The Reading for the PRACTICE Common Final

* Please print this out, actively read it, and bring it to class on Tuesday for the practice final. Thanks...

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Culture and Technology/The myth of tech gadgets and social alienation
Jordan Kraemer


As mobile communications and media devices proliferate, the nagging worry frequently goes unchallenged: Gadgets like iPods, cell phones and laptops produce an increasingly disconnected public sphere. This is a familiar critique -- last year, a fellow student expressed in the campus newspaper a similar dissatisfaction with the popularity of MP3 players. He argued that, lost in our private worlds of music, we fail to reach out and connect with one another.

Certainly, I wonder about the social impact of new technology --particularly, the contradiction between identical, impersonal mass goods that can nevertheless be personalized, which fools us into a false sense of self-determination as we tailor each assembly-line product to fit our individual needs. But the issue of the relationship between technology and society remains a stubbornly complex one, resting on a number of assumptions that ought to be considered a little more carefully.

Most broadly, technology does not simply progress in some ineluctable, linear manner according to unbiased scientific advances, as British media critic Raymond Williams demonstrated many years ago. Technology is inseparable from culture and depends on the vested interests of those with power and resources. New technological needs arise according to new social forms, frequently dependent on innovations produced for entirely different purposes. The potential social effects of new technology cannot be considered separately from other kinds of social change, such as increasing mobility.

When fearmongering about the effect of new gadgets on the social sphere, some folks assume a simple relationship between social change and technology, where the rise of cell phones and iPods inevitably leads to social alienation. But this view requires a particular understanding of a public sphere that I don't find convincing. Before any of us had an MP3 player or a cell phone, did we regularly engage in conversations with strangers in the street or on the bus? If society has become increasingly atomized, it's not because new tech gadgets absorb us into our own private worlds, but rather because a dearth of social spaces exists to meet current social needs.

When I used to commute to work before iPods and cell phones became ubiquitous, I was always careful to bring a book with me, and even if I didn't, I rarely struck up conversations with strangers. Similarly, in college in the late 1990s, I might occasionally nod to a familiar face when walking to class, but generally, the "public sphere" of walkways and lawns rarely constituted a prime site of social engagement. Getting lunch with friends, socializing in the dorms, working together in the library --those spaces better allowed for creating social connections and were more specialized than a generic "public" space, because they connected us through existing social networks. Both then and more recently, technological wonders like instant messaging and WiFi contributed to social activity, allowing students to communicate easily from across campus, or in the requisite quiet of the library.

Ultimately, I question whether mobile communications and media devices really interfere with the public sphere, or simply provide communications and media for increasingly mobile populations. If opportunities for social interaction are dwindling in modern society, we need to look at how social spaces are produced and sustained. Most communal spaces these days are either private or commercial. Communal public space does not feature prominently in modern urban spaces, and to the extent that it does, people still seek out others with whom they already have some kind of common interest or connection.

If building community is the issue, then we must consider how such social connections are created in a mobile society. Technology can and does facilitate the production of communities of common interest, disseminating information and connecting people according to existing social networks. Our sprawling, mobile, mediated mass society may invite a level of social fragmentation that undermines social capital, but laying the blame on the latest tech toys simply misses the broader picture.

Thursday's Class

Just to remind everyone...tomorrow (Thursday) we will workshop. Be sure to bring 2 copies of your Rough Draft and the Course Reader.

See you then...

Information About the Common Final

**If you haven't looked at the blog recently, please be sure to look at the past few posts, which have important information for the final weeks of class...**

As you know, you will have the Common Final on Monday, Dec. 11 at 8 am. I will discuss it with you at length in class this week, but to back it up, here is that information in writing.

1. The location will be announced during our last class session.

2. The reading for the Common Final will be distributed during our last class. It is essential that you are in class, as I cannot email the reading to you--you must be there to get an actual copy.

3. The prompt will be given at the exam itself.

4. We will have a practice exam on Tuesday, 12/4, and you will get tips (based on the practice exams) in our last class.

5. If you have a (legit) conflict with the time, please speak with me IMMEDIATELY. You must set up the alternate time in ADVANCE--students must bring proof of the conflict to the Office and they can take the exam at the Alternate time. Students who miss the exam for other reasons (e.g. they sleep in) cannot take it at the Alternate time and will lose that part of the grade.

6. You must bring the following to the exam:
*the readings
*blue book(s)
*pen(s)
*a photo ID (do NOT forget this one!)

7. If a student has a disability (and therefore needs extra time or has some other special needs, he/she must be registered with the DSP office to get special requests. Have the student get a copy of a letter from the DSP (this is standard procedure) and then get that letter to the office which will handle the arrangements. REQUESTS SHOULD BE MADE ASAP AS LAST MINUTE REQUESTS MAY NOT BE HONORED.

8. Students can use a dictionary and Hacker; however, they cannot use electronic dictionaries as it's too hard to keep track of what else might be in the memory of such devices.

AND HERE ARE SOME MORE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS...

Q: Are they encouraged to write a draft first, and then revise for their
final copy?

A: They are certainly welcome to do that if they can manage their time.
Students are welcome to have study groups, to write on the readings, to
read them over and over.

REMINDER: Students will get the prompt for the exam at the exam itself.
They should NOT try to pre-write the exam.

Q: Is there a length requirement for the essay?

A: There is no requirement.

Q: Do they have to use the full two hours?

A: They do not have to use the full 2 hours.

Class Announcements (About the Final 2 Weeks)

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving...now that we're past the holiday, we're really in the final stretch for class. With that in mind, I'd like to take a moment to go over the schedule for the last two weeks. (Also, if you missed class on Tuesday), this will fill you in on what you need to do for this coming Tuesday).

Tuesday, 11/28: Come to class knowing which essay you will focus on in the third paper. Also, written on a piece of paper, bring in a one-sentence summary of the author's position on his/her subject. In class, we will complete a "Building Blocks" exercise designed to help you with your Rough Draft.

Thursday, 11/30: Bring 2 copies of your rough draft to class, where we will workshop (like with previous papers). In addition to the workshop, I will give information about the Common Final.

Tuesday, 12/6: FINAL DRAFT of the third paper is due. Like with the second paper, I want the Final Draft stapled on its own, and then all pre-work stapled separately. During class, we will take a "practice common final," so be ready to dive right in.

Thursday, 12/8: I will give back suggestions for the common final based on your practice exam. Also, we will complete Course Evaluations and some self-assessment work. Come to class with the grades for your first two papers.

Also, I will be adding extended office hours over these two weeks--announcements will be made in class.

Important Info About THIS TUESDAY's class

As mentioned last week, I would like you to contact me if you are going to miss class this Tuesday. Often, people miss the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong--it IS an official class meeting--but it always seems like a lot of people make it their "absence" for the quarter, etc. If you are going to miss, please email me as soon as possible (many already have) so I can properly plan for class. (Meaning, my plans change if there are 20 people, 10 people, or, as happened once, 4 people...). Thanks so much for keeping me up-to-date on your plans!

FOR BOTH CLASSES: What to Bring on Tuesday

This was mentioned on Thursday, but since it was a "Paper Day," I wanted to remind everyone (in case it slipped your mind). On Tuesday, please bring both the Course Reader AND Starting Lines. Also, don't forget the four readings (O'Malley, Estrada, Shrenk, and Statky) along with your Reading Response.

We've got a lot to cover this next week, so be ready to dive in, and always remember to email me with any questions at all.

Thanks...

For Students in the 10:00 class--Continued

Now that you've registered with blogger (see directions below), it's time to dive into the exercise. This project will accomplish two goals--first, it will help you continue to articulate your feelings about college; second, it will serve a larger social good in that you will help current high school students better understand the college experience.

Please go to: http://cihsucsbqa.blogspot.com/ . You will find 18 questions on that page. For each question, click on the little link underneath that says "Comment"...this will take you to another page where you will log in, and can write your answer. Once you've completed your answer, submit it, and go back to: http://cihsucsbqa.blogspot.com/ . Then, move on to the next question, and so on. You must answer AT LEAST 12 of the questions.

Tonight, I will go through and give you credit for completing this assignment. More directions will be given in class.

Please remember that this is a public forum, as well--I will be reading it. Also, remember who your audience is--high school students. Please keep this in mind as you answer. Thanks.

For students in the 10:00 section (ACE)--UPDATE

As part of the final steps of the second unit, we have a special project that will take place online. To prepare for this project, please complete the following steps:

1. Go to http://www.blogger.com/signup.g and create a "blogger" account. Make sure your username is our FIRST NAME, so I can properly identify you on the page. If your name is "not available," simply add "ACE" onto it--for example, "BobACE" instead of "Bob." Do not use your last name, or nicknames.

2. Feel free to add whatever you'd like for the "About Me" section--but keep it "class-friendly," as this is, after all, a class project.

3. Make note of your username and password, then log off.

On Thursday, in class, I will give you further instructions.

What to Turn in With the Final Draft on Thursday

As you know, the Final Draft of the Compare/Contrast paper is due Thursday. Like the last paper, however, you will turn in an entire portfolio on the due date, which reflects the entire process for the project.

This time, turning in the materials will be slightly different. Please read the following instructions carefully, and follow them exactly. Thank you.

This time, you will turn in two things:

1. The final draft, in MLA format, stapled.

2. Stapled together separately from the Final Draft, include one of the Rough Drafts, the Reading Responses, any pre-work, and the "editorial" exercise.

While you'll turn these in at the same time, I would like them stapled separately this time. Please email me with any questions at all.

Extended Office Hours

Since you have a paper due this week (Rough Draft, Tues; Final Draft, Thurs), I thought I would offer some extended time to assist you as needed...with that in mind, my office hours on Tuesday will expand to include 12-1 pm. If you would like to meet with me, I will be in the HSSB Courtyard (not my office)--please just come on up and we can discuss your draft...