Geography of Cyberspace
GEO/COM 280X
Syllaubs
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Overview Geography of Cyberspace examines how existing and
emerging telecommunications technologies are transforming places and
spaces across the globe. Are virtual communities
replacing or enhancing geographical
communities? What does a map
of cyberspace look like? Where
exactly are you when you are in cyberspace? Exploring and
mapping the emerging geographies of cyberspace through class
discussion and virtual field trips will be main focus of our
attention. We will also discuss the
geography of the telegraph,
the telephone,
newspapers,
and television.
The course considers the landscapes of everyday virtual realities in
video games and the everyday real virtualities of places like
Silicon Valley, Communications technologies have been transforming
social, economic, and political geographies for a long time.
The invention of the telegraph, for instance, radically transformed
the way that nations related to each other, affected the speed and
the content of the news, and enabled new economic links among
distant places. Until recently communication has largely been
ignored as a topic for study in Geography. The emergence
of the Internet and the World Wide Web has forced geographers
to finally pay attention to issues of communication. At
the very least, the metaphors we use to describe these new
technologies—cyberspace--are geographical. Beyond that,
electronic communications technologies are transforming the ways
that people and places relate to each other. A major emphasis in
this course will be upon community
networking, a form of cyberspace activism intimately connected
with place. We won't, however, ignore other scales and other
geographies of the emerging information society. Finally,
cyberspace is partly a product of the way that it is imagined,
therefore, we also explore the geography of cyberspace through its
depiction in film
and in
cyberpunk fiction. This course does not assume any familiarity with the Internet, the World Wide Web, or computers though a basic understanding will be helpful. If you need help with any of the technical aspects at any time during the course be sure to ask. That said, the best way to learn about using the Internet is through exploration and through trial and error. If you have well developed Internet and computer skills I encourage you to help those who are just developing their skills. Course Objectives By the end of the course students will…
Course Components There are 6 major components to this course. 1. Reading, Discussion, Attendance and in class activities You will need to purchase two books for this semester.
You will gain the
foundational knowledge in communication and geography from your
readings, discussion, and in class learning activities. These
readings will provide the basis for our daily discussions and
learning activities. It is therefore essential that you not
only do the assigned reading before you come to class, but that you
also take some time to digest and reflect upon your reading.
Please come to class with some questions, ideas, or insights that
you want to discuss in class. Our goal is to have discussions where
everyone is able to actively participate. Furthermore, this is an
extremely small class, and both your classmates and I will know if
you haven't done the reading. I may, if necessary, hold a
pop quiz (for a grade) to assess whether or not you have
come to class fully prepared for discussion Attendance Most of the assignments for this class will be completed (or at least started) during class. On-time attendance at all class sessions is therefore very important. If you must be absent because of an illness, a family emergency or university event please send me an e-mail and let me know so that I may excuse your absence. Be sure that you inquire about what you missed. If you are absent for any other reason or are consistently late points may be deducted from your participation grade. 2. Your Communication Geography Web site, Facebook, and Blog 2. Your Communication Geography Web
site, Facebook, and Blog
3. Analytic Essays In order to practice skills in analysis and writing you will be asked to write two analytic essays of five to seven pages. The first second is on social media and the second is on the novel The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson. For these assignments you will be expected to give a short summary or description of the readings (or online spaces) that you are analyzing (no more than a few paragraphs highlighting the main argument/plot/architecture). Then you should spend the rest of your paper raising and answering questions about the reading/space.
4. Experiential Learning: Virtual Field Trips I will create a series of virtual field trips and
other online learning activities for you to complete throughout the
semester. Their purpose is to familiarize you with the
phenomena that we are studying this semester. For most assignments
you will visit a variety of web sites to obtain first hand
experience with the course subject matter. Other assignments may ask
you to analyze online materials or to map portions of cyberspace.
Some assignments will be designed to help you further develop
teamwork skills as well as skills in applying content learned in
class. As the semester develops I may begin to ask you to
create your own virtual field trips. Most field trips will be
completed during class but some may require you to spend time
outside of class to complete. You are encouraged to discuss the
sites you visit with your classmates as you complete the field trip. 5. Service Learning Project The entire class will collaborate in choosing,
designing, and executing a service learning project that aims to aid
a local organization or government agency with their use of online
communication. The project might involve building a web site
for a local organization, helping seniors or children learn about
how to use the Internet, or producing a locally oriented online
guide on a particular topic for the general public, among other
possibilities. This project will help you to appreciate the
increasing role that online communications plays in promoting
community development and supporting the non-profit sector. It
will also help you to appreciate how the technological skills you
learn in college may not only benefit you in your career but may
also be of benefit to your community. The project may require
meeting outside of the regularly scheduled class period.
Should an unavoidable conflict with extracurricular activities
arise, the project should take precedence. You will be graded
on your participation in the project (including attendance at all
project related events and class sessions, on time and competent
completion, and professional attitude), on a series of preparatory
memos presenting ideas for organizing and executing the project, a
research project on similar websites, your individual contribution
to the project, and a final reflection paper. Members of the
class, not the professor, will be responsible for planning and
executing the project. The last time this class was taught, members of
the class helped a local non-profit organization to build a web site
through a “web raising.’ The class met with volunteers from the
organization for three hours one afternoon and constructed the web
site. The project was deigned to accomplish the following four
goals: 1) build a web site for the organization; 2) build the web
site in a way that builds community (within our class, within the
community organization, and among the two groups); 3) teach students
about some of the challenges involved in community networking and
non-profit web development; 4) teach community members about
building a web site. We might do a similar project or explore
alternative ideas but whatever project we decide upon it will have
similar goals. Because the ability to complete this project
depends somewhat upon the skills and ideas that students bring to
the class, at the time of this printing a specific project and
client organization has not been identified. Students who
dislike the ambiguity and challenge of completing an open-ended
group project that is not well defined at the beginning of the
semester should consider dropping the class. Should it occur
that a suitable project or client organization cannot be found, or
that the class is not able to complete the project, a research paper
or other assignment will be substituted for the service learning
project. 7. Exams There will be a midterm and a final exam. Both will have essay and short answer questions. One or both of the exams may be turned in online. Grading Your final grade will be based upon the following subject to changes in the course schedule and assignment load.
Grading Scale (points)
Modifications to
this distribution may be required depending upon the number of
virtual field trips completed and the nature of the service learning
project. Policy on Late Assignments You must hand in all of your assignments on time. If because of circumstances beyond your control you need more time to complete an assignment please see me ahead of time (at least a day in advance) to ask for an extension. Extensions may or may not be granted depending upon the circumstances. If you must turn in an assignment late and you did not ask for an extension, include a written explanation of the reason for its tardiness along with the assignment (via e-mail if assignment is handed in on the web). If the explanation is judged to be inadequate the assignment will not be accepted or will be accepted for reduced credit. Because some assignments will be posted on the web, please pay attention to specific deadlines and ensure that your work is posted. If you experience technical difficulties that prevent you from posting, please inform your professor. An important note about flexibility in the course design One of the major virtues that Nell, the main character in the Diamond Age, advocates is the ability to tolerate ambiguity and to adapt to one's circumstances. This class will require the same from you. In order to accommodate the service learning project, our class schedule, and the specific number and nature of assignments may need to be rearranged or changed. In addition because the very subject matter of our course is constantly changing and because technology is involved, there may be times when we cannot complete assignments or readings as planned. You can be assured that whatever the end result of the class, you will be graded fairly and that your grade will reflect the true quality of your work. Course Web Site and E-mail list I have started a web site
for this course at http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/geo/courses/geo280x/.
All of your assignments will be posted here. Some of the work
you produce will also be published here. Most of your
assignments will be submitted in electronic format. You need to
check your e-mail regularly (once a day Monday-Friday at least) for
heads up on updates, reminders, and all that. You will hand in some
assignments via e-mail to your professor or by posting to online
services. Accommodations for students with disabilities If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know during the first week of class so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. All discussions will remain confidential. Kallay Lab Information and Rules You have been given access to the Schnabel 34 computer lab. With great access comes great responsibility. Please do everything you can to keep the lab safe and secure as well as to take care of the brand new computers and the room by observing the following rules:
Honor Code The Honor Code will be upheld in this course. Authorized aid in this class will be limited to your own personal knowledge during exams and your own work on all written exercises. You may discuss readings with classmates but your writing should be your own. You are encouraged to use the services of the writing center and you should have someone else proofread or offer suggestions on your written assignments before handing them in. You must use quotation marks for direct quotes, cite your sources, and include a list of works cited in your writing. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism and may be considered unauthorized aid because you are essentially representing someone else's work as your own. Many first year students mistakenly believe that it is OK to cut and paste text from web sites into their papers without providing both quotation marks and a proper citation. Web sites are no different from any other source and need to be cited fully. Please refer to a writing guide for details on proper methods of citation (you should have bought one for your freshman core class). Please ask if you do not understand methods of citation since not citing or improperly citing your sources can lead to Honor Code violations. Finally sharing your papers written for this class with others on the Internet is expected. Downloading papers or assignments written by others to hand in (either in part or in their entirety) constitutes unauthorized aid. Intellectual Property Issues You may be tempted to use images or other media from the web for your assignments without permission. While this is a common practice it is not a moral or for that matter a legal practice. It also violates VUs Web Page Policy. If you would like to use a graphic from some other site make sure either that the creator of the graphic has given permission for its use or that you have requested and obtained permission to use the graphic. Better yet make your own graphics! Please respect the intellectual property of others. Acknowledgements Thanks to the people who made this class possible: Lynn Staehelli for helping me figure out how to do cybergeography; Don Mitchell for encouraging me to explore cybergeography; Martin Dodge for the advice and "beverages" in London; Rob Kitchin, Anthony Townsend, Matt Zook, and Sara Fabrikant for great writing and advice; Mark Bjelland and Bob Douglas for giving me the chance to teach the class for the first time; Jerod Klava, Lucas Ahlberg, the hockey guys, and everyone else for taking it the first, second, and third times; Isaac Johnson for letting me know that it was worth taking; and of course you, the current students for taking it! Privacy Issues
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Copyright 2006-2010 Michael W. Longan
