Syllabus
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COMMUNICATION 318
(Fall 2002)

Dr. Patrick B. O’Sullivan
424 Fell Hall (438-2688)
posull@ilstu.edu

Course Time/Place: Monday 6-8:50/Fell 148
Office Hours: M 1-3, T 11-12 (and by appointment)

COURSE OVERVIEW

This course is an advanced course examining the implications of technologically mediated communication for human interactions and social institutions. This course is designed to provide you with a grounding in communication technology history and theory for application to your careers and academic studies. The focus will be on understanding when, how and why various mediated channels of communication emerged in human society, and what factors are shaping the diffusion of new technologies presently and in the future. The goal is to develop a conceptual, practical, and critical understanding of the relationships of communication systems and social interactions that can be used as a tool for analyzing present and future innovations in communication technologies.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. To understand the diffusion of innovations in communication technologies in society.
2. To understand of mutual influence of communication technologies and society in the development and evolution of both.
3. To examine applied issues raised by the diffusion and use/misuse of communication technologies.
4. To use lessons from history and diffusion theory to evaluate and address current technology-related issues.
5. To critically evaluate current and future trends in communication technologies and their implications for society.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY AND COURSE DESIGN

This is an upper division course open to both advanced undergraduates and graduate students. I assume you are in the course because you are interested in the subject and motivated to learn. This means that you will play a critical role in what you gain from the course.

My role is not to be the “provider of knowledge” and yours is not to be a “passive recorder of knowledge.” My role is to be your guide,coach, or facilitator to support you through the learning process that we create together. Your responsibility is not to merely memorize and regurgitate but to read, understand, question, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate course materials and ideas. I am here to help you succeed, but your degree of success will depend on your own efforts to engage the material. The course is designed to reflect this philosophy. Your efforts to engage the material requires you

1) to read assigned materials to understand the key points of each,
2) to come to class prepared to ask questions and discuss ideas,
3) to engage the ideas thoughtfully through assignments.

Class meetings will be primarily discussion, which will provide you with ideas and directions for assignments. Together we will construct for you a solid grounding in the role of communication technologies for human social interactions and institutions.

COURSE TEXTS

- Crowley, D., & Heyer, P. (1995). Communication in history: Technology, culture, society (3rd ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman.
- Rogers, E. (1995). Diffusion of innovations (4th ed.). New York: Free Press.
- Strunk, W., & White, E. B. (1982). The elements of style (5th ed.). NY: McMillan.
- Online Readings

ASSIGNMENTS

Mini-Responses

To help you to begin to identify and understand important issues and ideas in the readings, for each chapter compose a brief (1 paragraph) response to something in each reading. It could be a claim or phrase that caught your eye. It could be something that puzzled you, stimulated you, prompted a link to something else (past or present), or annoyed you. I will allocate up to 2 points for each, up to a total of 100 points for these mini-responses. This means that, although each mini-response is only worth a couple of points, the points will add up over the semester to comprise a significant portion of your grade.

Take Note! If you're not in class to discuss your contribution on the Webboard, you'll get half credit per response (1 point, instead of 2)

You will submit your mini-responses by posting each on the course Webboard. Deadline is 12 midnight each Sunday. Using a Webboard instead of individual papers gives me and all of you have a chance to see everyone's comments, which will then be used to launch our discussions. If you are unfamiliar with Webboards, this is an opportunity for you to have first-hand experience with an interesting new communication technology. Instructions are available on the Webboard page on this website (see link above or below).

Response Papers

These are intended to assist you in understanding and gaining insights as well as applying the assigned readings to issues relevant to you. The best way to approach these papers is to take time while reading to allow yourself to think about the claims, the ideas, the assumptions, the arguments. Also listen and contribute to discussions -- good ideas are likely to emerge there as well. A key theme that could be used by many is how a particular idea, reading, or set of readings informs real-world issues or questions. Response Paper themes can emerge from a collection of your own mini-responses, or even someone else's mini-responses (or a combination).

Make notes of the issue and your responses for possible candidates for a response topic. You might want to challenge a claim, extend an idea, apply a proposal to a new context, etc. An excellent way to hone your thinking is to bring it up in class discussions and try to examine it by explaining your thinking to others and hearing their responses.

Write up your response in 4 full pages (minimum) (double-spaced) including:

(1) an initial (brief) summary of the issue and where it is found in the text,
(2) your reaction and explanation for your reaction, and
(3) your argument for or against the issue; your proposal for an extension or new application of the issue; or other elaboration of the issue appropriate to your reaction.

I will allocate 0-50 points to each paper based on:

(1) Quality of focus: Did the writer identify a substantive, not trivial, issue -- or explain the importance of the issue if it’s not obvious? Did the writer summarize the issue accurately?
(2) Explanation of response: Did the writer explicitly explain – and support with evidence and rational arguments – his/her response?
(3) Depth of thinking: Did the writer analyze the chosen issue and demonstrate insights into strengths/weaknesses or extension/application of the ideas?

Term Project

The culmination of your course experience is to apply historical precedents and diffusion theory to real-world communication technology issues. This will take the form of a report and a presentation -- just the type of assignment you might have in your professional career. You will, in essence, work as a consultant to describe the problem(s), identify the key issue(s), and propose directions or remedies – all informed by your conceptual and theoretical studies in this course.

Based on this work, you will produce and present your report (18-20 pages) to your clients (i.e., the class). I will assign deadlines with points for various stages of project development (e.g., topic identification, bibliographies, outlines, etc.) to help you keep on track. More details on the report will be provided in class, including ideas for topics. I will also provide suggestions and guidelines for effective presentations.

EVALUATION

Grades will be earned based on the percentage of total points:

A = 90% and up
B = 80%-89%
C = 70%-79%
D = 60%-69%
F = 59% and below

COURSE REQUIREMENTS/POLICIES

Writing Skills: An important element of this course is the writing assignments. As a communication major, you MUST be able to compose clearly written, well organized, and clean (no misspellings, typos, grammar errors, sentence construction errors, etc.) papers. The book “Elements of Style” is a valuable reference, and I highly recommend you purchase and use it. I will grade your papers assuming that you have it and know the material, which means you will lose points for errors.

Assignments: All written assignments will be typed/word processed, 10-12 point type, 1” margins standard. No handwritten submissions will be accepted. KEEP A COPY OF EVERYTHING YOU HAND IN.

Late Assignments: Meeting deadlines is an important habit to develop for your professional careers. Late assignments will be marked down one full grade (or equivalent points) for every day past the announced due date, including weekends. In the event of a bona fide emergency, it is your responsibility to: (1) inform me prior to the scheduled assignment deadline and (2) provide me with legitimate written documentation (e.g., a medical note from a physician) of the emergency. Job schedule conflicts, vacations, computer crashes, broken alarms DO NOT qualify as emergencies.

Makeups: If you miss an assignment deadline for reasons other than a bona-fide emergency, it cannot be made up.

Class Conduct: I show you respect by coming prepared and engaging your questions. You show respect by coming prepared and engaging the material through class participation. Disrespect is shown by those who repeatedly arrive late, read newspapers, write letters, talk while others are talking, leave trash, etc. Please show respect for me and each other through common courtesies or you will be asked to leave. Also, please turn off all cell phones and pagers so they do not disrupt your classmates and me.

Attendance: Your contributions are important every class session. Your attendance at every class is expected. Missed assignments due to absences cannot be made up.

Office Hours (face-to-face and online): Use my office hours! I hope and expect to see each of you during the semester. Email is also an excellent means to get your questions answered. I check my email regularly during the week and I will respond as quickly as I can. I also check my voice mail regularly. My policy is to respond within 48 hours (messages over the weekend may take longer), but I will do my best to respond sooner.

Disabilities: Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability should contact Disability Concerns at 350 Fell Hall, 438-5853 (voice), 438-8620 (TDD).

Cheating: Anyone cheating on any assignment will fail that assignment and face possible departmental and university action. Cheating includes submit another's work as your own (with or without that student's knowledge). This applies to papers bought from a research service or term paper mill (including web-based sources). Don't even think about it. When in doubt, ask me! Submitting the same paper for more than one course is also considered a breach of academic integrity unless prior approval given by all of the involved instructors.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism, one type of cheating, is the unacknowledged appropriation of another's work, words, or ideas in any themes, outlines, papers, reports, or computer programs. Examples of what to avoid include paraphrasing materials from a source without appropriate documentation and copying materials from a documented source but leaving out quotation marks. If in doubt, ask me!