| Date |
Topic |
Readings & Online Sites |
| 1/11 |
Introduction |
|
| 1/13 |
Community: Face to Face and Online |
Reading:
Optional:
- asb book, Intro and Chapter One: "Are online 'communities' really communities?" (on Canvas)
Online Site:
|
| 1/18 |
Third Places |
Reading:
- The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg, chapters
one and two. (in book store)
- Video: How to Live in a City - 1964 by William Whyte (18 minutes)
Online Site:
Due:
|
| 1/20 |
Research Methods |
Reading:
Optional Reading:
Online Site:
Due:
- Optional: Post an idea for an online site that you think is worth discussing in class on the discussion on Canvas. Pick one not already on the syllabus. Is there something interesting about the site's design? Describe why briefly (a sentence or a short paragraph).
|
| 1/25 |
Research Ethics |
Reading:
For further reference:
Online Site:
Due:
- Obtain ethics certification via the online course, if you do not already have certification. (Group 2 Social / Behavioral Research Investigators and Key Personnel - Basic Course)
Please do not miss this class. If you do miss this lecture, you
must watch a video of class and meet with the TA. |
| 1/27 |
Ethics Continued:
Disguising Subjects in Published Accounts |
Reading:
Online Site:
-
Gather.town (link on Canvas)
Please do not miss this class. If you do miss this lecture, you
must watch a video of class and meet with the TA.
|
| 2/1 |
Design Factors |
Reading:
Finding
One's Own Space in Cyberspace, by Amy Bruckman
“Giving a little ‘ayyy, I feel ya’ to someone’s personal post”: Performing Support on Social Media by Danielle Lottridge et. al.
Nine Principles
of Community Design by Amy
Jo Kim
Online Site:
Due:
|
2/3 |
Theory of Identity |
Reading:
- The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, by
Erving Goffman. Pages 1-58, intro & most of chapter
1.
Please select a quote from Goffman that you think is interesting and put it on the discussion thread on Canvas.
Pick one that no one else has picked yet.
You will read your quote to the class, and explain why you picked it.
Please bring your laptop to this class.
|
| 2/8 |
Identity Online |
Reading:
Online Sites:
Due:
|
| 2/10 |
Gender Online |
Reading:
Online Sites:
|
| 2/15 |
Anonymity |
Reading:
Optional, for further reading:
Online site (app for Android or iOS; please borrow a friend's phone if necessary):
Warning: adult content.
Due:
|
2/17 |
Sociotechnical Systems and the Politics of Artifacts |
Reading:
- Do Artifacts Have Politics?
by Langdon Winner. (in The Whale and The Reactor)
- Code v2.0 by Lawrence Lessig. Chapters 3 & 7. (Available free online, but you may wish to buy it anyway.)
Online Site:
Due:
|
| 2/22 |
Managing Bad Online Behavior |
Reading:
- Ask Not For Whom the Bell Trolls, This American Life Podcast (21 minutes) (Warning: strong language. Bleeped version available.)
- asb book, Chapter Six: "What is bad online behavior, and what we can do about it?" Book chapter draft, on Canvas.
Optional further reading:
|
| 2/24 |
Business Models are Everything |
Reading:
To do:
- Figure out what the business model of your project site is.
- See if you can figure out how well they are doing financially. ("Can't tell" is a fine answer, if the info isn't public.)
- Come to class prepared to briefly summarize this as a team, for the class.
|
| 3/1 |
Social Roles |
Reading:
Online Site:
Due:
|
| 3/3 |
Qualitative Data Analysis |
Reading:
Due:
|
3/8 |
Citizen Science |
Reading:
Online Sites:
Due:
|
| 3/10 |
Collaboration and Crowdsourcing |
Reading:
|
| 3/15 |
Wikipedia and the Nature of "Truth" |
Reading:
Optional further reading:
Online Sites:
- Everything2 (Pick an article and compare it to Wikipedia on the same topic.)
|
| 3/17 |
Knowledge Building |
Reading:
Due:
|
| 3/22 and 3/24 |
Spring break--no class |
|
| 3/29 |
Online Privacy |
Reading:
Optional, for further reading:
Online Site:
- Electronic Frontier
Foundation (EFF) on Privacy (browse)
- Read the privacy policy of one online site you use. List
your site on the thread on Canvas, making sure no one else in the class
has picked your site. Come to class prepared to discuss the
policy.
This is the last date to hand in interview transcripts.
To volunteer to give a talk about your community study, email the professor and head TA before start of this class.
|
| 3/31 |
Community Study Presentations |
Due:
|
| 4/5 |
Presentations, Continued |
|
| 4/7 |
No Class |
TAs available to chat about design ideas (optional).
|
| 4/12 |
Guest lecture: Sanjay Kairam, Senior Research Scientist, Twitch |
Reading:
Optional, for further reading:
Online Site:
|
| 4/14 |
Guest Lecturer: Michael Swenson, Discord |
Reading:
Online site:
|
| 4/19 |
Design Presentations |
Due:
|
| 4/21 |
Design Presentations, continued |
|
| 4/26 |
Looking Forwards |
Reading:
- asb book, Chapter Eight: "How can we help the internet bring out the best in us all?"
As your "reading reflection," in addition to reflecting on the book chapter, please submit one to two pages on how you think online communities, social media, and the internet, will be different ten years from now. Come to class prepared to discuss your predictions.
|
Readings and assignments are subject to change.