Fred Stutzman
Graduate Teaching Assistant
UNC School of Information and Library Science
Email: fred@metalab.unc.edu
Phone: (919) 260-8508
Personal website: http://ibiblio.org/fred
Wednesday, 6PM – 8:30PM, Phillips Hall 328
http:// ibiblio.org/fred/inls_490/
Authentication credentials: Username: inls490, Password: inls490
The class Facebook group is "INLS 490", you may either
search for it or browse directly via this URL: http://tinyurl.com/2cdv4o
Wednesday, 10AM – 12PM, Weaver Street Market, Carrboro
Other times by appointment
This is a course about our relationship with our networked
selves. As online social networks
become ubiquitous, the role of one's digital identity gains a unique
prominence. In this course, we
will explore digital identity, self-representation in online worlds, and the
new information questions being raised as we embrace these new technologies. Indeed, networks surround us – be they
social or informational networks, and they have a robust impact on our everyday
life.
In the following course, we will examine online networks
from multiple perspectives. In the
first section of the class, we will explore the dynamics of networks. With this perspective, we will see how
networks influence things such as the ranking algorithms of search engines and
information flow in the blogosphere.
In the second section of the class, we will explore the nature of online
identity as presented in social networks.
In the final section of the class, we will look a number of applications
of social network, including mobile and community-based networking.
Note: This course will explicitly stay away from the mathematics of networks;
no special mathematical skills are necessary for the completion of this
course.
*
Barabasi,
Albert-Laszlo. (2002). Linked. Cambridge, MA: Plume Books.
*
Goffman,
Erving. (1959). The
Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York:
Anchor Books.
*
Turkle,
Sherry (1995). Life on the
Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. New
York: Simon and Schuster.
All textbooks for this course are available in trade
paperback.
Readings are organized by week in the syllabus, and are
available online via the course website.
This class will employ a mixture of lecture and seminar
formats. In the first half of
class, I will lead a semi-structured discussion based on the reading and
contributed questions. Active participation
and discussion is expected. In the
second half of the class, two students will deliver topical presentations and
help lead the class discussion.
In addition to active participation in class, there are a
number of assignments you will be expected to complete this semester. First, you will be expected to
contribute a question, observation or enhancement to our online forum each week. Second, you will be expected to produce
a topical issues presentation once this semester, as well as act as a
discussion facilitator on your presentation day. Third, you will be asked to complete a term project; as part
of this term project you will be expected to submit a proposal and
bibliography. Further instructions
on your assignments follow.
Finally, please note that this course is being taught at the
graduate level. There is
significant reading each week, but I hope you'll find it enjoyable and
thought-provoking. Additionally, I
reserve the right to amend this syllabus if I see a need to do so.
By 2PM on the Tuesday of each week, you will be expected to
pose a question, observation or enhancement to our online discussion board,
located in our Facebook group.
This Q, O, or E should arise from our reading, and generally be one or
two paragraphs long (if you're especially inspired, feel free to go longer). Why not just a question? I'd like for the fora to be conversational,
so if someone asks a question that you can build on, or draw on your personal
experience to enhance, feel free.
Each week, I will start a new thread (the thread name will
correspond to the upcoming week number), and I ask that you try to keep your
discussions inside the thread if possible. However, feel free to contribute links, photos, videos and
wall postings to our group, have fun with it.
You will be expected to deliver a topical issues
presentation once during the semester.
Drawing on our reading for the week, you will present a relevant current
issue in the online social networks space. I encourage you to make your presentation not only relevant
to the reading, but your interests at large. Presentations should be no more than 15 minutes in length,
and you may use Powerpoint.
Examples of topical presentations may be: Presenting a new social
network site, exploring a feature shift by an online social network, analysis
of a technology delivered by a social network site. Other examples may include presentations on how social
networks integrate in your area of practice, how communities of practice are
utilizing social networks, or a current news issue about social networks. I encourage you to be creative and find interesting or novel
connections between your topical presentation and the class material.
On the day you deliver your topical issues presentation, you
will also be expected be a facilitator of discussion in the second half of the
class. Prepare a few questions
about the material to get the discussion rolling, but again feel free to be
creative in your facilitation.
The term project will be a substantive original piece of
research, literature or a topical project in the area (research proposals
acceptable as well). I encourage
you to develop a project that is relevant to your area of interest; to this
extent I am quite flexible in the types of projects I'll approve. As social networks pose interesting
questions to industry, the academy and society at large, there are many
opportunities for you to develop a project that is relevant to your interests.
Twice during the semester you will be asked to deliver a short
description of your project idea to the class. Additionally, you will be required to turn in a project
proposal and bibliography. The
project proposal should be a 2-page description of your project; you will be
expected to present your idea, rationale and why the project is relevant to
your interests.
Your project bibliography is a combined
bibliography/outline. You will be
required to turn in a list of at least 5 sources and abstracts you plan to use
in your project. Please note, the
abstracts should not be the paper's abstracts, but a summary of your own
creation. Your outline should be
an in-depth exploration of your project's roadmap; a simple bullet list of
section titles will not be sufficient.
As this project counts for 1/2 of the overall grade,
significant effort is expected.
The instructor is flexible in terms of fitting the project to the
student's discipline or interests.
I would suggest that you talk to me early and often about your project;
if you keep me in the loop, I'm happy to provide feedback, guidance and
connections. Group work (max group
size: 3) is allowed, though group projects must reflect the substantive work of
all parties.
Project presentations will occur on the last day of class,
December 5. On this day you will
be expected to deliver a 6-10 minute presentation or demonstration about your
term project. Term projects will
be due at 5PM on Tuesday, December 12.
Topical Issues Presentation: 10%
Weekly Questions, Comments or Enhancements: 10%
Term Project Proposal/Bibliography/Outline: 10%
Term Project: 50%
Students are expected to conform to the Honor Code in all
academic manners. For more
information about the Honor Code, please visit the following URL: http://honor.unc.edu/honor/index.html.
A look at
youth adoption and privacy trends, and an introduction to boyd's ethnographic
work in online social networks.
*
boyd, danah.
(Forthcoming) "Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of
Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life." MacArthur Foundation on Digital
Learning, Identity Volume (ed. David Buckingham).
*
Lenhart,
A and Madden, M. (2007) Teens, Privacy & Online Social Networks. Pew Internet and American Life
Project Research Report.
*
Turkle,
Introduction
A lay introduction to the fascinating science of networks.
*
Barabasi
Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4
*
Shirky,
C. (2003). Power Laws, Weblogs and
Inequality. http://www.shirky.com/writings/powerlaw_weblog.html
Exploring the dynamics and characteristics of online social
networks.
*
Kumar,
R., Novak, J., and Tomkins, A. (2006). Structure and evolution of online social
networks. In Proceedings of KDD 2006, pages 611–617.
*
Golder,
S., Wilkinson, D., and Huberman, B. (2006). Rhythms of social interaction:
messaging within a massive online network. 3rd
International Conference on Communities and Technologies (CT2007), East
Lansing, MI.
*
Barabasi Chapters 5, 6
* Term
Project Proposal Due
Thinking
about the production of our digital self.
*
Turkle
Chapters 3, 7
*
Choi, J. H. (2006).
Living in Cyworld : Contextualising Cy-Ties in South Korea. In Bruns, A. and Jacobs, J.
(Eds.) Use of Blogs (Digital Formations). New York: Peter Lang.
How our
digital identities create our information places and forms; the relationships
we mediate through online spaces.
*
Dwyer, Cathy. (2007). Digital Relationships in the 'MySpace'
Generation: Results From a Qualitative Study. 40th Hawaii International
Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), Waikoloa, HI.
*
boyd, danah. (Forthcoming) "None of this is Real."
Structures of Participation (ed. Joe Karaganis).
*
Valentine, G and Holloway, S. (2002) Cyberkids?
Exploring Children's Identities and Social Networks in On-line and
Off-line Worlds. Annals of the
Association of American Geographers, 92(2), 2002.
*
Lampe, Cliff, Ellison, Nicole, and Steinfeld, Charles. (2006). A
face(book) in the crowd: social searching vs. social browsing. Banff, Alberta,
Canada: Proceedings of CSCW 2006.
Thinking
about how we construct and experience online identity
*
Donath, J and boyd, d. (2004). Public displays of connection. BT
Technology Journal, 22(4).
*
Lampe, C, Ellison, N and Steinfeld, C. (2007). A
Familiar Face(book): Profile Elements as Signals in an Online Social Network.
Proceedings of CHI 2007. San Jose, CA, ACM Press.
*
Donath,
J. (1999) Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community. Communities in Cyberspace (ed. P.
Kollock and M. Smith)
*
Goffman, Introduction.
Individual
presentation and representation in online social worlds.
*
Goffman
Chapters 1 and 3
*
Gosling,
S., Gaddis, S. and Varize, S. (2007) Personality Impressions Based on Facebook
Profiles. Proceedings of ICWSM
2007, Boulder. CO.
*
Whitty,
M. and Gavin, J. (2001) Age/Sex/Location: Uncovering the Social Cues in the
Development of Online Relationships.
CyberPsychology and Behavior 4(5).
The role of social capital in online social networks.
*
Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The
benefits of Facebook "friends:" Social capital and college students'
use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication,
12(4), article 1. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue4/ellison.html
*
Millen,
D. and Patterson, J. (2003) Identity Disclosure and the Creation of Social
Captial
*
Resnick,
P. (2001). Beyond Bowling Together: SocioTechnical Capital. In Carroll, J. (Ed.) HCI in the New
Millenium.
*
Engstrom,
J. (2005). Why some social network
services work and others don't – Or: the case for object-centric sociality. http://www.zengestrom.com/blog/2005/04/why_some_social.html
Examining
information sharing behavior in social network sites.
*
Barnes, S. (2006). A privacy paradox: Social networking in the
United States. First Monday 11(9).
*
Acquisti, A. and Gross, R. (2006). Imagined Communities:
Awareness, Information Sharing, and Privacy on the Facebook. 6th Workshop on
Privacy Enhancing Technologies. Cambridge: June 28-30.
*
boyd, danah. (2007). Social Network Sites: Public, Private, or
What? Knowledge Tree 13, May 2007.
*
Stutzman, F. (2006) An Evaluation of Identity-Sharing Behavior in
Social Network Communities. iDMAa Journal, 3(1).
* Term Project Bibliography/Outline Due
Exploring
social networks at the device and grid level.
*
Ling,
R. and Yttri, B. (2006) Control, Emancipation and Status. In Computers, Phones and the Internet:
Domesticating Information Technology (eds. R. Kruat and M. Brynin and S.
Kiesler) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
*
Ling,
R. and Yttri, B. (2002) Hyper-coordination via mobile phones in Norway. In
Perpetual contact: Mobile communication, private talk, public performance.
(eds. Katz, J. and Aakhus, M.)
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
*
Palen,
L. and Dourish, P. (2003)
Unpacking "Privacy" for a Networked World. Proceedings of CHI 2003.
The
intersection of social networks and physical space.
*
Wellman,
B. (2001) Physical Place and
Cyberplace: The Rise of Personalized Networking. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 25(2).
*
Wellman,
B. (2002) Little Boxes,
Glocalization and Networked Individualism. Proceedings of Digital Cities II:
Second Kyoto Workshop on Digital Cities, Kyoto, Japan, October 18-20, 2001.
Springer, Berlin.
*
Millen, D. and Patterson, J.
(2002) Stimulating Social
Engagement in a Community Network.
Proceedings of CSCW 2002.
Social
networks in the Academy
*
Charnigo,
L. and Barnett-Ellis, P. (2007) Checking out Facebook.com: The Impact of a
Digital Trend on Academic Libraries.
Information Technologies and Libraries, March 2007: 23- 34.
*
Mazer,
J., Murphy, R. and Simonds, C. (2007)
I'll See You on Facebook.
Communication Education 56(1), 1-17.
*
Hewitt,
A. and Forte, A. (2006) Crossing
Boundaries: Identity Management and Student/Faculty Relationships on the
Facebook. Proceedings of CSCW
2006.
Final
presentations, All projects due at 5PM on December 12.