SOC352-22 (Fall 97 - Kuechler)
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION REVOLUTION
As already outlined in the syllabus, each student will investigate a particular area of everyday life (see list below) with respect to changes the new technologies have brought. Each student will use the web in the pursuit of specific practical tasks putting him/herself in the role of someone who tries to make the most of the newly available tools. These papers are supposed to be reports of fact-finding missions. Their primary goal is to provide information. Judgment and evaluations of what these changes will mean for society are to be reserved for the second paper.
No matter what particular area you are assigned to (based on the preferences you expressed), always look for how the Web is changing social relations and/or the delivery of services. Don't spend much time with web sites that offers little that is truly innovative. We are not interested in sites that use the web mostly as an advertising medium, focus on sites that have interactive components of one form or the other. Below I will give more specific hints for each of the five areas we picked for this assignment.
All the area is broadly defined, and each student will need to find a more specific focus within the assigned area. The suggestions below should be taken as a general guide. You don't have to address all issues and you are not restricted to these either. They are meant to stimulate your own creativity. They are starting points rather than complete road maps. You may want to think about a focus for your second paper and let this guide you in your exploration.
The only very firm advice I have is to start early. Web explorations are time consuming. Keep good track of sites visited by maintaining an orderly bookmark file. (We will discuss bookmark files in class on Thursday, Sep 11 -- in a slight change from the schedule in the syllabus -- and postpone a fuller discussion of e-mail till Sep 16. At that point all students -- including new transfers -- should have their e-mail accounts.)
Explore issues of making or finding friends and/or love. Pass over web sites that just advertise match making services. Look for sites where matchmaking is done via the Web, for sites that provide an opportunity to mingle, to meet. Put yourself in the role of someone seeking friendship/love and see what you can find, how things work on the Internet. Now, if you are currently in a relationship, do not take this course as an excuse to break up, divorce, etc. Hunter College will not be liable for any damage to your personal relationship this assignment may cause if handled improperly. ;-)
Possible second paper focus: Will people become more isolated due to the Web, turning into socially inept computer nerds or will the Web help to expand and strengthen friendship networks?
Again, stay away or ignore site that simply advertise their products or services. You may focus on mental health or on physical health, on preventive health or curative health. You may want to look for "web shrinks", psychotherapy rendered via the Web. You could put yourself in the role of someone who has been diagnosed with a serious medical problem and wants to find out more about treatment options, available medication, etc. - using sources on the Web as a 'second opinion'.
Possible second paper focus: Will the Web produce better informed patients and more balanced relations between doctor and patients or will the Web cause more confusion by spreading half-truths, rumors, and unsubstantiated claims about health issues and undermine the trust between patients and professionals in the medical field?
You don't have to focus on adult entertainment (also known as cybersex), but it is one of the most controversial and therefore sociologically interesting issues in the debate about the Internet. The "Communication Decency Act (CDA)" has been found unconstitutional, but the debate is not over. You may want to check for yourself what exactly is out there, how easy it is for kids to access such material, and how the protection of children can be reconciled with other people freedom of speech and expression. Again, please be sure that you can handle this kind of research, that your religious and/or moral beliefs will not be offended by considering these matters in empirical detail. Also, you may find that your explorations are very limited unless you are willing to pay at least a small fee. Be aware that Hunter College will not reimburse you for any expenses you may occur. I also doubt that you will be able to write off any such cost as educational expenses.
An alternative focus - away from cybersex - is to look for entertainment offering via the Web. Again, not just advertisement for concerts, shows, movies, but delivery of entertainment via the Web. A fuller exploration of this sort may require access to a multi-media station (sound card, speakers) and an appropriately configured Web browser. At present, Hunter does not provide such resources in the open computer labs. If you want to go into this direction, you need to have adequate off-campus access.
Possible second paper focus: Protection of children from harmful material without undue censorship, how to strike a fair balance?
Another way to phrase the topic is "The Web as a Marketplace" and you can look at this primarily from the perspective of the consumer (buyer) or primarily from the perspective of the (small) business person. Again, disregard site that offer little beyond advertising. Instead, look for interactive features, for opportunities to actually buy/sell via the Web. What good and services are available? How widespread is the use of the Web as a marketplace in certain sectors (like books, fashion, computers, automobiles, home furnishings, .....). How is exactly does it work? It is safe, are you protected from fraud? Is there access to alternative forms of buying like auctions? How can businesses improve their ties to their customer by using the Web? Are there certain good and services that are not available via the Web, why?
Possible second paper focus: Will the Web shift the balance of power between consumers and retailers; will consumer have more and better choices (quality, price) and will they be in increased danger of fraud, impulse buying, and wasting their money?
You can and should pick something more specific like visual art (paintings, sculptures, etc.), literary art, or music. However, a focus on music would require access to a multi-media station (see above), and a focus on literature would certainly profit from such a station as well. Unless you can overcome the technical limitations of what the Hunter labs currently offer, you may be better off to focus on visual arts. But, in any case, look for new ways in which people can come in touch with art via the Web, such as virtual museum visits. As to museum and galleries disregard those who simply post their location, their opening hours, their programs. Instead, look for those who put you directly in touch with art, that offer opportunities to appreciate art in new ways, to learn more about art. You may also focus on the artist and the Web as a tool for the artist to reach an audience bypassing traditional intermediaries (museums, galleries, literary agents, publishers, etc). Do not write your paper on some specific topic in art like "Medieval Painting in Germany" or "Primitive Polynesian Paintings" or whatever particular subspecies of art you are interested. Your paper needs to address the relation between artist and public, the ways the public can access and appreciate art.
Possible second paper focus: Will art become more 'democratic', less elitist; will a broader segment of the population have easier access to art; will artists have a better chance to reach an audience - or will easy access and the (partial) elimination of intermediaries result in mediocrity, loss of quality, commercialization?
For details on format specifications and deadlines consult the syllabus. But here is the short version: