Course Readings

Required

- Reader Packet (Available from Rapid Print in DeGarmo Hall)

Recommended

- Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., & Piele, L. J. (2000). Communication research: Strategies and sources (5th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

- Strunk, W., & White, E. B. (2000). The elements of style (4th Ed.). NY: McMillan.

Course Format

This course is a seminar, which means we will develop your expertise in mediated communication through reading, discussing, and writing. We will examine issues and explore ideas through informed and focused conversations about the topics raised in course readings. This, of course, requires that you come to class having read and thought about the assigned readings well enough to know the main points and to understand the ideas. You also must be ready to evaluate the quality and relevance and to synthesize current material with previous materials and discussions. This is a basic expectation of all class members. All will contribute to the seminar by actively and constructively participating in discussions.

Assignments

Article Abstracts (50 points)

Several times during this semester, you will be assigned to prepare an abstract one of the assigned readings for distribution to classmates, present the abstract in class, and initiate discussions on each reading with thoughtfully prepared questions.

Book Review (50 points)

There is a growing body of writing on the social/psychological effects of communication technologies. You are to select and read a book related to the seminar focus and prepare a review. This is NOT a book report (a mere summary) but a succinct summary AND analysis AND critique of the author's contribution to our understanding of communication technologies in our social lives. Length: 8-10 pages. Submissions will be posted to the course website so all can benefit from each other's work. Specifics on the assignment are here.

Book Review Presentation (25 points)

This will be distributed to your classmates before you provide a brief (5-minute) informal but professional (not casual!) presentation.

Research Proposal Project (125 points)

The major assignment for the course is to write a proposal for a research project based on a theoretical perspective covered in seminar. Research proposals will include:

(1) a selective, focused review of relevant literature including relevant articles from the course reader and from your literature searches,

(2) identification and review of the theoretical perspective that you are adopting to investigate the social implications of communication technology, and

(3) clearly stated research questions and/or hypotheses that emerge logically from the literature review and theoretical foundation.

Additional assignments will guide preparation of the term paper, including preliminary steps toward the development of the research proposal (e.g., initial topic proposals, bibliographies, outlines.). Project paper length: 20-25 pages, not including references. Specifics of the assignment are here.

Project Presentations (50 points)

Students will present their work to their classmates toward the end of the semester as you would present to a research or professional conference. Visual aids, handouts, and a concise, smooth 12-15 minute talk are expected, as are informed answers to questions.

Evaluation

You will earn your grade by percentage of total points:
100-90% = A
89-80% = B
79-70% = C
69-60% = D

• Formatting: All written assignments will be typed/word processed, 10-12 point type, 1" margins standard. Keep a copy of everything you hand in.

• Late assignments/makeups: Late assignments will be marked down a half grade for every day (or portion thereof) past the announced due date/time, 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 conflicts, family vacations, computer crashes, broken alarms, etc., DO NOT qualify as emergencies.

• Office hours (face-to-face/online): Use my office hours! I hope/expect to see each of you during the semester. Email and telephone are also an excellent ways to get your questions answered. I check email regularly and will respond as quickly as I can (but within 48 hours if at all possible).

• Attendance/Participation: Your contributions are important every class session and attendance is expected at every class meeting. Roll will not be taken and no points are allocated for attendance as it is a basic expectation of all who take a course. Conversely, it is impossible to contribute if you are absent. A pattern of absences will be reflected in your participation points.

• 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. Please review the university's policies on academic dishonesty.

• 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. Please review the university's policies on academic dishonesty.

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

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