Instructor Information

Instructor:	Pete Nordquist
Phone:	552-6148
E-mail:	nordquip@sou.edu
Office:	CS215
Office Hours:	MWF afternoons
Website:	http://www.sou.edu/cs/nordquist/cis199

The web site contains class notes, assignments, and other useful information.

Course Text

The New Media Reader, edited by Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Nick Montfort, MIT Press, 2003.

Course Objectives

1. Explore how digital media affect our individual and corporate lives by looking at the history of digital media development.

2. Explore what people who work in various aspects of the computer industry really do by hearing from several guest speakers.

Very Tentative Possible Schedule

Week	Text section
1	Introduction, 01, 02, Ellen Wright (Bear Creek Corp. Web development)
2	03, 06, 08, Priscilla Oppenheimer (SOU, Open Door Networks)
3	11, 13,
4	15, 18, 19, Janis Angelini (Bear Creek Corp Website)
5	22, 24, Teri O’Rourke (SOU IT)
6	27, 28, 32, Geri Winters (Independent Consultant)
7	34, 36, 38, 40
8	Howard Schreiber (meet at RVTV), 41, 43, Charlie Bauer (Phoenix School district)
9	48, 51, ??, Vinnie Moscaritolo (Security specialist)
10	46, Virtual Economies Paper, 53 or 54, interview presentations

Course Grading

The media / historical understanding objective shown above will be fulfilled mostly by reading the articles in the text. The first meeting of each week, you will hand in a 2-page (double-spaced) paper analyzing some aspect of the reading that you feel is particularly important. Choose one concept from the reading and respond to this concept. Here are some questions you might consider in your analysis:

· Why is your concept important?

· Are there real-life examples related to your concept and how are they related?

· How might one test whether your concept is true?

· How is your concept different than what happened in the past?

Response papers will be graded on:

1. original thinking

2. clarity of expression

3. proper syntax (spelling and grammar)

There will be nine weekly response papers. Together, these nine papers are worth 80% of your grade. Late papers will not be accepted. If you experience exceptional circumstances that will not allow you to complete your paper on time, please email me as soon as you are aware of the problem.

The objective of exploring careers in the field will be fulfilled by finding and interviewing a person who works in the field. You will present the results of your interview in a 10 minute presentation on the day of the final. Your presentation itself together with your presentation notes are worth 20% of your grade.

If you find you are having trouble with a paper, will have to miss class for whatever reason, or anything else that pertains to this class, send me email explaining the situation. Email gives us a starting point for discussing a solution and an official timestamp that indicates when you first took action to solve the problem.

If you are in need of academic support because of a documented disability (whether it be learning, mobility, psychiatric, health-related, or sensory) you may be eligible for academic accommodations through disability services for students. Contact Margaret Dibb, director of disabled students services, at 552-6213, or schedule an appointment in person at the access center, Stevenson Union, lower level.