New York University - School of Continuing and Professional Studies
New Information Technologies
Fall 2004 – Y26.6074.001
Tuesdays 10:00am - 12:30pm
Professor: Diane Ludin
Email: duras@thing.net
(note: when emailing me please type nyu student in the subject heading of your email)
This course covers a diverse selection of readings and Internet media that provide new ways of thinking about the advent of new information technologies like computers, the Internet, and new media. The goal of this class is to understand how these technologies affect our culture. We will also discuss current controversies about information technologies regarding intellectual property, privacy policies, social software, and issues regarding freedom of speech.
Grading Policies
Final Grade Evaluation:
25% Assignments – notebook & 2 Presentations/Essays 25% Attendance and Participation
25% Midterm Exam - Take home essay 25% Final Exam - Take home essay
Attendance:
You will be expected to attend every class. If you have more than 2 unexcused absences, your final grade will drop 1/2 a letter for every additional unexcused absence. Two unexcused lateness will be considered an absence.
Required technical skills before taking this course:
- Familiarity with the Internet
- Use of email and basic web browsing
Reading List
Each student is required to read 4 books for this class.
The first three books will be read by the whole class.
Burnett, Robert and P.David Marshall. Web Theory: An Introduction, (New York: Routledge, 2003)
Lessig, Laurence. The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World. (New York: Random House, 2001)
Rheingold, Howard. Smart Mobs: Transforming Culture and Communities in the Age of Instant Access. (Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing, 2002)
The fourth book can be any one of the following books, chosen by each student in consultation with the instructor:
Recommended reading for research projects focused on Unit B:
Gitelman, Lisa. New Media, 1740-1915. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2003)
Hayles, N. Katherine. Writing Machines. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002)
Rodzvilla, John. We've Got Blog: How Weblogs Are Changing Our Culture. (Perseus 2002).
Recommended reading for research projects focused on Unit C:
Isenberg, Doug. GigaLaw Guide to Internet Law. (NY: Random House, 2002)
Klein, Alec. Stealing Time: Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Collapse of AOL Time Warner. (Simon & Schuster 2003)
Lessig, Laurence. Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace (Basic Books, 2000)
Recommended reading for research projects focused on Unit D:
Mitnick, Kevin. The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security. (NY: John Wiley & Sons, 2002)
Meikle, Graham. Future Active: Media Activism and the Internet. (New York: Routledge, 2002)
McCaughey, Martha and Michael D. Ayers. Cyberactivism. (New York: Routledge, 2003)
Oram, Andy. Peer-to-Peer: Harnessing the Power of Disruptive Technologies. (O'Reilly & Associates, 2001)
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Course Schedule (subject to change)
UNIT A: Introduction & Overview
09/07 Introduction to New IT
09/14 New IT and the Key Issues
09/21 Issues Grouping/Grouping Issues
UNIT B: New IT Key Issues
09/28 Convergence and Confluence
10/05 Broadband & Always-on Internet Access
10/12 Self: Remediate/Virtual/Networked
10/19 Mid-term Report and Proposals for Final Projects
UNIT C: New IT + Law/Politics/Commerce
10/26 New IT and the Law I : Code
11/02 New IT and the Law II : Antitrust
11/09 New IT and the Law III : Privacy
11/16 New IT and the Law III : Privacy
UNIT D: Technologies of Cooperation
11/23 Digital Rights I : Peer-to-Peer File Sharing
11/30 Digital Rights II : Digital Rights Management
12/07 Digital Rights III: Security
UNIT E: Final Projects and Presentations
12/14 Final Projects I
12/21 Final Projects II
Assignments
1) NOTEBOOKS - You will be required to keep a notebook for the entire semester. Each entry must have at least a 1/2 page summary (1 page limit) of each weeks assigned reading OR a summary of an article related to the assigned weekly reading that you have discovered outside of class (be sure to include author and publication). Each notebook entry should also include your own thoughts and ideas on the subject. If you find an article from outside the class, please explain how the article relates to the assigned weekly reading. You will be required to turn in entries midway through the semester 10/26 and the completed logbook at the end of the semester 12/21.
2) 2 Presentations - You must present two assignments in class. Please include a bibliography. Also hand in an outline of your presentation (include bibliography). Alternate option to the presentation: Write a 4 page essay to be handed in to me with a complete bibliography.
Presentation 1 - Due Week 8 – October 26*: Analyze any type of media content that relates to terms discussed in class like “technology”, “cyberspace”, “virtual reality”, the “Internet”, “multimedia”, “new media” or the “Future”. Some examples of the types of media to analyze are Sci-fi films, fiction/non-fiction books, or science/technology documentaries and websites. Refer to class readings and your notebook to aid you in your analysis in addition to any of your own outside research.
OR
Choose a new technology you wish to learn more about. Explain its’ technical physiology, its’ historical roots, and theorize how you think this technology will affect our culture. Use class readings to support your essay in addition to any of your own outside research. Some examples of technologies to write about are robotics, video games, websites or other internet media nanotechnologies, and surveillance technologies.
Presentation #2 Due Week 14 - December 14 & 21*: Choose a specific case from the Electronic Frontiers Foundation (www.eff.org) that relates to intellectual property, privacy policies, children and the Internet, or freedom of speech issues. Present the details of the cases’ history, the laws that govern the issue, and how its’ legal outcomes can affect the IT world culturally and economically.