nclc350

Virtual reality, avatars, cybernetics, anime, cyborgs, hacking, cyberpunk, and digital revolutions are all just a few of the elements studied within the burgeoning field of “cyberculture.” This course will investigate specific themes such as the social and political movements that take place within cyberspace, the formation of virtual communities, and cyber-identities and bodies. Additionally, we will explore digital and cyber-(re)presentations in everyday culture, such as within films, novels, websites, and video games. Through readings, in-class and online discussions, writing, a cyber-ethnographic/research project, and virtual experiential learning, students will gain a greater understanding of cyberspace, its culture/s, and the relationships that exist between machines/humans and society/technology.

This is a 6 credit hybrid course, which means your course will be split between real and virtual class time. Three hours a week, Mondays from 1:30 – 4:20 p.m., we will meet in the physical classroom (Innovation Hall 336). The other three hours a week will be spent in “virtual class”—designated virtual reality or social networking sites (such as Second Life or Facebook), having online discussions, or meeting in groups “in-world.” The three virtual hours you attend each week will be flexible; you will either choose to meet in one of several time-block options made available by the instructor, or you will choose your own three hour time-block/s, depending on the goals and assignments for that week.

Prerequisites:

NCLC 249, or permission of instructor. You must have basic computer skills and regular access to the Internet. Since we will be spending quite a bit of time in Second Life, basic and optimal system requirements can be found here: http://secondlife.com/support/sysreqs.php. If your computer does not meet these requirements, however, I have arranged for Second Life to be downloaded to all the computers within the NCC computer lab, so you should have weekly access (though you might want to call ahead just to make sure that a class is not scheduled at the time you want to go).

Learning Objectives:

Identify, explore, and write about the various types and functions of virtual communities.
Understand and critically evaluate many of the current scholarly topics and debates that occur within Cyberculture studies.
Understand, identify, and evaluate the current and potential future implications of cyberspace on culture, politics, and identities.
Analyze, describe, and develop interpretive and evaluative arguments about cyberculture issues.
Research, analyze, and critique various digital (re)presentations of the intersections between technology/humans within contemporary cultural products.
Provide detailed and thoughtful reflection on the knowledge acquired and skills learned in relation to chosen NCC competencies.

Commitment to Diversity:

This class will be conducted as an intentionally inclusive learning community that celebrates diversity and welcomes the participation in the life of the university of faculty, staff and students who reflect the diversity of our plural society. All may feel free to speak and to be heard without fear that the content of the opinions they express will bias the evaluation of their academic performance or hinder their opportunities for participation in class activities. In turn, all are expected to be respectful of each other, as well as artist guests and/or others outside the university with whom we come into contact through the course of this class, without regard to race, class, linguistic background, religion, political beliefs, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, veteran’s status, or physical ability.

Required Texts:

The Cybercultures Reader, David Bell and Barbara M. Kennedy eds. (Routledge, 2000)
Other readings assigned (available online through class website or as handouts)

Course Assignments: Students will demonstrate competence of the learning objects in the following ways:

Regular and interactive blog entries in response to readings and class discussions.
Participation in virtual learning assignments.
Adding content to course wiki; creating and maintaining individual group wikis for group assignments and final project.
Active and engaged participation in class and online discussions.
Production of a final cyber-ethnographic group project and presentation.

Attendance, Participation, and Preparation for Class:

This course entails a number of various in-class and out-of-class activities. As part of a learning community, you will be expected to do the readings assigned and be prepared to actively engage in class discussions, significantly contribute to the course blog and wiki, interact within larger virtual communities, and collaboratively work with your group to lead at least one class discussion, work together on various assignments, and create a final cyber-ethnographic project and presentation. You are also expected to come to real-time classes and spend at least three hours a week in virtual learning environments, as assigned. You must have an active GMU email account, check it regularly, and respond to email inquiries in a timely fashion. At the end of the semester, you will evaluate your and group members’ performance. Your participation in this class will count for 10% of your final grade.

Blog Response Assignments:

Prior to (nearly) each class, you will be responsible for contributing your thoughts, reflections, and responses to readings, class discussions, and virtual experiences online at the class blog. In order to respond to and comment upon blog assignments, however, you MUST register with WordPress. For more information about how to sign up, please visit the post “Welcome to Cyberculture” on the course blog. These regular responses will help you further develop your own insights about cyberculture, interact and exchange ideas with your student colleagues, and hone your critical thinking and writing skills. Furthermore, because this course blog is public (and will be visited by hundreds of people outside of our class and from all around the world), this blog will give you a sense of writing for a larger audience.

* If, for any reason, you are unable to get online to the blog to post your response by the date/time it is due, you must still turn in your response via email or in class on the morning it is due. Late responses will not be accepted. Blog responses are worth 25% of the total grade; therefore, missing even one blog response could affect your final grade; missing two or more will substantially lower your final grade.

Virtual Community & Digital Game Assignments:

In order to meet the requirements for the virtual component of this six credit hour course, you will need to spend up to 3 hours a week within virtual environments or social networking sites, engaging in online discussions, or playing digital games, as assigned. To help facilitate your virtual learning experiences, you will have either an individual or group assignment to do each week, in addition to weekly blog responses. Individual assignments will be turned into the instructor on the dates due, while group assignments will be posted to the group wiki. The details of these assignments can be found each week on the class wiki at: http://nclc350.pbwiki.com/. You will also be required to register for a Second Life account and create an avatar, as many of the virtual environment assignments will be conducted “in-world.” I will show everyone how to sign up for an account and create an avatar early in the semester. Your response to these assignments will count for 20% of your final grade.

Group Wiki:

In order to communicate with one another effectively, demonstrate your ability to engage in both theory and practice, and organize your group notes, responses, and assignments, you will be required to create and maintain a group wiki. You can set up and create your wiki for free by going to: https://secure.pbwiki.com/signup.wiki. One primary person will need to initially set up the wiki and then give administrative privileges to others in the group, as well as give me, the instructor, writer privileges, so that I can comment on your work as it is posted. This component of your course work will count as 20% of your final grade. I will go over how to create a wiki in class near the beginning of the semester.

Final Group Digital Ethnographic Research Project and Presentation:

At the end of the semester, in lieu of a final exam, you and your assigned group will be required to propose and complete a digital ethnographic research project and then present your findings in class. This will be your group’s opportunity to further explore some aspect of virtual communities or cyberculture. Your presentation of your findings can take any number of forms (i.e. a YouTube video that your group creates, a hypertext document, or an interactive, visual presentation). More specific guidelines will be provided near mid-term, but the project will include the use of at least three significant, scholarly readings from class, three significant outside scholarly sources, a virtual or “in-world” study in which you examine and survey a chosen community, and an application of your understanding of both qualitative and quantitative data and research into a final project presentation. I would recommend that you start discussing possible ideas on your group wiki as soon as possible. This component of your course work will count for 25% of your final grade.

Evaluation Process: The evaluation process for all work in this class will take place through written feedback, interaction in peer groups, peer evaluations (for group projects), and conversations with the instructor, both online and in-person.

Grades for the course will be determined from the following general assignment categories:

In-class assignments and participation: 10%
Blog response assignments: 25%
Virtual community & digital game assignments: 20%
Group Wiki: 20%
Final group digital ethnographic research project and presentation: 25%

Grades:

Possible grades for this class are A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F

Official Communications via GMU E-Mail:

Mason uses electronic mail to provide official information to students. Examples include communications from course instructors, notices from the library, notices about academic standing, financial aid information, class materials, assignments, questions, and instructor feedback. Students are responsible for the content of university communication sent to their Mason e-mail account and are required to activate that account and check it regularly.

Honor Code:

Students in this class are bound by the Honor Code, as stated in the George Mason University Catalog. The honor code requires that the work you do as an individual be the product of your own individual synthesis or integration of ideas. (This does not prohibit collaborative work when your instructor approves it.) As a faculty member, I have an obligation to refer the names of students who may have violated the Honor Code to the Student Honor Council, which treats such cases very seriously.

No grade is important enough to justify cheating, for which there are serious consequences that will follow you for the rest of your life. If you feel unusual pressure about your grade in this or any other course, please talk to me or to a member of the GMU Counseling Center staff.

Using someone else’s words or ideas without giving them credit is plagiarism, a very serious Honor Code offense. It is very important to understand how to prevent committing plagiarism when using material from a source. If you wish to quote verbatim, you must use the exact words and punctuation just as the passage appears in the original and must use quotation marks and page numbers in your citation. If you want to paraphrase or summarize ideas from a source, you must put the ideas into your own words, and you must cite the source, using the APA or MLA format. (For assistance with documentation, I recommend Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference.) The exception to this rule is information termed general knowledge—information that is widely known and stated in a number of sources. Determining what is general knowledge can be complicated, so the wise course is, “When in doubt, cite.” And if you are

uncertain about the ground rules on a particular assignment, ask for clarification.

Be especially careful when using the Internet for research. Not all Internet sources are equally reliable; some are just plain wrong. Also, since you can download text, it becomes very easy to inadvertently plagiarize. If you use an Internet source, you must cite the exact URL in your paper and include with it the last date that you successfully accessed the site. Additionally, the re-use of papers, presentations, etc., from one course in another course is not appropriate. In every NCC course, faculty expect that work that is submitted has been done only for that class. An exception is made for materials included within course and year-end portfolios.

Resources:

Students with Disabilities and Learning Differences: If you have a diagnosed disability or learning difference and you need academic accommodations, please inform me at the beginning of the semester and contact the Disabilities Resource Center (SUB I room 234, 703-993-2474). You must provide me with a faculty contact sheet from that office outlining the accommodations needed for your disability or learning difference. All academic accommodations must be arranged in advance through the DRC.

The University Writing Center is a free writing resource. Tutors are available to assist students at any level and at any stage of their writing process, thus EVERYONE can benefit from utilizing this service. Tutors will not proofread your writing, but they will help you to develop revision and editing strategies. The University Writing Center is located in Robinson A 114. For an appointment, call (703) 993-1200 or schedule online at http://writingcenter.gmu.edu. Also, consult the Writing Center website for more information about their services, as well as a variety of helpful online resources.

The Counseling Center offers an extensive academic skills program, with workshops on concentration, time management, exam preparation, etc., in addition to stress management, personal development, and individual counseling services. The Counseling Center main office is located in SUB 1, Room 364, 703-993-2380; for Learning Services, call 703-993-2999 or stop by SUB 1, Rom 354. For more information, see http://www.gmu.edu/departments/csdc/.

New Century College staff and advisors are also available to answer any additional questions you may have. Please go to http://ncc.gmu.edu/ to get contact and other information.