June 2003 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Research Request
by Doug Schules 16 Jun '03

16 Jun '03

Greetings, everyone. Givent the interdisciplinary nature of this association, I was hoping that a few of you out there could offer some suggestions for background research. Specifically, I'm completing my master's thesis at Syracuse University in Linguistics, and my focus is synchronous communication--essentially IRC and MUDs. I'm examining how credibility and authority are constructed in these sessions, paying particular attention to the "formality" of the code used, the types and frequency of "emoticons", and the presence (or absence) of emoting. The theoretical framework I'm employing is a slight revision of Searle's formulation of Speech Act Theory, how the various forces of an utterance manifest in this domain. Problem is, not much literature abounds on this subject. I've found some research on asynchronous communication, and slightly less on synchronous ones. So, what I'd like to know is if there is anything that ties SAT and Internet communication together. Barring that, anything related to credibility or emoticon use would be helpful (So far, the research I've been working with (1) considers gender in the construction of credibility and group dynamics and (2) discusses the role of the body in punishment). If you have any suggestions or ideas, please email me at dschules(a)syr.edu I appreciate your help! Doug Schules ---- --Behavior on the Internet sometimes convinces me that Hobbes' state of nature truly exists

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PhD studentship available
by Susan Kenyon 16 Jun '03

16 Jun '03

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DfT Research Studentship Traveller Information on the Web - Understanding the User in the Development of Transport Direct ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A unique opportunity exists at the University of the West of England to undertake a PhD that is linked to the Department for Transport's Transport Direct Division. The studentship will focus upon the understanding of user needs and reactions and usability issues associated with traveller information services and, more specifically, Transport Direct itself. Transport Direct (www.dft.gov.uk/itwp/transdirect) is a major project within the Government's Ten Year Plan for Transport. It aims to provide a 'one-stop-shop' traveller information service, initially via the Internet, which will allow the public to compare multi-modal travel options and, where appropriate, book and pay for journeys online. Users should also be able to receive real-time update information on chosen journey options. During the next three years a major design, build, operate project is taking place to develop and deliver the Transport Direct web service. This is a substantial challenge, technically, organisationally and in terms of data requirements. However, crucial to its success will be how easy intuitive and relevant users find the service to be. To achieve success, Transport Direct will need to be useful, usable and used. Its contribution to the Government's 10 Year Plan for transport will be reflected in its effectiveness in supporting and influencing travel choices. The DfT has a (market) research programme and has engaged both internal and external usability expertise to support the development the Transport Direct service. To complement this, it is also sponsoring a three-year PhD to be supervised by Professor Glenn Lyons within the Unit for Transport and Society, University of the West of England. Professor Lyons has an active involvement within the Transport Direct team as a part-time secondee to the DfT. He chairs the Transport Direct Research Steering Group and is responsible for representing end-users within the development process. The successful applicant will interact closely with the Transport Direct team and will have the opportunity to influence this significant element of the Ten Year Plan. S(he) will have the option of either being based at UWE or at the Transport Direct Offices in London. In either case expenses for regular visits between sites will be met. The Transport Direct Programme represents a lively and high quality working environment and is rich in opportunities for research and access to relevant people, information and data. Selection of the successful applicant will be through a process of presentation and interview. Applicants should be creative, highly motivated and self-disciplined. The studentship stipend will equate approximately to the standard research councils' maintenance grant with a further top-up of up to £4000 p.a. The studentship also includes payment of fees. For further information please contact Professor Glenn Lyons at Unit for Transport and Society (UTS), Faculty of the Built Environment, University of the West of England BS16 1QY, by email at Glenn.Lyons(a)uwe.ac.uk, or telephone 0117 344 3219. Alternatively contact Julie Triggle in the Faculty Research Office by email at Julie.Triggle(a)uwe.ac.uk, or telephone 0117 344 3208. DO NOT REPLY TO SUSAN KENYON. For an application form please visit the UTS website - www.transport.uwe.ac.uk. Closing date for applications: Tuesday 8th July 2003. Interviews will take place later in July. _________________________ Please take a look at the INTERNET project web site: http://www.transport.uwe.ac.uk/research/projects/internet/index.htm. Susan Kenyon Research Fellow in Transport and Social Exclusion Unit for Transport and Society Faculty of the Built Environment University of the West of England Bristol BS16 1QY Office Tel: 0117 344 3996 Work Mob: 07879 242758 Email: susan.kenyon(a)uwe.ac.uk Web: www.transport.uwe.ac.uk

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methods
by preece 15 Jun '03

15 Jun '03

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. You will also find some useful links on my website: www.ifsm.umbc.edu/onlinecommunities Best wishes, Jenny Preece

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RE: Air-l digest, Vol 1 #747 - 1 msg
by preece 15 Jun '03

15 Jun '03

You will also find links to methods from my website www.ifsm.umbc.edu/onlinecommunities Best wishes, Jenny Preece >===== Original Message From air-l-request(a)aoir.org ===== >Send Air-l mailing list submissions to > air-l(a)aoir.org > >To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l >or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > air-l-request(a)aoir.org > >You can reach the person managing the list at > air-l-admin(a)aoir.org > >When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific >than "Re: Contents of Air-l digest..." > > > > >Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: research methods (Jonathan Sterne) > >--__--__-- > >Message: 1 >Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 14:05:23 -0400 >From: Jonathan Sterne <jsterne+(a)pitt.edu> >To: air-l(a)aoir.org >Subject: [Air-l] Re: research methods >Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org > >Hey Andrew, > >Two books I'd recommend: > >C. Wright Mills, _The Sociological Imagination_ > >Bourdieu and Wacquant, _An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology_ (really just >the third section for a methods course) > >Neither is comm or method specific, but they are, in my opinion, two of the >most important books ever written on research design. Mills attacks the >fetishization of theory and method, and closes with a really derisory >description of his work patterns. Some of the book is dated, but it's >amazing how much of it ISN'T dated. The third section of the _Invitation_ >is about doing research that matters and learning to ask intelligent and >important questions before applying method. > >I've taught both books at the graduate level with great success. > >You'll need some methodologies as well (remember: a methodology is a >theory or description of a method, not the method itself), but these Mills >and Bourdieu will give you something many methodologies don't. > >Best, >--Jonathan > > > > >--__--__-- > >_______________________________________________ >Air-l mailing list >Air-l(a)aoir.org >http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l > > >End of Air-l Digest

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Re: research methods
by Jonathan Sterne 14 Jun '03

14 Jun '03

Hey Andrew, Two books I'd recommend: C. Wright Mills, _The Sociological Imagination_ Bourdieu and Wacquant, _An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology_ (really just the third section for a methods course) Neither is comm or method specific, but they are, in my opinion, two of the most important books ever written on research design. Mills attacks the fetishization of theory and method, and closes with a really derisory description of his work patterns. Some of the book is dated, but it's amazing how much of it ISN'T dated. The third section of the _Invitation_ is about doing research that matters and learning to ask intelligent and important questions before applying method. I've taught both books at the graduate level with great success. You'll need some methodologies as well (remember: a methodology is a theory or description of a method, not the method itself), but these Mills and Bourdieu will give you something many methodologies don't. Best, --Jonathan

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RE: [Air-l] Communication research Methods
by James Watt 14 Jun '03

14 Jun '03

Copies of the text "Research Methods for Communication Science" (Watt and van den Berg), originally published by Allyn & Bacon, are available on-line at http://www.llc.rpi.edu/web/ResearchMethodsForCommunicationScience/. It's aimed at advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students, and has been used at a number of universities. We have recovered the copyright for this book, and permission for individual use (single copy) is granted on the opening page. It might be useful to students as an on-line resource. I'd like to try an "open source" publishing experiment with this book, expanding it to include many more specialized topics, examples (hopefully, interactive), and teaching aids contributed by users. The model would be the one developed by open-source computing communities: a review board that accepts submissions from developers, verifies their utility and accuracy, and then makes them available to the user community. If anyone is interested in this experiment, please contact me off-list. ======================================================== James H. Watt Professor and Chair, Department of Language, Literature, and Communication Director, Social and Behavioral Research Laboratory Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 110 8th Street, Sage Lab 4708 Troy, NY 12180-3590 email: wattj(a)rpi.edu voice: (518) 276-2784 fax: (518) 276-4092

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Re: [Air-l] Research Methods Texts
by Andrew Herman 13 Jun '03

13 Jun '03

Thanks, Fred. Andrew Herman, Ph. D. Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA 01610 (508) 793-2531 >>> fturner(a)stanford.edu 06/13/03 02:57 AM >>> Andrew -- For qualitative methods, I like Klaus Bruhn Jensen and Nicholas Jankowski's Handbook of Qualitative Methodologies for Mass Communication Research. Nice clear descriptions and examples of core approaches. Best, Fred ___________________________________________________________________ Fred Turner Assistant Professor Dept. of Communication Building 120 Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305-2050 O) 650-723-0706 Fax) 650-725-2472 fturner(a)stanford.edu

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RE: [Air-l] Communication research Methods
by Andrew Herman 12 Jun '03

12 Jun '03

Nancy- Yes. I quite like their work as well, especially becuase they are attentive to the epistemological issuesw involved with methods. How do comm studies students relate to the sociology involved in therse texts? AH Andrew Herman, Ph. D. Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA 01610 (508) 793-2531 >>> nbaym(a)ku.edu 06/12/03 13:52 PM >>> A really good qualitative methods book is David Silverstone's _Analysing Qualitative Data_ . For ethnography the various books by Hammersley and/or Atkinson are excellent. -- Nancy Baym http://www.ku.edu/home/nbaym Communication Studies, University of Kansas 102 Bailey Hall, 1440 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045, USA Association of Internet Researchers: http://aoir.org _______________________________________________ Air-l mailing list Air-l(a)aoir.org http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l

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RE: [Air-l] Communication research Methods
by Kumiko Aoki, Ph.D. 12 Jun '03

12 Jun '03

I've been teaching communication research methods courses for five years and found the following textbooks useful. Wimmer, R.D. and Dominick, J.R. (2003). Mass Media Research: An Introduction. 7th ed. * Good introductory textbook with ample examples of practical applications in mass media research. I use this textbook for my undergraduate research course. Frey, L R., Botan, C. H., and Kreps, G L. (2000). Investigating Communication: An Introduction Research Methods. 2nd Ed. * Introductory, but comprehensive textbook with detailed explanation of statistical analyses. I used to use this book for my graduate research course. Reinard, J.C. (2001). Introduction to Communication Research. 3rd ed. * Another introductory textbook focusing on quantitative research in communication. Babbie, E. (2004). The Practice of Social Research. 10th ed. * This is more for sociological research than communication research. But, the author explains concepts well in a friendly manner. I use this textbook for my graduate research course. Hope this helps. Kumiko Aoki, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Communication Boston University 640 Commonwealth Ave. Boston, MA 02215 tel: 617/358-1305 fax: 617/358-1301 email: kaoki(a)bu.edu homepage: http://people.bu.edu/kaoki "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." > Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 15:13:50 -0400 > From: "Andrew Herman" <aherman(a)holycross.edu> > To: <air-l(a)aoir.org> > Subject: [Air-l] Communication research Methods > Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org > > Friends- > > I wil be teaching a graduate level course on communications research = > methods next year for the very first time. Can any of you > recommend some = > good texts to use? > > Thanks, > > AH > > Andrew Herman, Ph. D. > Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology > College of the Holy Cross > Worcester, MA 01610 > (508) 793-2531 >

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The Cyberculture Canon
by Matthew Jason Eliot 12 Jun '03

12 Jun '03

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question about cyberculture anthologies. In case you wanted a summary, I've attached my responses below. As the cyberculture field develops toward being a discipline, thoughts of a disciplinary canon are perhaps inevitable. I am curoisu to what people feel/think about the list. Too broad? Needs to be stratified? I'm doing an analysis of this literature as a group and am intersted in your opinions... Grazie, Matt Eliot Doc Student Technical Communication University of Washington Here are the 20 anthologies that folks on this list suggested as being central to or defining of the field: 1) Communication and Cyberspace: Social Interaction in an Electronic Environment, edited by Lance Strate, Ron L. Jacobson, and Stephanie Gibson. (Hampton Press, 2003). 2) Communities in Cyberspace, edited by Marc Smith and Peter Kollock (Routledge, 1997). 3) Computers and Technical Communication, edited by Stuart Selber. (Ablex/ATTW Studies in Technical Communication, 1997). 4) Cultures of Internet: Virtual Spaces, Real Histories, Living Bodies, edited by Rob Shields. (Sage, 1996). 5) The Cybercultures Reader, edited by David Bell and Barbara M. Kennedy. (Routledge, 2000). 6) CyberSociety: Computer-Mediated Communication & Community, edited by Steven Jones. (Sage, 1995). 7) CyberSociety 2.0: Revisiting CMC and Community, edited by Steven Jones. (Sage, 1998). 8) Cyberspace, First Steps, edited by Michael Benedikt. (MIT Press, 1991). 9) Electronic Literacies in the Workplace, edited by Patricia Sullivan & Jennie Dautermann. (NCTE and Computers and Composition, 1996). 10) Global Literacies and the World Wide Web, edited by Gail Hawisher and Cynthia Selfe. (Routledge, 1999) 11) High Wired: On the Design, Use, and Theory of Educational MOOs, edited by Cynthia Haynes and Jan Rune Holmevik. (University of Michigan Press, 1998). 12) Internet Culture, edited by David Porter. (Routledge, 1997). 13) The New Media Reader, edited by Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Nick Montfort. (MIT Press, 2003). 14) Processed Lives: Gender and Technology in Everyday Life, edited by Jennifer Terry and Melodie Calvert. (Routledge, 1997). 15) Race in Cyberspace, edited by Beth Kolko, Lisa Nakamura and Gil Rodman. (Routledge, 2000). 16) Reading Digital Culture, edited by David Trend. (Blackwell, 2001). 17) Resisting the Virtual Life: The Culture and Politics of Information, edited by James Brook and Ian Boa. (City Lights Press, 1995). 18) Virtual Culture: Identity and Communication in Cybersociety, edited by Steven Jones. (Sage,1997). 19) Wired Women: Gender and New Realities in Cyberspace, edited by Lynn Cherny and Elizabeth Reba Weise. (Seal Press, 1996). 20) The World Wide Web and Contemporary Cultural Theory, edited by Andrew Herman and Thomas Swiss. (Routledge, 2000).

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