COMM 515T: COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES Paul Martin Lester, Ph.D. Professor Department of Communications, H-230 CSUF Fullerton, California 92634 e-mail | homepage
This course is a seminar in emerging communications technologies which are transforming professional, academic, and personal practices associated with various communications industries. This seminar deals with technological developments and how to analyze the messages that are produced, the corporate and governmental policies that have been initiated, and the educational, political, and societal implications of current and projected applications.
With discussions among members of the seminar in a think-tank format on specific topics for the evening, hands-on Internet/World Wide Web experience, and guest appearances by experts in the field, we will try to come to a conclusion whether the medium or the message is the master.
Communication Technology Update, fifth edition by August E. Grant, editor
You are also expected to read one of the following books sometime during the semester and turn in not more than 5-page review of each one's content:
Neuromancer, William Gibson;
Demystifying Media Technology, John Pavlik and Everette Dennis, eds.;
Being Digital, Nicholas Negroponte;
Technopoly, Neil Postman;
The Hacker Crackdown, Bruce Sterling; and
Silicon Snake Oil, Clifford Stoll
You might also want to consult a number of other sources for additional information:
The Media Lab, Stewart Brand;
Old Media/New Media, Wilson Dizard;
International Communication, Robert Fortner;
CyberSociety, Steven Jones;
The Roar of the Crowd, Michael O'Neill;
Information and the Crisis Economy, Herbert Schiller;
Communications Media in the Information Society, Joseph Straubhaar and Robert LaRose;
Politics and Technology, John Street;
Media Systems in Society, Joseph Turow; and
Technology and Communication Behavior, Frederick Williams
You will be expected to have read the readings, turn in a not more than three page paper that asks and answers a question related to the seminar topic for the evening with three related cites, a five-page review of one of the required additional readings, and engage fully in a lively discussion for the evening. With your E-mail computer account, you will also be expected to find and report informally on resource materials in databases around the world, through listserver discussion groups, and by messages between you and other members of the seminar.
You will also be required to write a 15-20 page paper.
| Week | Topic | Readings/Guest Lectures |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mass Communications Environment | Chapter 1 |
| 2 | Electronic Mass Media | Chapters 2-4 |
| 3 | NO CLASS | Holiday |
| 4 | Electronic Mass Media | Chapters 5-7 |
| 5 | Electronic Mass Media | Chapters 8-11 |
| 6 | Computers and Consumer Electronics | Chapters 12-14 |
| 7 | Computers and Consumer Electronics | Chapters 15-16 |
| 8 | NO CLASS | Spring Break |
| 9 | Computers and Consumer Electronics | Chapters 17-19 |
| 10 | Telephony and Satellite Technologies | Chapters 20-21 |
| 11 | Telephony and Satellite Technologies | Chapters 22-23 |
| 12 | Telephony and Satellite Technologies | Chapters 24-25 |
| 13 | Telephony and Satellite Technologies | Chapters 26-27 |
| 14 | TO BE ANNOUNCED | |
| 15 | Educational Implications | Edgar Trotter, Professor |
| 16 | Review Papers and Conclusion | Chapters 28-29 |
| 17 | Major Paper Due in Communications Office (H-230) by 4:30 |