CS158: Revolutions in Communication Technology

Winter 2010

CS158: Revolutions in Communication Technology

Course Meets MWF 12-12:50 Public Affairs 2214 Professor Contact Info Tim Groeling, Asst. Professor ([email protected]) Office: Rolfe 2322 Office Hours: TBD Grader: Samantha Taylor ([email protected]) Course Overview We are living in what has been dubbed the "information age." The expansion of mass media outlets, and particularly the explosive growth of the Internet, has been called an "unprecedented" revolution in the way in which society interacts and communicates. However, a careful reading of history points to other such revolutions in human history, some of which are arguably comparable in magnitude. In this course we examine the onset of our current information age in the context of several previous revolutionary advances in information and communication technology, starting with the development of communication itself. In so doing, we will first examine the role assigned to technology in theories of communication. We then survey the origins, technical content, and societal implications of major developments in communications technology throughout human history. Course Website This course will be using a Moodle course web site (http://classes.sscnet.ucla.edu/course/view.php?name=10W-COMMST158-1). Various course materials will be posted here, including the syllabus, announcements, a discussion forum, the course homework board, and links to material pertinent to the course. Lecture Outlines and Podcasts All lecture materials for this class will be available in two electronic formats: I.

PDF files showing the exact Keynote slides presented in lecture, which will be available for download and printing before each class. I strongly encourage students to bring either printouts of the slides or electronic versions of the text

CS158: Evolution of Communication Technology Syllabus, 10W

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Evolution of Communication Technology

to class to assist in their note-taking during lecture. The slides will be available online at least three hours before each class via e-mail. II.

I will also be creating enhanced podcasts of course lectures, which I intend for students to use for review (NOT as a replacement for attending class). An enhanced podcast consists of images of slides from my lecture synchronized to an audio recording of my lecture itself. Students will play these recordings on compatible portable audio devices. The ideal use of these podcasts is to facilitate review for exams: I suggest reviewing your notes on paper first, and then referring to the lecture podcasts for clarification of particularly confusing slides or sections of the lecture. The podcasts will also be useful for students who were unable to attend a particular lecture (But see attendance policy/ grading below) or who want to review course material using portable electronic devices. Unfortunately, as with all technology, you should assume that this system will be unreliable and make your plans accordingly (in other words, plan on there being tech glitches).

Grading EXAMINATIONS: 81% of grade, from three separate exams (27% each). Each exam will consist of a mix of short identification questions and concise essays. The first two exams will take place during regular classes, while the third will take place during the regularlyscheduled final exam slot for this class. CLASS PARTICIPATION: 19% of total course grade. Activities will include attendance, participating in the inclass activities, on-line discussion, etc. Students are responsible for making sure that the professor has enough information to correctly credit your participation. In particular, students who fail to sign in for attendance won’t receive credit for attending that day. Exam Policies All students will be expected to do their own work on exams and throughout this course. Plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty will be vigorously pursued. Students found guilty of a violation of the standards of academic honesty will receive a failing grade for the course and be turned over to the university for administrative sanctions.


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Grade Appeals Grade appeals should only be pursued if a student believes that he/she has received an incorrect grade or that non-academic criteria have been used in determining his/her grade in a course. Grade appeals will consist of a single typed page that specifically identifies the grading item in question and presents a reasoned argument that the item fits the appeal criteria above. The instructor reserves the right to raise or lower grades upon regrading. Schedule Note: Unless noted otherwise below, all required readings except Standage (at the bookstore) will be included in a reader from Course Reader Material or online. Monday

Wednesday

Jan. 4: Class 1: Introduction and Jan. 6: Class 2: Is the Medium Syllabus overview. the Message?

Friday Jan 8: Class 3: Medium Characteristics?

McLuhan, Marshall. 1964. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. 2nd. Edition. New York: Signet Books. Ch 1. Jan 11: Class 4: Technological Determinism

Jan. 13: Class 5: Precursors to Speech

Chandler, Daniel. 1995. “Technological or Media Determinism.”

McLuhan, Marshall. 1964. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. 2nd. Edition. New York: Signet Books. Chapter 8.

Lehman-Wilzig, Sam and Nava Cohen-Avigdor. 2004. “The natural life cycle of new media evolution: Inter-media struggle for survival in the internet age.” New Media & Society. 6: 707–730.

Jan. 15: Class 6: Speech Donald, Merlin. 1997. “Precis of Origins of the modern mind: Three stages in the evolution of culture and cognition.” Behavioral and Brain Sciences, pages 737-791.

Schrock, Karen. 2009. “Why Music Moves Us New research explains music's power over human emotions and its benefits to our mental and physical well-being.” Scientific American Mind - July 15, 2009 Pinker, Steven. 1998. “The Evolution of the Human Language Faculty.” In The Origin and Diversification of Language. Ramachandran, V.S. nd. “MIRROR NEURONS and imitation learning as the driving force behind ‘the great leap forward’ in human evolution”.


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Monday Jan. 18: Class 7: MLK Holiday

Wednesday Jan 20: Class 8: Breaking the Speech Code

Friday Jan 22: Class 9: EXAM #1 IN CLASS

Kuhl, Patricia. 2004. “Early Language Acquisition: Cracking the Speech Code.” Nature Reviews. November 2004. 5: 831843. Jan 25: Class 10: Memory

Jan. 27: Class 11: Symbols and Jan. 29: Class 12: Writing Early Writing Bradardwine, Thomas. “De MeMcLuhan, Marshall. 1964. Unmoria Artificiali,” from Mary Burke, James. 1987. The Day the derstanding Media: The ExCarruthers, The Book of Universe Changed. Boston: tensions of Man. 2nd. Edition. Memory, Appendix C, pp. 281Little, Brown and Company. New York: Signet Books. 284. Chapter 4. Chapter 9. Foer, Joshua. 2005. “Forget Me Not: How to Win the U.S. Memory Championship.” Slate.com. March 16, 2005. Feb. 1: Class 13: Print Eisenstein, Elizabeth. 1993. The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Chapters 1-4.

Feb. 3: Class 14: Print Museum Roadshow (Tentative)

Feb. 5: Class 15: Advanced Printing Schudson, Michael. 1978. Discovering the News: A Social History of American Newspapers. New York: Basic Books. Chapter 1 Buchanan, Rachel. “Black and White and All Over.” The Age. Aug. 25, 2007.

Feb. 8: Class 16: Telegraph

Feb. 11: Class 17: Networks

Standage, Tom. 1998. The Victorian Internet : the remarkable story of the telegraph and the nineteenth century's on-line pioneers. New York : Walker and Co. Ch’s 1- 6, 10 & 11.

Blum, Andrew. 2009. “Netscapes: Tracing the Journey of a Single Bit.” Wired. November 16, 2009.

Feb. 12: Class 18: EXAM #2 IN CLASS

Metcalfe, Bob. 2006 “Metcalfe’s Law Recurses Down the Long De Decker, Kris. 2007. “Email in Tail of Social Networks.” the 18th Century.” Low-Tech Magazine. Dec. 23, 2007.


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Monday Feb. 15: Class 19: President’s Day

Wednesday

Friday

Feb. 17: Class 20: Telephone Origins

Feb. 19: Class 21: Telephone & Phonograph

Video: The Telephone: The American Experience.

Lawsky, David. 2005. “America, Europe Separated by Telephone Cultures.” Reuters Online. March 13, 2005. Txt Gets Quickest Response, 67% of 18-24 Yr Olds Txt 10+x @ Day - WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS. Oct. 23, 2008. Mogull, Rich. 2008. “Peering Inside a Mobile Phone Network.” TidBits.com. Oct. 6, 2008. Lasar, Matthew. 2008. “Any lawful device_ 40 years after the Carterfone decision.” Arstechnica.com.June 26, 2008. Cowen, Ron. 2008. “The First Sound Bites.” ScienceNews. Sept. 26, 2008. Rosen, Jody. 2008. “Researchers Play Tune Recorded Before Edison.” New York Times. Mar 27, 2008.

Feb. 22: Class 22: Radio Days Douglas, Susan J. 1997. Inventing American Broadcasting, 1899-1922. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Chapters 1, 2, and 3. Metz, Robert. CBS: Reflections in a Bloodshot Eye. New York: Play Press. Chronology, chapters 1 and 2.

Feb. 24: Class 23: Movies and TV Feb. 26: Class 24: Television Origins Continue Video. Fisher, David E. 1997. Tube: The Invention of Television. New York: Harvest Books. Prologue, Chapters 7, 17. Video: Big Dream, Small Screen: The American Experience

Bjerg, Greg. 2006. “The Tragic Birth of FM Radio.”


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Monday

Wednesday

March 1: Class 25: TV Impact

March 3: Class 26: Computers

Alleyne, Richard. 2008. “Black and White TV Generation Have Monochrome Dreams.” The Telegraph. Oct. 17, 2008.

Wright, Alex. 2008. “The Web Time Forgot.” New York Times. June 17, 2008. Bush, Vannevar. 1945. "As We May Think." Atlantic Monthly. July, 1945, pages 101-08.

Friday March 5: Class 27: Networked Computers Video: Cringely, Robert. 1998. Nerds 2.0.1: Networking the Nerds. See also the web site at http://www.pbs.org/opb/nerds 2.0.1/

Zeldes, N. “Possibly Interesting: History of Computing.” http://www.nzeldes.com 2008. “The history of computer data storage, in pictures.” Apr. 8, 2008. royal.pingdom.com Raskin, Jef. 1980. “Computers by the Millions.” Stanford University Library collections. March 8: Class 28: The “New” Economy

March 10: Class 29: More on the March 12: Class 30: Course “New” Economy Wrap-Up; the Future.

DeLong, J. Bradford and A. Mi- Pink, Daniel H. 2005. “Revenge chael Froomkin. 2000. “Specuof the Right Brain.” Wired. lative Microeconomics for 13:02. Tomorrow's Economy.” Shafer, Jack. 2008. “The Digital Sullivan, Patricia. 2006. “As the Slay-Ride.” Slate.com. Dec. Internet Grows Up, the News 16, 2008. Industry Is Forever Changed.” Washington Post. June 19, 2006. “Paper or Pixels? Craigslist founder Craig Newmark shares with Times editors his view of journalism’s future in the digital age.” Los Angeles Times.com. Nov. 25, 2008.

Robertson, Douglas S. 1998. The New Renaissance: Computers and the Next Level of Civilization. New York: Oxford University Press. Chapter 1. Rossmeier, Vincent. 2009. “Is the Internet melting our brains? The author of "A Better Pencil" explains why such hysterical hand-wringing is as old as communication itself.” Salon. Sep. 19, 2009. Cascio, Jamais. 2009. “Get Smarter.” Atlantic Online. August 2009. Final Exam: Monday, March 15, 2010, 3:00pm-6:00pm


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