Telecommunication
Services - Com634
Spring 2003- Tuesdays 3-5:30 –
George
215
Dineh M. Davis, School of
Communications
Office: Crawford Hall, Room
307
Phone: 956-3332
E-mail:
dineh@Hawaii.edu
Office hours: M: 5-6 pm; TR: 10:30 am -12; &
by
appointment
Catalog Description:
Systematic
study from a social science perspective of current and emerging
teleservices.
Attention to user needs and impact, and to teleservice design. Course emphasis is not on
technological
innovations, per se, but on understanding human information needs that are
being met by telecommunication services. A variety of current and
prototypical
services will be examined within this context.
Objectives:
Although
fundamental course objectives are identified here, each student is urged
to
make known his or her own objectives for this course. Insofar as possible, emphasis will be placed on areas
of
specific interest to the class. The underlying theme of understanding the
control mechanisms for information access, acquisition, and dissemination
is
highlighted by the choice of required readings for this course. Other
objectives include:
• To examine the social,
technical,
and cultural underpinnings of information service
industries.
• To determine the social
impact of
new telecommunication technologies.
• To introduce a range of new
and
emerging information and telecommunication services and to study several
such
services in-depth.
• To experience first-hand as
many
telecommunication services as possible.
• To enhance research,
analysis,
synthesis, writing, and oral presentation skills.
Required Readings:
Available
at the bookstore:
*Adam
Brate, Technomanifestos:
visions
from the information revolutionaries, New York: Texere, 2002.
*Jeremy
Rifkin, The Age of Access: The New Culture of Hypercapitalism, Where All
of
Life Is a Paid-for Experience. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam,
2000.*
*Marge
Piercy He, She and It. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1991.
*In
addition, each student will examine several current books related to the
class
topic, choose one for review & critique and share the finding with
others
in-class and online. Several titles will be placed on reserve for this
purpose,
but students are free to choose their own titles as they
wish.
Additional
articles from a variety of sources will be handed out in class, placed
online
or on reserve at Sinclair. Students are urged to read the
technology-related
articles in ACM's Technews; The New York Times and, The Wall Street
Journal -
in hard copy or online.
Required
readings in the past have included (and some will be placed on reserve for
this
year):
*John Seely Brown and Paul
Duguid, The Social Life of Information. Boston: Harvard Business School
Press,
2000.
* James Burke, The Pinball
Effect. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1996
* Charles Jonscher, The
Evolution
of Wired Life. NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
* Rob Kling, ed.,
Computerization
and Controversy: Value conflicts and social choices, 2d ed. San Diego:
Academic
Press, 1996.
* Howard Rheingold, The
Virtual
Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. Reading, Mass.:
Addison-Wesley, 1993.
* Bill McKibben, The Age of
Missing Information. New York: Random House, 1992.
* Peter G. W. Keen,
Competing in
Time: Using Telecommunications for Competitive Advantage. Ballinger,
1988.
* Douglas Rushkoff, Cyberia:
Life
in the Trenches of Hyperspace. HarperSanfrancisco,
1994.
* H. Skip Weitzen with
William
"Biff" Genda, Infopreneurs: Turning Data into Dollars. New York:
John
Wiley & Sons, 1991.
It
is the student's responsibility to obtain and keep up with readings
assigned in
any class session. Students
should
also keep current with telecommunication services news through independent
study of various print & electronic news media.
Evaluation:
• Contributions to weekly class
discussions
(consistent;
in-class & on-line) |
25% |
|
|
Oral,
print &/or electronic reports: • Book review & critique
(paper
& presentation) • New service plan &
presentation
• Independent or group mini-case
studies:
(group work may be considered if individual
responsibilities are
well-defined and are commensurate with work expected of
each
individual
if working alone) One of these studies may be used
as the
foundation for the new service plan. |
|
15% |
|
25% |
|
25% |
|
|
|
• Overall evaluation
(consistently positive contributions) |
10% |
• Final examination (oral)
– optional |
10% |
Policy on written assignments: All
written assignments (excluding in-class work and on-line entries) should
be
typed/word processed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins using 10 or 12
pitch/point type. All papers should be carefully proofread to reflect your
high
level of care and diligence in the preparation
process.
There
will be substantial grade penalties per day for late papers. To avoid
confusion, just turn all of your assignments in early or on
time!