COM 395: Mediated Interpersonal Communication

Semester Syllabus - Fall, 2003

Section 800: Monday/Wednesday/Friday 1:50PM-2:45PM Lanigan 107A

Course Overview

The traditional study of interpersonal communication focuses on the face-to-face medium. While face-to-face interaction remains the dominant form of interpersonal interaction, other forms of interpersonal communication are becoming increasingly important. Each interpersonal medium has its own distinctive characteristics, effects, and practices, and each optimized to solve specific communication problems. These media are, moreover, increasingly used together and/or in support of each other.
Use of mediated interpersonal communication systems has been growing for over 100 yours, but has exploded recently, with a range of computer-mediated interpersonal communication systems having quickly acheived widespread use. This course examines a range of technologically-mediated and computer-mediated interpersonal communication systems. Systems examined may include the telephone, C.B. Radio, instant messaging, group chat, e-mail, computer conferencing, groupware, family radio, and cooperative composition environments. interpersonal media, including face-to-face communication, will also be considered.
Additional interpersonal media are already in development, and such development can be expected to continue, with sometimes highly customized media designed to solve the specific problems of increasingly specialized niche markets. This course will provide an understanding of these new media, the possibilities they create, and the ways in which they can be evolved to meet the needs of their users.
This course can be used as COM 412 to satisfy Communication Major Requirements.

Texts

Baym, Nancy K. Tune In, Log On: Soaps, Fandom, and the Online Community. Newbury Park, CA; Sage, 2000. $37.95
Barnes, Susan B. Computer-Mediated Communication. Human-to-Human Communication Across the Internet. Allyn and Bacon, 2003. $42.67
Hopper, Robert. Telephone Conversation. Indiana University Press; 1992. $16.95
Foulger, Davis. Medium as Process: The Structure, Use, and Practice of Computer Conferencing on IBM's IBMPC Computer Conferencing Facility. http://evolutionarymedia.com/mediumAsProcess/