COMM 435
Computers & Communication

Course Objectives

There are four principle objectives of this course.

·        First, this course provides the student with an overview of how computers and computer networks have affected human communication. Specifically, we will focus on how people later messages and behavior when using various electronic communication and information technologies (CITs). In addition, the course will examine some of the technical, historical, social, regulatory, and economic factors affecting major electronic CITs used for personal communication, including: 1) e-mail, instant messaging, and other forms of electronic text communication, 2) voice mail, interactive voice response systems, and other forms of electronic voice communication, and 3) videoconferencing and personal video communication.

·        The second objective is to help you improve your use of electronic communication systems – from ones you probably feel you know pretty well already (such as e-mail and IM) to ones with which you may not have much experience (particularly listservs, newsgroups/discussion boards, and chat rooms).

·        The third objective is to examine a number of technical and non-technical components of the Internet that impact electronic communication (e.g., anonymous remailers, emoticons, spam, urban legends, and public key encryption).

·        The fourth objective is to help you improve your use of information technology, including the use of PowerPoint.

Required Textbook & Readings

·         Barnes, S. B. (2002). Computer-mediated communication: Human-to-human communication across the Internet. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. (ISBN: 0205321453, list price: $42.67)

·        Readings R1 – R21 (These will be either 1) on or through my web site, or 2) available directly from me.

Highly Recommended (but not required):

·        Gralla, Preston. (2001). How the Internet works, 6^th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. (ISBN: 0789725827, list price: $29.99)
·         Newton, H., & R. Horak. (2004). Newtons telecom dictionary, 20^th Ed. New York: CMP Books. (Paperback, ISBN: 1578203090, $34.95)
·         Dreamweaver MX (Web Design Software), Academic version $99 at Campus Computer Store.

Policies and Procedures

Reasonable Accommodation

If you have any type of disability that may hinder demonstrating your mastery of the course material, please contact me personally as soon as possible (formal documentation should be provided no later than the 3^rd lecture of the term). I will arrange mutually agreeable and appropriate accommodations.

Implicit and Explicit Commitments

Every university course involves a series of agreements made by the student, the professor, and the university – whether implicit or explicit. I prefer to make these commitments explicit, so there is no misunderstanding about them and so each of us is aware of any failure to keep them. I do this by providing you with a list of these commitments – and asking you to formally commit to them. I will also describe (in class) the process we will use whenever someone (you or me) fails to honor any particular commitment. Essentially, this involves staying in communication and recommitting. Some of the commitments on the list are discussed below.

Attendance

Learning in this course takes two major forms--cognitive and experiential. Experiential learning requires participation and observation in common classroom experiences. Therefore, attendance is required. Why? Simply stated, it does not work for me, it does not work for you, and it does not work for your classmates when you miss class. We meet only a small number of times this semester. The first step in receiving full credit for participation is to come to all the classes. In addition, being late for class does not work. Please be on time for all classes, and in your seat at the end of all breaks.

Assignment Due Dates

All assignments are due at specific dates and times (see the Course Schedule below). Late assignments are penalized one letter grade for every day they are late. As with rental cars, any part of a day counts as a full day. However, if you communicate successfully with me at least 48 hours in advance of a deadline, I will cut that penalty in half. “Staying in communication” successfully is more than calling and leaving a message – it requires that you take responsibility for completing the conversation with me by telephone.

Staying in Communication

Staying in communication is something that I value highly. Since it is also valued in the business world, it is great training for all of us. In the course of the semester, you may decide that one of your outside commitments (to work, family, health, play, etc.) supersedes your commitment to one of the course agreements (being in class, being on time, completing an assignment on time, etc.). When this happens, please communicate that fact to me as soon as possible. My preference is that you use e-mail or my cell phone to contact me.

Please note – you’re not a bad student when you miss a commitment, and you’re not “wrong” to choose another commitment over one of the course commitments (or vice versa). All I ask is that you deal with such situations with integrity and power. This means communicating your intentions and behavior clearly and in advance. Often, people are not clear about such situations in their own minds, or not realistic about what is possible. Sometimes we dread telling someone that we will break (or have broken) a commitment. Yet putting off the communication only makes it harder to clear it up later. And until you straighten it out, you are out of integrity. When we are out of integrity, we are “incomplete” and thus not dealing powerfully with life. When we clear up those issues (such as by having a conversation about a missed commitment), we can get back in integrity and can once again operate at full power. And I want each of us operating at full power!

Consequently, my request to you is: communicate as soon as you know you will not keep one of the course agreements. Staying in communication is considered part of your class participation – and if you read the section above on Assignment Due Dates, you know it has other benefits (a reduction in the late penalty).

Making Requests

If you discover that you will miss one of the assignment deadlines due to extraordinary circumstances, you can make a request of me – for an extension or some other consideration. If I grant a request it means I will waive the original penalty associated with the missed commitment. Any request should be very specific – you must propose a new date and time by which you will complete the assignment. Such requests must be made at least one week in advance of any deadline – the earlier the better. Please note that requests sometimes get the answer yes and sometimes the answer no. If you choose the telephone, do not simply leave a message at the office requesting a callback. Keep trying one of my numbers until you reach me directly.

Web, E-Mail & Computer Skills Required

We will be using the World Wide Web and electronic mail frequently this semester. You are expected to know how to use e-mail and send MS Word documents as attachments.

In addition, we will be using WebCT for online discussions (http://webct38.gmu.edu). Your WebCT ID is typically (the first portion of) your GMU e-mail ID, and your default (initial) password is the last four digits of your GMU ID. Please log in sometime during Week 1 to make sure your ID is working.

Submission of Written Assignments

You must hand in two versions of each written assignment (see Course Schedule for due dates):
·           An electronic copy must be e-mailed to me as an MS Word attachment by 12 noon
·           A printed copy must be turned in at the beginning of class

If either version is late, the assignment is considered late.

E-mail communication to me must be clear and unambiguous. You must follow these guidelines when labeling e-mails and MS Word attachments:
·        Your first and last name must appear in the “From” field (not simply your e-mail ID)
·        The “Subject:” field of ALL e-mail messages should always begin with “COMM435” followed by a descriptive title (e.g., “comm435 – critique 1”)
·        Always include your last name in the MS Word title of individual critiques (e.g., 435-critique1-smith.doc)
·        Always put identifying information within the MS Word files (name, exact assignment name and number)

Spelling/Vocabulary/Grammar

While it should go without saying, I’ll say it anyway: students must use correct spelling and punctuation in all written assignments. The use of appropriate grammar in oral and written communication is also very important. Please read (and then edit) your work carefully before you hand it in. If you typically do fewer than two drafts, followed by a final read and edit, you are not taking written assignments seriously enough.

Promoting Intellectual Honesty

Academic standards demand intellectual honesty. Intellectual dishonesty is a fancy term for cheating. While it should go without saying, I’ll say it anyway: cheating and plagiarism in any form, regardless of any justification, will not be tolerated. Any student whom the instructor has sufficient evidence to believe has cheated or plagiarized in the course will receive an automatic "F" (failure) in the course, and will be referred for appropriate disciplinary action. There will be no exceptions to this policy.

Please note that the most common form of intellectual dishonesty is plagiarism. Often, students are unaware of, or uncertain about, the various forms of plagiarism. One component of intellectual honesty involves crediting the ideas of others through citations in the text and full references at the end of your work. Each of your written assignments must have a set of (APA style) citations in the text, and an accompanying set of (APA style) references at the end, documenting the source of any ideas that are not your own.

Policies related to cheating/plagiarism (as well as excused absences, withdrawal, incompletes, final exams and common exams) can be found in your copy of the GMU Student Handbook and/or the current semester’s Schedule of Classes. As students and faculty at George Mason University, we are all responsible for adhering to university policies. You should be particularly familiar with the George Mason University Honor Code.

Evaluation and Grading Criteria

Academic tradition and rules require that your performance be evaluated. Final grades will be determined by scores in three major areas of performance:

Final letter grades will be assigned based on the following point distribution:

Scores in between any of these ranges will be rounded up or down, whichever is closer.

Description of Graded Course Components

Exams

Students will take one midterm exam (approximately one hour in length) and a final exam. Each exam will be comprehensive and each exam will be made up of short answer and essay questions. See the Course Schedule below for dates.

Personal Web Site

Each student will create a personal web site, including a home page with a “theme,” and post their critiques and PowerPoint documents in the course of the semester.

If you already have a personal web site you will be responsible for completing a paper instead. See the Course Schedule for the dates of the web site evaluations (WSE). Paper deadlines match these dates (i.e., all students have deliverables due on the WSE due dates).

Weekly Participation Online

A major component of this course is participation in online discussions. Beginning after the first class, students will earn up to 25 points each week for the next 12 weeks (13 counting the 2 weeks at spring break). Three substantive comments, at two different time during the week, are the approximate minimum contribution. We will use a variety of conferencing packages, and then compare the attributes of each.

WebCT will be the first package we use for online discussions (http://webct38.gmu.edu). Your WebCT ID is typically (the first portion of) your GMU e-mail ID, and your default (initial) password is the last four digits of your GMU ID. Please log in sometime during Week 1 to make sure your ID is working. WebCT online discussions start after our Week 2 class.

Technology Use

Students will choose from the following additional assignments that add to 50 points.
·         Use of a Desktop E-mail Client (5 points for each week of use, up to 50 points). Note - unless you already use a desktop client for e-mail (e.g., MS Outlook, Netscape Messenger, Eudora) I strongly recommend you take this option.

Other possibilities include:
·        Use of Public Key Encryption (25 points)
·        Find a free, online conferencing package for the class to use (25 points – must be different other than WebCT, Townhall, Hotmail, Yahoo, MSN, and AOL)
·        Use of an anonymous remailer (25 points)
·        Joining and participating regularly in a cyber-community – a discussion board, chatroom, or wiki (25 points)
·        Posting and contributing regularly to a blog, or weblog (25 points)
·        Other (TBD, or suggest your own exercise – 25 points)

Discussion Co-leader

Each student will serve as a discussion co-leader twice (2 different weeks) during the semester. Co-leaders are responsible for generating the initial discussion, posing provocative questions, and eliciting comments from their classmates.

Critiques

Each student will write two (2) critiques. One about an issue related to intellectual property and copyright, and the second topic TBD. These critiques should be written in MS Word, but will also be posted on your web site (if you do the web site assignment).

Presentations

Each student will present once in class (overhead transparencies – no PowerPoint).

Class Participation

Students are expected to participate in class – by speaking and generating discussion, by listening actively, and by participating in exercises.

How To Study and How to Get an “A” In This Course
·         Come to class.
·         Be open to ideas. Listen. Participate.
·         Take notes.
·         Take notes as though you will be explaining the content to an absent teammate.
·         Stay in communication.
·         Stay in communication with your instructor – about possible absences, late assignments, or anything else that will affect your participation.
·         Ask questions if you don’t understand something. Just because others aren’t asking questions doesn’t mean they understand everything being said. If something isn’t clear to you it may not be clear to your classmates. Do them a favor and raise your hand.
·         Summarize, re-write, or otherwise review your lecture and class notes between classes. Don’t wait for the night before an exam to re-familiarize yourself with the material covered. Mental preparation is similar to physical exercise. A little bit every day will make you stronger gradually. A strenuous workout after a long layoff will only leave you sore.
·         Read the assigned readings twice (including any discussion questions at the end of chapters). Don’t wait for the last minute to read!  There’s no reason you can’t read ahead. Take some action to personalize the material. Develop your own set of reading notes, summarize each reading, or write out what you think would be a likely essay question. Don’t simply highlight the readings with a marker (This can be a trap - it isn’t true that “to highlight is to know.”). If there are discussion questions at the end of chapters, spend a few minutes thinking about the questions, don’t simply read them (they are intended as a review of the assigned material).
·         Think about your written assignments before you write them. Create a detailed outline before you begin to write any assignment. Plan on at least two—and preferably more—drafts of your work (ideally written at different sittings).

Spring, 2004 GMU Deadlines

Course Schedule

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R1.         10 Attributes (I will e-mail this)
The links to all the following readings are above:
R2.         Emoticons
R3.         Acronyms
R4.         E-mail Netiquette
R5.         IM Netiquette
R6.         Listserv
R7.         Listserv Netiquette
R8.         Anonymous Remailers
R9.         A Rape in Cyberspace
R10.      Digital Signature
R11.      Public Key Encryption
R12.      Virus Hoaxes
R13.      Urban Legends
R14.      Internet Addiction
R15-21. A series of readings (most will have multiple parts) on Intellectual property and copyright