• Course Introduction 
• Theory 
• Practice 
• Scholarship 
• Required Texts and Resources 
• Attendance and Participation 
• Academic Honesty
• Supplementary Texts and Resources 

Course Introduction:

Lessig insists that cyberspace (like any social world) is “built, not found.”   Likewise, Steven Johnson asserts that cyberspace is “symbolic from the bottom up.”  As communication scholars we understand the social construction of reality - that our institutions, norms and practices spring from and contribute to the social system we live in.  We know that the decisions we make are formed through the lens of ideology - what we believe to be true, what we take for granted, and what we envision for our future.  These will be our premises as we examine the impact of new technologies on human communication.

Marshall McLuhan's suggestion that culture and technology are inextricably intertwined has significant implications for the current fascination with the "information age."  Politicians, corporate media spokespersons, and scholars alike have joined in the chorus pronouncing the information age the final revolution in human social, political, and economic institutions.  As we begin the twenty-first century, we are bombarded with the discourse of "cyberspace," "virtual reality," the "information superhighway," "electronic communities," etc., but the media offer little in the way of a frame of reference from which to evaluate the various claims being made about these developments in communication technology.

In spite of all the "hype," or perhaps because of it, a field of truly critical scholarly perspectives on technological change has emerged in communication studies research. This course will introduce students to this scholarship, attempting to make sense of the technological revolution from a critical perspective that is both historically informed and technologically astute.

We will engage some of the following questions, among others:

• What and where is "cyberspace"? 
• What are the implications of  "cyberspace" on human culture? 
• In what ways do the interfaces we use change the social construction of reality?  In what ways do they maintain or affirm prevailing constructions?
• What issues in communication law and policy are raised by the Internet? 
• What is the political economy of  "cyberspace"? 
• Who controls the "invisible hand" as the Internet expands?
• What implications does the Internet have for issues of cultural and intellectual diversity? 
• What are the political and social ramifications of the Internet? 
• Will the Internet radically transform human social and political institutions? 
• Does the military history of the Internet have any lasting impact on the structure and function of cyberspace? 
• What is "virtual reality"? 
• In whose interest is it to declare the "information age" the newest revolution in consciousness? 
• In what ways does the emergence of  "cyberculture" problematize theories of race, gender, and sexuality? 
• What are the dynamics of identity construction and self-presentation on the Internet?
• How does the notion of  "virtual reality" transform our ideas of time, space, and matter? 
• What are the implications of the information revolution for concerns of individual privacy and freedom? 
• Who benefits most from the new information technology? And whose ox is gored? 
• What are the likely future impacts of computer technology on human communication?

1. Theory

2. Practice

The university offers students free accounts on the CSUN UNIX shell, which you will be able to use for email and for access to the internet.  You have paid for these resources already in your tuition, so take advantage of what is offered.  This service is most reliable when you work on campus from one of CSUN's computer labs. Please be aware that these free CSUN accounts are not always reliable when dialing up from home.  I recommend that you have two means of access to the internet - your campus account and a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP).  Thus, if one server is busy you can get to class using the other.

Please Note: It is the student's responsibility to master the mysteries of email, newsgroups and posting to the web before assignments are due; the assignment must be successfully posted to receive credit. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to consult the tips for posting online assignments and the internet style guide before assignments are due.  For best results, please compose your essay offline and save it to disk before attempting to post it online. Also, use the "for practice only" section of the newsgroup to test before posting the assignment.

You must register on WebCT in order to participate in this course. Instructions are available online.  Remember your login and password, since these will be required to enter our virtual classroom..

We will be using online quizzes, a newsgroup and chat rooms on our WebCT site, electronic mail, and a series of pages on the World Wide Web.  Some of the reading assignments will come from the links on the course schedule as well. 

3. Scholarship

Required Texts and Resources:

Lawrence Lessig, Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace.  NY: Basic Books, 1999.

Additional required and recommended readings are available as links in the course schedule.

Attendance and Participation

Additionally, it is up to you to come to class prepared to participate as a citizen -- to listen attentively to others, to engage critically and creatively the perspectives of others, and to contribute meaningfully to discussions of the course materials. This means having all of the reading done when it is due, turning in assignments on time, and actively listening to and participating with your classmates and your instructor. 

Finally, I am aware that the technological means for connecting to the online world are slightly less stable than the Los Angeles freeways. There may be technological difficulties that prevent us from meeting in our virtual world. The professor will attempt to prepare contingency plans to cover most cyber-disasters, but students will not be penalized for the failure of computer systems beyond their control. That said, however, "I couldn't connect" is not a valid reason for missing online classes when all other students have connected. If you have frequent difficulties connecting to the Internet from home aside from CSUN computer facility outages, it is highly recommended that you plan to be at computers on campus for these meetings. 

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is expected and required. Academic dishonesty defrauds all those who depend on the integrity of University courses and is a serious offense covered by Section 41301, Title 5 of the California Administrative Code. This section of the Code is published in the University Catalog, Schedule of Classes, and the Student Handbook.

Supplementary Texts and Resources: *I'm sure there are more current resources available.  The graduate students in the class will inform us of them as they find them.

This is a useful reference manual for UNIX-shell based connection to the Internet (such as CSUN's "huey" systems). There are many other such manuals that may be useful to students new to the Internet, although this one is highly recommended by the instructor (it is pretty dated though). It costs about $30-40 and can be found in most stores that sell computer books. It is for students starting this course without a knowledge of the basic Internet protocols (in other words, if words like FTP, HTTP, HTML, telnet, gopher, etc. are totally incomprehensible to you, you may wish to purchase this book).

In addition, students new to the Internet may wish to purchase an "Internet Starter Kit" adapted to your preferred computer operating system (Windows, Mac, etc.), such as the one written by Adam Engst for the Macintosh. Such kits usually come with a large reference manual and a disk of free software, and run around $30 - $200. The software on the disk is readily available on the Internet, but for some beginning users such a connection kit is useful for reducing the frustration involved in computer work. Just don't pay more than $50 for it..... If you get a good ISP you will get most of this information on a disk when you sign up.

For students who don't want to drop $50 on a 700 page book, keep in mind that all of the information in books like these can be accessed freely over the Internet.

A comprehensive guide to terms and phrases you may encounter while learning to use the Internet. This one is a bit dated; I suggest you browse a bookstore with computer shelves for a similar reference that is more recent. For students new to the frequent use of computers, such a reference will be a useful guide to computer jargon, which is often mystifying and complex. Again, this information is also freely available on the Internet.

Similar to above but much more readable and useful for the Internet. This is a printed copy of the "jargon file" that is available all over the internet and can be searched via the WWW for a word or phrase.