I've faced the same dilemma. For my undergrad new media class, I've used the Thurlow et al CMC book, but only the first few chapters and only in the first third of the semester. Then we read online articles for the remainder. (I agree it's getting very dated, and in fact recently I wrote the authors asking about a 2nd edition - not in the works at this point.) My experience is that (at least with the students I've worked with), undergrads like a textbook because it gives the field legitimacy in their eyes. Ted's description below really rings true with mine - a textbook seems to give many undergrads a sense of finality and control. I've found that one of the challenges of teaching content that is so interesting and publicly visible (e.g. social network sites) is trying to keep classroom discussions at a higher level than pub or coffee-shop conversations, and a textbook and/or academic readings are necessary to do this. Depending on how they are written, some academic articles just don't work for some undergrads. It's definitely a challenge! For fall, I'm planning on using the Thurlow et al textbook and a collection of online articles, but this will probably be the last year and I'm also interested in hearing about an accessible, updated replacement. Thanks, N Quoting "Christian Nelson" <xianknelson@mac.com>:
Hi Ted (and the group), Your comments ring true for me. I think students really do want linearity. At the same time, I've seen research by sociologists that found that students don't read textbooks as much as they read articles in a reader. That suggests that a non-linear textbook has two strikes against it in students' eyes. It also suggests that the best thing to give students is a reader that is organized in some linear fashion. Cheers, Christian
On May 18, 2009, at 11:23 AM, Ted Coopman wrote:
Thanks,
I actually used this book for a class I taught as a grad student at the U of WA - I thought it was great and appreciated the non-linear approach because new media is basically non-linear - my undergrad students hated it. I have found most students desire having a textbook that is laid out in easy to follow format with definitive statements (x means y). Perhaps it is all the testing they get in high school.
Had a similar issue with Carey [Carey, J. W. (2009). Communication as Culture (revised edition)] in a comm and culture class I just taught.
Is it depressing? - yes - is it worth trying to shove it down their throats? Usually not.
-TED
On Sun, May 17, 2009 at 12:08 PM, Jacqueline Vickery <jvickery183@gmail.com>wrote:
I would suggest New Media: A Critical Introduction edited by Martin Lister<http://www.amazon.com/New-Media-Introduction-Martin-Lister/dp/0415223776[1]> . One of my professors used it in a grad class I took last year and I really enjoyed the book and still references it often.
-- Jacqueline Vickery Co-Coordinating Editor, FlowTV.org Department of Radio-Television-Film University of Texas - Austin http://www.jvickery.com/[2]
On Sat, May 16, 2009 at 5:42 AM, <Celina.Raffl@sbg.ac.at> wrote:
I would like to recommend "Internet and Society: Social Theory in the Information Age" (Routledge) by Christian Fuchs (2008).
From the introduction:
The Internet is ubiquitous in everyday life. […] How has this system transformed our lives and our society? What are the positive effects? What are the negative ones? Which opportunities and risks for the development of society and social systems are there? This book tries to contribute in helping people to find their own answers to such questions. Its main goal is to work out a theoretical understanding of the relationship of Internet and society.
For further information visit: http://fuchs.icts.sbg.ac.at/i&s.html[3]
:: Celina
-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org im Auftrag von Ted Coopman Gesendet: Sa 5/16/2009 02:23 An: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Betreff: [Air-L] Textbook Suggestion Needed
All,
I am teaching an upper division Internet Communication (theory) course online in the fall and am interested in suggestions for a basic textbook/reader.
In the past I have used Thurlow, C., Lengel, L., & Tomic, A. (2004). Computer-mediated communication: Social interaction and the internet. London: Sage. My students did not like it very much (typical), but the main issue now is that it is dated. This is same issue with Castells' Internet Galaxy.
I have considered going with journal articles, but I generally like to have a foundation text as well that lays out the basics; history, culture, CMC, basic theory, etc.
I teach at a California State University campus with a slighty older student population who may not have the best skills but do have plenty of life experience. Straight forward language and pragmatics are a plus.
Ideally any text would be broad and include both social scientific and cultural perspectives.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
-TED -- Ted M. Coopman Ph.D. Lecturer Department of Communication Studies Department of Television, Radio, Film, & Theatre San Jose State University _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org[4] Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org[5]
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/[6]
_______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org[7] Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org[8]
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/[9]
-- Ted M. Coopman Ph.D. Lecturer Department of Communication Studies Department of Television, Radio, Film, & Theatre San Jose State Universit _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org[10] Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org[11]
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/[12]
_______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org[13] Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org[14]
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/[15]
Links: ------ [1] http://www.amazon.com/New-Media-Introduction-Martin-Lister/dp/0415223776 [2] http://www.jvickery.com/ [3] http://fuchs.icts.sbg.ac.at/i&s.html [4] http://aoir.org [5] http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org [6] http://www.aoir.org/ [7] http://aoir.org [8] http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org [9] http://www.aoir.org/ [10] http://aoir.org [11] http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org [12] http://www.aoir.org/ [13] http://aoir.org [14] http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org [15] http://www.aoir.org/