EMAC 6342 - Digital Culture

Spring 2016
ATC 2.918
T 7-9:45pm
Contact Information
Dr. Angela Lee
Phone: 972-883-7539
Email: angela.lee@utdallas.edu
Office hours: After class & by appointment
Office: ATC 1.907
Course Description
Culture, Merriam-Websters 2014 Word of the Year, is a loaded term that means
different things to different people. To some, culture is a normative activity (e.g., going
to an art show or attending a concert); to others, culture is about a specific group or
societys collective customs, beliefs, and/or ways of life (e.g., Asian societies emphasis
on filial piety). Drawing on a journalism ethics perspective, this course will examine the
nature, antecedents, and effects of digital culture through four broad topics: journalistic &
political implications, economic values, interpersonal influences, and cognitive &
psychological effects. Moreover, through class discussions and case study presentations,
students are encouraged to explore and research all aspects of digital culture that intrigue
or inspire them.
Learning Objectives
In this course, students will learn how to:

Examine various factors shaping the interaction between social groups and digital
technology
Become well-versed in key tenets of moral philosophy and learn how to apply
them to cultural assessments
Conduct original research that explores the nature, antecedents, and/or effects of
digital culture from social science perspectives
Develop critical thinking skills by participating in class discussions and
completing weekly reading responses
Present complex ideas in effective ways through case study presentations

Required Readings
There are no assigned textbooks for students to purchase. Instead, all of the readings are
made available online and their links can be found on the course calendar below. Be sure
to check the course calendar regularly and complete all assigned readings before class. In
the event that you are unable to download a reading, please contact Dr. Lee immediately
or Google the article with the full title given on the course calendar.
Course Syllabus

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Additional Course Requirements

Access to a computer (some in-class exercises will require that you bring a laptop
to class)
Check your UTD email regularly
Be in class on time

Course Policies

Students should familiarize themselves with official UTD course policies, which
can be found here: http://provost.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies/
No plagiarism. You should familiarize yourself with the concept of plagiarism
see the Avoiding Plagiarism section from the link above. Plagiarism is NOT
tolerated in this course. If you have any questions about this, ask me before you
turn in an assignment.
No late assignment. Many assignments are due in class. Unless otherwise
arranged with me prior to the deadline, late assignments are not accepted and will
automatically result in a zero.
Attendance. Our class meetings are an integral part of the learning experience for
the students. As such, you are expected to attend class, complete in-class
exercises or quizzes, and participate actively in class discussions. Arriving more
than 30 minutes late or leaving more than 30 minutes early will be marked as
absent.
Religious holidays. You must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen
days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a
class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a
religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work
within a reasonable time after the absence.
Disruptive behavior. Disruptive behavior is defined as behavior that interrupts
or interferes with daily functions of the University of the education processes by
the Dean of Students at UTD. To create a safe and welcoming environment for
learning, no disruptive behavior is allowed in this class. Students who make
inappropriate (e.g., hostile or threatening) remarks in class will be reported to the
Dean of Students.
Communication. In this class, e-mail will be used as a means of communication
with students. You are responsible for checking your school e-mail every day for
class work and announcements. Aside from e-mails, all pertinent information will
be made available on the course blog: emac6342s16.blogspot.com

Grading Policy

Class Participation (25%) This course is designed to be interactive and

participatory. Students are expected to (a) attend class, (b) arrive on time, (c)
participate in class discussions, and (d) provide peer-evaluation for each others
case study presentation. All students are permitted one class absences over the
course of the semester, no questions asked, but there will be no make-ups for in-

Course Syllabus

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class exercises or case study presentations and evaluations. Students who miss
more than five class meetings will receive a zero for participation. While in class,
students are asked to use electronic devices for class purposes only. Students who
are caught distracting other students by surfing on the Internet, for example, will
receive zero participation points for the day.
Reading Responses (25%) Your thoughts and opinions are important in this
class. As such, you are expected to post on the course blog every week to share
your thoughts, questions, and/or critiques of the readings. There is essentially only
one rule for the reading responsesdo NOT summarize the readings. Instead,
please use this opportunity to share your view on, criticize, or raise questions
about the readings. You are also encouraged to discuss issues related to or
inspired by the readings. There are no length requirements, hence the posts can be
as few or as many paragraphs as you like, but the posts should demonstrate
graduate-level (a) analytical rigor and (b) conceptual synthesis (e.g., connecting
the dots between at least two assigned readings or one assigned reading with
outside materials). Because your reading responses will be incorporated into the
lecture, they are due by 7pm every Sunday. No late responses are accepted, and
you will need to add a label to your responses on Blogger in order to receive
credit.
Case Study Presentations (50%) To enable first-hand experience researching
and evaluating different aspects of digital culture, you are expected to choose and
give two case study presentations in this class. Each case study comprises a 15-20
minutes in-class presentation and a 5-7 page written report using APA (6th
edition) citations. No late presentations or written reports are accepted.
Case Study 1 (25%) 12.5% presentation and 12.5% written report
Case Study 2 (25%) 12.5% presentation and 12.5% written report

Grading Scheme
A = 93 or above
A- = 90-92
B+ = 87-89
B = 83-86
B- = 80-82
C+ = 77-79

C = 73-76
C- = 70-72
D+ = 67-69
D = 63-66
D- = 60-62
F = 59 or below

Please form a study group and write down the contact information of other members here
(Name, email and/or phone number).
1.
2.

Our Course Blog URL: emac6342s16.blogspot.com

Course Syllabus

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Week 1: Jan 12
Overview & setting up course blog
** Got articles or multimedia content to share with the class throughout the semester?
Please feel free to post them on the course blog, email me (amlee229@gmail.com), or
tweet at me @angelamlee using the #emac6342 hashtag

Theoretical Foundation
Week 2: Jan 19
Moral philosophy and why it matters
Readings:
1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

What is the meaning of culture?: http://www.newyorker.com/books/joshuarothman/meaning-culture

Chapter 1 in Moral Minds:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Helen_Haste/publication/238397752_Moral
_minds_how_nature_designed_our_universal_sense_of_right_and_wrong/links/0
deec53c677d1a260d000000.pdf
Ethics and moral reasoning On Blackboard (see Course Homepage)
Whats morally acceptable? It depends on where in the world you live:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/04/15/whats-morally-acceptable-itdepends-on-where-in-the-world-you-live/
Raising a moral child:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/12/opinion/sunday/raising-a-moralchild.html?_r=0

Week 3: Jan 26
Dilemmas & ethical decision-making
Readings:
1. Can moral disputes be resolved?:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/13/can-moral-disputes-be-resolved/
2. Should your self-driving car be programmed to kill if it means saving more
strangers?: http://boingboing.net/2015/06/17/should-your-self-driving-car-b.html
3. Why self-driving cars must be programmed to kill:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/05/20/americans-views-about-data-collectionand-security/

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4. The robots dilemma: working out how to build ethical robots is one of the
thorniest challenges in artificial intelligence:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/294965617/Deng-2015-The-Robot-s-Dilemma
5. 9 moral dilemmas that will break your brain:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tracyclayton/moral-dilemmas-that-will-break-yourbrain - .yeQy2kgWr
6. Men and women use different scales to weigh moral dilemmas:
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/04/03/397280759/men-andwomen-use-different-scales-to-weigh-moral-dilemmas
7. Mining, money, and environmental morals: http://www.psmag.com/nature-andtechnology/money-over-the-future-of-the-planet-any-day

TOPIC A: Journalistic & Political Impacts

Week 4: Feb 2
Clash of traditional and emerging values in digital journalism
Readings:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Social media and speed-driven journalism: Expectations and practices:

https://www.academia.edu/19675354/Social_Media_and_SpeedDriven_Journalism_Expectations_and_Practices
The tricky terrain of virtual reality: www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/publiceditor/new-york-times-virtual-reality-margaret-sullivan-public-editor.html
This is not an interview with Banksy:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/21/this-is-notan-interview-with-banksy/
Ease of altercation creates woes for picture editors:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/14/technology/14photoshop.html
You can now search through more than 400 media ethics codes:
http://www.poynter.org/2015/you-can-now-search-through-more-than-400-mediaethics-codes/385371/
Canadas CBS news shows what thoughtful breaking news coverage really looks
like: http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/canadas-cbc-news-shows-whatthoughtful-breaking-news-coverage-really-looks-like/244119?red=tn

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Week 5: Feb 9
Information seeking, polarization, and digital democracy
Readings:
1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

6.

The evolving role of news on Twitter and Facebook:

http://www.journalism.org/2015/07/14/the-evolving-role-of-news-on-twitter-andfacebook/
The science of protecting peoples feelings: why we pretend all opinions are
equal: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energyenvironment/wp/2015/03/10/the-science-of-protecting-peoples-feelings-why-wepretend-all-opinions-are-equal/?postshare=6681426372650395
Political polarization in the American public: http://www.peoplepress.org/2014/06/12/political-polarization-in-the-american-public/
The social-network illusion that tricks your mind:
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/538866/the-social-network-illusion-thattricks-your-mind/
If you use Facebook to get your news, pleasefor the love of democracyread
this first: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/06/03/ifyou-use-facebook-to-get-your-news-please-for-the-love-of-democracy-read-thisfirst/
Facebook use polarizing? Site begs to differ:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/08/technology/facebook-study-disputes-theoryof-political-polarization-among-users.html?smid=tw-share

NOTE: Case study proposals for Topic A due by 7pm on Feb 10

Week 6: Feb 16
Case Study Presentations in Topic A: Journalistic and Political Implications

TOPIC B: Economic Values

Week 7: Feb 23
Digital media users: Who is using and paying for what?
Reading:
1. Ramen noodles theory of online news is still food for thought:
http://www.naa.org/News-and-Media/Blog/ramen-noodles-online-news
2. Serious reading takes a hit from online scanning and skimming, research says:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/serious-reading-takes-a-hit-from-onlinescanning-and-skimming-researchers-say/2014/04/06/088028d2-b5d2-11e3-b89920667de76985_story.html
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3. How millennials get news: inside the habits of Americas first digital
generation: https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/reports/surveyresearch/millennials-news/
4. Millennials say keeping up with the news is important to thembut good luck
getting them to pay: http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/03/millennials-saykeeping-up-with-the-news-is-important-to-them-but-good-luck-getting-them-topay-for-it/
5. Why digital natives prefer reading in print. Yes, you read that right:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/why-digital-natives-prefer-reading-inprint-yes-you-read-that-right/2015/02/22/8596ca86-b871-11e4-9423f3d0a1ec335c_story.html
6. Examining third-person perception of news consumers intention to pay:
https://www.academia.edu/16164498/Examining_the_ThirdPerson_Perception_on_News_Consumers_Intention_to_Pay
7. The bad news about the news:
http://www.brookings.edu/research/essays/2014/bad-news

Week 8: March 1
Economics of digital media
Readings:
1. Industry breakdown: Newspapers still largest revenue segment:
http://www.journalism.org/2014/03/26/industry-breakdown-newspapers-stilllargest-revenue-segment/
2. Spending on native advertising is soaring as marketers and digital media
publishers realize the benefits: http://www.businessinsider.com/spending-onnative-ads-will-soar-as-publishers-and-advertisers-take-notice-2014-11
3. FCCs enforcement policy statement on deceptively formatted advertisements:
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_statements/896923/151222de
ceptiveenforcement.pdf?utm_source=govdelivery
4. Free? New research shows youre likely paying with your privacy:
https://theconversation.com/think-youre-reading-the-news-for-free-new-researchshows-youre-likely-paying-with-your-privacy-49694
5. Facebook to tell brands more about whos near their stores, tailor ads to them:
http://adage.com/article/digital/facebook-brands-stores-tailor-ads/301219/
6. Digital news revenue: fact sheet: http://www.journalism.org/2015/04/29/digitalnews-revenue-fact-sheet/
NOTE: Case study proposals for Topic B due by 7pm on March 2

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Week 9: March 8
Case Study Presentations in Topic B: Economic Values

Week 10: March 15

Spring break NO CLASS
Topic C: Interpersonal Influences
Week 11: March 22
Relationships in the digital age: Are we better off?
Readings:
1. Texting insincerely: the role of the period in text messaging:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563215302181
2. How friendships fights depression:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/08/how-friendship-fightsdepression/401807/?utm_source=SFFB
3. Give it five minutes: https://m.signalvnoise.com/give-it-five-minutesb8115d6f2361#.x8cyakra1
4. Chapter 4: phone use in social gatherings:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/26/chapter-4-phone-use-in-social-gatherings/
5. Teen voices: dating in the digital age: http://www.pewinternet.org/onlineromance/?utm_content=bufferc50e0&utm
6. All my exes live in texts: why the social media generation never really breaks
up: http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/07/texting-exes-social-media-generation.html
7. Photographer documents the death of real-life conversation:
http://mashable.com/2014/10/27/death-of-a-conversation-photography
The likely cause of addiction has been discovered, and it is not what you think:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/the-real-cause-ofaddicti_b_6506936.html

Week 12: March 29

Privacy in the digital age: What are we trading it for?
Reading:
1.

Americans views about data collection and security:

http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/05/20/americans-views-about-data-collectionand-security/

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2. How the Intercept is balancing useful analytics with reader privacy:

http://www.poynter.org/2015/how-the-intercept-is-making-analytics-useful-whileprotecting-privacy/385400/
3. Foiling electronic snoops in email:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/technology/personaltech/foiling-electronicsnoops-in-email.html?smid=tw-nytimesbits&smtyp=cur
4. Behind the European privacy ruling thats confounding Silicon Valley:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/business/international/behind-the-europeanprivacy-ruling-thats-confounding-silicon-valley.html?smid=tw-share
5. Sharing data, but not happily:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/05/technology/consumers-conflicted-over-datamining-policies-report-finds.html?smid=tw-share
6. The death of privacy: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/03/internetdeath-privacy-google-facebook-alex-preston
NOTE: Case study proposals for Topic C due by 7pm on March 30

Week 13: April 5

Case Study Presentations in Topic C: Interpersonal Influences

Topic D: Psychological & Cognitive Effects

Week 14: April 12
Living in the age of abundance and overload
Readings:
1. Only 2% of people can actually multitask this test will tell you if you are one
of them: http://www.businessinsider.com/multitasker-test-tells-you-if-you-areone-of-the-2-2014-5
a. Direct URL to the test:
http://psych.newcastle.edu.au/~ae273/Gatekeeper_XOR/
2. 7 things you need to stop doing to be more productive:
https://medium.com/swlh/7-things-you-need-to-stop-doing-to-be-moreproductive-backed-by-science-a988c17383a6 - .1qdxgzjmi
3. Faking cultural literacy:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/opinion/sunday/faking-culturalliteracy.html?smid=fb-share&_r=3
4. Death by information overload: https://hbr.org/2009/09/death-by-informationoverload
5. No time to think:
http://faculty.washington.edu/dmlevy/Levy_No_Time_to_Think.pdf

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6. Taming the information tide: perceptions of information overload in the

American home: http://www.wrneuman.com/nav_pub_106_1429809901.pdf
7. From information to knowing: exploring the role of social media in
contemporary news consumption: http://www.looooker.com/wpcontent/uploads/2014/03/From-information-to-knowing-Exploring-therole-of-social-media-in-contemporary-news-consumption.pdf

Week 15: April 19

Numbers, big data, and the brave new world
Readings:
1. How numbers on Facebook change behavior:
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/11/how-numbers-onfacebook-change-our-behavior/382005/
2. The promise of big data: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/magazine/spr12big-data-tb-health-costs/
3. Pitfalls of big data: test prep company charges by geography, ends up charging
more by race: http://consumerist.com/2015/09/03/pitfalls-of-big-data-test-prepcompany-charges-by-geography-ends-up-charging-more-by-race/
4. How social bias creeps into web technology:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/computers-are-showing-their-biases-and-tech-firmsare-concerned-1440102894
5. The hypocrisy of the Internet journalist: https://medium.com/message/thehypocrisy-of-the-internet-journalist-587d33f6279e - .yunn3axp7
6. Study: metrics have powerful influence on journalists morale:
https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/study-metrics-have-powerful-influence-overjournalists-morale/s2/a565050/
NOTE: Case study proposals for Topic D due by 7pm on April 20

Week 16: April 26

Case Study Presentations in Topic D: Cognitive & Psychological Effects
Pizza Party

The descriptions and timelines contained in this syllabus are

subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.
Course Syllabus

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