Module Code - Title:
CS4003
-
Information Society 1: Social Theories of New Media
Year Last Offered:
2018/9
Hours Per Week:
Grading Type:
N
Prerequisite Modules:
Rationale and Purpose of the Module:
The aim of the module is to gain an understanding of the social and cultural implications of new media. The impact new media have had on information sharing, processing and consumption and the changes on cultural attitudes and practices new media provoked. The course should also introduce students to the body of literature regarding social theory and new media and to the current research studying the impact of new communication technologies into our everyday lives.
Syllabus:
Constituent elements of the course will be:
- definition of basic conceptual tools to understand research issues on media, and specifically new media
- discussion of the main theoretical frameworks developed for interpreting the social impact of new media
- critical analysis of the relationships between new media and their economical, organisational and cultural implicationsParticular attention will be devoted to understanding communication technologies and technical innovations that contributed to shape the existing system of media, particularly with respect to the way media are perceived and internalised into the social community.
A specific part will be focusing on the study of the features of new emerging media (e.g. internet agents, distributed systems, intelligent environments) and the probable future social impact of these new communication technologies on culture.
Learning Outcomes:
Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
1. Discuss the main theoretical frameworks for understanding the information society.
2. Describe features of new emerging media and their impact on the production and sharing of information.
3. Give examples of changes in cultural attitudes and practices particular new media provoked.
4. Illustrate the relationships between new media and their economical, organisational and cultural implications.
5. Debate the impact of new media on information sharing, processing and consumption.
Affective (Attitudes and Values)
N/A
Psychomotor (Physical Skills)
N/A
How the Module will be Taught and what will be the Learning Experiences of the Students:
Research Findings Incorporated in to the Syllabus (If Relevant):
Prime Texts:
Frank Webster (2006)
Theories of the Information Society (Third Edition)
, London: Routledge
John Thornton Caldwell (2000)
Theories of the New Media
, Continuum-Athlone Press
Paul Mayer (1999)
Computer Media and Communication
, Clarendon Press
Pierre Levy (1996)
Cyberculture
, University of Minnesota Press
Other Relevant Texts:
Pierre Levy (2000)
Collective Intelligence
, Perseus Books
oshua Meyrowitz (1987)
No Sense of Place
, Oxford University Press
J. MacGregor Wise (1997)
Exploring Technology and Social Space
, Sage Publications
Derrick De Kerchove (1998)
Connected Intelligence
, Kogan Page
Eric Bergman (2000)
Information Appliances and Beyond
, Morgan Kauffman
Donald A. Norman (1999)
The Invisible Computer
, MIT Press
John Thompson (1996)
Media and Modernity: A Social Theory of the Media
, Stanford University Press
W. Severin, J. Tankard (1997)
Communication Theories: Origins, Methods and Uses in the Mass Media
, Addison-Wesley
Diana Crane (1992)
The Production of Culture: Media and the Urban Arts
, Sage Publications
Marshall McLuhan (1964)
Understanding Media
, Routledge
Janet Murray (1999)
Hamlet on the Holodeck
, MIT Press
Programme(s) in which this Module is Offered:
Semester(s) Module is Offered:
Module Leader:
john.dawson@ul.ie