your writing, see "Grading Rubric for Written Work" on the assignments page.

 Course Policies

Class Attendance. You are expected to attend all class meetings and to be on time for class. Attendance is taken at discussion/lab sections and factored into your grade (see "participation" above). As attendance is taken at the beginning of class, if you arrive after roll is taken this is counted as an absence.

Late work and examinations. You are responsible for planning ahead and taking whatever steps are necessary to allow you (1) to be available to take the exams on the scheduled dates and times and to (2) turn in assignments on the specified due dates. Late work will not be accepted except in documented cases of illness or emergency (see below). Computer problems are not acceptable as an excuse for late work: if an assignment requires use of the Internet or unfamiliar software, allow enough time to get help if you have problems. (We want to help you! But it is hard to do so when presented with a problem five minutes before an assignment is due.)

Academic Integrity. All assignments must be your own work. The Student Code has very strict and explicit policies prohibiting plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, and facilitating these acts. Penalties for violations are severe, such as an automatic failing grade in the course. These rules will be strictly enforced.

Extended illness or family emergency. If an extended illness or family emergency makes it impossible for a student to attend to their responsibilities, they must contact the Dean of Students, who will notify the student's instructors. The instructor will then make any necessary accommodations after receiving notice from the Dean.

Students with disabilities. In consultation with Disability Resources and Educational Services, all reasonable and necessary adjustments will be made to accommodate students with disabilities. To insure that disability-related concerns are properly addressed, students with disabilities who require assistance to participate in this class are asked to consult with the instructor as soon as this need is apparent.

 Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Jolene White, Charles Ess, Phil Howard, David Silver, Robert E. McGinn, Gus Hosein, Eszter Hargittai, and Dave Tewksbury for suggestions regarding this class. Technology support thanks to ATLAS and the University Library Gaming Collection.

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Last modified: Friday May 8, 2009.
Comments to csandvig@uiuc.edu.