New Course: Relational Perspectives on CMC

Sometime last semester, when I had obviously lost my better senses, I agreed to create a new course for Fall 2008. Well, the course is now on the books, so I thought I might post the description here:

INLS 490-151, Fall 2008
Computer Mediated Communication

The web is a place of communication, interaction and relational management. From Ray Tomlinson’s first email in 1971, to the iChats, Wall posts and Twitters of today, we have consistently turned to the network to find one other for communication and collaboration. This course explores computer mediated communication (CMC) from a relational perspective; that is, how do we use network communication tools to start, build or sustain interpersonal relationships. Utilizing interdisciplinary perspectives including, but not limited to, information science, communications and science and technology studies, we will explore the theoretical, practical and historical perspectives on the role networked communications tools play in the relational process. Students who successfully complete this course will develop critical perspectives on networked communications, better preparing them to develop the communication tools of the future. The course will be structured as a seminar, with substantial reading and discussion. In addition to presentations, students will be expected to develop hands-on experience with the communication tools of the past, present and future.

As the abstract describes, this course is about how we use networked communication tools to manage and sustain relationships (of all sorts). The interesting turn in this class may be the inclusion of a historical perspective – the network communication tools space is so fast moving, that I think mastery of critical historical perspectives will provide a strong basis for critique of future tools.

As I develop the syllabus over the summer, I’ll be posting updates. If you’ve got any syllabi you think I should look at, tag them for me in del.icio.us or post them in the comments. I’m developing a nice archive of syllabi here, so I’m always looking for inspiration. This also means I won’t be teaching my online social networks course in the Fall, but I think I may teach it once more before I graduate.

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6 comments

  1. Anonymous
    March 24, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    will this course teach me how to use facebook?

  2. fred
    March 24, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    No course could teach such a complicated thing!

  3. Paul Jones
    March 25, 2008 at 10:53 am

    Just got Keith Hampton’s “Neighborhoods in the Network Society” paper from him. It’s in Information, Communication and Society Vol 10, No 5, October 2007, pp 714-748. Looks like it would be very useful in this course.

    Will look for a link later. It says see http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals but that’s not enuf to get there.

  4. Nancy Baym
    April 1, 2008 at 10:34 am

    Fred: I teach 2 courses like this, one undergraduate, one graduate. Their syllabi are here: http://www.people.ku.edu/~nbaym/coms320s08.htm and http://www.people.ku.edu/~nbaym/relsandtech.htm

  5. fred
    April 1, 2008 at 10:40 am

    Nancy – wow! That’s a goldmine. Thank you for sending these over.

  6. Nancy
    April 3, 2008 at 9:47 am

    Now if I can just finish the book I’m writing you’ll have a text you can use next time you teach this class.

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