Here is a course description for those who are thinking about taking this class. We will cover this all on the first day, and so much more. But for those who can’t wait . . .
Course Description:
In the introduction to Smart Mobs, Howard Rheingold argues that in the future people will be divided between “those who know how to use new media to band together [and] those who don’t” (xix). In this class we will examine how the technological change from the analog to the digital affects the ability to produce and disseminate knowledge and how networked media are changing society. Once powerful institutions seem to be losing relevance by the day (consider how quickly Wikipedia has trumped Britannica). At the same time we should not too quickly view these new networked digital spaces as utopian democracies, for there are still substantial rhetorical and cultural forces at work. While focusing on the practice of writing (blog, wikis), we will at the same time question what it means to “write” (should podcasts, Youtube, and Twitter count as writing?). Central to our examination will be how technology, rhetoric, and ethics shape our use of networked communication. We will divide our time between engaging theoretical questions and using new technologies of knowledge creation and dissemination. (No prior technical skills required.)
Update: This class is no longer active. But you can still view the syllabus or search the archives from August 07-November 07.