Hi all!
Welcome to COMM 385, Communication, Culture and Cyberspace. I'll be writing blog entries throughout the course. Mostly, they'll just be my own rants that life or your blogs inspire.
For this first one, I just want to talk a little bit about the course. The class is designed to give you both experiences and readings about the topic at hand. I may change one of the assignments but I'll give you plenty of notice if I decide to do that. Just remember that you need to keep on top of the assignments and readings. They're due on Sundays. So, you've got a whole week to get them done. For the first assignment, you actually have until Monday rather than Sunday so that you'll have the whole weekend to do the assignment.
I want to comment on the books. The Wood and Smith book is dated. I admit that. The problem is there isn't any other text that really deals with communication theory. So, I'm kinda stuck with it. I've thought about doing a reading packet but most articles that I would use are written in a scholarly fashion that may not get to the issues at hand. So, please bear with the Wood and Smith book and appreciate it for what it offers. As for the Postman book, I love Neil Postman. Yes, it, too, is dated. But his thoughts are even more relevant as technology becomes more and more prevalent in our lives. So, again, take from it what the book offers.
I hope you'll enjoy this class and gain a new appreciation for the place and influence that technology plays in all of our lives. Feel free to comment on my blog posts. Just remember to fulfill the assignments, you need to comment on your classmates' blogs as well!
Here's to a great term! (Clinks imaginary glass)
Dr. Goodnow
