108D W22 Ehrentraut

ENGL 108D: Digital Lives

Meetings: Mondays & Wednesdays 2:30 – 4:00pm, HH 139

Instructor: Dr. Judy Ehrentraut, English Language and Literature

Office Hours: Microsoft Teams, by appointment/Wednesdays 4:00-5:00pm at PAC 1064

Email: jehrentr@uwaterloo.ca

Course Description

This course will give you the opportunity to develop a broader understanding of how old and new media affect our lives. We will examine how digital communication technologies create and promote online identities and social spaces, while exploring the technical and cultural forces that inform what it means to have “digital lives.” In this course you will also:

  • Learn the importance of digital literacy and its history
  • Develop your close reading skills so you can critically analyze what you read
  • Identify the terms used to theorize media and form your own academic voice
  • Learn how to organize an argumentative essay and create a proper thesis statement
  • Learn how to thoughtfully respond to the opinions of your peers

Course Meeting Times

Though this is an online course, you are expected to log into LEARN at least twice per week to access the slideshows and do the readings on/before Mondays and Wednesdays. Participating in the Group Discussion component is the equivalent of attendance, and this is mandatory. A detailed explanation can be found in Content > Group Discussion Assignment on LEARN.

Assignments

Weight

Due Dates

Group Discussions: 40%

2 per week = 4% x 10

2%

Mon/Tues & Wed/Thurs each week

Reflections: 30 %

Reflection 1

Reflection 2

Reflection 3

10%

10%

10%

Feb 4

Feb 25

Mar 18

Common Errors Assignment: 10%

Upload Reflection to Dropbox Reflection (Peer Review) Reflection (Personal Review)

2%

4%

4%

Mar 28

Mar 28

Mar 30

Final Reflection: 20%

Thesis Statement  

Final Reflection 

5%

15%   

Apr 6

Apr 17

Required Texts

Flew, Terry and Richard Smith. New Media: An Introduction. 4th Canadian Edition, Oxford UP, 2021

All other texts are available via links in Content > Weekly Schedule or in Content > Course Readings.

Email Policy

Any questions you may have about the course, the assignments, the schedule, what group/section you are in, etc. can be posted under Connect > Discussions > Ask Me Anything. Before emailing me, please check this forum to see if someone else has already asked your question.

Since some of you may have the same general questions, I would prefer to only respond once.

If your question has not been answered in this forum and is of a more personal or specific nature, please feel free to email me. Keep in mind that email is fast, but not instant, and I require 24 hours.

Late Policy and Extensions

You are expected to participate in the Group Discussions twice per week. If you miss a reading or miss your window to post your answer/response depending on your assigned Section, remember these are only worth 2% each. It would be better to focus on the next reading to ensure you don’t fall behind, so unfortunately, I cannot allow any extensions or make-ups for the weekly Group Discussions.

Assignments that are handed in late will lose 5% per day, including weekends. If you require an extension, please email me at least 24 hours before the due date with a legitimate reason for the request. I unfortunately cannot grant extensions without some kind of proof that demonstrates a medical or family emergency. Students who regularly require extra time for assignments should register with Accessibility Services at the beginning of term, but must still request extensions from me.

NOTE: The Final Reflection is your final major assignment in place of an exam. If you don’t hand it in, you will fail the course.

Academic Integrity

The Faculty of Arts requires that I make you aware of the following: “Students are expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for their actions. Students who are unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who need help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about ‘rules’ for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Assistant Dean.

For information on offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy #71, Student Academic Discipline: http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.html. Students who believe that they have been wrongfully or unjustly penalized have the right to grieve. Refer to Policy #70, Student Grievance: http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm

Turnitin.com: Text matching software (Turnitin®) may be used to screen assignments in this course. Turnitin® is used to verify that all materials and sources in assignments are documented. Students’ submissions are stored on a U.S. server, therefore students must be given an alternative (e.g., scaffolded assignment or annotated bibliography), if they are concerned about their privacy and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in the first week of the term and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin® in this course. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit the alternate assignment.

Note for Students with Disabilities

The Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Hall Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with OPD at the beginning of each academic term.

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre works across all faculties to help students clarify their ideas, develop their voices, and write in the style appropriate to their disciplines. Writing Centre staff offer oneonone support in planning assignments and presentations, using and documenting research, organizing and structuring papers, and revising for clarity and coherence.

You can make multiple appointments throughout the term, or drop in at the Library for quick questions or feedback. To book a 50-minute appointment and to see drop-in hours, visit www.uwaterloo.ca/writing-centre. Group appointments for team-based projects, presentations, and papers are also available.

Weekly Schedule

Everyone in Sections A and B is responsible for all the readings, so please make sure you’re reading everything outlined in each block. If your Section is answering the Discussion Questions, posts are due at 11:59pm on Monday/Wednesday of that week. If your Section is responding to the other Section, posts are due at 11:59pm on Tuesday/Thursday.

Week

Day

Readings

Assignments

Start

Time

End Time

1: Introductions

Wed

No Course Readings

Read the syllabus and all assignments

+ answer

“Introduction”

Discussion topic

Jan 5

2: What is New Media?

Mon- Tues

NM Chapter 1: pg. 1-19

Section A answers Discussion Questions

Section B responds to Section A

Jan 10

Jan 10 11:59pm

Jan 11 11:59pm

Wed- Thurs

NM Chapter 1: pg. 20-

30

Section A answers Discussion Questions

Section B responds

to Section A

Jan 12

Jan 12 11:59pm

Jan 13 11:59pm

3: History of Communication Technologies

Mon- Tues

NM Chapter 2: pg. 39- 44 (read until the end of “The Telegraph as Scanner”

NM Chapter 2: pg. 47- 54 (read until the end of “Essential Need”)

NM Chapter 2: pg. 57- 63 (begin at “Speaking Without Wires” and skip Case Study and “Artificial Intelligence”)

Section B answers Discussion Questions

Section A responds to Section B

Jan 17

Jan 17  11:59pm

Jan 18 11:59pm

Wed-

Thurs

NM Chapter 3: pg. 70-80

(skip “Open-Access

Publishing” and end at

“The Diffusion of

Innovations Model”

Section B answers Discussion Questions

Section A responds to Section B

Jan 19

Jan 19 11:59pm

Jan 20 11:59pm

4: New Media Theory

Mon- Tues

NM Chapter 3: pg. 85- 94 (end at “The Impact and Spread of New

Media Technologies”)

Section A answers Discussion Questions

Section B responds to Section A

Jan 24

Jan 24 11:59pm

Jan 25 11:59pm

Wed- Thurs

NM Chapter 4: pg. 100-

114

(end at “Spime, Anyone?”)

Section A answers Discussion Questions

Section B responds to Section A

Jan 26

Jan 26 11:59pm

Jan 27 11:59pm

5: Mobile Phones and Social Networks

Mon-

Tues

NM Chapter 4: pg. 115-

120

NM Chapter 4: pg. 124-

131

(skip Case Study and “The Mobile Phone Industry in Canada: Facts and Figures”)

Section B answers Discussion Questions

Section A responds to Section B

Jan 31

Jan 31 11:59pm

Feb 1 11:59pm

Wed- Thurs

Jenkins, Henry.

“Enabling

Participation” (article posted on LEARN)

Section B answers

Discussion Questions

Section A responds to Section B

Feb 2

Feb 2 11:59pm

Feb 3 11:59pm

Reflection #1

Everyone uploads to Dropbox

Feb 4 11:59pm

6: Media Literacy and Participation

Mon- Tues

NM Chapter 5: pg. 135-

147

(read until “Networks and the Economics of Social Production”)

Section A answers Discussion Questions

Section B responds to Section A

Feb 7

Feb 7 11:59pm

Feb 8 11:59pm

Wed- Thurs

NM Chapter 5: pg. 154-

163 (begin at

“Participatory Media Culture” and skip Case Study)

NM Chapter 5: pg. 168-

172 (begin at “Blogs as Participatory and Social Media”)

Section A answers Discussion Questions

Section B responds to Section A

Feb 9

Feb 9 11:59pm

Feb 10 11:59pm

7: Networks and Online Activism

Mon- Tues

Gladwell, Malcolm.

“Small Change”

Section B answers Discussion Questions

Section A responds to Section B

Feb 14

Feb 14 11:59pm

Feb 15 11:59pm

Wed- Thurs

Rosenblatt, Kalhan. “A summer of digital protest: How 2020 became the summer of activism both online and offline”

Section B answers Discussion Questions

Section A responds to Section B

Feb 16

Feb 16 11:59pm

Feb 17 11:59pm

Reflection #2

Everyone uploads

to Dropbox

Feb 25

11:59pm

8: Truth and Misinformation

Mon- Tues

NM Chapter 7: pg. 214-

226

Section A answers Discussion Questions

Section B responds to Section A

Feb 28

Feb 28 11:59pm

Mar 1 11:59pm

Wed- Thurs

NM Chapter 7: pg. 227-

235

Section A answers Discussion Questions

Section B responds to Section A

Mar 2

Mar 2 11:59pm

Mar 3

11:59pm

9: Digital Creativity: Gaming

Mon- Tues

NM Chapter 6: pg. 203-

210

Section B answers Discussion Questions

Section A responds to Section B

Mar 7

Mar 7 11:59pm

Mar 8 11:59pm

Wed- Thurs

Ehrentraut, Judy. “The Ethics of Commodification: Game Modding and the New Digital Economy”

Section B answers Discussion Questions

Section A responds to Section B

Mar 9

Mar 9 11:59pm

Mar 10 11:59pm

10: Media Control and Disconnection

Mon- Tues

Harris, Tristan. “How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind — from a Magician and Google Design Ethicist”

Section A answers Discussion Questions

Section B responds to Section A

Mar 14

Mar 14 11:59pm

Mar 15 11:59pm

Wed- Thurs

Affsprung, Daniel.

“Narrative Identity and the Data Self.”

Section A answers

Discussion Questions

Section B responds to Section A

Mar 16

Mar 16 11:59pm

Mar 17

11:59pm

Reflection #3

Everyone uploads to Dropbox

Mar 18 11:59pm

11: Social Media Privacy and Regulation

Mon- Tues

boyd, dana and Alice E. Marwick. “Networked Privacy: How Teenagers Negotiate Context in Social Media” (LEARN)

Section B answers Discussion Questions

Section A responds to Section B

Mar 21

Mar 21 11:59pm

Mar 22 11:59pm

NM Chapter 10: pg. 313-324, 329

Section B answers Discussion Questions

Section A responds to Section B

Mar 23

Mar 23 11:59pm

Mar 24 11:59pm

12: Final Writing Assignments

“Top 10 Student Writing Mistakes”

Common Errors Peer Review

Upload your Reflection to Common Errors Peer Review + Review someone else’s Reflection

Mar 28 11:59pm

Common Errors Personal Review

Review your own Reflection after reading comments

Mar 30 11:59pm

“Thesis Statements” and “What is a thesis?” (LEARN)

Apr 4 11:59pm

Thesis Statement

Upload to Dropbox

Apr 6 11:59pm

Final Reflection

Upload to Dropbox

Apr 17 11:59pm

Back to top