overview meetingsy bibliography links

 

COGR 275 Theories of Digital Culture (Section ID 515029)

Prof. Brian Goldfarb
Thursdays,  9:00 - 11:50
room: MCC 201
email:
office hours: Tuesdays: 12-1 and Wednesdays 3-4 (MCC 205)
website: http://communication.ucsd.edu/goldfarb/cogr275

Overview: This seminar will consider critical approaches to understanding how computer technologies, telecommunication networks, and digital arts are transforming contemporary culture and everyday life. We will also reflect on the ways that digital culture is inflecting intellectual discourse itself. Topics include: theories of the subject and identity in networked culture; political organization and cultural resistance through digital media; intellectual property and privacy; ethics of surveillance and data security; simulation and virtuality; reshaping of institutional and disciplinary boundaries; changing concepts of ability/disability; and the reorganization of education, work, and leisure and private/public space.

Course Texts:
The following books are required and available at the UCSD bookstore:

We will be reading essays from a variety of other sources which will be available online, on reserve, or as handouts (see weekly meeting schedule). The following suggested texts are also available at the UCSD bookstore:

Online Discussion
An online forum (wiki, web-board or listserv) will be set up to allow participants to share thoughts and questions in preparation for the seminars, as well as provide a space for follow up discussions.

Presentations
Each seminar participant will prepare a portion of the presentation on one of the weekly topics aimed at facilitating group discussion. The presenter may focus either on a one of the assigned readings and do some additional research framing the text; consider issues raised at the intersection of two or more of the readings; or present on unassigned material that you find relevant to the discussion. You will be expected to prepare questions and observations for discussion and provide a short introduction to the material.

Papers/Projects
Aside from participation in weekly seminars, participants will develop a term paper or project on a topic relevant to the course. This may be a further development of your seminar presentation, or something entirely different. Multimedia projects will be accepted in lieu of a paper so long as they represent equivalent research and intellectual engagement with theoretical and historical themes addressed in the class.