instructor information

Professor: Elizabeth Lane Lawley
Office: 70-2545
Phone: 585-598-4947
Email: ell at mail dot rit dot edu
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesday from 2-4pm

textbooks and readings

There are no required textbooks for this class. Instead, I will be assigning readings from the web, and from various electronic resources provided through the Wallace Library.

important rit deadlines

Last day of add/drop is December 10, 2007.

Last day to withdraw with a grade of “W” is February 8th (the end of the 8th week of the quarter).

NOTE: IT department policy states that a student has one quarter to challenge any grade. After that, grades cannot be challenged because documentation of the grades may not be retained.

course description

This course introduces students to the expanding body of research and popular writing on online identity, social and community behavior and its application to the development of new online communities and social software tools. Students will create their own prototypes for online communities and/or software tools, will participate in and evaluate existing online environments.

course goals and objectives

The goal of this course is to provide an overview of existing research in identity and social behavior in the context of online communities, and to critically examine existing social computing contexts.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Identify and describe influential research and researchers in the fields of identity and social computing
• Identify, describe, and critically analyze current online social and community environments

prerequisites

The only prerequisite for this class is graduate standing, and a willingness to do reading, research, and writing on a graduate level.

grading

Grades will be based on the following, all of which are discussed in more detail in the assignments section of this site:

• Class Participation: 20%
  This is a graduate seminar, and as such, much of our class meeting time will be spent discussing the week's topic and readings. I expect you to come to class prepared, having read and thought about the assigned readings for the week.
• Weekly Reviews: 20%
  You will need to choose one of the readings assigned each week to review on your class blog. You will also need to find and review at least one additional reading on one of the topics for that week. The second reading can be, but does not have to be, from a peer-reviewed journal or conference. It could also be an online essay or blog post, a book or book chapter, or even an in-depth newspaper article. However, it should have some analytical content--a short news item describing a new software package, for example, would not be appropriate. When in doubt, ask me. Weekly reviews are due at the same time as lab assignments. I will assign grades for these at the end of week 4, week 7, and week 10--but I will also comment on the entries on an ongoing basis.
• Midterm Exam: 20%
  The midterm will be a take-home essay question exam, which you will have one week to complete. I will hand out the midterm exam at the end of week 5.
• Design document for a proposed online community site: 40%
  Your final project for the class will be a design document outlining an online community with a specific target audience, and a storyboard prototype for that site. It could be a community site to support an online game, a neighborhood site, a political action site, or any number of other possible community implementations. I would prefer that you work in teams of 2 or 3, but if you would prefer to work independently that is also acceptable.

Please note that the grade received for work that meets all assigned criteria is a "B". An "A" is reserved for work that clearly demonstrates MASTERY of the material, and an in-depth knowledge of the underlying theories. Late work will lose half a letter grade (5/100 points) per day.

academic honesty policy

Please review the IT department and RIT policies on academic dishonesty.

I will not tolerate plagiarism of any kind in this class. Students who are found to have plagiarized material will be failed not just for the assignment, but for the entire class (and will not be allowed to withdraw).

If you're uncertain as to what constitutes plagiarism, I strongly encourage you to review any or all of these resources:

• Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It (from Indiana Univeristy)
• Avoding Plagiarism: Purdue
• What is Plagiarism? (Georgetown University)

grading guidelines

Here are my expectations for your written work:

For an "A":

Has a clearly identifiable, original, insightful thesis. Uses primary source evidence beyond the required readings to support key points being made. Good integration of quoted materials into the work. Does not simply reiterate points made in readings, but provides original and well-reasoned responses and commentary on the question posed. All ideas flow logically, with a clearly identifiable logic and structure. Counter-arguments are anticipated and addressed. Grammar and syntax and spelling are excellent.

For a "B":

Has a somewhat unclear or unoriginal thesis. Structure is generally clear and appropriate, but some transitions may be unclear or lacking strong topic sentences. Uses primary source evidence to support ideas, but without going beyond the materials assigned for the class. Some insightful connections to outside evidence are provided. Argument clearly laid out and supported, but coutner arguments may not be fully addressed. Grammar, syntax, and spelling are good but some errors may be evident.

For a "C":

Has an unclear or unoriginal thesis; may simply restate obvious points from the readings. Structure is unclear, with confusing transitions and weak arguments. Limited use of supporting examples. Quotes not well integrated into text. Limited or no original argument, overly simplistic view of content. Noticeable errors in grammar, syntax, and spelling.

A Failing Grade (D or F):

Shows obviously minimal lack of effort or comprehension of the assignment. Very difficult to understand owing to major problems with mechanics, structure, and analysis.

(drawn in part from Paul Halsall's Fordham University grading rubric.)