GOLDSMITHS COLLEGE
University of London
ANTHROPOLOGY AND
THE INTERNET
Anthropology and Computing
COURSE AN51005A (0.5
CU)
OUTLINE 2000/2001 (Spring Term)
Course Lecturer: Dr. Gustaaf Houtman
Technology is an agent for social change. The introduction of
new information
technologies into a broad range of human
activities is having an impact on human
communication and the structure of
human organisation. Ability to access and make use
of
information technology - whether in work or leisure - has become a vital skill
in
today's world.
Inevitably anthropological methods
of gathering and disseminating data are also
changing.
Word-processors are replacing pens to capture fieldwork data and, together
with captured sounds and images, novel ways are found to structure, analyse
and present
data. Today anthropological research inevitably
involves browsing through large amounts
of various kinds of electronic data
and manipulate this to best effect.
This course seeks to
extend the student's grasp of information technology and its software
in a practical and fun way as a tool exploring some of the many
novel information
services available to us today without expecting much
formal theoretical knowledge
about the particulars of the
rapidly changing configurations of hardware and software.
However, the
course also aims to provide insight into how different approaches to
searching for data could lead to divergent conclusions on the same
topic.
By focusing primarily on the acquisition and
manipulation of anthropological data
through the Internet and other
electronic forms, this course contributes a useful tool to
other anthropology courses and other subjects, and the practical
skills thus learnt can
easily be transferred to the work and home
environment. The Internet access combined
with e-mail
facilities are now virtually free.
The course is divided
into four parts, all with anthropological questions in mind:
PART I. INTRODUCTORY
Week 1. E-mail/electronic
mailing lists
PART II. INTERNET (1) -
INTRODUCTORY
Week 2. The Web-Browser approach to
discussion and newsgroups
Week 3. Navigating Anthropology
Sites
PART III. ON-LINE SEARCHES
Week 4. Accessing library catalogues (Libertas, Niss)
Week 5. On-line reference and citation searches (FirstSearch, BIDS,
The Anthropological
Index)
IV. THE INTERNET (2) -
ADVANCED
Week 6. Monitoring Week - no classes
Week 7. How do I find what I want? Search
engines (SE)?
Week 8. Anthropology and ethnic
representation on the Internet
Week 9, 10 and 11. There is
no fixed topic these two weeks. Issues will be adressed in
relation to the
assignment 2 projects (assessed part of course: due in on Friday 31
March.). Students are expected to attend the normal seminar times in
case there are any
last minute problems with this.
Further Particulars
Assignments
Further Reading
The Anthropology of
Cyberspace
Anth 34 - Honors Institute Seminar
Lauren W. Hasten
LWHNY@aol.com
Welcome to the seminar on the anthropology of cyberspace. The
word cyberspace was
added to the Oxford English Dictionary in
1997, fifteen years after William Gibson
coined the term. According to the
OED, cyberspace is
The notional environment within which
electronic communication occurs, esp. when
represented as the
inside of a computer system; space perceived as such by an observer
but
generated by a computer system and having no real existence; the space of
virtual
reality. Cf. virtual reality
This course attempts to understand, from an anthropological
perspective, what it means
for human beings to virtually exist,
communicating electronically in a purely imagined
environment. To that end, we'll be reading analytical works of
philosophy and literary
criticism. Anthropology is more than ethnography;
it's a mode of analysis and a
framework for understanding.
This one-unit honors course will meet only six times,
once every other week, for two
hours. Our goal is to spend a total of twelve
hours engaged in lively and well-informed
group discussion.
I expect everyone to participate in the conversation at every meeting. In
order to do this effectively, you'll need to read the assigned materials in
advance of the
class. All but one of the articles we'll read
are available online. You'll find the excluded
book, as well as the rest of
the articles, at the reserve desk in the library.
Success in this course will require informed participation in
every group discussion; I
expect to hear your voice at every
session. In addition to this, each student must submit a
five page essay by
the date of the last class meeting. Your essay should be a critical
examination of one of the topics covered on this syllabus (letters
a through h), using at
least one resource from the reading list and at least
one additional outside reference.
Footnotes are not
necessary; the goal is to introduce new information to the discussion
and
deliver a literate analysis of the topic at hand. Class participation will
account for
70% of your final grade; the final essay will be
worth 30%.
The sections (numbers 1 through 4) listed
below correspond to class sessions two through
five. While I recommend you
read all of the texts cited below, you will only be
responsible for one reading per session; please plan to have
something insightful to say
about it. At our sixth and final meeting, you'll
be asked to briefly present your final essay
to the class.
1. Text as a Form of
Communication
a. Orality, Literacy, and the Power of the
Written Word
Reading:
Jack
Goody, The Logic of Writing and the Organization of Society, Cambridge
University Press, 1986. (excerpts) Available on reserve at the
library.
b. Hypertext and Polylogue
Reading:
Stuart Moulthrop, "Getting
Over the Edge." In Communication and Cyberspace:
Communication in an Electronic Environment, ed. Strate, Jacobson
and Gibson, Hampton
Press, 1996.
<http://iat.ubalt.edu/moulthrop/essays/edge.html>
c. Polychronic Time
Reading:
Lance Strate, "Experiencing Cybertime." In Communication and
Cyberspace:
Communication in an Electronic Environment, ed.
Strate, Jacobson and Gibson, Hampton
Press, 1996.
<http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~ipct-j/1995/n2/strate.txt>
2. The Hyperreality of Cyberspace
d. The Internet as Simulacrum
Readings:
Jean Baudrillard, "Simulacra and Simulations." In Jean
Baudrillard,Selected Writings, ed.
Poster, Stanford
University Press, 1988.
<http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/Baudrillard/Baudrillard_Simulacra.html>
Allucquθre Rosanne Stone, "Will the Real Body Please Stand Up?"
In Cyberspace: First
Steps, ed. Benedikt, MIT Press, 1991.
<http://www.rochester.edu/College/FS/Publications/StoneBody.html>
Sherry Turkle, "Virtuality and its Discontents: Searching for
Community in Cyberspace,"
The American Prospect, vol.7 no.
24, December 1, 1996.
<http://www.prospect.org/print/V7/24/turkle-s.html>
3. Authorship and Anonymity
e. The Author
Readings:
Roland Barthes, "The Death of the Author." In Image, Music,
Text. Trans. by Stephen
Heath. Hill and Wang, 1977.
<http://www.eiu.edu/~literary/4950/barthes.htm>
Michel Foucault, "What is an Author?" In Language, Counter-Memory,
Practice. Cornell
University Press, 1981.
<http://www.eiu.edu/~literary/4950/foucault.htm>
f.
Anonymity
Reading:
Yaman Akdeniz,
"Anonymity, democracy, and cyberspace (Part V: Democratic Process
and Nonpublic Politics)." In Social Research, Spring 2002 (69: 223
- 39). (Available
through InfoTrac, Expanded Academic ASAP, at the Foothill
College Library.)
<http://www.foothill.fhda.edu/ol/index.html>
4. Text, Identity and the Body
g. Text as Identity: Authorship of the Self
Readings:
John Suler, "Do Boys (and Girls)
Just Wanna Have Fun? Gender Switching in
Cyberspace."
<http://www.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/genderswap.html>
Lisa Nakamura, "Race In/For Cyberspace: Identity tourism and
Racial Passing on the
Internet." In D. Bell & B. M.
Kennedy (Eds.) The Cybercultures Reader. Routledge,
2000.
<http://www.hnet.uci.edu/mposter/syllabi/readings/nakamura.html>
h. The Virtual Body
Reading:
Shannon McRae, "Coming Apart at the Seams: Sex, Text and the
Virtual Body." In
Cherny and Weise (eds.), Wired Women:
Gender and New Realities in Cyberspace, Seal
Press, 1996.
<http://www.usyd.edu.au/su/social/papers/mcrae.html>
76.478 L02 The Anthropology of Cyberspace
(Selected Topics in Cultural Anthropogy)
Slot E2 (Tuesday
7:00-10:00 PM)
Instructor: B. E. Schwimmer
303 St.
Paul's College, x6651
schwimm@cc.umanitoba.ca
Objectives
Over the past five years, the Internet has been
transformed from a arcane communication
system for the
military and scientific elite to a massively popular medium. Its
phenomenally rapid growth will shortly make it as common as the telephone or
TV set as
a household appliance. While the spread of these
older media have had many important
consequences for contemporary life, the
Internet has introduced a much more powerful
and versatile
communication and information infrastructure that some social theorists
believe will have a revolutionary impact on societies across the globe. In
this course we
will consider current and emerging trends in
the development of "cyberspace" from an
anthropological perspective and
chart the social and cultural dimensions of its growth and
influences. We will be especially interested in the looking and the
contexts of the
international order, the workplace, the community, and the
political arena.
Text
Smith and
Kollock, Communities in Cyberspace
Assignments
1. Annotated bibliography. Chose a major issue in the
anthropology of cyberspace and
prepare an annotated
bibliography of printed and on-line information sources. Publish
your report
on the course web-site. (20%) Due date - April 6.
Student papers from 2001/2002
Student
bibliographies from previous years.
Ilona Webb on MUD's as Communities
Bryce Kushnier on Free Radio and Virtual Communities
Warren Brandt on Crime and Cyberspace
2. Seminar Report.
Lead a seminar on the issue you identified for assignment 1.(40%)
3. Final exam (40%)
Syllabus
Theoretical issues: technology, communication, society, and
culture. What is the general
relationship between technology
and culture and how do changes in one area influence
the other? What are the
specific implications of communications technology and
infrastructure? Has there been an information revolution?
Readings:
Hakken, David.
Cyborgs@Cyberspace? An Anthropologist Looks to the Future.
Introduction.
Willis, Erin. Information Revolution? Information Evolution?
Chandler, David Technological or MediaDeterminism.
Andrews, Jim. McLuhan Reconsidered.
Lab
session. Introducing the Internet.
The history of the
Net.
Readings:
Rhinegold, Harold.
Visionaries and Convergences: The Accidental History of the Net. In
his
Virtual Community
Zakon,Robert Hobbes. Hobbes' Internet
Timeline v5.4
The Net and the international order
What countries have pioneered the development of the Internet and which ones
are
lagging behind?
What will be the effect of Internet
development on have and have not nations?
What will be the
implications of the "digital divide" among the members of the same
society
Readings:
UND, Human Development
Report 1999
Human development in this age of
globalization
http://www.undp.org/hdro/Chapter1.pdf (requires adobe acrobat).
New technologies and the global race for
knowledge.
http://www.undp.org/hdro/Chapter2.pdf (requires adobe acrobat).
The Net economy and work: restructuring the corporation
and the nature of work.
What is the role of the Internet in
new developments in corporate structure and global
competition?
How has telework spread and what are its implications for
employment, worker
satisfaction, and labour organization.
Readings
Ellison, Nicole B. Social
Impacts, New Perspectives on Telework. (Xerox)
Blinder,
Alan. The Internet and the New Economy.
Hakkin, David.Advanced Information
Technology and Social Change The Worksite
Connection.
The Net as "virtual" community.
What is the
character of groupings of people that form on-line? Are they real
communities?
Castels: Chapter 6
Virtual
communities
Virual enhancements of real communities
The Net in the wider community.
What will
be the effect of growing on-line facilities and resources on traditional
communities and "civil society" in general?
Castels:
Chapter 7
Cyberculture.
What codes and values have
emerged to regulate and colour the character of digital
communication sysems.
Castels: Chapter 5
The Net and political participation
How
will on-line political mobilization, participation, and organization affect the
democratic processes in contemporary governments?
The Net in education and academia
Additional
readings will be posted as web links on the course web site.
Other topics
will be determined according to the interest of the students in the course.
ANTH 4610-014 Anthropology of Cyberspace
Course Description In development.
ANTHROPOLOGY 198A/Fall Semester 1996
[These pages were printed
for distribution on August 21, 1996, from URL
http://www.csuchico.edu/~curban/syllabi/SYL_198A-F96.html]
(1)
Dr. Charles F. Urbanowicz
Professor of
Anthropology
Butte Hall 317: Office Hours: Mon & Wed 9-10 and
2:30-4pm
(916) 898-6220 or (916) 898-6192 (Dept.)
e-mail:
curbanowicz@oavax.csuchico.edu
California State University,
Chico
Chico, CA 95929-0400
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: this document is configured forNETSCAPE 3.x. ALSO PLEASE
NOTE: since
this is an "experimental" course, new
experimental information (such as URLs and
articles and the like) might be
added to this location throughout the semester; for
instance, for a new "survey" on the web, click here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANTHROPOLOGY, CYBERSPACE, AND THE INTERNET (ANTH 198A) will deal
with an introduction to Cyberspace and how students (particularly
Anthropology
students) can find "information" through the
Internet by using the World Wide Web.
Prerequisites: None. There is a $5.00
material fee/student.
Course Objectives: Discussion and
evaluation of the Internet and what has been called
"Cyberspace" and the "Information Superhighway" which is upon us.
Students will work
on MacIntosh computers and will learn about getting their
own campus computer
accounts, using e-mail for out-of-class
discussions, working with the World Wide Web,
and learning more about the
power (and limitations) of the WWW and how to find the
"information" out there!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANTH
198A-1 [TRACS #16458] will meet Monday in TEHAMA 105 from 8-8:50am.
ANTH 198A-2 [TRACS #16834] will meet Wednesday in TEHAMA 105 from
8-
8:50am.
ANTH 198A-3 [TRACS #16433] will meet Friday in
TEHAMA 105 from 8-8:50am.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COURSE
OUTLINE & RECOMMENDED TEXTS: Note, there is no required text.
ASSIGNMENTS: Students will be given assignments that emphasize
the use of
electronic resources for the social sciences,
especially Anthropology. A Macintosh
formatted disk should be brought to
class each session in order that research/discussions
begun
in class can be taken away with the student. ASSIGNMENT #1} If you have an
e-
mail account, send me a message; if you don't have an e-mail account: get
one and send
me a message.
Questionnaire
COMPUTER ACCESS: Computers will be available in Tehama 105
during class; other
computer labs are available on campus
throughout the semester (please consult Getting
Wired) ; if students have a
computer (and modem) at home/residence, they may access
the
University's modem pool to continue their research interests and assignments and
e-
mail discussions.
GRADES: This is a credit/no
credit course.
GIVEN THE DYNAMIC aspects of the World
Wide Web (and the varied background of
all participants, and
the fact that much exists on the Web right now, there is no text
required
for this course; but you might be interested in some of these titles for your
own
future reference):
Edita Au et
al., 1996, Java Programming Basics [with CD-Rom] (MIS: Press).
Mark Brown et
al., 1996, Using HTML [with CD-Rom] (QUE).
John December and
Neil Randall, 1994, The World Wide Web Unleashed (SAMS
Publishing).
Shelly Brisbin and Jason Snell, 1996, MacUser Internet Road Map
(Ziff-Davis).
Warren Ernst, 1995, Using Netscape (Que Corporation).
Kristin Evan [Editor], 1996, Official Internet Yellow Pages
(Summer/Fall 1996 Edition)
(New Riders).
Laura Lemay,
1995, Teach Yourself More Web Publishing With HTML In A Week
(Sams
Net).
Laura Lemay et al., 1996, Teach Yourself Java For
Macintosh in 21 days [with CD-Rom]
(Hayden Books).
Suleiman Lalani and Kris Jamsa, 1996, Java Programmer's
Library.
Paul McFedries, 1996, The Complete Idiot's Guide To Creating An HTML
Web Page
(QUE).
John Pivovarnick, 1996, The Complete
Idiot's Guide To The Mac (Alpha Books).
David Pogue and
Joseph Schorr, 1996, Macworld Mac & Power Mac Secrets (3rd
edition) (IDG
Books).
Keiko Pitter et al., 1995, Every Student's Guide To
The Internet (McGraw-Hill).
Edward J. Reneham, Jr., 1996, 1001 Really Cools
Web Sites [with CD-Rom].
Chris Shipley and Matthew Fish,
1996, How The World Wide Web Works.
Todd Stauffer, 1996, HTML By Example
(QUE).
Clifford Stoll, 1995, Silicon Snake Oil: Second
Thoughts On The Information Highway
(Doubleday).
Bard
Williams, 1996, The World Wide Web For Teachers (IDG).
Robin Williams, 1995,
The Little Mac Book (Peachpit Press).
Althought I have
yet to read them, the following look interesting:
Anon, 1996,
Netspy (Wolff New media/Random House).
Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon, 1996,
Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origin Of The
Internet
(Simon and Schuster).
Don Tapscott, 1996, The Digital Economy
(McGraw-Hill).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUGGESTION: you might want to consider reading as much as you can
and "playing"
on the World Wide Web as much as you can. It is not going to
go away. Although
someone has suggested that reading Wired
magazine every month gives them a headache,
you might consider it (Wired,
not a headache!) as well as something like Internet World
and MacUser. You will note that various "quotes" are offered below
and let me share
some words from the most recent Wired (September 1996;
4.09, page 210) and the words
of Ann Winbland, venture
capatilist:
"If you don't work 12 hours a day, you're behind.
Either you are committed or you're not."
(Ann Winbland)
NOTE: we all have "other" lives to lead and I certainly don't
want anyone spending 12
hours a day on this course (or any
course!); have a life and take a break every-now-and-
then, and let's begin
to surf and share ideas! As with all teaching, this is a learning
experience for me as well!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOME PONDERING POINTS to consider for each week/the
semester:
"I prefer the errors of enthusiasm
to the
indifference of wisdom."
Anatole France (1844-1924)
"Software can never replace greyware."
(Anonymous)
AND this following statement from the Italian Poet
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
is definitely NOT
how I view this class:
"Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate
[All hope abandon, ye who enter here.]"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK 1: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday beginning August 26,
1996
Introduction and Overview to the Course and the value of
an initial "Road Map"]
A. What is the "World Wide Web" and Cyberspace and
what is a search engine" such as
Alta Vista?
B. What is
the Internet/Information Superhighway?
C. Where might it be
going? And where did it come from?
D. Anthropology on "the Web!" And other
disciplines on the web.....
E. Assignment for next week and
discussion of "literacy" about the WWW.
1. e-mail
accounts
2. Internet & Unix accounts on campus.
3. The
"Future" of e-mail?
4. Beginning to "surf" the WEB with "engines" such as
Alta Vista and Yahoo and Web
Crawler and Impresso!
5.
Bring back what you find in #4 next week.
F. Distribution
of this Syllabus and words about HTML, Lycos, WWW, as well as Yahoo
and....
G. Brian Schwimmer's 1996 article in Current
Anthropology (June 1996, pages 561-568)
and the "linkable"
version on the WWW @
http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~anthro/ca/papers/schwimmer/intro.html.
H. Facilities on campus and MODEM access.
I. Implication of
Cyberspace.
J. Other Colleges and Universities in
Cyberspace!
K. K-12 schools in Cyberspace!!
L. Electronic
exhibits in Cyberspace!!!
"Any sufficiently advanced
technology
is indistinguishable from magic."
Arthur C.
Clarke
WEEK 2: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday the week of
September 2, 1996
NOTE: Because of "Labor Day" Monday Holiday, extra time
will be incorporated to
accomodate the Monday class.
A.
Facilities on campus
B. Free on-going workshops on campus for
all students!
C. Wonders of e-mail!
D. Discussion groups
and Deja News!
E. Implication (and some discussion) of Cyberspace.
1. Have you heard of Clifford Stoll?
2. Ever
heard of Marshall Macluhan?
3. Ever hear of Nicholas Negroponte?
F. Electronic Publishing!
G. And books
available electronically, from Chaucer to .....!
H. As well as Charles
Darwin, by clicking here.
I. And Webmaster Magazine!
"Homo sum: humani nil a me alienum puto."
Terrence
(190 - 159 B.C.)
WEEK 3: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday
the week of September 9, 1996
More specifics for
Anthropologists on "the Web" and:
A. The first Fall 1995 ANTH 13 Syllabus by
Urbanowicz.
B. Spring 1996 ANTH 13 Syllabus by
Urbanowicz.
C. Eventual Fall 1996 Generic Syllabus by Urbanowicz.
D. Home Pages at this University: Behavioral and Social Sciences
and others.
1. What is a Syllabus? What is
copyright?
2. What are proprietary rights?
3. What
are/were intellectual rights in the age of Cyberspace?
4. Look at other
syllabi on the Web, such as....
5. Explore locations such as
"The World Lecture Hall" in Texas.
6. How does one "create" a course to teach
over the Internet?
E. Anthropology "Skull" module by
Professor Turhon Murad.
"What we know is a drop.
What we don't know is an ocean."
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
WEEK 4: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday the week of
September 16, 1996
A. Where have we gone so far? From
Marshall MacLuhan to Hot Wired!
B. An Idea is not Information: newspapers
such as The New York Times, USA Today
and The Wall Street
Journal and...
C. Information Overload? Magazines and Reference Works and
more Magazines and
even MORE Magazines...!
D. More
Information!
E. And yet more: a somewhat comprehensive list
can be found by clicking here!
"The spider's touch, how
exquisitely fine!
Feels at each thread, and lives along the line."
Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
WEEKS 5-6:
Monday, Wednesday, or Friday the weeks of Sep. 23, & 30, 1996
A. The
World Wide Web and what It Is.
B. Perhaps More Importantly,
What It Is Not.
C. How to "surf" the Web
D. What is a
"Search Engine" (continued) and C|Net Com.
E. WWW "maps" of locations:
Country and Tourist destinations.
"Whatever resolves
uncertainty is information.
Power will accrue to the man [or
woman!]
who can handle information."
R. Buckminster Fuller
(1895-1983)
"Knowledge is power."
Francis Bacon
(1561-1626)
WEEK 7: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday the
week of October 7, 1996.
Review of:
A. Networks
B. The Internet (and the Internet Society)
C. The Local
Scene
D. Usenet
E. Urbanowicz out-of-town on Friday 11
October 1996: attending Phi Eta Sigma meeting
in Texas (at
Texas A&M).
"What does it mean to compose?
It is
the power to associate."
Eugθne Delacroix (1799-1863)
WEEK 8: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday the week of October
14, 1996.
(Discussion of all Assignments to date) on Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday
"This day we fashion Destiny,
our Web of Fate we spin."
John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)
WEEK 9-11: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday the weeks of
Oct. 21, Oct. 28, and Nov. 4,
1996
Specifics of the
WWW.
A. HTML
B. How-to-do
C. Resources
available to consider (Technology and Learning Program and....).
D. Your Own
Web Page? (Check out ECT listings as well as....).
E. How
Easy Is It?
1. Campaign'96
2. The White House
3. Voter-Registration
4. More Voter Registration!
5. Election results
"Think boldly,
don't
be afraid of making mistakes,
don't miss small
details,
keep your eyes open
and be modest in
everything
except your aims."
Albert Szent-Geφrgyi
(1893-1986)
1937 Nobel Prize winner, Physiology/Medicine
WEEK 12: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday the week of November 11,
1996
A. Web page construction/discussion continued.
B.
Assignment due.
"No es lo mismo hablar de toros,
que estar en el redondel."
[It is not the same to talk of bulls,
as to be in the bull ring..]
(Anonymous Spanish Proverb)
WEEK 13: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday the week of
November 18, 1996
A. Winding down and into the Holiday Season.
B. Information on the Web re....?
C. Urbanowicz (and others) in
San Francisco at the American Anthropological
Association
Meetings.
WEEK 14: November 25-29: Thanksgiving
Vacation!
"Power does not corrupt.
Fear
corrupts,
perhaps the fear of a loss of power."
John
Steinbeck (1902-1968)
1962 Nobel Prize Winner
WEEKS 15 & 16: Weeks of December 2 and December 9, 1996
A.
What have we learned? How does one get a job? How does one learn more??
B. Research and Continued Sharing Information/Ideas
C.
Educational Implications: Museums and K-12 Education and Higher Education and
....!
"And with the guts of the last
priest
Let us strangle the last king!"
Denis Diderot
(1713-1784)
WEEK 17: December 16-20: Final Exam
Week
The End/The Beginning!
"The computer is a great
invention.
There are as many mistakes as ever
but now its
nobody's fault."
(Anonymous)
"Growth
is the only evidence of life."
John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890)
# # #
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOME OTHER CSU, CHICO ITEMS OF INTEREST?
"Gambling or Gaming: Which Is It?" by Dr. Charles F. Urbanowicz
(Spring 1996
presentation)
"Newspapers and the 'Net"
by Dr. Eileen G. Cotton (Spring 1996 presentation)
ECON
198A ECONOMICS ON THE INTERNET by Dr. Fredericka Shockley (Spring
1996 course)
Various California State
University, Chico Syllabi
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEVEN GOALS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT CSU,
CHICO
1. An understanding of the phenomenon of culture as
that which differentiates human life
from other life forms; an understanding
of the roles of human biology and cultural
processes in
human behavior and human evolution.
2. A positive
appreciation of the diversity of contemporary and past human cultures and
an
awareness of the value of anthropological perspectives and knowledge in
contemporary society.
3. A knowledge of the
substantive data pertinent to the several sub disciplines of
anthropology
and familiarity with major issues relevant to each.
4.
Familiarity with the forms of anthropological literature and basic data sources
and
knowledge of how to access such information.
5. Knowledge of the methodology appropriate to the sub-disciplines
of anthropology and
the capacity to apply appropriate methods when
conducting anthropological research.
6. The ability to
present and communicate in anthropologically appropriate ways
anthropological knowledge and the results of anthropological
research.
7. Knowledge of the history of anthropological
thought.
About Professor Charles F. Urbanowicz
Anthropology Department HOME PAGE
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences HOME PAGE
California State University, Chico HOME PAGE
(1) ©PLEASE NOTE: This Syllabus for ANTH
198A (ANTHROPOLOGY,
CYBERSPACE, AND THE INTERNET) was originally created by
Dr. Charles F.
Urbanowicz, Professor, Department of
Anthropology, on April 19, 1996, and modifed by
Urbanowicz and Ms. Nanci
Ellis, Webmaster, Department of Anthropology, on August
20,
1996. Urbanowicz may be contacted by e-mail by clicking here and Ellis may be
contacted by e-mail by clicking here. [Please click here to return to
beginning of the
page.]
This page has been viewed times since April 23rd, 1996.
Cultures and Collections:
From Cabinets of
Curiosity to Cyberspace
United States section of the
Great Exhibition of 1851, London
Instructor: Fr. Bucko, S.J.
Location: Social
Science Data Lab (A 426)
(Main Campus Map)
Fall Semester
2001
Tuesday 3:00 - 6:00 PM
Course Schedule
Course
Discussion Archive
Museums Home Page
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course examines anthropological
concepts of culture as instantiated in the history of
museums and museum
display. Students will gain an understanding of the history of
anthropology, the evolution of museums in the wake of expanding
European exploration
and colonization, and contemporary ethical critiques of
anthropological theories and
European expansionisms.
Students will learn basic web page creation skills as part of this
course so
that each may create as a final project a virtual museum based in a non-Western
culture to demonstrate mastery of the course materials.
The course will be run seminar style. The professor will
act as facilitator rather than
lecturer. Students will be expected to
prepare readings ahead of class and individual
students will
present the material in each class, and stimulate discussion.
A significant part of this class will take place on the internet,
an important access point to
museums around the world. While no initial
computer competency is required it is
expected that students
are willing to learn their way around a computer and the internet.
Students are encouraged to work cooperatively in order to
experience the collaborative
dimension of intellectual pursuits. Each team
will be responsible for class presentations.
Students will
write individual evaluations of the museums we visit. Each student will
construct a public museum on the internet.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Through using a core text books, student led seminars, a midterm
exam, and the
construction of a virtual museum which will count as the final
exam, this course seeks to
fulfill these goals:
Students
will learn about the growth and development of museums in the United States
and Europe and the interrelationship of museums with the
social theories of their times
Students will grapple with the difficult
ethical issues of cultural property, preservation
and
education, copyright and representation of peoples and cultures.
Students
will gain a knowledge of virtual museums on the web as well as physical
museums in the Omaha area through visits and critical analysis.
Students will hone their presentation and research skills through leading
seminars on
specific topics concerning museums.
Students
will develop an expertise in some cultural area by researching and constructing
an education museum for public display on the internet.
Students will gain a basic to intermediate knowledge of web page
construction, image
scanning and sound reproduction as they
construct their museums on the web.
Students will learn to collaborate with
each other as intellectual partners through group
seminar
presentations and assisting each other in the technicalities of their museum
construction.
Students will integrate ethics with theory
by applying the ethical principles they learn
specifically to their own
museums.
COURSE TEXTS
Ames, Michael. Cannibal Tours and Glass
Boxes: The Anthropology of Museums.
Vancouver: University of British
Columbia Press.
Hein, Hilde. The Museum in Transition: A
Philosophical Perspective. Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian
Institution Press
COURSE
RESOURCES
Our course will take place in the Social Science Data Lab,
Administration 426. You may
use the lab for your work at
other times of the day. Please check the schedule for times
during the day
and evenings when the lab is open. Students are free to work on their web
pages from any suitable location.
In addition to the Data Lab,
Creighton has a newly innaugurated Student Technology
Center. Here you will find two state-of-the-art multimedia work
areas located within the
Old Gym 4th Floor Student Computer Lab. Facilities
in the lab Include a high quality flat
screen monitor,
digital video camera, digital still camera, scanner, programming and
editing
software.
GRADING
Grades will be
determined in the following manner:
Participation
30%
Short Papers 30%
Term Project 40%
Letter Grades are Awarded as Follows: A
100 - 90
B+ 89 - 85
B 84 - 80
C+ 79
- 75
C 74 - 70
D 69 - 65
F Below 65
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Class Attendance:. Because this is a seminar class attendance
and participation are vital
to the success of each
presentation. You are expected to attend all classes. If you cannot
attend a
specific class you are expected, when possible, to inform the professor before
the
class begins.
ACTIVE Class
participation: You are expected to read all texts, BEFORE each class.
Readings and assignments are due on the date they are listed in the course
page. Because
the success of the class as an experience in
collegial collaboration depends on discussion
among seminar members, a
special focus will be placed on participation. Attendance,
deep thought, reading the material, attentiveness, and interest are
all vital to your success
in class but represent passive participation.
Active participation enhances the educational
experience for
everyone in all of the classes. You are expected to give significant and
consistent input concerning each issue put before the class. You will be
graded
accordingly.
Four Local Museum
Visits: You are required to visit four different museums and write a
critique on each museum based on our course readings and discussions.
Because of
problems with schedules and coordinating common
times, you will visit each museum on
your own. You will receive one week's
class meeting and preparation time in
compensation for the
time you will spend at the museums. The first museum you visit
will be the
Joslyn. You have the option of choosing three other museums in the Omaha
area.
Six Virtual Museum Visits: You will
find six virtual museums and and write a critique on
each museum based on
our course readings and discussions.
Ten Critiques: You
are required to write four critiques, one for each of the actual
museums visited, and six critiques of the virtual museums you
select. Each paper should
be from 3 - 5 pages and reflect some aspect of the
course readings and discussions
applied to the specific
musuem you are visiting.
Construction of a Virtual
Museum: Each student will produce a virtual museum display
some set of
objects and reflecting what has been learned in the course.
Computing:: You are expected to be able to use e-mail, the
BSCW, the discussion list (
hrs331@creighton.edu ), search
engines, word processing and master the art of creating
and maintaining web
pages to enhance your educational experience in this class. Each
student is required to have an active e-mail account at Creighton.
All correspondence will
be sent to that account. The professor will teach
the students all the electronic skills
necessary for this
course so a current lack of confidence in this area should not
discourage a
student from signing up for the course. If you wish to manipulate your
account so that your mail is forwarded to another service you may
use AMI (
http://ami.creighton.edu ) for this purpose.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
It is required that students exercise academic integrity as
outlined in the Creighton
University Student Handbook.
Students are expected to interact with each other in a way
which will
enhance the learning experience of all and which is never destructive of other
pesons. Because of the importance of acknowledged
collaboration, students are required
to cite all assistance, including that
gained from peers. Students must never plagiarize.
The
professor maintains an audit policy for this course to both reward extraordinary
performance and to guard against misuse of sources. Infringements of
academic will be
delt with according to Creighton University
norms.
SPECIAL NEEDS
If you
have any special learning needs or are in circumstances which necessitate
special
consideration, please contact me at the beginning of
the semester. If you have a
documented disability and wish to discuss
academic accommodations, please contact me
within the first
week of class or as soon as possible. Students who believe that they have
a
disability that may influence their academic performance, but who have not yet
had the
disability documented, should immediately contact
and meet with Denise Le Clair,
Coordinator of Services for Students with
Disabilities. If a student suspects a disability,
he or she
can meet with Linda Pappas who is the Academic Success Counselor at
Creighton's Counseling and Pyschological Services.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Office: Admin Bldg
433
Office Hours:
Tu: 12:45 - 2:45 PM
Wed: 8:00 - 10:00 AM
Th: 8:30 - 10:30 AM
and by
appointment
Phone:
OFFICE EX 3587
HOME EX 3115 (do not call after 9:00 PM)
E-mail Address: bucko@creighton.edu
Mail for Fr. Bucko
and by appointment
There will be a
sign-up sheet on my office door. Please sign up for as much time as you
think will be necessary.
E-Mail Office
Hours:
I normally check my e-mail several times a day. I receive over 100
e-mail messages a
day. Generally you will receive a brief
reply from me. I am not being dismissive of your
message but expeditious in
working through my mail. If you find my response
inadequate,
please notify me and I will respond again more fully. If your question or
request is complicated, I may ask you to sign up for office hours rather
than respond to
you by e-mail. Because I encourage
electronic communications, I guarantee that I will
check my e-mail and
respond to your questions and requests at minimum on the
following days and times:
Monday 6:00 AM
Wednesday 6:00 AM
Friday 6:00 AM
CLASS LECTURES
AND REQUIRED
READINGS
Please refer to the course
schedule for all reading and web production assignments. Note
that nothing
will be added to this schedule once the semester has begun. My assumption
is that the students will actively shape how the course proceeds so
I will rely on student
input in the first week to refine our way of
proceeding.
This page is managed
by
Rev. Raymond A. Bucko, S.J.
of the Department of
Sociology and Anthropology
at Creighton University.
E-Mail: bucko@creighton.edu
Page
Last Updated: October 20, 2001
CyberAnthropology
Anthropology 4322
Fall 2001
MW 2:30-3:50 PM
Instructor: Evan Engwall, Visiting Asst. Professor,
Anthropology Program
Office: 421 University Hall
Office
Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 1:00PM-2:00PM and by appointment
Phone: (817) 272-3781
Mailbox: Sociology/Anthropology Office,
430 University Hall
Email: eengwall@uta.edu
Instructor WWW
site: www.uta.edu/anthropology/eengwall/
Course WWW site:
www.uta.edu/anthropology/eengwall/Cyberanthro
Course
Prerequisites
None. Those without any background in anthropology or
experience with the Internet
may benefit from some extra
reading or computer instruction. Please consult the
professor.
Required Readings
Text Books:
The
Cybercultures Reader, eds. David Bell and Barbara M. Kennedy (Routledge
2000).
The Internet: An Ethnographic Approach, by Daniel
Miller and Don Slater (Berg 2000).
Readings: Selected
articles on reserve in the library and WWW sites.
Course
Description
In this course we will explore culture, community and identity on
the Internet, from an
anthropological perspective. We will
discuss the origins and evolution of various
associated technologies
comprising the Net, especially the World Wide Web. We also
consider their social impacts --is the Internet a revolutionary
development, useful tool,
amusing hobby, or over-hyped waste of time? How
does on-line life intersect with off-
line life? We will
also learn about flamewars, blogging, ego-surfing, dot-coms, MOOs,
search
engines, hackers, HTML, cyberpunks and more. Classes will be based in the
innovative eCREATE Classroom, where students will navigate the Web
and learn to
construct their own web pages.
Course
Learning Goals/Objectives
Students will be expected to
understand key concepts and debates revolving around the
principal themes of
culture, community and identity on the Internet. You will be able to
proficiently navigate the WWW, find pertinent sites, and
critically examine them in light
of ideas discussed during the term. You
will be able to demonstrate your mastery of
course
information, and critically apply this knowledge in examinations, presentations
and papers and web sites.
Attendance and Drop
Policy
Attendance is mandatory. You will be permitted two
absences; thereafter each
unexcused absence will lower your
attendance/participation grade by one point. Be
forewarned
that class lectures cover important information not found in assigned
readings, so absences will result in poor performance and grades. It is your
responsibility
to follow university procedures and
deadlines, and complete all the necessary paperwork,
should you wish to
withdraw or drop from the course.
Specific Course
Requirements with Descriptions
Examinations: There will be
a total of two exams, including the final exam. They will
consist of short
answers and essay questions. The exams will cover readings, class
lectures, web sites and videos. The final exam will emphasize
information covered in the
last half of the course, but students should also
be prepared to discuss earlier materials
when
pertinent.
Projects: Students will be required to
develop their own web sites dedicated to a topic
addressed in the course, or
another approved by the instructor. Within these sites,
students will be expected to critically examine, and aspects of
Internet culture and/or
technology. Some possible topics include:
The New Internet Economy
who owns the
Net?
gender and technology
love and/or sex on-line
surveillance
on-line
the Internet and indigenous peoples
web-based University instruction
emerging technologies
The politics of
access
and many, many other possible topics
Students are encouraged to be creative interview people,
assume identities, immerse
yourselves in your topics. You
will not be judged on the glitz of you web sites, but rather
upon the ideas
they contain, and how clearly, logically, and thoroughly these are
expressed. I will distribute a project topic form for you to
complete and return to me by
Monday, October 22nd. Your topics must be
approved by me.
Projects will be due at the beginning of
class on Monday, December 3rd. Plagiarism is
unacceptable
(see below)!
Project presentations:
All students must
give and in-class presentation based on your projects during the last
week of classes. These presentations should last approximately 15
minutes, and discuss
issues including your topic, challenges encountered,
technologies employed, etc. A sign-
up sheet will be
provided.
Missed Exams or other deadlines: Late work
will not be accepted without written
physician's excuse.
How to do well in this class
1) Attend
class.
2) Come to class prepared. Read the assignments
carefully, and take good notes. Write
down questions you have about the
readings, and raise them in class. Do not be afraid to
participate actively in class, and engage other students and the
instructor in discussion.
Ask questions, make comments, think critically.
The more work you put in, the more
you will get out.
3)
Work on your writing skills. Since you will be graded on written exams, good
writing
skill are essential. If you cannot express yourself
well in writing, it will affect you grade.
If you feel you need help in this
area, please consult the Writing Center in the library.
4)
Get computer assistance if needed from the many opportunities available through
UTA's Office of Information Technology.
E-mail
accounts and Web Pages
All UTA students are assigned e-mail
accounts and web page space from Academic
Computing Services. I can be most
easily reached via email at eengwall@uta.edu and I
am
always happy to answer questions, small or large. Don't hesitate to contact me
about
anything having to do with the course.
Course
World Wide Web (WWW) Site
This course has a web site which
will include the syllabus, as well as assignments and
links to subjects
discussed in class. Consult the site frequently, as assigned work will be
promptly posted!
Course Listserv
A
listserv is being set up for the course. Ideally, this will serve as a forum for
us all to
communicate about topics pertinent to class. Feel
free to post to the list, ask questions,
guide others to interesting sites
and sources, etc. Do not use the list for personal
correspondence (remember, everyone can read what is posted!).
Course Evaluation & Final Grade
Grading Format
Weighting/Point Value of Assignments and Examinations
First Exam 50 pts Final Grades A 90-100%
Final Exam 50 pts
B 80-89%
Project 80 pts
C 70-79%
Presentation 10
pts
D 60-69%
Attendance/Participation 10 pts
F 0-59%
Total Possible Points 200
pts
Americans With Disabilities Act
The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being
committed to both the spirit
and letter of federal equal opportunity
legislation; reference Public Law 93112 -- The
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new
federal legislation
entitled Americans With Disabilities Act - (ADA),
pursuant to section 504 of The
Rehabilitation Act, there is
renewed focus on providing this population with the same
opportunities
enjoyed by all citizens.
As a faculty member, I am
required by law to provide "reasonable accommodation" to
students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis
of that disability. Student
responsibility primarily rests with informing
faculty at the beginning of the semester and
in providing
authorized documentation through designated administrative channels.
Academic Dishonesty
It is the philosophy of The University of
Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a
completely
unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All
persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance
with
University regulations and procedures. Discipline may
include suspension or expulsion
from the University.
"Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to
cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the
submission for credit
of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to
another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed
to give unfair
advantage to a student or the attempt to
commit such acts." (Regents' Rules and
Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI,
Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22)
Tentative
Lecture/Topic Schedule 1.0 (Course Content)
Week Topics
Bell and Kennedy Miller and Slater
1) 8/27 Introduction
to the Course and Lab Bell Intro
Navigating the Web Kennedy
Intro
Web Page Authoring
2) 9/3 Cartographies of
Cyberspace Benedikt (1)
Paleoanthropology of the Internet
Wilbur (2)
No class on Monday, September 3rd--Labor
Day
3) 9/10 Cyberculture Escobar (3)
Why
CyberAnthropology? Robins (4)
Methodological Issues Kroker
and Kroker (5)
4) 9/17 Cybersubcultures Weinstein and
Weinstein (12)
Hackers, Geeks and Cyberpunks Ross (16)
Leary (33)
5) 9/24 Communities I Wakerford
(21)
Clerc (13)
Thieme (14)
6)
10/1 Communities II Zickmund (15)
Wilson (42)
Exam 1,
Monday, October 8th
7) 10/8 Race and Ethnicity in
Cyberspace Nakamura (46)
Queer Cyberspace Wakeford
(25)
Woodland (26)
8) 10/15 Gender and Feminism in
Cyberspace Haraway (18)
Squires (22)
Wakeford (21)
***Project topics due by Monday, October 22nd***
9) 10/22 The Body and Sex in Cyberspace Lupton (30)
Balsamo
(31)
Branwyn (24)
Plant (29)
10)
10/29 The "New Economy" Begin--Chapter 1
Ownership and
Piracy
11) 11/5 Globalization, Colonization I Mitra (44)
Chapters 2-4
Digital Divides Barwell and Bowles
(45)
Trinidad Case Study Stratton (47)
12) 11/12
Globalization, Colonization II Chapters 5-7
Trinidad Case
Study (cont)
Indigenous Challenges and Responses
13)
11/19 Cyberfutures: Utopia or Dystopia? Pyle (7)
CyberFilms: The Matrix and others Landsberg (11)
November 22-23rd: Thanksgiving break
14)
11/26 Student Presentations
***Projects due Monday,
December 3rd***
15) 12/3 Conclusions and review (Dead Week)
Final Exam: Monday, December 10th, 2:00-4:30 PM
CYBERSPACE, CULTURE, AND
SOCIETY
ANTH 416; SOCY 416/616; LLC 616
Spring 2002
Instructors: Dr. Patricia San Antonio, Department of
Sociology/Anthropology
sananton@umbc.edu
Time:
Thursdays 4:30- 7:00 p.m.
Location: SS109
Office
Hours: Wednesday 2-4 p.m. and by appointment
TEXTS: (available at the UMBC
bookstore)
Required:
Hine, Christine, Virtual
Ethnography. London: Sage. 2000
Kiesler, Sara, ed. Culture
of the Internet. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates, Publishers.
1997
Mitchell, William, e-topia. Boston: MIT. 2000.
Additional readings are available through the Instructor.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The "information superhighway,"
"communications revolution," "virtual reality,"
and
"cyberspace" are among the words used in newspapers and magazine
articles,
television, journal articles and everyday conversations to describe
contemporary
developments in electronically mediated human
communication. This course will
explore the cultural, social, and political
implications of computer mediated
communication (CMC), its'
uses and effects on interpersonal, institutional, and
societal contexts.
Topics include:
Power, privacy, and civil liberties (Who
controls cyberspace? Is cyberspace
"public" space? Is cyberspace a
commodity?)
Interactions and communications in cyberspace
(Who speaks to whom and how?)
Economics of cyberspace (Who is making and
losing money via cyberspace?
How is money redefined?)
Work and workplace (telecommuting and other futures)
Community formation in cyberspace (What is community? Democracy
and
collective action in cyberspace)
Information
technology and institutional change (changes in education in the
21st
Century,)
Representations of self and
self-identity in cyberspace (issues of gender, class,
race, anonymity and
identity, is there a real self? What is reality?)
Social
values in cyberspace (privacy, law and order, deviance)
Students taking the
course should have a basic understanding of how to access
readings, communicate, and conduct research online.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS
As participants in an advanced
seminar, we will participate jointly in a shared
learning process, with the
instructor serving as a guide, coach, and co-learner. As
partners in the seminar, you will be expected to read, discuss
topics in class and
online, and become a member of a learning community.
Weekly sessions will be
composed of presentations
(instructors, guest speakers, classmates, videos, etc.) and
open discussions.
The basic ground rules are that we come together as a community
with respect and consideration for differing viewpoints,
perspectives, and experience.
In order to be part of a learning community you
must be informed. You will be
expected to complete the
readings before each session. The emphasis of the seminar
is on open
discussion and debate of the issues. Reading and spending time in
cyberspace will be essential for informed and lively classroom
discussion.
Students should enroll on Blackboard for this class.
Please check Blackboard regularly for class announcements,
additional
reserve readings, or discussion topics. When registering for
Blackboard
(http://blackboard.umbc.edu) make sure to list
the e-mail address you check
regularly.
This syllabus
may change depending on the availability of guest speakers or
the needs of
the class.
ASSIGNMENTS INCLUDE:
Article/Chapter
Discussions. See attached sheet (20% of the grade).
Mid-Term Essay Exam. Students write a mid-term essay examination
(takehome)
on an assigned topic (30% of the grade).
Cyberspace Project. Students select a cyberspace-related topic and write a
10-15
page typewritten report. Brief project reports are presented in class
toward the
end of the semester (40% of the grade).
Class Participation. Students are expected to attend all classes and participate
in
class discussions. (10% of the grade).
Graduate
Students enrolled in SOCY 616/LLC 616. Please see graduate
student sheet for additional requirements.
COURSE OUTLINE AND
READING ASSIGNMENTS
1/31 Course Introduction
Discussion of syllabus, class requirements
Themes in the
anthropology and sociology of cyberspace, culture, and society
Video "A
Brief History of the Internet"
2/7 Welcome to
Cyberspace
Kiesler, K., ed. Culture of the Internet. "The Rise and Fall of
Netville" pgs. 3-33
Mitchell, e-topia. Pgs. 1-68.
2/14
National and International Perspectives
In Kiesler,
Kraut and Atwell, "Media Use in Global Corporations." pgs. 323-342
In
Kiesler, Bikson and Panis, "Computers and Connectivity" pgs. 407-430.
In Kiesler, Kedzie, "A Brave New World or a New World Order?"
pgs. 209-232.
Mitchell, e-topia, pgs. 70-155.
2/21
Communities and Social Interaction
Smith and Kollock, Communities in
Cyberspace. Smith, "Invisible Crowds in
Cyberspace: Mapping
the Social Structure of the Usenet." pgs. 195-219.
In Smith and Kollock,
Kollock, "The Economies of Online Cooperation: Gifts
and
Public Goods in Cyberspace." Pgs. 220-242.
Kiesler, Culture of the
Internet, "Atheism, Sex, and Databases: The Net as a
Social
Technology" pgs. 35-51.
2/28 Communities and Social Interaction
Guest Speaker, Dr. Shelia Cotton, "Computer Mediated Social
Support"
In Kiesler, Culture of the Internet, Baym, "Interpreting Soap
Operas and Creating
Community: Inside an Electronic Fan
Culture." Pgs. 103-120.
Warhol, "The Inevitable Virtuality of Gender"
In Kiesler, Wellman, "An Electronic Group is Virtually a Social
Network" pgs.
179-208.
3/7 Economics and the
Workplace
Kiesler, Culture of the Internet. Walsh and Bayama, "Computer
Networks and
Scientific Work" pgs 385-406.
In Kiesler,
Constant et.al. "The Kindness of Strangers" pgs. 303-322.
In Kiesler, Connolly, "Electronic Brainstorming" pgs. 263-276.
In Kiesler,
Whittaker and Snider, "Email Overload." Pgs. 277-295.
3/14
Organizations/Institutions
Kiesler, Culture of the Internet. Kraut and
Attewell, "Media Use in a Global
Corporation" pgs.
323-342.
In Kiesler, Covi and Kling, "Organizational Dimensions of
Effective Digital
Library Use" pgs. 343-360.
In
Kiesler, Schofield, et.al., "The Internet in School" pgs. 361-384.
Hine, 1-66
3/21 The Internet, Locality, and Cultural
Specificity
Hine pgs. 67-156
Take-Home Mid-Term Exam
distributed, DUE APRIL 4 by class time.
SPRING BREAK, MARCH
25-31
4/4 Representations of Self and Self Identity
In Kiesler, Turkle, "Constructions and Reconstructions of Self in Virtual
Reality:
Playing in the MUDS" pgs. 143-156.
In Kiesler,
Curtis, "Mudding: Social Phenomena in Text-Based Virtual Realities."
Pgs.
121-142.
"Who's Blogging Now?" and "The End of the Whole
Mess"
Bell, "Leaving the Meat Behind"
4/11 Social
Values and Collective Action
Kiesler, Mickelson, "Seeking Social Support:
Parents in Electronic Support
Groups." pgs. 157-178.
In
Kiesler, Binik, Cantor, Ochs, and Meana, "From the Couch to the Keyboard."
Pgs. 71-102.
In Kiesler, Mehta and Plaza, "Pornography in
Cyberspace" pgs. 53-67.
Hughes, "The Internet and the
Global Prostitution Industry"
Au, "Playing God"
4/18
Social Values and Collective Action
In Smith and Kollock, Mele,
"Cyberspace and Disadvantaged Communities." Pgs.
290-310.
In Smith and Kollock, Smith, "Problems of Conflict
Management in Virtual
Communities." Pgs. 134-166.
Bell,
"Cybersubcultures"
4/25 Project Presentations
5/2
Project Presentations
5/9 Project Presentations
By
enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities of an
active
participant in UMBC's scholarly community in which
everyone's academic work
and behavior are held to the highest standards of
honesty. Cheating, fabrication,
plagiarism, and helping
others to commit these acts are all forms of academic
dishonesty and they are
wrong. Academic misconduct could result in disciplinary
action that may include suspension or dismissal. To read the full
policy on
academic integrity, consult the UMBC Handbook, Faculty Handbook, or
the
UMBC policies section of the UMBC Directory.
SYLLABUS
Diaspora and Media: Asian American Perspectives
ANTH 280M // AAAS 287A
T/ Tr 1:15- 2:40 pm, Lecture Hall
03
Binghamton University
2003 Fall
Semester
Instructor: Professor Shalini
Shankar
Office: Science 1 - Rm 117B
Phone:
777-5332
e-mail: sshankar@binghamton.edu
Professor Office
Hours: SC I Rm 117B
Tuesday: 11:30am- 12:30pm
Thursday:
3-4pm or by appt.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Required Course Readings:
For purchase at
the campus book store:
Zhou, M. and J. Gatewood. 2000. Contemporary Asian
America: A Multidisciplinary
Reader. New York: NYU
Press.
Feng, P. Screening Asian America.
(1 copy of each
are also on reserve at Bartle Library)
On Reserve:
E.
Kim, L. Villanueva et al, eds. Making More Waves: New Writing by Asian American
Women. Boston: Beacon Press.
All
other readings can be found on electronic reserves (ERES) on Bartle Library
website,
which you can either read online or print out.
Schedule
Tuesday
9/2
Course Introduction
Film: My America (
or honk if
you love Buddha) Renee Tajima-Peρa
Thursday
9/4
Introduction to Asian America
Zhou, M. and J.
Gatewood. "Introduction: Revisiting Contemporary Asian America."
(CAA)
Takaki, R. "From a Different Shore: Their History Bursts with
telling." (CAA)
Film: My America (
or honk if you love Buddha) Renee
Tajima-Peρa (cont.)
Tuesday 9/9
Why
"Asian American"?
Espiritu, Y. 1992. "Chapter 1: Ethnicity and Panethnicity."
In Asian American
Panethnicity. Philadelphia: Temple U.P.
(ERES)
Lowe, L. "Heterogeneity, Hybridity, and Multiplicity: Marking Asian
American
Differences." (CAA)
Film: My America (
or honk
if you love Buddha) Renee Tajima-Peρa (discussion)
Thursday 9/11
Imagining Community through
Media
Anderson, B. 1991 (1983). Imagined Communities. London: Verso. Chapters
1. (ERES)
Spitulnik, D. 1996. "The Social Circulation of
Media Discourse and the Mediation of
Communities." Journal of Linguistic
Anthropology 6(2):161-187. (ERES)
Film: Kelley Loves Tony,
Spencer Nakasako.
Tuesday 9/16
Theorizing Diaspora
and Media
Appadurai, A. 1996. "Disjuncture and Difference in
the Global Cultural Economy." In
Modernity at Large: The Cultural Dimensions
of Globalization. Minnesota U. P. (ERES)
Schein, L. 2002.
"Mapping Hmong Media in Diasporic Space." In Media Worlds. F.
Ginsburg, L.
Abu-Lughod, and B. Larkin, eds. UC Press. (ERES)
Film:
Kelley Loves Tony, Spencer Nakasako (cont. + discussion)
Thursday 9/18
Production: Asian American Aesthetics
Tajima, R. 1991. "Moving the Image: Asian American Independent
Film Making."
Moving the Image: Independent Asian Pacific American Media
Arts. R. Leong, ed.
UCLA. (ERES)
Chatterjee, G. and A.
Tam. "Is there an Asian-American Aesthetics?" (CAA)
Hagedorn, J. 1994. "The Exile Within/ The Question of Identity."
The State of Asian
America:
Activism and Resistance in
the 1990s. K. Aguilar-San Juan, ed. South End. (ERES)
Film: Babekiueria
(excerpts); Two Lies.
Tuesday 9/23
Production: Asian American Identities
Tajima-Pena, R. 2000. "No
Mo Po Mo and Other Tales of the Road." In Countervisions:
Asian American Film Criticism. D. Hamamoto and S. Liu, eds. Temple
U.P. (ERES)
Feng, P. "Being Chinese American, Becoming Chinese American: Chan
is Missing."
(SAA)
Film: Chan is Missing
(excerpts)
Thursday 9/25 ** Paper #1 Due **
Introducing Gender
Lowe, L. "Work, Immigration, Gender: Asian
'American' Women." In Making More
Waves.
Film: Miss
India Georgia, Daniel Friedman and Sharon Grimberg (or TBA)
Tuesday 9/30
Masculinity/
Femininity
Liu, S. "Passion and Commitment: Asian American Women and
Hollywood." In Making
More Waves.
Chan, J. 2001.
"Chapter One: American Inheritance: Chinese American Male Identities."
Chinese American Masculinities: From Fu Manchu to Bruce Lee. New
York: Routledge.
(ERES)
Film: Slaying the
Dragon
Thursday 10/2
Sexuality
Takagi, D. "Maiden Voyage: Excursion into Sexuality and Identity
Politics in Asian
America." (CAA)
Chiang, M. "Coming out
into the Global System: Postmodern Patriarchies and
Transnational
Sexualities in The Wedding Banquet." (SAA)
Film: The Wedding
Banquet (excerpts)
Tuesday 10/7
Deconstructing Print
Media
van Dijk, T. 2000. "New(s) Racism: A Discourse
Analytical Approach." In Ethnic
Minorities and the Media. S. Cottle, ed.
Buckingham: Open University Press. (ERES)
Nishi, S. 1999.
"Asian Americans at the Intersection of International and Domestic
Tensions:
An Analysis of Newspaper Coverage." In Across the Pacific: Asian Americans
and Globalization. E. Hu-DeHart, ed. Philadelphia: Temple
U.P. (ERES)
Newspaper Analysis: Gadar Party Materials.
Film: New Puritans: Sikhs of Yuba City.
Thursday 10/9
Depicting Asian American History
Nichols, B. "Historical Consciousness and the viewer: Who killed
Vincent Chin?" (SAA)
Film: Who Killed Vincent Chin? (excerpts)
Tuesday 10/14 Paper #2 Due
Depicting Asian
American History
Takezawa, Y. "Children of Inmates: The effects of the
Redress Movement among Third-
Generation Japanese
Americans." (CAA)
Film: Unfinished Business.
Thursday
10/16
Theorizing Race and Ethnicity
Rattansi, A. "Just
Framing: Ethnicities and racisms in a "postmodern" framework." In
Social Postmodernism: Beyond Identity Politics. L. Nicholson and
S. Seidman, eds.
Cambridge U.P. (ERES)
Lott, J. 1998.
"Chapter 5: Asian Americans: A Multiplicity of Identities." In Asian
Americans: From Racial Categories to Multiple Identities. Alta Mira Press.
(ERES)
Film: TBA
Tuesday 10/21
Changing Meanings of Race and Ethnicity
Hune, S.
"Rethinking Race: Paradigms and Policy Formation." (CAA)
Espiritu, Y. Race,
Class, and Gender in Asian America. In Making More Waves.
Film: TBA
Thursday 10/23
Race and
Ethnicity in Media
D. Hamamoto. 1994. "Contemporary Asian
America." Monitored Peril: Asian Americans
and the Politics of TV
Representation. D. Hamamoto, ed. Minnesota U.P. (ERES)
Choy,
C. 1978. "Images of Asian-Americans in films and television." In Ethnic Images
in
American Film and Television. R. Miller, ed. Philadelphia: The Balch
Institute. (ERES)
TV Footage: Various Network
Shows
Tuesday 10/28
Race and Ethnicity on TV
Hasian, M. 1998. "Mass-Mediated realities and the Persian Gulf
War: Inventing the Arab
Enemy." In Cultural Diversity and the US Media. Y.
Kamalipour and T. Carilli, eds.
SUNY Press. (ERES)
TV
Footage: Various News Coverage.
Thursday 10/30
Countering the Model Minority Myth
Osajima, K. "Asian-Americans
as the Model Minority: An Analysis of the Popular Press
Image in the 1960s and 1980s." (CAA)
Cheng, L. and P. Yang.
"The Model Minority" Deconstructed." (CAA)
Film: Life like
dust
Tuesday 11/4
Language and Accent
Hill, J. 2001. "Mock Spanish, covert racism, and the (Leaky)
boundary between public
and private spheres". In Language and Publics, Gal
and Woolard, eds. MA: St Jerome.
(ERES)
Additional
Reading: TBA
Film: Being Myself.
Thursday 11/6
Intragroup Dating/ Marriage
Readings: TBA
Film: Do you take this man?
Film: Double Happiness, Mina Shum (excerpts)
Tuesday 11/11
Intergroup Dating/ Marriage
Kang, L. "The Desiring of Asian Female Bodies: Interracial Romance
and Cinematic
Subjection." (SAA)
Mehta, B. "Emigrants
Twice Displaced: Race, Color, and Identity in Mira Nair's
Mississippi
Masala." (SAA)
Film: Mississippi Masala, Mira Nair
(excerpts)
Thursday 11/13
Intergenerational
Issues
Spickard, P. "What must I be? Asian Americans and the
Question of Multiethnic
Identity." (CAA)
Rumbaut, R.
"Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian Americans." (CAA)
Additional Reading:
TBA
Film: Catfish with Blackbean Sauce (excerpts)
Tuesday 11/18 (Final Paper topic distributed)
Music
Maira, S. 2002. "Chapter 2: To Be Young, Brown, and Hip." In Desis
in the House:
Indian American Youth Culture in New York City. (ERES)
Film: Gimme Something to dance to, Tejaswini Ganti or
TBA
Thursday 11/20
Film: AKA Don Bonus or TBA
Tuesday 11/25
Internet
Ignacio, E.
2002. "Filipino ka ba?" Contemporary Asian American Communities. L.
Trinh Vo and R. Bonus, eds. Philadelphia: Temple U.P.
(ERES)
Shankar, S. 2001. "Digitally Speaking: Languages of Youth
Connectivity." SAMAR
(South Asian Magazine for Action and
Reflection), Fall/ Winter. (ERES)
Thursday 11/27
Happy Thanksgiving ! (no class)
Tuesday 12/2
Advertising
Wilson, C. and F. Gutierrez. 1995. "Advertising:
The Media's not so silent partner." In
Race,
Multiculturalism, and the Media. Sage. (ERES)
Thursday
12/4
Comic Books
Choy, T. 2000. "Cultural Encompass:
Looking for Direction in The Asian American
Comic Book." In Cultural
Compass: Ethnographic Explorations of Asian America. M.
Manalansan, ed. Philadelphia: Temple U.P. (ERES)
Tuesday 12/9
Theater
Kondo, D. 1996. "The
Narrative Production of 'Home,' Community and Political Identity
in Asian
American Theater." In Displacement, Diaspora, and Geographies of Identity, S.
Lavie and T. Swedenburg, eds. Durham: Duke U.P.
(ERES)
Thursday 12/11 ** Last Class: Final Paper Due
**
Conclusion
Beurocratic Details (Make sure to read all
the small print)
Grading
Paper #1: 25%
Paper #2: 25%
Final Paper: 40%
Attendance
and Class Participation: 10%
Assignments (specific
topics will be distributed in class)
PAPER #1, DUE 9/25: 5-7 pps, analyzing
connections between articles and films.
PAPER #2, DUE 10/14:
5-7 pps, analyzing connections between articles and films.
FINAL PAPER, DUE
12/11: 12-15 pps, analyzing connections between articles and
films.
Assignment Guidelines
Assignments are due AT THE START OF CLASS
on due date.
Any assignment turned in after the start
of class on due date will be marked down 1/3 of
a letter grade (i.e. an "A-"
becomes a "B+", a "B" becomes a "B-")
Late papers will
be marked down 1/3 of a letter grade for each day past the due date (i.e.
an "A" paper that is four days late becomes a "B-")
Instances of illness/ emergency must be formally documented by
health center or
counseling office (i.e. no notes from Mom).
All assignments are to be typed in 12 pt Times New Roman font
(or similar), 1-inch
margins , double-spaced. Remember to
spell-check and proofread!
Print and submit all
assignments in class-this means you must come to class the day
papers are
due (NOT via email, unless previously discussed)
You
must submit all three assignments to pass this course.
In case of dismal class participation, pop quizzes will be
given.
Class Participation Guidelines
- Readings are to be completed before
class.
- Be prepared to discuss the readings due for that day (i.e. read
closely and note a few
provocative ideas and questions).
- Arrive on time.
- Attendance will be taken at the
beginning every class.
- If you are late, it is your responsibility to tell
Prof. Shankar you are present at the end of
class.
-
Turn off/ silence your cell phones, pagers, and other beeping/ ringing devices.
- DO NOT PACK UP until Prof. Shankar says class is over or
at 2:40pm (no earlier!)
- Be respectful of the classroom environment-this
means no side conversations, note
passing, text messaging,
newspaper reading, doing work for other classes, or anything
else that
constitutes distraction or disruption.
- Be respectful of
your fellow students-express yourself, but consider the feelings of
others
before you speak.
- Share the airtime-make sure to
participate, but give others a chance to speak as well.
- If you are having
problems with class materials or participation, come to office hours
sooner rather than when it is too late!
ANTH 4610.016/5610.005 ETHNOGRAPHY OF PRODUCT AND TECHNOLOGY
USE
University of North Texas
Dr. Christina Wasson
Fall 2002 W 6-8:50 PEB 220
How to borrow A/V
Equipment from the UNT Department of Anthropology
Guidelines for Documenting your Interviews (How to do Fieldnotes
and Videoclips)
Informed Consent Form
Sign-Up Sheet
for Interview Subjects
Interview Guides:
Students
Professors
TAs
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In recent years,
ethnography has become popular with designers of products and
technologies as a way of learning about the experience of the
users. This research
approach has been applied to such diverse problems as:
How to design office environments that encourage
groupwork and collaboration
How to design websites that fit
the "mental model" and usage patterns of their target
audiences
How to design museum exhibits that maximize the engagement between
visitors and
displays
"Design anthropology" is a
rapidly growing field of employment for those who wish to
work in some area
of applied anthropology. In this course, students learn the
fundamentals of the field. By collaborating on an applied project,
they gain practice in
the research methods of participant observation,
interviewing, and videotaping. They
learn to engage in
collaborative analysis, using qualitative software. And they work with
designers and customers to translate their research into practical
applications.
In addition to the hands-on experience, the
course grounds students in the relevant
theoretical areas:
Anthropology of cyberspace
Activity
theory as a way of analyzing human-computer interaction
Workplace studies
Anthropology of consumption
This semester, the class
project will be an evaluation of WebCT, the technology that
UNT utilizes for distance learning courses. Our main client will
be Maurice Leatherbury,
head of Academic Computing Services.
OFFICE HOURS AND COMMUNICATION WITH INSTRUCTOR
My office is Chilton 330D. My office hours are WTh 4:15-5:45.
I would also be happy
to meet at other times. You can make
an appointment by calling me at 940 565 2752, or
emailing me at
cwasson@unt.edu.
REQUIRED TEXTS
You will read a book and a collection of articles. The
book is:
Miller, Daniel, ed. 2001. Car cultures.
Oxford: Berg.
It is available at the UNT bookstore.
Master copies of the articles are available at the UNT Eagle
Images copy centers. It is
your responsibility to copy them in time to read
them before class. You can copy each
week's readings one by
one, or copy the whole packet at once whatever suits your
convenience and
finances. The readings for each week are identified in the course
schedule, below, by the authors' last names.
For more information about the copy centers, see
http://www.unt.edu/copycenter/.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Attendance and participation in classroom
discussions (20%). Since this course is an
advanced level
seminar, participation is essential. Class participation makes up twenty
percent of your final grade. Obviously, if you are absent you cannot
contribute to
discussions, so a high level of attendance is
required for a good grade. If you have more
than one unexcused absence, your
grade will go down. Students are responsible for all
materials and announcements presented in class, whether or not
they were there.
2. Two take-home essay quizzes (15% x
2). These quizzes will test you on the readings.
Instructions for each will
be handed out two weeks before they are due.
3. Class
project (50%). The project consists of a series of activities. You will receive
a
grade for completing each step. Together these will add
up to 50% of your course grade.
PROJECT ACTIVITY ITEMS GRADED % of GRADE
Interview 1
(Pairs) Field Notes
Show Video Clips in Class
10
Interview
2
(Pairs) Field Notes
Show Video Clips in Class
10
Interview 3
(Pairs) Field Notes
Show Video Clips in Class
10
Analysis
(Individual) Codes and other annotations entered into
Atlas.ti
10
Report
(Individual/Pair) Chapter of Written Report
Client
Presentation
10
PROJECT
INFORMATION
The Clients and Stakeholders
Our main client is Maurice Leatherbury, head of Academic Computing
Services at UNT.
He works with a distributed learning team, so they are
secondary clients. There is also a
start-up in Addison that
is interested in our findings because they are developing
educational
technologies. They may attend the final presentation.
The stakeholders include all the faculty and students who use
WebCT at UNT.
The Goal
We are
evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of WebCT. It was introduced about a
year ago and had a number of problems. Some of these have been fixed.
Meanwhile,
UNT has arranged to purchase the next version.
This new version will be phased in
slowly, not before the next academic year
probably. If UNT receives it before the end of
the
semester, we will be able to look at whether the new version addresses the
problems
that we find in the current version. We will also provide
recommendations on what other
issues need to be addressed.
The Subjects
We will interview users from three
distance learning classes at UNT. From each class,
we will
interview the instructor and about 6 students. I will provide you with the names
and you will arrange to meet with them.
Interviews
We will design an interview guide in class. Students will
conduct the interviews in pairs.
Each will interview three users. You will
sign up for 3 days to present the results in
class, which
will involve showing 3 videoclips. You will also submit your fieldnotes on
those days. You will give a hard copy to me, and place the fieldnotes as a
text file with
line breaks on the anthropology student
computer.
Analysis
Students will code each others'
fieldnotes using Atlas.ti. You will develop frameworks
for
understanding the project, using the tools that Atlas.ti offers. We will
practice using
Atlas.ti in class.
Report
Near the end of the semester, students will develop a list of
topics to cover in the client
report. Each student (or pair of students)
will write a chapter of the written report. You
will also
present the information verbally during the final client presentation.
Client Meetings
I hope to arrange three client
meetings during the semester:
An initial meeting to set
objectives
A meeting halfway through to check in, make sure
we're on the right track, and get ideas
The final client presentation, which
will probably be during the time slot for the final
exam
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
It
is the policy of the University of North Texas not to discriminate on the basis
of race,
color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability (where
reasonable accommodations
can be made), disabled veteran
status or veteran of the Vietnam era status in its
educational programs,
activities, admissions or employment policies. In addition to
complying with federal and state equal opportunity laws and
regulations, the university
through its diversity policy declares harassment
based on individual differences
(including sexual
orientation) inconsistent with its mission and education goals. Direct
questions and concerns to the Equal Opportunity Office, 940 565 2456, or the
Dean of
Students, 940 565 2648. TDD access is available
through Relay Texas, 800 735 2989.
Anthropology does
not discriminate on the basis of an individual's disability as required
by
the Americans with Disabilities Act. The program provides academic adjustments
and
aid to individuals with disabilities in its programs
and activities. If you have a disability,
you are strongly advised to
contact the Office of Disability Accommodations (UU 318A)
or by telephone at 940 565 4323. It is the responsibility of the
student to make the
necessary arrangements with the instructors.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Students are expected to complete each day's readings before
class. Readings are not
optional.
Theoretical
Topics
Project Activities Quizzes Readings
WEEK 1
Aug 28 Introduction and Course Objectives N/A
WEEK 2
Sep 4 Design
Training in Video Ethnography
Informed Consent Form Norman
Robinson
WEEK
3 Sep 11 Uses of Ethnography in Design
Design Interview Guide Blomberg and
Giacomi
Jordan
Wasson
WEEK 4
Sep
18 Distance Learning TBA
WEEK 5
Sep 25 Website
Ethnography
Show Video Clips Escobar
Hine Ch. 3
WEEK 6
Oct 2 Website Ethnography
Show Video
Clips Receive Quiz 1 Instructions Hine Chs. 4, 5
WEEK 7
Oct 9 Activity Theory and Human-Computer Interaction
Show Video
Clips Kuutti
Holland and Reeves
WEEK 8
Oct 16 Activity Theory and Human-Computer Interaction
Show
Video Clips/Analyze Project Data Quiz 1 Due Bellamy
Christansen
WEEK 9
Oct 23 Workplace
Studies
Show Video Clips/Analyze Project Data Suchman
Heath and Luff Chs. 1, 4
WEEK 10
Oct 30
Technology and Organizational Change
Show Video Clips/Analyze Project Data
Coopersmith
Pentland
WEEK 11
Nov 6
Technology and Customer Service
Show Video Clips/Analyze Project Data
Engestrom & Escalante
WEEK 12
Nov 13 Cultures of
Consumption
Analyze Project Data Receive Quiz 2 Instructions
Miller Chs. 2, 4, 5
WEEK 13 Nov 20 Cultures of Consumption
Analyze Project Data Miller Chs. 6, 7, 8
WEEK 14
Nov 27 Analyze Project Data Quiz 2 Due N/A
WEEK 15
Dec 4 Prepare Client Presentation N/A
FINALS
Dec 11 Client Presentation N/A
Anthropology 499-304
DREXEL UNIVERSITY
T,TH 11:00 AM
Fall 2002-03
Dr. Wesley
Shumar, Asst. Professor
Office: PSA Rm. 215
Phone:
895-2060
wes@drexel.edu
Office Hours: MWF 10:00
MEDIA ANTHROPOLOGY
COURSE
DESCRIPTION: From the printing press to the electronic age, mass media has
changed the ways people work, think about themselves and interact with each
other.
Increasingly mass media and new electronic media are
infiltrating every aspect of social
life in many cultures and societies.
These flows of images, sound and information are
complex
involving patterns of domination as well as being unevenly distributed across
cultures.This course will look at the influence of mass media and new media
on our
contemporary society. The anthropological study of
media began with the tradition of
producing ethnographic film films that
explored other peoples and cultures. More
recently
anthropologist have been studying forms of virtual community on the Internet as
well as the impact of more traditional mass media on people and culture.
This course will survey the anthropological study of
media. Last fall the course focused
on the more traditional
mass media. This year the course will focus on the Internet and
new media.
These new forms of media have changed the way we think about space and
time, the ways we work, shop and engage in leisure activities. We
will bring the holistic
approach of anthropology to the study of these new
media spaces in order to ask key
questions about social
life. How have new media changed our culture and society? What
impact have
they had on people's personal identity? In what ways has our consciousness
been reshaped? What are the impacts worldwide?
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Students will become
familiar with the concepts and methods
that anthropologists use to study
media particularly the adaptation of ethnographic
techniques for the study of cyberspace and new media. Students
will develop their own
critical skills as they analyze media and apply
concepts to practice in their own work.
Texts available in the University Store:
Hakken, David
1999 Cyborgs@Cyberspace. New
York, London: Routledge.
Smith, Marc and Kollack, Peter (eds)
1999 Communities in Cyberspace. New York, London:
Routledge.
Renninger K. Ann and Shumar, Wesley (eds)
2002
Building Virtual Communities: Learning and Change in Cyberspace. New York,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Readings
marked with and asterisk (*) are on reserve in the library. Additional Readings
may be assigned throughout the course. This syllabus is
subject to change and may be
updated throughout the course. Please visit the
web site regularly in order to learn about
any
changes.
SCHEDULE
Week 1 The
Computer Revolution
Hakken, David 1997 Cyborgs@Cyberspace.
Chapters 1+2
Week 2 & 3 Ethnography in
Cyberspace
Hakken, David 1997 Cyborgs@Cyberspace. Chapter 3
Smith, Marc and Kollack, Peter (eds) 1999 Communities in
Cyberspace. Chapters 4, 5
Critical Thinking Exam 1
Week 4 & 5
Transformation of the Social: Virtual Community
Smith, Marc and Kollack,
Peter (eds) 1999 Communities in Cyberspace. Chapters 1,7,8,9
Renninger K. Ann and Shumar, Wesley 2002 Building Virtual
Communities: Learning
and Change in Cyberspace. Chapters Intro., 1, 9
Week 6 Issues of Identity
Smith, Marc and
Kollack, Peter (eds) 1999 Communities in Cyberspace. Chapters 2, 3
Renninger
K. Ann and Shumar, Wesley 2002 Building Virtual Communities: Learning
and Change in Cyberspace. Chapter 7
Critical Thinking Exam 2
Week 7
Online Learning Environments
Renninger K. Ann and Shumar,
Wesley 2002 Building Virtual Communities: Learning
and Change in Cyberspace.
Chapters 2,3, 5, 11, 12
Week 8 & 9 Poltical Economy
and Social Movements
Smith, Marc and Kollack, Peter (eds)
1999 Communities in Cyberspace. Chapters 10-12
Hakken, David 1997
Cyborgs@Cyberspace. Chapters 4-8
Week 10 Summing
Up
Final Ethnographic Papers
due
__________________________________________________________________
Details
1. You are expected to do all of the
reading for this course.
2. It is expected that you will
attend all classes.
3. All papers (Exams, projects, etc.) are due on the
dates listed in the syllabus.
Assuming that the above
expectations are met, each assignment will be weighted as
follows:
1. Class Participation (10% of
the final grade).
2. Paper (40% of the final
grade).
Each student will engage in an ethnographic media project. Students
must submit a half
page written proposal for the fieldwork
and a 10-15 page paper based on their research.
Student will engage in
ethnographic fieldwork with some form of media. This analysis
will involve the use of anthropological concepts and methodologies
in the analysis of
film, broadcast media, new informational media, etc. The
papers will be due on
Thursday, November 29. More detail on
the projects will be given in the first week of
class.
3. Critical Thinking Papers (25% each, 50% combined percentage
of the final grade).
Two critical thinking exams will be
assigned in lieu of a midterm exam. The first
assignment will be handed out
on October 11 and will be due October 19. The second
assignment will be handed out on November 8 and due on November
15. Details for
these will be given in class. The critical thinking
assignments are designed specifically
for students to
reflect up the ideas developed in the texts and in class discussions. Futher
students will be asked to synthesis ideas across the texts, class
discussions and films.
Course
Proposal 2004-2005
Claudia A. Engel
Fall Quarter
04
Level: Introductory, 4h
Audience: 1st/2nd year
students, cross-disciplinary
Title:
"Virtual Communities:
Online Technologies and Ethnographic Practice"
Description:
How can an ethnographic project that involves new online
technologies be approached,
theoretically as well as practically? Focusing on
the phenomenon of virtual communities
this course will
review some of the methodological implications of online
ethnographic
research, for example the role of the researcher, the notion of
identities, human subject
issues, distributed collaboration,
and alternative re-presentations. It will also consider the
conceptual
implications, including the interpretation of online technologies as
virtual
environments for human interaction versus a cultural
artifact, the dual nature of the
Internet as both, a new setting and a new
technology for doing ethnography, and
theoretical approaches
that may help to understand phenomena of virtual
communities.
Rationale:
For the last decade online
technologies such as email, newsgroups, blogs, or
chatrooms, have attracted
the interest of anthropologists and sociologists and have
become the object and/or the means of ethnographic research
(Turkle 1995, Hine 2000,
Miller and Slater 2000, Wilson and Peterson 2002,
Constable 2003). It is generally
assumed that online
technologies have introduced a new form of human social life called
"virtual
communities" (Rheingold 1993) -- groups of people linked by their participation
in
computer networks. Virtual communities are thought of
as sharing many of the
characteristics of people in ordinary
communities, yet they have no face-to-face contact,
are not bound by the
constraints of time or place, and use computers to communicate
with one another (Jones 1998, Smith and Kollock 1999, Renninger
and Shumar 2002).
However, at a closer look, a lot of the "hype" around new
technologies is due to a largely
uninterrogated adoption of
technological attributes and unquestioned underlying
assumptions. As a hybrid
area, which involves designers, anthropologists, sociologists,
technologists, psychologists, architects, and others it draws its
strength from an
interdisciplinary field, but definitions of key terms can be
ambiguous and incoherent. For
example, it is still not very
well understood what the intersection and interactions are
between
virtual/real, online/offline, remote/face-to-face and if these commonly
used
dimensions are adequate (eg. Elmer 2002, Woolgar 2002).
It is also unclear to what
extent existing theories can contribute to help us
understand these phenomena and
where new frameworks towards
a critical theory of information technologies need to be
developed (Bell
2001, Levy 2001, Gumbrecht and Marrinan 2003, May 2003, Burnett
and Marshall 2003, Hakken 2003).
This proposal builds upon the
experience and encouraging student feedback from
CASA151/251
("Introduction to Cultural Studies") in Fall 2003, which included
online
environments, virtual spaces, and the experimentation with alternative
ethnographies,
and which I co-taught with Prof. Paulla
Ebron. I am not aware of such a course currently
being taught at Stanford.
Related courses taught at Stanford are: CS377D ("User
Research Methods Practicum") which focused on one specific
technology (blogging) that
was analyzed with traditional ethnographic methods
(Nardi et al, under rev.), and PWR
3-25 ("dorm.net:
Residential Rhetorics"), designed around a phenomenological study of
the role
of language and how Stanford students use online technologies to build
communities
(http://www.stanford.edu/class/pwr3-25/).
Bibliography (small sample of
indicative readings):
Bell, D. (2001). An introduction to
cybercultures. London ; New York, Routledge.
Burnett, R. and P. D. Marshall
(2003). Web theory : an introduction. London ; New York,
Routledge.
Constable, N. (2003). Romance on a global stage :
pen pals, virtual ethnography, and
"mail-order" marriages.
Berkeley, University of California Press.
Elmer, G. (2002). Critical
perspectives on the Internet. Lanham, Md., Rowman and
Littlefield Inc.
Gumbrecht, H. U. and M. Marrinan (2003).
Mapping Benjamin : the work of art in the
digital age.
Stanford, Calif., Stanford University Press.
Hakken, D. (2003). The knowledge
landscapes of cyberspace. New York, Routledge.
Hine, C.
(2000). Virtual ethnography. London ; Thousand Oaks, Calif., Sage.
Jones, S.
(1998). CyberSociety 2.0 : revisiting computer-mediated communication and
community. Thousand Oaks, Calif., Sage Publications.
May, C.
(2003). Key Thinkers for the Information Society. New York, Taylor &
Francis,
2003.
Miller, D. and D. Slater (2000). The
Internet : an ethnographic approach. Oxford ; New
York,
Berg.
Nardi, B., D Schiano, M. Gumbrecht, L. Swartz (CACM - Accepted, Under
Revision).
"I'm
Blogging This": A Closer Look at Why
People Blog.
http://home.comcast.net/~diane.schiano/Blog.draft.pdf
Renninger,
K. A., W. Shumar, et al. (2002). Building virtual communities learning and
change in cyberspace. New York, Cambridge University
Press.
Rheingold, H. (1993). The virtual community : homesteading on the
electronic frontier.
Reading, Mass., Addison-Wesley Pub.
Co.
Smith, M. A. and P. Kollock (1999). Communities in cyberspace. London ;
New York,
Routledge.
Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the
screen : identity in the age of the Internet. New York,
Simon & Schuster.
Wilson, S. M. and L. C. Peterson (2002).
" The Anthropology Of Online Communities."
Annual Review of
Anthropology 31(1): 449-467.
Woolgar, S. (2002). Virtual society? :
technology, cyberbole, reality. Oxford ; New York,
Oxford
University Press.