Communication 
482
Winter 
2005

  Dr. Malcolm R. Parks
 Office: 355 Com &
 98 Gerberding
 Hours: M & W 1:30-2:30
 Phone: 221.3249
 Email: macp@u.washington.edu

Internet Use
Survey
 

 ezprint.gif (15376 bytes)
 Department of Communication Homepage

Introduction
What's your image of the Internet?  

bullet8.GIF (887 bytes)    Information highway?
bullet8.GIF (887 bytes)    Library?
bullet8.GIF (887 bytes)    Mall?
bullet8.GIF (887 bytes)    Entertainment complex?

It is all these, of course, but these are not the most important aspects of the Internet.  The Internet is fundamentally social.  It is a new social space-- a new kind of place for people to gather, to get to know one another, and to explore their interests.  More than any
previous communication medium, the Internet allows people to connect along lines of common interest rather than geography, race, age, or social class.  Wireless technologies still further amplify the Internet's power to connect people in new ways.   This changes everything—personal relations, business, politics, entertainment. So understanding the Internet means understanding how it connects people.  And that's what this class is about.

The Internet creates new opportunities and risks for interpersonal communication.  To understand them, we will both study and use network-based computer-mediated communication systems. Through readings and class discussion, you will apply theories of interpersonal communication to Internet settings, examine theories of computer-mediated communication, explore recent research, and sample popular overviews of interpersonal life in cyberspace.

Major topics will  include:

bullet3.GIF (887 bytes)  Where the Internet came from 
bullet3.GIF (887 bytes)  How the Internet works
bullet3.GIF (887 bytes)  Who we are on the Internet
bullet3.GIF (887 bytes)  Gender on the Internet
bullet3.GIF (887 bytes)  Personal aspects of  E-commerce 
bullet3.GIF (887 bytes)  Social aspects of wireless technologies 
 bullet3.GIF (887 bytes)  Conflict and cooperation online
 bullet3.GIF (887 bytes)  Developing relationships on the Internet
bullet3.GIF (887 bytes)  Finding social support on the Internet
bullet3.GIF (887 bytes)  Joining others for civic action
bullet3.GIF (887 bytes)  Effects of the Internet on communities
bullet3.GIF (887 bytes)  Evaluating Internet communities

Key issues to explore:

 
bullet What can we learn about face-to-face communication by studying the Internet?
bullet What's real, what's virtual?
bullet What does the Internet revolution have in common with previous revolutions in communication technology?
bullet How can we use the Internet in our social and family lives?  What are the risks?
bullet Is the Internet helping people build strong communities or is it a drain on our real life communities?

alice1.gif (11191 bytes)Down the rabbit hole with Alice... 
You'll find pictures of Alice and her friends in scattered through the syllabus.  Click on them for small adventures in the wonderlands of cyberspace.

Malcolm R. Parks 2005:  This page is intended only for the use of students enrolled
in Communication 482.  Reproduction or linking without written
permission of the author is prohibited.