-
7/31/2019 Web 2.0 Theory Research Uses Effects Syllabus
1/8
WEB 2.0: THEORIES, RESEARCH, USES & EFFECTS
RTVF 4450.001/5660.001 - Topics in Industry Studies
Fall 2013
Tuesdays/Thursday 2:00-3:20, RTFP 180F
The University of North Texas, Dept. of Radio-TV-Film
Professor
Dr. Jacqueline Vickery, Ph.D.
Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:30-5:30 and by appointment
Location: RTFP 237
Email: [email protected]
Course Description
This course examines Web 2.0from a social and cultural perspective and focuses on how media
technologies (re)configure practices of everyday life. We will approach Web 2.0 from a broad definition
to encompass social networking sites, mobile technologies and applications, online communities, games,
and virtual worlds. The course incorporates the perspectives of various stakeholders including citizens,
consumers, industries, policymakers, and governments. This class primarily takes an American
perspective but welcomes intercultural and international perspectives as well. In addition to studying
and analyzing social and digital media, we will also be actively communicating through and participating
in the platforms and networks we study. Students will have the opportunity to simultaneously conduct
analytical research as well as create and participate in social media practices.
The objectives of this course are to:
- Offer students the conceptual and analytical tools necessary to examine the real and potentialinfluences of social media
- Provide students with a working knowledge of the development, organization, and operation ofdifferent digital media technologies and industries
- Highlight the social choices students face as citizens, consumers, producers, and mediaprofessionals in their own encounters with Web 2.0 technologies and applications
- Provide students with opportunities to critically engage with social and digital media for thepurposes of learning, collaborating, and research
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- Describe how social media enables the formation of community- Analyze how identity is performed, complicated, complimented, and challenged in/with/through
digital media, as well as critically examine how social media affect constructions of youth,
gender, race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality
- Assess the commercial uses of Web 2.0 technologies- Critique debates about ownership, labor, privacy, intellectual property, regulation, civic
engagement, and ethics in a digital age
-
7/31/2019 Web 2.0 Theory Research Uses Effects Syllabus
2/8
Required Texts
1. The Social Media Readerby Michael Mandiberg (Ed.) (paperback edition); Publisher: NYUPress; ISBN-10: 0814764061
2. Other readings will be made available online or on Blackboard throughout the semester.Course Assignments & Evaluation
Blog Posts (80 points)
As a group (8-10 members) you will maintain a blog for the entirety of the semester. You will be
responsible for posting 4 times throughout the semester (350-500 words; 10 points each = 40 total
points) and commenting on at least 8 posts (150-250 words; 5 points each = 40 total points). The blog
will be one of the primary ways you engage with course readings throughout the semester. One entry
will be selected as the Blog Post of the Week (BPOTW); if your post is selected it will be featured on
the class blog and you will receive 5 bonus points towards your overall blog grade. Blog posts are due by
5:00 p.m. on Mondaysand comments are due by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Lead Class Discussion (40 points)As a team, you will prepare to lead class discussion for one class period. Your team will be responsible
for covering at least one of the readings from the week, incorporating outside examples, and posing 3-4
discussion questions for the class. Presentations will be 30 minutes. All materials must be submitted to
Dr. Vickery by 12:00pm the day before your presentation in order to offer feedback and suggestions.
Midterm Paper (45 points)
You will write a 5-7 page paper responding to one of three prompts I will provide.
Participation (35 points)
This course is largely discussion and activity based, therefore participation is expected. All students start
with a D for participation and must earn points towards their desired grade.
We will hold an ongoing conversation about our observations of social media in contemporary culture in
the form of a class Twitter feed, which counts towards your overall participation grade. You may either
use your current Twitter username or create one specifically for this course. Tweets should be personal
thoughts, insights, questions, responses to readings or lectures, and/or links to relevant material on the
web, and should include the course hashtag #RTVFWEB. To earn full credit you must be Tweeting
regularly throughout the semester.
Points are earned by a) contributing during class discussions, b) contributing to in-class group work, c)
completing in-class assignments, and d) regularly participating on Twitter. Alternatively, points will be
deducted for arriving late/leaving early, sleeping or not paying attention in class, or other disruptive
behavior.
Final Exam (50 points)
There will be 1 exam in this class; it will be open note essays completed in class on Thursday, December
6 @ 1:30 p.m.
-
7/31/2019 Web 2.0 Theory Research Uses Effects Syllabus
3/8
Final Paper or Project (50 points)
Choose one:
a) Complete an individual paper (2000 words in length) about a theme or digital tool/community ofyour choice. The paper must include original research and analysis.
b) Work with a group of 3-5 students to create a digital media project on one of the courses themes.The project can be, but is not limited to, a piece of digital film (animation, machinima, mash-up,
etc.), a digital game, a wiki, or an app. I am open to other ideas, but you MUST get approval from
me.
Paper and project topics must be related to Web 2.0/digital media/social media and must incorporate
theories, concepts, and ideas from the course. You must submit a proposal (approx. 250 words) of your
paper or project by October 3.An extended abstract or outline of your paper or project is due
November 14. This is for your benefit, to make sure you are on track and to help you identify areas
where you may need help. Final papers and projects are due on December 6.
Evaluation:
270-300 points = A240-269 points = B
210-239 points = C
180-209 points = D179 or fewer = F
Attendance Policy: I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences. Everyone is
granted two free absences during the semester, no questions asked. Each additional absence will
result in a loss of 5 points from your participation grade. Additionally, you will lose points for arriving
late or leaving early. If you experience extenuating circumstances during the semester (e.g. extended
illness, death of a close family member, etc.) talk to Dr. Vickery ASAP.
Late Assignments: You will lose a full letter gradeon the assignment for every day your assignment is
late. Assignments more than 3 days late will NOT be accepted; this means you will receive an
automatic 0 for the assignment. Assignments are considered late if they are not turned in by thedates and times provided on the syllabus.
Extra Credit:You can earn 5 bonus points if your blog post is selected as the BPOTW.No extra credit
opportunities will be offered on an individual basis, so do not ask. If you are struggling with the course
materials then talk to the instructor for additional guidance and resources. Do not wait until the end of
the semester to try to salvage your grade.
For Graduate Students Only: Graduate students have different requirements concerning the grade. The
Professor will share these requirements and options for the course.
ODA Notification: The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation forstudents with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of
Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide
you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your
specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of
accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in
implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and
must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information
-
7/31/2019 Web 2.0 Theory Research Uses Effects Syllabus
4/8
-
7/31/2019 Web 2.0 Theory Research Uses Effects Syllabus
5/8
Course Schedule & Readings
Week 1: Introduction
August 29
- No readings
- Meet with groups, set up Twitter, set up blogs
Week 2: What is NewMedia?
September 3
- Cameron Chapman, The History of the Internet in a Nutshell (http://bit.ly/3R5kW8)
- Nancy Baym, Making New Media Make Sense (available on Blackboard)
September 5
- danah boyd & Nicole Ellison, Social Network Sites: Definition, History, &Scholarship
(http://bit.ly/e5MlA)
- Mark Hopkins, Just what is social media, exactly? (Mashable:http://on.mash.to/96KI)
- Shea Bennett, A History of Social Media (Infographic)(http://bit.ly/ViYiua)
Recommended: 50 definitions ofsocial media (bit.ly/jPHHuL) and 50 (mostly) free social media tools
you cantlive without in 2012 ( tnw.co/ybRPSl)
Week 3: Collaboration & Participatory Culture
September 10
- Nancy Baym, Communities and Networks (available on Blackboard)
- Adam Hyde et al., What is Collaboration Anyway? (p. 53 in Social Media Reader)
September 12
- Henry Jenkins, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Media(pp. 2-11, bit.ly/2bnWVo)
- Drake Bennett, Assessing Wikipedia, Wiki-Style, on its 10thAnniversary (Business Week,
buswk.co/RQ7qBW)
Week 4: Remix & Convergence Culture
September 17
- Henry Jenkins, Quentin Tarantinos Star Wars? (p. 203 Social Media Reader)
September 19
- Patrick Davison, The Language of Internet Memes (p. 120 in Social Media Reader)
http://on.mash.to/96KIhttp://on.mash.to/96KIhttp://on.mash.to/96KIhttp://on.mash.to/96KI -
7/31/2019 Web 2.0 Theory Research Uses Effects Syllabus
6/8
Week 5: Copyright & Intellectual Property
September 24
- Lawrence Lessig, REMIX: How Creativity is Being Strangled by the Law (p. 155 in Social Media Reader)
September 26
- Gasser and Ernst, From Shakespeare to DJ Danger Mouse: A Quick Look at Copyright and User
Creativity in the Digital Age (available on Blackboard)
Recommended: UNT Copyright Compliance Checklist:http://bit.ly/UXhFWQ
Center for Social Media Guide to Fair Use: http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use
Week 6: Privacy in a Networked World
October 1
- Suasan B. Barnes, A Privacy Paradox: Social Networking in the United States (First Monday,
http://bit.ly/6E4YJC)
*October 3 **FINAL PAPER/PROJECT TOPIC DUE**
- Mary Madden, Privacy Management on Social Media Sites (Pew Research, bit.ly/Ae9k6Z)
- Naomi Troni, Social Media Privacy: A Contradiction in Terms? (Forbes: onforb.es/JDjBzt)
- Marshall Kirkpatrick, Why Facebook is Wrong: Privacy Is Still Important(Read Write,
http://bit.ly/XleJCZ)
Recommended: Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, Social Networking Privacy: How to be Safe, Secure, and
Social (https://www.privacyrights.org/social-networking-privacy/)
Week 7: Performing Identities
October 8
- Jamie Beckland, Why Mainstream Social Networks Complicate Our Identities (Mashable,
on.mash.to/q9yKSF)
- Craig Watkins, Digital Gates: How Race and Class Distinctions Are Shaping the Digital World
(available on Blackboard)
October 10
- Tanja Carstensen, Gender Trouble in Web 2.0: Gender Relations in Social Network Sites, Wikis, and
Weblogs (International Journal of Gender, Science, and Technology, http://bit.ly/b3zNuZ)
Week 8: Communities & Fandom
October 15
- Megan M. Wood & Linda Baughman, GleeFandom and Twitter: Something New, or More of the Same
Old Thing? (available on Blackboard)
http://bit.ly/UXhFWQhttp://bit.ly/UXhFWQhttp://bit.ly/UXhFWQhttp://bit.ly/UXhFWQ -
7/31/2019 Web 2.0 Theory Research Uses Effects Syllabus
7/8
-
7/31/2019 Web 2.0 Theory Research Uses Effects Syllabus
8/8
Week 13: The Social Web beyond America
November 19
- Markus Sabadello, The Role of New Media for the Democratization Processes in the Arab World
(available on Blackboard)
November 21
- Tolu Ogunlesi and Stephanie Busari, Seven Ways Mobile Phones Have Changed Lives in Africa (CNN,
http://bit.ly/OXWnZ8)
- Jon Swartz, Social Networking Sites Going Global (USA Today, usat.ly/wdwpf)
- Spend some time exploring Alexas top internet sites by country, worldwide, category :
http://www.alexa.com/topsites
Week 14: Industry & Advertising
November 26
- Felix Stalder, Between Democracy and Spectacle: The Front-End and Back-End of the Social Web (p.
242 in Social Media Reader)
- John Biggs, A Dispute Over Who Owns a Twitter Account Goes To Court (NYT, nyti.ms/utJIWx- Ryan -
- Singel, How Does Google Make the Big Bucks? An Infographic Answer (Wired, bit.ly/NGm2R8)
November 28 - Happy Thanksgiving!
No readings
Week 15: Presentations
December 3
In-class presentations
December 5
In-class presentations
*December 6 @ Noon - FINAL PAPER/PROJECT DUE*
Week 16: Finals Week
Final ExamThursday, December 121:30-3:30 p.m.
http://www.alexa.com/topsiteshttp://www.alexa.com/topsiteshttp://www.alexa.com/topsites