Internet and Society

Internet and Society, SOCI4260-1/5260-1

Maymester 2014, May 12-May 29, MoTuWeTh 12:30PM - 3:50PM, Chilton 274/Th121

Prof. Gabe Ignatow, ignatow.blogspot.com, ignatow@unt.edu

Overview

This course is designed with specific learning outcomes in mind, applicable to sociology majors and non-majors:

1. Develop a basic understanding of the social dimensions of information communication technologies.
2. Read, with substantial comprehension, current articles, reports, and academic papers related to developments in IT (information technology) and social science
3. Extract from the readings an understanding of the social and political context surrounding digital information systems.

Week 1

Introduction

A

• A Brief History of the Internet
• Internet: The Mainstreaming of Online Life
• Morozov, Evgeny. The Wrong Way to Discuss New Technologies
• Manuell Castells. The Network Society (lecture only)

Information Overload

B

• Hargittai, E., Neuman, W.R. & Curry, O. †† (2012). Taming the Information Tide: Perceptions of Information Overload in the American Home. The Information Society. 28(3):161-173.
• Morozov, Evgeny. Is Smart Making Us Dumb?

Identity, Relationships, and Lifestyles

C

• Castells, Manuel. Materials for an Exploratory Theory of the Network Society.
• Tepper, Steven & Hargittai, E. (2009). Pathways to Music Exploration in a Digital Age. Poetics. 37(3):227-249.
• Robinson, Laura and Jeremy Schulz. 2013. “Net Time Negotiations within the Family.” Information, Communication, and Society.

Exam 1 20% of final grade

Week 2

Digital Inequality

Winner-take-all economics

A

• Why Has Inequality Been Growing?
• Economides. 2011. The impact of the Internet on financial markets.
• Tufekci, Zeynep. Brogrammers.

Digital literacy

B

• Hargittai, E. (2002). Second-Level Digital Divide: Differences in People's Online Skills. First Monday. 7(4)
• Robinson, Laura. 2009. “A Taste for the Necessary: A Bourdieuian Approach to Digital Inequality.” Information, Communication, and Society.

C

• Percheski, C. & Hargittai, E. (2011). Health Information Seeking in the Digital Age.Journal of American College Health. 59(5):379-386.
• Boyd, Danah. The MySpace White Flight

And choose one of the following:

• "Digital Divisions."
• "African-Americans and the Internet."
• "Asian-Americans and the Internet: The young and the connected."
• "Hispanics and the Internet."

Exam 2 30% of final grade

Week 3

Politics and Revolution

A

• Ignatow and Schuett. Inter-organizational digital divide: Civic groups’ media strategies in the Trinity River Corridor Project. First Monday.
• ******

B

• Howard, P.N., Duffy, A., Freelon, D., Hussain, M., Mari, W. & Mazaid, M. (2011). Opening Closed Regimes: What Was the Role of Social Media During the Arab Spring?
• Clay Shirsky. The Political Power of Social Media.

The News

C

Sobieraj and Berry. 2011. From Incivility to Outrage: Political Discourse in Blogs, Talk Radio, and Cable News.

Ignatow and Williams. 2011. New Media and the ‘Anchor Baby’ Boom.

Final Exam 40% of final grade

10% of final grade for participation/class presentation