Overview
Communications technologies have changed culture in profound ways, and have determined the shape of many cultures. At the same time, people play a role in determining how such technology is utilised. This unit examines the development of communication and its associated technologies such as telecommunications, digital printing, global 'sharing'. It critically analyses how modern culture is influenced by these developments and incorporates an intergenerational reflection of the evolution of communication. Through this unit, you will develop a critical awareness of new communication technologies and their impact on a global scale.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite: Minimum of 36 credit points
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2018
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student evaluation
There were some comments that the text book was hard to read. It is recommended that a new unit text be considered for adoption.
It is recommended that a new unit text be considered for adoption.
Feedback from Professional planning day, December 2017
Assessment items are to align with learning outcomes.
It is recommended to remove Assessment #2 and rework assessment items #1 and #3 to two 50% assessment items, increasing the complexity of the remaining two assignments.
Feedback from Student evaluation; Professional commutation planning day,December 2017.
The structure and content of the unit is appreciated by students.
Recommendation is to maintain the structure of the unit and continue the existing level of support to the students.
- Examine the development of communication technologies globally.
- Interpret and evaluate how global communication technologies have changed the way we live and work.
- Critically analyse how communication technologies influence changes in cultures.
n/a
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 35% | |||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 20% | |||
| 3 - Presentation and Written Assessment - 45% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 35% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 20% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Presentation and Written Assessment - 45% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Revolutions in Communication: Media History from Gutenberg to the Digital Age
Edition: 2nd (2016)
Authors: Bill Kovarik
Bloomsbury Academic
New York and London New York and London , NY , USA
ISBN: 978-1628924787
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
t.kerslake@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction.
What is the connection between technology, communication and culture? Why is this triangle of connectivity so critical from both an historic and a futuristic perspective? How does the human development of a spoken language of words affect global warming? What connects the Altamira cave paintings with the first iPhone? We begin to examine the evolution of human communication; its beginnings, its development and, most critically, its possibilities.
Chapter
Kovarik,
'Communication and the history of technology' (pp. 7 - 15)
'Cave paintings and human psychology' (pp. 139 - 141)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Purchase the text in hard copy or via electronic link on the Moodle site.
Kovarik, B., (2016) Revolutions in Communication: Media History from Gutenberg to the Digital Age, Bloomsbury. New York & London.
Recommended additional text:
Poe. M. T., (2010) A History of Communications: Media and Society from the Evolution of Speech to the Internet, University of Iowa.
Module/Topic
Speech and Language.
How did the development of human speech stop wars? How did it encourage trade, the sharing of knowledge? Why did the power of speech enable humans to become the apex predator on the planet? Through the ability to communicate in spoken form, and through the intentional and deliberate act of linguistic development, we now have the ability to contact extraterrestrials. True.
Chapter
Kovarik,
'Before the printing revolution: Oral culture' (pp.18 - 20)
'From national neighborhoods to global village' (pp.149 - 253)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The Age Of Manuscripts.
The great philosopher Plato did not appreciate writing at all, claiming that written words 'talk to you as if they were intelligent' (Phaedrus 275 AD). Plato believed words were the enemies of true understanding; however, it was through the spread of the written word and the ability to begin to understand written languages other than our own, that enabled the first great communication technologies.
Chapter
Kovarik,
'Writing and manuscript cultures' (pp. 21 - 26)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Revolutions of Print.
For the first thousand years or so of western civilisation, the written word was the province of the educated and wealthy elite. Even though the Chinese created a ceramic version of movable type as long ago as 1040 (Needham 1994), it was not until 1439 that Johannes Gutenberg developed the principle of movable type to the point where his work directly connects the great printing presses of 1950s mass media to the 3D printer of today.
Chapter
Kovarik,
'The divine art' (pp. 27 - 36)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The Visual Revolution.
The uncontrolled and uncontrollable power of images made people anxious even before the visual revolution moved into high gear. As early as 1844, people worried that the press itself would not survive the onslaught of images. A new media technology had arrived and was about to change everything, everywhere. Forever.
Chapter
Kovarik,
'The Visual Revolution' (pp. 142 - 149)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
BREAK WEEK
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The Moving Image.
"Whoever controls the motion picture industry, controls the most powerful medium of influence over the people." Thomas Edison, New York Times, 1923.
When cinema arrived, it was instantly seen as more powerful than any other media. The story of cinema parallels the social revolutions of the 20th and 21st centuries. Even today, it has the ability to astonish.
Chapter
Kovarik,
'Cinema: The image comes alive' (pp. 181 - 201)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Radiowaves.
MARTIAN INVASION PANICS MILLIONS!
The whole thing began as a Halloween prank. A brilliant but immature young theatre director named Orson Welles hoped he could scare some of his CBS listeners. Like the sorcerer's apprentice, he got a lot more than he bargained for. Welles' show aired on October 31st, 1938 and radio never looked back.
Chapter
Kovarik,
'The new world of radio' (pp. 276 - 293)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The box in the corner.
From its crude beginnings in the 1920s, television electronics rapidly improved with colour, high definition and satellite delivery systems in the late 20th century. Through this electronic cornucopia came stories of conflict and reconciliation, reports of war and peace, parades of comically low-brow stuff and, occasionally, works of genius.
Chapter
Kovarik,
'Television: A new window on the world' (pp.309 - 312; 316 - 321; 337 - 341)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
A digitised world.
The digital revolution was conceived in the early 19th century and born in the chaos of World War II. Here, we look at the emergence of digital networks from the beginnings of the Computer age, to the era of globalisation and the threshold of McLuhan's Global village.
Chapter
Kovarik,
'The digital revolution' (pp.343 - 348)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
A world of computers.
The Computer Age traces back to 1821 when Charles Babbage, a mathematician working at Greenwich Observatory near London, found an error in a set of navigational tables used by navigators to fix the position of ships at sea. He began to envision an analytical machine that could handle all sorts of problems, not just astronomical calculations. Babbage called it his 'Difference engine'. It was the first computer.
Chapter
Kovarik,
'Computers' (pp.349 - 374)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Digital networks.
Marc Andreessen, a grad student, was trying to develop non-commercial software to aid scientific research. Releasing software was routine in 1993 but nobody had any idea just how much effect this particular piece of software would have on the world. Andreessen called it a 'browser' and it was a new way of navigating this thing called the World Wide Web.
Chapter
Kovarik,
'Digital networks' (pp. 375 - 381; 392 - 404)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Global culture.
Two decades into the 21st century, the digital media revolution is well under way. For the first time in human history, computer networks allow billions of people to communicate across national boundaries, instantly, without cost, in any media format - from text to video - with the help of instant translation technologies. What happens now?
Chapter
Kovarik,
'Global culture' (pp.405 - 415)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
Interview and Essay (35 marks)
Interview: 10-15 minutes of recorded material
- You are to conduct and record (preferably audio only) an interview with a person of an older generation (for example, your grandparent, elderly friend or parent).
- You are to encourage the interviewee to describe their experiences of the changes in communication technology in their lifetime and the effects these changes have had on their personal, social and working lives. For example: radio since World War II; the arrival of television; changes in music consumption brought about by vinyl records, cassette tapes; CDs; changes in telephony (telephone mobility, smartphone technologies); virtual conferencing softwares such as Skype; use of videos and video cameras; the arrival of computers and their use in business, academia, social media; online newspapers, online banking (etc).
- The recorded interview needs to be a minimum of 10 minutes. It must be sufficiently long for you to have enough information to use in your essay (Asst#1) and final presentation (Asst#3). The interview should be conducted using a question and answer format. You will need to design these questions before the interview. Have between 10-15 questions prepared to ask your interviewee but be flexible enough to adjust your questions based on your interviewee's responses.
Essay: 2000 words (+/- 10%)
- Create a title for your essay in the form of a question. For example, something like ''How does communication technology improve the world?' or 'Is text more powerful than an image?'
- Write your essay AFTER the interview, analysing and discussing the changing use and impact of technology based on your interviewee's responses. You should include information from the interview (both paraphrased information and direct quotes) in your essay. Take care to reference all material from the interview in an appropriate manner.
- You are required to substantiate your essay by referencing a variety of sources (from the interview, the unit text, unit readings and library sources) that help you better understand how the evolution of communication technologies alter the world around us and the way we live our lives today. The use of material from the unit text and journal articles would be well considered.
- Your writing needs to follow a formal essay structure.
Your uploaded assignment submission MUST include three files:
1. your 2000 word essay. Please attach a copy of the blank Marking Criteria sheet at the end in a Word document format. Note: Do not upload this assignment as a PDF or in a zipped format.
2. your recorded interview, uploaded as a sound file (max. 20mb, format is flexible) and
3. both the signed Information sheet and Consent form.
Further details of this assignment are available on the Moodle website.
Week 6 Friday (20 Apr 2018) 6:00 pm AEST
You are to submit the essay, the signed information and consent sheets and a separate sound file to Moodle
Week 8 Friday (4 May 2018)
Assignments will be returned within 10 working days in most cases.
The assessment task relates to the general assessment criteria below:
- Written argument/analysis rather than description
- Research/use of sources to support argument
- Structure/presentation
- Writing standard
- Use of technology
- Timely submission
- Referencing
- Examine the development of communication technologies globally.
- Critically analyse how communication technologies influence changes in cultures.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
2 Written Assessment
4 Workbook Exercises (4 x 5 marks = 20 marks total)
- You are required to complete the series of four compulsory exercises detailed on the Moodle website. All four exercises must be attempted in order to successfully pass this assignment.
- Each exercise must be referenced with at least two formal sources in the APA format.
- You will upload any two of your completed exercises to the relevant Assignment Discussion Forum for group critique and feedback.
- The completed exercises in this assignment will form the basis of your final assignment (Presentation and Reflection).
- All four of these exercises should be submitted via Moodle as a single document, with the Marking Criteria sheet attached at the end.
NOTE: While not compulsory, it is expected that each student will review and provide feedback on at least three other student exercises in the Assignment Discussion Forum.
Further information about this assignment is available on the Moodle website.
Week 8 Friday (4 May 2018) 6:00 pm AEST
A single Word document containing all the exercises and the Marking Criteria sheet should be uploaded to Moodle by or before the deadline.
Week 10 Friday (18 May 2018)
Assignments will be returned within 10 working days in most cases.
This assessment task relates to the general assessment criteria below:
- Writing standard
- Writing structure
- Research and referencing
- Timely submission
- Link between submission and course concepts
- Interpret and evaluate how global communication technologies have changed the way we live and work.
- Critically analyse how communication technologies influence changes in cultures.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
3 Presentation and Written Assessment
PowerPoint Presentation and Reflection (45 marks)
PowerPoint Presentation.
Create a 10 -15 slide PowerPoint presentation with a voice-over narration (with additional slides as necessary for the reference list) based on the key strengths and weaknesses of evolving communication technologies you have identified in the interview you undertook for Assignment #1. The presentation should be based on the deeper issues you are able to link to the responses from your interviewee. Some of the questions you might consider addressing in your presentation:
- What are the most profound communication changes the interviewee has seen in their lifetime?
- What are the wider implications of these changes in terms of privacy and security?
- How have these technological developments changed people's lives?
- Are these changes entirely positive or negative? Why?
- Are there any communication developments your interviewee regrets? Why?
- Has anything been lost in the rush for technological development?
Reflection.
Write a 1200 word (+/- 10%) reflection based on your own personal experience of the discussion with your interviewee and how this has widened your thoughts on the effect of technological change and the way we communicate today. The reflection should be written essay-style in a semi-formal tone where the use of the first person is acceptable. APA referencing conventions will be followed.
Further details of this assignment are available on the Moodle website.
Week 12 Friday (1 June 2018) 6:00 pm AEST
Both parts of this assignment should be uploaded to Moodle by or before the due date.
Exam Week Friday (15 June 2018)
Assignments will be returned within 10 working days in most cases.
This assessment task relates to the general assessment criteria below:
Presentation:
- Appropriate length and formal presentation
- Use of technology
- Appropriate discussion and referencing
- Appropriate professionalism and format
Reflection:
- Written argument/analysis rather than description
- Research/use of sources to support argument
- Structure/presentation
- Writing standard
- Timely submission
- Referencing
- Interpret and evaluate how global communication technologies have changed the way we live and work.
- Critically analyse how communication technologies influence changes in cultures.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
