Proposed Syllabus

Identity in Social Technologies

Fall 2011

Abstract
Current online environments and virtual worlds give users the opportunity
to express themselves or create personae in ways that were unavailable even a few
years ago. As these technologies become more widespread and popular, the
connected, physical world finds itself challenged by a modern crisis in identity: how
does one differentiate oneself in a competitive work and interpersonal environment
when more of our work and interpersonal communication is computer-mediated?
The environment in question largely determines the strategy one takes but at
present they all have one thing in common – they are mostly writing-based
environments. Even those technologies that employ audio and video, such as Skype
or online games, have as their primary or original means of communication in the
written word.
This class will expose students to modern theories of identity in online
environments, as well as to a variety of different types of those environments.
Course readings will build a foundation upon which students can analyze these
environments to identify the main means of identity creation in that environment,
as well as its limitations and opportunities. Upon completion of the course students
will be able to broadly discuss the history and evolution of online social
technologies, critically analyze the elements and methods of identity creation in
these environments, and suggest strategies for users to be more successful in
managing their identity as well as environment creators and managers for enabling
and supporting their users.

Instructor Contact

Instructor Donald Merritt

Office CL1 203
Office TBD
Hours
Phone 823-2571
E-mail dmerritt@mail.ucf.edu
Course Information

Course Name Identity in Social Technologies

Course ID & Course ID & Section
Section
Credit Hours 3.0
Semester/Year Semester / Year
Location Meeting day, time and location

Course Description
This course is intended to give students the skills to identify and analyze identity
creation tools and techniques in modern social technologies, including online
social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, online games) and physical devices
(iPhone, Blackberry). While the primary focus of the course will be on writing
strategies employed in online spaces, peripheral and traditional strategies will
also be discussed. Taken as a whole this class will introduce students to:

 The history and evolution of social technologies

 Critical cultural theory regarding identity creation and management and
modern technologies
 Current trends in social technologies and leading critics
 An overview of identity technologies and practices within and outside of
the mainstream

Course Objectives
The course will be divided into three main components:

1. Identifying Identity is intended to give students an overview of identity

creation methods and a foundation for discussing how social technologies
influence and inform our personal identities.
2. Critical Analysis will give students a theoretical basis for comparing,
contrasting, and predicting trends in the development of social
technologies and their influence on identity management.
3. Social Technologies is intended to expose students to those social
technologies that allow for identity creation and management such as
Facebook, online games, instant messaging and mobile devices. Students
will also get some historical perspective on the evolution of those technologies
and their predecessors.
Required Text
Course readings include foundational works on identity in the modern era; an
overview of cultural studies approaches that can be used in the class; and
current writing and criticism from across the internet regarding trends and
technologies. Given the wide array of possible instruments (websites and games)
and technologies to discuss and analyze, assignments will focus on building
criticism skills that can be applied to the student’s choice of subject technology or
instrument.

 Trend, David. Reading Digital Culture. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers,

2001. Web.
 O'Gorman, Marcel. E-Crit : Digital Media, Critical Theory and the Humanities.
Toronto ; Buffalo, N.Y.: University of Toronto Press, 2006. Web.
 Turkle, Sherry. Life on the Screen : Identity in the Age of the Internet. New York:
Simon & Schuster, 1995. Web.

Supplemental Texts and Readings

 Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media. 1 MIT Press pbk ed.
Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2000.
 Bogost, Ian. Persuasive Games : The Expressive Power of Videogames.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2007.
 Harrigan, Pat, and Noah Wardrip Fruin. First Person : New Media as
Story, Performance, and Game. Cambridge, Mass. ; London: MIT, 2006.
 Various blogs, including:
o Terra Nova: A blog about virtual worlds
 http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/
o Ian Bogost: Videogame Theory, Criticism, Design
 http://www.bogost.com/
o Confessions of an Aca-Fan: The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins
 http://henryjenkins.org/
o Tweetage Wasteland
 http://tweetagewasteland.com/
 Various online environments, including but not limited to:
o Facebook
o Myspace
o LinkedIn
o Persistent virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft, The Sims, or
Second Life
o Dating / Relationship sites such as OKcupid or Match.com
o Other resources as suggested by students

Course Requirements
Students must have access to a computer and the internet in order to complete
this course. We will explore a variety of websites and online or virtual
environments. All work for this class that involves online sites or environments
can be completed without subscribing to any specific services. However if
students already are a member of such a site or virtual world they may use that
as part of their classwork but will receive no additional credit for their
membership.

Missed Assignments/Make-Ups/Extra Credit

All assignments and exams will be due by a specific date and time, listed in
Webcourses. Late work will receive no credit. Extra credit is not available for this
class.

Evaluation and Grading

1. Online participation (20%). Social technologies will be used to
communicate among students throughout the semester. Participation
within these technologies will be a weekly requirement and may involve
reading discussions or other work related to that week’s class material.
2. Preliminary Self-survey (10%). Early in the semester the students will write
a short assessment (@2000 words) of the social instruments they use and
how they employ them. This is meant to create an inventory of
technologies and assess students’ awareness of what role those
instruments play in creating a sense of self. This will give students a
personal foundation on which to begin to discuss identity creation and
social technologies.
3. Midterm (20%). The midterm will cover concepts and critics read and
discussed during the first half of the semester.
4. Social Tool Inventory (20%). Students will identify three significantly
“different” social technologies, based on class discussions, and write a
short analysis (@1000 words) on each. These analyses will be shared and
discussed with other students in the class in order to build an appreciation
for the variety of instruments and methods of identity creation online.
5. Critical analysis of an identity tool final project (30%). This assignment is a
longer-form essay (@4000 words) in which the student will identify a
social identity-management instrument and analyze it based on the
readings and criticisms discussed during class. This analysis will give a
thorough history of the technology, discuss the identity-creation methods
enabled by the technology, and analyze those methods based on
contemporary social media criticism.
 Assignment Percentage of Grade
Letter Points
Grade Online Participation 20%

A 90-100 Preliminary Self- 10%

Survey
B 80-89
Social Tool Inventory 20%
C 70-79
Assignment 4 20%
D 60-69
Final Project 30%
F 59 or below
Total 100%

Attendance Policy
Since class discussions will comprise a significant portion of the course material,
attendance at all class meetings is required unless otherwise specified in the
Webcourses calendar.

Academic Honesty
Plagiarism and Cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment will
result at least in an "F" for that assignment (and may, depending on the severity
of the case, lead to an "F" for the entire course) and may be subject to
appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action. See the
UCF Golden Rule for further information. I will assume for this course that you will
adhere to the academic creed of this University and will maintain the highest
standards of academic integrity. In other words, don't cheat by giving answers to
others or taking them from anyone else. I will also adhere to the highest
standards of academic integrity, so please do not ask me to change (or expect
me to change) your grade illegitimately or to bend or break rules for one person
that will not apply to everyone.

Disability Statement
The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable
accommodations for all persons with disabilities. This syllabus is available in
alternate formats upon request. Students with disabilities who need
accommodations in this course must contact the professor at the beginning of the
semester to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be
provided until the student has met with the professor to request
accommodations. Students who need accommodations must be registered with
Student Disability Services, Student Resource Center Room 132, phone (407) 823-
2371, TTY/TDD only phone (407) 823-2116, before requesting accommodations
from the professor.

Copyright
This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video
clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the
Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not
copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is
strictly reserved for this online classroom environment and your use only. All
copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Third-Party Software and FERPA

During this course you might have the opportunity to use public online services
and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as a
blog or wiki. While some of these could be required assignments, you need not
make any personally identifying information on a public site. Do not post or
provide any private information about yourself or your classmates. Where
appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments
posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments
will not require you to disclose any personally identity-sensitive information. If you
have any concerns about this, please contact your instructor.
Course Schedule
Week 1: What are virtual environments?
Week 2: What is identity? (Turkle)
Week 3: Identifying virtual environments continued and self-survey and discussion
Week 4: Reading Digital Culture (RDC): Zizek, Virilio, Haraway
Week 5: RDC: Gibson, Heim, Morse, Laurel
Week 6: RDC: Aronowitz, Kroker and Weinstein
Week 7: Bloggers and commenters
Week 8: Review and Midterm
Week 9: O’Gorman, discuss Social Tool Inventory
Week 10: O’Gorman continued
Week 11: Social Tool Inventory due, discussions
Week 12: Critical analysis rough draft due
Week 13: RDC: Stone, Dibbell, Silberman
Week 14:RDC: Poster, Ronell, Bailey
Week 15: Class discussions and critical analysis advising
Week 16: Exam week – Critical analysis due