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Note: We're moving to DevilNet soon . . .
One of the Goals for the course is immersion in cyberspace and cyberculture. For this reason and because Net-related events move at a rapid pace, we will participate in a newsgroup to stay in touch between our weekly class sessions. We need to be aware of the differences between in-person and electronic communication, or, as technoprophet Nicholas Negroponte says, the differences between the worlds of atoms and bits. Through Readings and Surfings and newsgroup discussion, we will explore and articulate some of the social and ethical aspects of this intersection of the online and offline, virtual and real, digital and material. In a sense we'll establish our own virtual community.
Sharing ideas in class and informally writing about them online are good ways to "think aloud" before committing thoughts to paper in more formal Critical Essays. Discussion thereby encourages Critical Thinking, another of the course goals. In fact many people now use e-mail, particularly "flaming" (an unfocused or ad hominem form of criticism), this way perhaps without realizing it. Serious exchanges on topics important to us and quietly listening to the opinions of others, perhaps especially when they diverge from our own, help to develop our thoughts over a period of time. Students are encouraged to save their relevant (supportive, disturbing, challenging, etc.) e-mail messages in folders and refer to them later when writing papers.
A newsgroup has been established with this name: duke.courses.rel185-03. All class members are required to subscribe to and participate in the group. Since newsgroup messages are sent to one common address instead of to each recipient on the list, we can send and read postings without cluttering up our e-mail in-boxes. Students will be able to access the group through most Web browsers (e.g., Netscape, Internet Explorer, or Lynx). However, since the application is text-based, using your acpub account to read messages on the Pine news reader may be easiest.*
To encourage participation and to help prepare students for the midterm and final, each week we'll have an online "fishing expedition." Most topics will not be decided in advance, but will correspond to current events associated with the Net. They will put what we're learning to practical use. I will assign eight students each week to a particular topic. I encourage you to share your findings with each other and the class on the newsgroup.
Additionally I will post "threads" for thought now and then and help keep us on track, but hopefully class members will feel comfortable discussing issues without my intervention. Class members are, of course, free to send private messages to anyone on the list. Additionally, to avoid interferening with the flow our newsgroup, I'll use a private mailing list to send administrative messages. Everyone is expected to understand and observe the tacit rules of netiquette.
Attendance, oral and written discussion, and active participation are essential components of the class and have been allotted 10% of the grade. This may seem insignificant. However, if you are on the line between quality points, such as a B+ and an A-, it can matter quite a bit. To underscore the importance of attendance, I will take roll every day after the break and the roster will be kept online. Details will follow.
No class member will be a lurker, but also no one person or point of view will dominate. Students with specialized knowledge -- e.g., art, ecology, feminism, law, marketing, minority issues, multimedia, popular culture, programming, system security -- will be encouraged to share their expertise with the rest of us. The Assignments page discusses the evaluative role of online discussion and in-class participation.
*For further information, see OIT Document #31: "
Reading Network News with Pine."
revised 07/06/98 |
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