CCT 205H5
Digital Innovation and Cultural Transformation
COURSE OUTLINE Winter, 2009
Professor Gail Benick and Professor Michael Jones
Description
An examination of the changes and challenges arising from the introduction of digital
and computing technologies to modern culture. Topics range from the social and
cultural outcomes of the new media, the impact of the digital revolution on privacy;
the relevance of virtual environments in education, civic engagement and politics, and
the interplay between pre-industrial, industrial and information cultures.
Prerequisites: CCT 100; CCT 101
Course Structure and Class Hours
Lecture (2 hours weekly)
Laboratory Tutorial (1 hour weekly)
As per UTM policies, students are required to attend the lab session at the specific
time for which they are registered. Changes of lab session must be made in ROSI.
Thursday
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Sheridan: Sheldon Levy
Centre
Room J102
Tutorial
PRA0101
Thursday
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Sheridan: Sheldon Levy
Centre
Room J316
Tutorial
PRA6001
Thursday
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Sheridan Sheldon Levy
Centre
Room J 316
Tutorial
PRA6002
Thursday
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Sheridan Sheldon Levy
Centre
Room J316
Tutorial
PRA6003
Thursday
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Sheridan Sheldon Levy
Centre
Room J316
Lecture
LEC010
CCIT Program:
http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/ccit
Contact Information:
Professor Gail Benick (lectures)
Email: gail.benick@sheridanc.on.ca
Please use CCT 205 Slate email for course related issues.
Tel. 905 845-9430 ext. 8636
Students are encouraged to check Slate between classes for updates on course
details. Check Slate in case of bad weather or campus closure.
Office hours: S 319 on Thursdays 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. and by appointment
Professor Michael Jones (labs)
Email: michael.jones5@sheridanc.on.ca or mlwjones@gmail.com
Phone: (905) 845-9430 x5555
Office hours: J321, Thursdays 3-4pm and by appointment.
Texts
Required:
The Network Society. Darin Barney. Polity Press, 2004. Available in the UTM
Bookstore
References
Boler, Megan (2008). Digital Media and Democracy. MIT Press
Bugeja, Michael. (2004). The Interpersonal Divide: The Search for Community in
a Technological Age. Oxford University Press.
Castells, Manuel (1997). The Power of Identity. Oxford: Blackwell.
Castells, Manuel (1996/2000). The Rise of the Network Society. Oxford: Blackwell.
Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and Self-Identity. Self and Society in the Late Modern
Age. Cambridge: Polity.
Lievrouw, L. & Livingstone, S. (2002). Handbook of New Media. Sage,
Lewis, M. (2002). Next: The Future Just Happened. New York: Norton.
Ludlow, P. Ed. (2001) Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates and Pirate Utopias. Cambridge,
Mass.: MIT Press
Norris, P. (2001). Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty and the
Internet Worldwide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Postman, Neil (1993). Technopoly. New York: Vintage.
Rogers, Everett. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations (5th ed.). New York Free Press
Webster, F. ed. (2001) Culture and Politics in the Information Age: A New Politics?
London: Routledge.
Marking Scheme
Assignment
Weight
Date
Description
Test 1
25%
In lecture, Week
6 (Feb. 12)
Covers all course material up to
week 5, including course
readings, lectures and labs
Test 2
20%
In lecture, Week
13 (Apr. 9)
Covers all course material from
week 6 on, including course
readings, lectures and labs
Journal
5%
In lecture, Week
11 (Mar. 26)
Journal reflections based on
guest lecturers
Individual
Research
Assignment
15%
In lab, Week 5
(Feb. 5)
Research on a cause or concern
of interest, posted to course wiki
for review
Group
Communication
Strategy
Assignment
10%
In lab, Week 8
(Mar. 5)
Group forms around common
concern, outlines communication
strategy (message, target
demographics and media used)
posted to course wiki for review
Group Cultural
Transformation
Assignment
20%
In lab, Week 12
(Apr. 2)
Submission of final
communications effort on course
wiki
Feedback and
Online
Participation
5%
Ongoing, ending
Apr. 2
Supporting individual and group
research work of others on wiki
Important Remarks
Plagiarism and Academic Offences
Honesty and fairness are considered fundamental to the University’s mission, and, as a
result, all those who violate those principles are dealt with as if they were damaging the
integrity of the University itself. When students are suspected of cheating or a similar
academic offence, they are typically surprised at how formal and seriously the matter is
dealt with – and how severe the consequences can be if it is determined that cheating did
occur.
The University of Toronto treats academic offences very seriously. Students should note
that copying, plagiarizing, or other forms of academic misconduct will not be tolerated.
Any student caught engaging in such activities will be subject to academic discipline
ranging from a mark of zero on the assignment, test or examination to dismissal from the
university as outlined in the UTM calendar. Any student abating or otherwise assisting in
such misconduct will also be subject to academic penalties.
Students are assumed to be informed about plagiarism and are expected to be familiar the
handout, titled "Plagiarism and Reference Format". How not to plagiarize, written by
Margaret Procter, is a valuable and succinct source of information on the topic.
www.utoronto.ca/writing/plagsep.html/
Please be advised that it is an academic offence for a student knowingly:

To forge, alter or falsify any document or evidence required by the University

To use or possess an unauthorized aid or obtain unauthorized assistance on a term
test

To personate another person at an exam, term test or in connection with any other
form of academic work

To represent as one’s own any idea or expression of an idea or work of another in
connection with any form of academic work (commit plagiarism)

To submit any academic work containing a purported statement of fact or
reference to a source which has been concocted.
Students are also supposed to be familiar, and considered as being familiar, with the
Faculty Rules and Regulations, Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters (see 2008-2009
UTM Calendar) and Code of Student Conduct (see 2008-2009 UTM Calendar) , which
spell out your rights, your duties and provide all the details on grading regulations and
academic offenses at the University of Toronto”.
AccessAbility: The University accommodates students with disabilities who have
registered with the AccessAbility Resource Centre. Please let us know in advance,
preferably in the first week of class, if you will require any accommodation on these
grounds. (2008-09 UTM Calendar Section 6.3 AccessAbility Resource Centre)."
Sheridan CCIT courses accommodate students with disabilities who have registered with
the Special Needs Office at Sheridan, the Trafalgar Rd. Campus. Please let the
professors know in advance if you will require any accommodation on these grounds.
Academic Skills Centre: The Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre offers both
individual appointments and workshops for students having difficulty with reading and
writing skills.
Classroom Management: “You are expected to come to class on time, turn off cell
phones and pagers, use laptops in class for note-taking only (not for web surfing, email
etc.)”. Classes at Sheridan begin on the hour.
Due Dates and Lateness
It is important that you submit assignments on the specified due dates. Make sure that
you are aware of due dates. Only assignments with a valid official University of Toronto
medical certificate will be accepted after the due date.
Work submitted after the due date with no valid medical certificate is not accepted. It
will be returned to you without a mark.
Forging medical certificates or falsely claiming illness is a serious matter and will be
treated as a case of academic dishonesty. Certificates will be compiled and reviewed to
ensure medical excuses are legitimate.
Medical evidence. The student will submit a valid official University of Toronto medical
certificate as evidence proving that events beyond his/her control prevented the
submission of the assignment on the given due date. There is no penalty, and the late
work is accepted until the length of time the evidence warrants. Please contact the
professor if you find yourself in this position.
Missed lab activities or random in-class assignments: Lab activities and guest lecture
journal assignments cannot be made up. It is your responsibility to attend scheduled
classes and to be aware of what is missed should you be unable to attend.
Missed Term Tests
The UTM policy on term tests is presented in the UTM 2008-2009 Calendar. To
summarize:
Students who miss a term test will be assigned a mark of zero for that test unless they can
document a compelling reason for missing it and present valid documentation, such as a
University of Toronto medical certificate. Students in that position must submit a written
request to their professor with appropriate documentation. If the request is accepted, the
weighting of other graded work will be increased by the amount of the missed test.
Weekly Topical Outline
Guest speakers will be added to this course according to availability. In addition to the
textbook readings, online articles and links to important Websites will be made available
through WebCT.
Please check WebCT regularly between classes to remain updated on guest speakers,
articles, and references links, as well as campus closures and class cancellation due to bad
weather. Course housekeeping such as clarification of assignments and readings will be
handled through WebCT email to all students, announcements and the discussion board.
.
Week One/ January 8
Lecture
Course syllabus and evaluation strategy
Attributes of the Network Society
Advocates and Critics
Reading
Barney, The Network Society, chapter 1
Frank Webster on the information society
http://www.ndu.edu/inss/books/Books%20%201998/Information%20Age%20Anthology%20-%20Sept%2098/ch04.html
Lab
Lab assignment introduction, set up on wiki
Week Two/ January 15
Lecture
Guest Lecture: Mark Kuznicki
Civic Engagement and Participation in a Digital Age
Reading
Barney, chapter 2
Lab
Principles of Good Research and Citation
Week Three/ January 22
Lecture
Digital Technology: Systems and Design
Diffusion of Innovation vs Social Shaping of Technology
Network Economy: A New Economy?
Reading
Barney, chapter 3, pp. 69 – 90
Manuel Castells on the new economy in the information society
http://www.geof.net/research/2005/castells-network-society
Lab
Alinsky’s 12 Rules of Power
Week Four/ January 29
Lecture
Networks and (Un) Employment
Surveillance and Security Issues
Reading
Barney, chapter 3, pp. 90 – 107
Michel Foucault on Panopticism:
http://www.cartome.org/foucault.htm
et/research/2005/castells-network-society
Lab
Research Support
Week Five/ February 5
Lecture
Guest lecture: Eric Squair
Digital Advocacy
Reading
TBA
Lab
Individual Research Assignment Due
Week Six/ February 12
Lecture Period
Test 1
Lab
Group Formation
Reading Week: February 18 – 22 No Classes
Week Seven/ February 26
Lecture
New Media, New Politics?
Guest Lecture: Mary-Margaret Jones
Reading
Barney, chapter 4, pp. 108 - 132
Lab
Planning a Communications Strategy
Week Eight/ March 5
Lecture
Network Technologies and Democracy
Reading
Barney, chapter 4, pp. 132 – 142
Naomi Klein on the new media and politics:
http://www.naomiklein.org/articles/2001/10/signs-times
Lab
Group Communication Strategy Due
Week Nine/ March 12
Lecture
Technology and Culture: The Rise of Robots
Reading
TBA
Lab
Feedback on strategy
Week 10/ March 19
Lecture
Technology, the New Media and Identity
Reading
Barney, chapter 5, pp. 143 - 175
Lab
Assistance on final project
Week 11/ March 26
Lecture
Digital Divides
Reading
Demographics of internet users
http://www.pewinternet.org/trends/User_Demo_6.15.07.htm
http://www.stanford.edu/group/siqss/itandsociety/v01i04/v01i04a05.pdf
Lab
Assistance on final project
Week 12/April 2
Lecture
Course Summary: The Consequences of Information and Communication Technology
Reading
Barney, Conclusion
Lab
Final Communications Strategy and Effort Due
Week 13/ April 9
Lecture Period
Test 2
Lab
N/A