James Madison University

LTLE 150 Information in Contemporary Society

Class will be delivered online in a synchronous format, in Blackboard. The Spring 2013 semester lasts from 01/07/2013 - 05/03/2013.

Instructor Information
Instructor: Tonia Dousay Learning, Technology and Leadership Education Department Office Hours: via Skype (tadousay) 4:00-5:00 PM Mon/Wed 8:00-9:00 AM Tue/Thu Email: dousayta@jmu.edu or tadousay@gmail.com www.pinterest.com/tadousay Phone: 706-352-9459 (Google Voice) www.linkedin.com/in/tonia

www.twitter.com/tadousay

I am available to chat online during office hours or at other times by appointment to discuss course-related matters. While I make every attempt to be online during office hours, I may have an unannounced conflict. So, please schedule chats in advance when possible. I prefer being contacted via email, and attempt to respond to all messages within 24 hours. Please allow this amount of time for my response. Phone calls will be returned within 48 hours.

Welcome and Resources

No development has had greater effect on contemporary society than the implementation and evolution of information and communications technologies. In a span of little more than 15 years, entire industries have ebbed and flowed with the tide of pervasive digital change. Indeed, the speed of adoption has been so rapid that our conceptions of society and the individual have not kept pace, leaving fundamental questions of participation and productivity in this new society left unanswered and/or as yet undiscovered. The current course engages you in a dynamic debate addressing the New Publics made possible by the web, the role of social media in creating and sustaining these new societies, and the technologies that underlie it all. The course ends with a look at how these New Media practices are altering the very nature of our most time-honored institutions, and how the organizational entities of the future may be very different. This is an interactive and engaging course that requires your active participation. It is about participating and discussing rather than passively listening and observing. For this reason, attendance and participation are mandatory. Attend class sessions prepared to learn and engage. Make sure your course materials are accessible during each class. Since this class is online, we will use Collaborate, accessible via our Blackboard (Bb) course. Collaborate enables us to engage in audio discussions, chats, file sharing, presentation delivery, whiteboard activities, and collaboration via breakout rooms. We will meet synchronously throughout the semester unless otherwise indicated in the Class Schedule. This course uses Mass Media Revolution by J. Charles Sterin. You will need to purchase the digital version of the book via Inkling (https://www.inkling.com/store/book/mass-media-revolution-j-charles-sterin-1st/) in order to participate in the interactive class discussions. Note that Inkling provides desktop and mobile applications to allow you to access the textbook. You will also need the following resources: 1. A headset with microphone, such as the Microsoft LifeChat LX-1000 (http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-JTD-00001-LifeChat-LX-1000-Headset/dp/B002LITZ9G), is

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2.

required in order to interact in synchronous class sessions via Collaborate. This device should be inhand by the second class session. If your personal computer is equipped with built-in speakers and a microphone, you may elect to use this option. However, please keep in mind that you will need to attend synchronous class sessions in a quiet area to avoid unnecessary background noise from disrupting class. Before the first class session, setup your microphone and playback audio levels by going to Bb > Collaborate > Session Name > Tools > Audio > Audio Setup Wizard and follow the instructions. A USB drive or external drive may be useful for storing course files for use on multiple computers. In lieu of purchasing a drive, you may consider using online services for cloud storage such as Google Drive (https://drive.google.com/start), Dropbox (http://www.dropbox.com/), or SugarSync (https://www.sugarsync.com/). Please keep in mind that these services all offer paid and free versions with varying terms of service that should be read entirely before agreeing to use the service.

Catalog Description
The content in this course concerns the individual's need for information, especially that which will assist in solving problems related to everyday needs and interests and with the agencies and resources that can help to meet those needs. This course will not count as social science course for teacher licensure.

Purpose
The goal of the course is to generate awareness of, and critical engagement with, information and related systems and processes that influence contemporary society.

Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. 2. Analyze the impact of information on social policies, systems, practices, and culture. Identify and discuss the underlying technologies and systems that facilitate the creation, dissemination, analysis, application, management, storage, manipulation, use/abuse, and destruction of information. Locate, access, manipulate, and manage information that is made available through modern technologies, for personal and professional practices. Critically evaluate the legitimacy and usefulness of information sources. Use information to solve a specific problem individually and/or in a social and collaborative context. Articulate the economic, legal, ethical and social issues related to information and access to information.

3. 4. 5. 6.

Expectations
1. I expect you to silence all cell phones and hand-held devices as soon as you launch Collaborate, and to avoid texting, emailing, instant messaging, surfing, or engaging in other activities that may distract you from the content in this course. Of course, I will work these technologies into our sessions when appropriate, because they are very much a part of our lives, and for many they are both motivating and relevant. I expect you to follow all rules of any classroom or lab you may use for course work. I expect you to attend synchronous sessions regularly. If you must miss class, please let me know in advance and see the Attendance policy in this syllabus. I expect you to take responsibility for your learning. This means attending synchronous sessions prepared to actively participate, following the JMU honor code, completing all assignments when due, and taking time to reflect in a meaningful way on your learning. Unless otherwise stated by the instructor, I expect you to complete all assignments as they appear in the course schedule with or without reminders to do so.

2. 3. 4.

5.

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Late Submission Policy

The late submission policy is intended to help those who have issues beyond their control submit a quality assignment with minimal interruption to the class. Assignments should be submitted promptly by the due date and in the expected format. Work not submitted on the specified due date, and in the expected format, will lose the equivalent of a full letter grade (ex. highest possible score becomes a B instead of an A). If an assignment is submitted 8-14 days late or in an incorrect format, the equivalent of two letter grades will be deducted. Assignments received more than 15 days after the due date will be assigned a 0. Keep in mind that in the workplace, grace periods are rarely allowed. Submitting assignments late can cause gaps in learning new material; and can delay the grading process in this course. The instructor may modify this policy in any way, should students choose to take advantage without documented evidence of need.

Attendance
The course incorporates small-grain assignments, but is tightly scheduled and meets synchronously only once per week. Students who stay current with class discussions and assignments will have no difficulty completing all assignments on time. However, students who miss class will quickly fall behind. All students are allowed one synchronous class absence without penalty. Further absences will be excused only in the case of documented medical need or family emergency. Late or absent students are expected to make up assigned work and to learn what was missed. Synchronous sessions will be recorded and made available for all students. Each unexcused absence will result in a 2-point deduction of the Participation grade.

Weather Policy
Decisions to close university operations will be made by the President or a designee. To know if the University is delayed or closed, when it will reopen, and any other related information, visit the JMU homepage (http://www.jmu.edu), or call the JMU Weather Line at 540-433-5300. More information about closings can be found in the JMU Policies (http://www.jmu.edu/JMUpolicy/1309.shtml). In the case of cancellation, the instructor will contact students via email regarding provisions for making up any class time or coursework caused by such cancellation.

JMU Honor Code

Making references to the work of others strengthens your own work by granting you greater authority and by showing that you are part of a discussion located within an intellectual community. When you make references to the ideas of others, it is essential to provide proper attribution and citation. Failing to do so is considered academically dishonest, as is copying or paraphrasing someone elses work without proper citation and reference. The consequences of such behavior range from receiving a 0 on an assignment to failure in the course to dismissal from the University. Because the sharing of ideas is valued in this course, you will be encouraged to collaborate and share ideas and to include the ideas of others in your writing. Please ask if you are in doubt about the use of a citation. All students are expected to read and comply with the JMU Honor Code (http://www.jmu.edu/honor/). If you break the honor code, you will receive a 0 on the assignment and the violation will be reported to the JMU Honor Council. This policy is strictly enforced. Violations include but are not limited to copying an authors words as your own without proper quotations, citations, and references; copying another students course work; and working collaboratively on an individual assignment. Do not be afraid to learn and apply the material honestly in this course. You will be asked to acknowledge that you have followed the honor code for class assignments. This is the pledge:
I pledge that I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance during the completion of this work.

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In this class, it is understood that I Pledge with your initials at the end of any assignment is an agreement to the above statement.

Accommodations
Disabilities

If you are a student with a documented disability who will be requesting accommodations in this course, please make sure you are registered with the Office of Disability Services (Wilson Hall, Room 107, 568-6705) and provide the course instructor with an Access Plan letter outlining needed accommodations. Please be aware that an access plan that is generated for on-campus courses may not adequately address field experiences. If you have not yet done so, please meet with Director of Disability Services in order to discuss reasonable accommodations and develop an appropriate access plan for this course.
Religious

Students should notify the instructor by no later than the end of the Drop-Add period the first week of the semester of potential scheduled absences and determine with the instructor if mutually acceptable alternative methods exist for completing the missed classroom time, lab or activity. Contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at (540) 568-6991if you have additional questions.

Class Schedule
Notes: 1. You are expected to have adequate Internet access and all course materials accessible for each class session. 2. Critical Thinking Questions are relevant to each chapter. Responses are due before the start of class in which that chapter will be discussed. 3. Allow for additional time outside of class to meet specified deadlines. Regular session: Date Week 1 01/07/13 Week 2 01/14/13 Week 3 01/21/13 Week 4 01/28/13 Week 5 02/04/13 Week 6 02/11/13 Week 7 02/18/13 Week 8 02/25/13 Week 9 Mondays, 1:00PM 3:30PM, Bb Collaborate Topic Course Introduction Critical Thinking Questions

Introduction to the Mass Media Revolution/Mass Media Chapters 1 & 2 MLK Holiday No class Media Technologies and the Dynamics of Change Chapter 3 Evolution of Media Content and Platforms Chapter 4 Music and Radio/Film and Television Chapters 5 & 6 New Media Chapter 7 Advertising and Public Relations/Media Industry Chapters 8 & 9 Spring Break

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Date 03/04/13 Week 10 03/11/13 Week 11 03/18/13 Week 12 03/25/13 Week 13 04/01/13 Week 14 04/08/13 Week 15 04/15/13 Week 16 04/22/13

Topic No class Media Bias Chapter 10 Mass Media Law & Ethics Chapter 11 The Power of Photography in Mass Media Chapter 12 Journalism in the Digital Millennium Chapter 13 Media Impact on the Global Stage Chapter 14 Stories of Diversity in American Media Chapter 15 Working in Mass Media in the Digital Age Chapter 16 Final Exam Media Debate

Critical Thinking Questions

05/01/13 or 05/03/13

Assignments
This section lists and explains assignments due and points possible. See the Late Submission Policy section if you are unable to submit an assignment on time. All assignments should be submitted via a discussion posting in Bb, and should be posted by 11:59PM on the date it is due. Assignment Participation Description Participation includes, but is not limited to, attending synchronous classes and logging in promptly, and engaging in class discussions. One point will be awarded for every week of the semester based upon actual participation. The conclusion of each chapter in the textbook includes Critical Thinking Questions. Two questions will be assigned each week, and you are expected to respond within the digital textbook.1 Individually, you will lead a 15-20 minute presentation/discussion about a topic related to the chapter of the week. You will be required to sign-up for your week by the second class.2 In teams of 4-5, you will select a medium in which to cultivate and curate information throughout the course of the semester. Available mediums include: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Blog, Wiki. More details about this assignment will be provided in class. Due weekly Points 13

Critical Thinking

weekly

26

Chapter Presentation

weekly

11

Media in Action

4/22/13

25

Responses must be posted prior to the start of class for each weeks topic. Due to the number of students, up to two students may present each week. Please coordinate your presentations to avoid duplication.
1 2

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Assignment Media Debate

Description Due In teams of 4-5, you will assume an assigned persona 05/03/13 and engage in an online debate about a designated topic related to media and information. More details about this assignment will be provided in class. TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE

Points 25

100

Grading Scale
The grading scale 3for this course includes pluses and minuses as follows. Final scores will not be rounded up. Grade A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D DF Points 100 95 94 91 90 88 87 85 84 81 80 78 77 75 74 71 70 68 67 65 64 61 60 0

Please note that the syllabus is a working document to help guide us through the course content in a meaningful way. The instructor reserves the right to modify this document at any time.

Note that the grading for this course is cumulative. As the semester progresses and assignments are graded, your final grade in Bb will increase.
3

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