ATTENTION AND UBIQUITOUS MEDIA (CM3042)

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In our “ubiquitous computing” age, attention and power are linked in new ways. The course surveys the following: (1) perception, consciousness and emotion in the rapidly shifting environment; (2) the technological infrastructure of attention, especially algorithms; (3) political economic interests underpinning what gets attention. Each topical area will be presented and analyzed in the context of overarching considerations of power, control, and freedom.

Code: 
CM3042
Name: 
ATTENTION AND UBIQUITOUS MEDIA
Discipline: 
CM (Communications)
Type: 
CCD
Level: 
Undergraduate
Credits: 
4
Can be taken twice for credit?: 
No
Pre-requisites: 
EN1000 OR EN1010 OR (EN2020 OR EN2020CCE)
Co-requisites: 
None

Learning Outcomes

  1. Critically interpret big data internet traffic analyses combined with cognitive scientific research to explain how and why consumers and “netizens” process content (data) or react to it in ubiquitous computing cultures, especially in terms of attention and decision-making
  2. Explain the attention economy’s implications for human freedom and control thereof 
  3. Explain the challenge changes in attention and cognition pose for professional and social communicators 
  4. Theorize why some content is influential and circulates broadly while other content does not 
  5. Use apps for self-surveillance (sousveillance) to understand, reflect on, and more consciously control digital media use
  6. Students will be able to write and publish digitally and analyze and produce audiovisual content in order to communicate through a variety of digital media (CCD LO1)
  7. Students will learn about privacy, security and data preservation issues (CCD LO2)
  8. Students will be able to interpret, report, and synthesize data and present it in various formats visually (CCD LO3)

Archived Syllabi