Download Course Syllabus (PDF) ><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
\nSociology of Facebook and Online Social Networks
\nBasic
\nInformation_____________________________________________________________
\nCourse:
\nQuarter:
\nRoom:
\nTime:
\nWebsite:
\nStudent Facilitator: Email:
\nSociology 88SA
\nUCLA Spring 2010 Humanities A68
\nFriday, 1:00PM-1:50PM TBA
\nEric Kim
\neric.j.kim@ucla.edu (Heading: RE: Sociology of Facebook)
\nCourse Description:
\nHave these phrases and scenarios become a part of your everyday language?
\n– Within relationships: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not official until it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Facebook official\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n– With first encounters: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Remember to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcFacebook\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 me!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n– Even for birthdays: 100+ \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Happy Birthday!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Facebook posts and no phone calls
\nOnline social networking websites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter have dramatically altered the ways in which individuals in society interact with one another. When it comes to many college students, no longer do individuals give each other phone calls, but instead they write on each other\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Facebook walls.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d No longer are diaries private, but instead they are now public and available for all to see on blogs. Although the Internet is overcoming the distance gap in terms of communication, how authentic are these cyber-relationships? Can relationships now be defined by quantity instead of quality? Is the Internet ultimately bringing us closer together, or further apart?
\nIn this seminar, students will explore how online social networking websites affect their own self-presentations and interpersonal interactions through readings, journals,
\nCourse Objectives:
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and experiments. Sociological theory will be used as a backbone for all the concepts taught in the course, and full student participation is essential in succeeding and gaining a personally enriching experience from the course.
\nAre social networking websites simply fun and convenient ways to connect and keep in touch with friends and family or should they be seen as a threat to face-to-face interaction? By the end of the course, students will be able to formulate their own opinions on whether the Internet brings them closer or further apart from others in society.
\nAttendance and Participation: Attendance and participation are essential in gaining a
\nfulfilling and rewarding experience in this seminar. Therefore, if students miss two or more classes, they will automatically receive a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153no pass\u00e2\u20ac\u009d grade. If students arrive to class more than ten minutes late without an approved excuse emailed beforehand, they will be marked as absent.
\nThe seminar will be fueled by discussion of the readings and experiments, which makes student participation and interaction mandatory. Therefore every week, students are expected to speak in class at least once, discussing the week\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reading or assignment.
\nReadings: The assigned readings contain the backbone of this class: sociological theory and application. Therefore all readings must be completed prior to attending class, as they will be discussed during our meeting. All readings will be available online on the course website.
\nExperiments: Students are expected to complete all of the experiments assigned each week and journal their experiences. Each experiment will correspond with the readings or issues discussed for the week which will help students gain a fulfilling, hands-on approach to experiencing the effect of online social networking websites within their lives.
\nJournals: After each student has completed their assignment for the week, they are expected to type up a full two paragraph response which both addresses their personal experiences with the assignment, and also relates back to the reading. Journals which do not refer back to the readings will not be given credit. Furthermore, these journals must be posted to your personal blogs before meeting in class. (Refer to Student Blog section)
\nLaptop Policy: Laptop use during class is prohibited. This is not a lecture-intensive course, and thus allows notes to be easily taken by hand. Although laptops can be useful, in discussion-based classes it merely distracts and takes away from the quality of the overall discussion.
\nExpectations and Grading
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Final Paper: Students are expected to write a final paper addressing the question:
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Does the internet bring people closer or further apart?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The paper will be due in- class during Week 10, and must be 2-3 pages (doubled spaced). Students must include references to the assigned readings and assignments. Other personal experiences may be included in the paper.
\nStudent Blogs: For this seminar, students are required to create a WordPress blog (which will be later linked to the class blog). On their blogs, students are expected to post weekly journals as well as their final essay. Since the class blog is hosted on WordPress, it will be easier for students to leave comments on fellow student blogs as well as on the class blog.
\n(Signup on http:\/\/wordpress.com)
\nClass Blog: There is a class blog available to anybody who is interested. Feel free to post interesting articles, blog entries, photos, or even art pertaining to this class. Contributions to this blog are not mandatory, but highly encouraged. (http:\/\/ sociologyoffacebook.com)
\nThe Internet is no longer just data spoon-fed to the masses, but rather a platform which allows users to create, exchange, and facilitate information on a mass-scale. Through these changes in online interaction, communication as we know it is no longer the same. How does “Web 2.0” differ from “Web 1.0” and what other implications does “Web 2.0” have in store for individuals in this online age?
\nOptional Reading:
\nOptional Assignment:
\nDevote an hour in total exploring these following websites: -Digg.com, Reddit.com, Stumbleupon.com, Delicious.com
\nFrom one of these websites, find and post at least one interesting article, photograph, or video you have found on either website to the class blog. Comment on one of your fellow classmates\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 submissions.
\nCourse Outline
\nWeek 1 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Web 2.0\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n1. Time\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Person of the year: You
\nhttp:\/\/www.time.com\/time\/magazine\/article\/0,9171,1569514,00.html
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Week 2 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Facebook generation\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nTopic: Ambient Awareness
\nThe creation of Facebook and other online social networking websites has revolutionized the ways in which individuals interact and perceive the world. Although Facebook may allow users to keep in touch more easily, what potential problems does the use of Facebook create? Does the publicity of Facebook profiles and “status updates” promote the dissolution of privacy in modern day society?
\nRequired Readings:
\nExperiment:
\nFor one full day (from when you wake up until you sleep), update your Facebook status every two hours. This can be done from your computer or your phone.
\nWith the creation of “personal homepages” such as the Facebook profile, individuals are now able to portray their self-image in profile pictures or descriptions in any way they want, fine-tuning the information they choose to share with others. However, how true is the “online self” compared to the “off-line self”? In which ways do individuals try to change their portrayal of self in online and offline interactions?
\nRequired Readings:
\nExperiment:
\nChat with a random stranger for at least thirty minutes online and try to convince them of a false online persona. (Ie. Pretend that you are a female if you are a male, pretend you are a different age, make up an occupation, etc). Omegle (http:\/\/omegle.com\/) can start you on random one-on-one conversations.
\n1. Brave New world of Digital Intimacy:
\nhttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2008\/09\/07\/magazine\/07awareness-t.html?
\n_r=2&ref=technology&pagewanted=all
\nWeek 3 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Our Online Selves\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n1. Cheung, “Identity Construction and Self-Presentation on Personal Homepages” (POR IV, pg. 310-320)
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Week 4 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Online Communities\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nWith the advent of the Internet, the world becomes a smaller place and links individuals from all over the globe through online communities. A simple Google search can yield an online forum or community for almost every single interest or hobby that exists. However, do online communities facilitate the same deep and intrapersonal connections that individuals build in off-line communities when they can meet face-to-face?
\nRequired Readings:
\nExperiment:
\nJoin an online community forum based on any interests or hobbies you have. Read the interactions that people are having with one another. Create your own discussion topic, and reply to discussion topics that others have written.
\nStudies show that Internet addiction is a serious and rapidly growing epidemic. Access to the Internet allows individuals to be constantly “connected” to the world around them through blogs, online social networking websites, RSS feeds, and email. Furthermore, the Internet allows for easy access to entertainment through YouTube, online games, and blogs on celebrity culture, which further distract individuals. Why do individuals in society feel the urge to constantly be connected and entertained? What happens when individuals “disconnect” from the online sphere?
\nRequired Readings
\nExperiment:
\nFor one day, do not surf the internet or check your email (on your computer or cell-phone). Preferably schedule this on a day that you do not have classes, (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday).
\n1. Carter, Denise(2005) ‘Living in virtual communities: an ethnography of human relationships in cyberspace’, Information, Communication & Society, 8: 2,
\n(Start reading on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cybercity\u00e2\u20ac\u009d on pg. 153 until \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Conclusion\u00e2\u20ac\u009d on pg. 165)
\nWeek 5 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cyber-Addiction\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n1. Postman, Neil. (1986). Amusing Ourselves to Death. Penguin. The Huxleyan Warning: (pg. 155-163)
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Week 6 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Online Networking\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nOne of the most frequently cited reasons that individuals use Facebook is in order to “keep in touch” with one another. What are the other reasons why people use Facebook, and how can an individual benefit by using Facebook?
\nRequired Readings:
\nExperiment:
\nOn Facebook, add status updates asking for favors that you need or questions that you might not know the answer to. See whether the people who respond your questions are close to you, and whether they are able to help you or give you useful answers.
\nOnline social networking websites such as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter all advocate users to provide private information to be seen in public view. However what kind of implications do these have for the individual? How much information are individuals willing to share with the rest of the world? How much information are social networking websites sharing about you to the rest of the world without you knowing it?
\nRequired Readings:
\nExperiment: TBA
\nIs chatting with somebody online the same as chatting with them in person? Are emoticons able to accurately portray happiness, anger, humor, or even sarcasm? Why are we more comfortable talking to others online than talking with them in person? Has society become more \u00e2\u20ac\u0153socially awkward\u00e2\u20ac\u009d than in previous generations?
\nRequired Readings:
\n1. 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, (pg. 1145-1148, pg. 1153-1165)
\nWeek 7 “Online Privacy”
\n1. Barnes, Susan B.. “A privacy paradox: Social networking in the United States” First Monday [Online], Volume 11 Number 9 (4 September 2006), (pg. 1-10)
\nWeek 8 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Online vs Offline Interactions\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
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\n- Hampton, Keith N, Wellman, Barry (1999). Netville Online and Offline: Observing and Surveying a Wired Suburb. American Behavioral Scientist; 43; 475 (pg. TBA)
\nExperiment:
\nHave a twenty minute long conversation with a friend online, on the phone, and in person (Could be the same person or different friends).
\nThe Internet has made life easier and more convenient for everybody, but is it actually improving our standard of life and making us happier? From recent surveys, we are not happier than we were 50 years ago. Why is this? We will explore how the Internet and online interactions affect our happiness and our sense of self-worth.
\nRequired Readings:
\nExperiment: TBA
\nHow will the Internet change the ways in which we interact in the future? Required Readings:
\n*Final Paper Due on Personal Blog!
\nWeek 9 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Internet and happiness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/li>\n - Uesugi, Shiro. Where is the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Happiness on the Internet? \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cyberized and Civilized\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Convenient and Convential\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Matsuyama University. (Pg. TBA)
\nWeek 10 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Future of Online Communities\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/li>\n - Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2009). Social Network Sites and Society: Current Trends and Future Possibilities. Interactions. (Pg. TBA)
\n!7<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Course Description: Have these phrases and scenarios become a part of your everyday language? Within relationships:\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not official until it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Facebook official\u00e2\u20ac\u009d With first encounters: \u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Remember to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcFacebook\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 me!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Even for birthdays: 100+ \u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-114504","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/114504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114504"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/114504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114506,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/114504\/revisions\/114506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}