Communication 399 Rationale and Objectives

Welcome to COM 399 Communication in Computer-mediated Environments.

This course is delivered entirely online, providing a high degree of integration between communication theory and practice within an immersive learning experience.  I believe that one of the best ways to study computer mediated communication is within an online environment.  After all, if we were studying contemporary Egyptian culture, wouldn't our learning be incomplete without spending at least some time in Egypt?    However, this will not be an independent learning experience.  We will learn about CMC together, through readings, projects, papers, and class discussion...especially class discussion.  I believe that some of the most fruitful learning comes through the dialogue  that we will have throughout the course.  The often used phrase that e-learning allows one to learn anyplace, anytime, anywhere is only partially true.  In order accomplish the goals of the course requires that we create a "community of learners" which requires interaction in the course discussion forum on a daily basis

COURSE GOALS

The goal of this course is to equip the students with a foundational understanding of computer mediated communication including the technologies available, the characteristics of the medium, the relationship between CMC and communication theory, and the effects of CMC on the process and dynamics of human communication and society

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:

COURSE RATIONALE

Computer technology is becoming more and more pervasive in our lives as computers become cheaper and more powerful.  Today, for under $1,000, one can purchase a portable personal computer with more computational power than could have been delivered 30 years ago by a $10,000,000 machine the size of a living room. It is informative to consider what the current state of the automobile industry would be had similar progress been made over the past 30 years in that domain...each of us would be able to buy a Rolls-Royce today for roughly $2.75; it would get nearly 3,000,000 miles to the gallon and would deliver enough power to tow an aircraft carrier. Probably the single most revolutionary computer-related development to come from this evolution  is computer-mediated communication.

1. Emergence of A New Medium of Communication

The convergence of communication technologies has created a new medium of communication generally called computer-mediated communication.  Students need to understand the way in which this medium influences communication in interpersonal, small group, and organizational contexts, as well as the wide range of communication environments likely to be influenced by computer- mediation.  Learners also need to understand the ways in which technological development has served as a catalyst and are fostering the convergence of interpersonal and mass communication.  The convergence of computing and telecommunications and the convergence of the traditional communication professions.

2.  Enhancing Professional Competence

Professional effectiveness in advertising, public relations, journalism, corporate communication, and the mass media will depend increasingly on the individual's ability to communicate competently in culturally diverse and technologically complex communication environments. Anyone seeking a career in the communication  professions must have a fundamental understanding of the defining characteristics of the new medium.

3. Understanding The Relationship Between Communication & Culture

The developments in communication technology during the last decade have increased the range of possibilities for communicating on a global scale. Persons who may live and work in international environments need to be aware of the upsides and downsides of computer-mediated global communication. A principal argument in contemporary communication is that social and cultural identity depends less on geographic locale today than in the past, as "the tyranny of distance" is reduced or eliminated by rapidly developing telecommunications technology.

It is important that learners understand the potential of mediated communication to influence and alter cultural identity. On the one hand attempting to preserve cultural/spatial identity and to disconnect from the larger tendencies of globalization may be regressive and parochial. On the other hand, in the name of rapid integration into global culture, it is possible for a place (the community, the city, the nation-state) to lose it's ability to sustain what has been called a "human level of cultural experience in a globalized system." Learners need to begin to think more carefully about relationship between communication technology and cultural change.

4. Fostering The Critical Attitude

It is increasingly important to understand the connection between technology and social change. It is easy to arrive at determinist conclusions and assign undue weight to the role of technology in social and cultural change.

Learners need to be encouraged to view developments in communication technology as a necessary, but not sufficient, basis for explaining significant social changes. Tools are a product of a culture. Learners need to think about communication tools not only as technical details, but also about how they are used within a culture, with what set of assumptions, for what purposes, by whom and within what systems of control.

5. Understanding Convergence At Multiple Levels

This course is consistent with the movement toward convergence at two levels: 1) conceptually it focuses on the convergence of interpersonal and mass communication; 2) industrially, it focuses on the convergence of media-related industries (e.g. public relations, advertising, journalism, and visual communication).