Journalism and the Networked World

Journalism 390-0-24 (Special Topics)

Winter 2010: Wednesdays 2-5 p.m.
McCormick Tribune Center, Room 3-107

Rich Gordon Noshir Contractor

(847) 467-5968 (847) 491-3669
Office: 4-119 McCormick Tribune Center Office: Tech D241
Office Hours: By appointment Office Hours: By appointment
richgor@northwestern.edu nosh@northwestern.edu

Teaching assistant: Brian Keegan

Office: Frances Searle, Room 2-168
Office hours: Thursdays 12:30pm - 1:30pm or by appointment
bkeegan@northwestern.edu

Introduction

The practice of journalism has historically assumed one-way content delivery via a media
product or package such as a newspaper, magazine or broadcast. With digital technology,
however, both one-way delivery and the concept of a media product are diminishing in
importance. Displacing them are two key developments: (1) hyperlinked online content, which
creates an entirely different way for people to find and discover information and entertainment;
and (2) the multiway communication capabilities made possible by technologies such as
weblogs, discussion boards and social networks. Both of these developments can be illuminated
through an understanding of the science of networks. This experimental, interdisciplinary course
will explore the connections among networks, media and journalism -- orienting you to network-
based frameworks and helping you understand and thrive in a digital, interactive world.

Learning Goals

 To understand the foundation principles of network theory – as our main text puts it, “the
next scientific revolution: the new science of networks.”
 To explore the relevance of networks to journalism, journalists, media companies, news
organizations and media audiences.
 To understand how new network-driven technologies – hyperlinked content and online
communication – are changing the way people relate to one another and find relevant
content.
 To apply your understanding of networks to media and journalism.

Course Requirements and Grading

 Midterm exam (25%): The exam will be administered in class on Feb. 3 (week 5). It will
test your understanding of, and ability to apply, the most significant aspects of network
theory.
 Networked content sharing (15%): To build a learning community among members of the
class, we will be using online network-based tools (an RSS reader such as Google Reader
and a Facebook group) to share interesting news stories, blog posts, etc., related to networks.
Starting after the second class, you will be expected to submit at least two articles/posts per
week and to comment on at least one. (We’ll give you instructions on this.) Meeting this
 minimum standard will ensure at least a B for this grading component; higher grades can be
earned by posting more frequently and/or with particularly penetrating insights.
 Final paper (40%): You will write a 10-15-page final paper focusing on how a specific
content Web site (run by a media company or individual blogger) uses digital networking
tools to attract an audience and/or user participation. Your instructors will provide a list of
sites where a representative has agreed to be interviewed; you may choose a different site,
with approval from the instructors. Your final paper will have three sections:
1) an introductory section that explains the relevance of networks to building audiences
and user participation (drawn from what you’ve learned in the course);
2) a section that, based on observations and interviews, describes “your” site’s current
approaches to network-based audience development, analyzed through the prism of
network theory;
3) recommendations, based on what you’ve learned in the course, on what the site could
do additionally or better to build its audience.
 Participation and engagement (20%): Participation and preparation are essential to success
in this course. Attendance is required at every lecture. All students will be expected to have
completed the assigned weekly readings before class and be prepared to discuss the readings
in depth. As noted below, we will frequently require you to post “reaction papers” and
submit and define key concepts you encountered in the readings. We will also be asking you
to complete other activities – for instance, visualizing your Facebook network – between
class sessions. All of these will be taken into account in the participation/engagement grade.
Absences are only excused for medical, athletic, or academic reasons with a note from a
doctor, coach, advisor, or faculty member. Late assignments will be accepted but points will
be deducted – the sooner you submit them, the smaller the deduction.

Course Readings & Related Requirements

Students are required to purchase (available at the Norris bookstore):

 Barabasi, A. (2003) Linked: How Everything is Connected to Everything Else and What It
Means.

Most other readings will be posted on the Blackboard website in the area marked “Readings.”
Any reading that cannot be acquired electronically (e.g., selections from Networks, a book by
David Easley and Jon Kleinberg of Cornell University) will be distributed in hard copy.

To ensure that you understand and engage with the readings, we will typically have two related
assignments each week (part of your “engagement” grade):
1. We will ask you to write a “reaction paper” reflecting on the week’s readings and post these
reflections to the Blackboard discussion board. This will be due no later than noon The idea
is to spur you to think critically about what you are reading. It should be in the range of 300-
500 words (a page or less single spaced). Here are some questions you might address: What
are the main points the authors are trying to make? When considering more than one reading,
how do the authors' perspectives differ and where are they the same? Have you read other
opinions that conflict with, or complement, the authors’? Do you have personal experience
that is relevant to what the authors say? What do you agree or disagree with, and why? Does
the evidence in a reading support the arguments made by the author? What questions do
these readings raise in your mind?
2. We will ask you to email us a list, with definitions, of at least five network-related terms or
concepts that you encountered in the week’s readings. From your submissions, we will
generate a list of key concepts for the midterm exam and for the final paper.
Course Schedule

PLEASE NOTE: Because this is a new course and we want to allow for “mid-course
corrections,” we have not listed reading assignments on the syllabus. Readings and other
assignments for each week will be posted on the class Blackboard site under “Assignments.”

 JAN. 6: The networked view of the world: course introduction

 JAN. 13: Social networks I: Individual properties

 JAN. 20: Social networks II: Global properties

 JAN. 27: Information networks: the hyperlink revolution

 FEB. 3: Search engine optimization (after exam: guest speaker Brent D. Payne from Tribune
Co.)
 MIDTERM EXAM IN CLASS

 FEB. 10: “Influencers” and the spread of information

 FEB. 17: “Social media” and the new ecosystem for content

 FEB. 24: Digital communities and geographic communities

 MAR. 3: Online communities and digital identity

 MAR. 10: Blockbusters, the “long tail” and echo chambers

 Monday, March 15, noon: FINAL PAPER DUE (submit electronic copy to the Digital
Drop Box on Blackboard)

Staff & Office Hours

Prof. Gordon and Prof. Contractor will be happy to meet with students by appointment (contact
them by email and suggest a few good days or times). Brian Keegan will be the teaching
assistant for the course and will hold regular office hours from 11:30am - 1:30pm Fridays in
Francis Searle Room 2-168.

Academic Integrity
Students are expected to comply with Northwestern’s principles of academic integrity, which are
listed at http://www.northwestern.edu/uacc/uniprin.html . Academic dishonesty includes, but is
not limited to, cheating on an exam (e.g., copying others’ answers, providing information to
others, using a crib sheet) and plagiarism on a paper (e.g., taking material from readings without
citation, copying another student’s paper). In particular, please note that “submitting identical or
similar papers for credit in more than one course without prior permission from the course
instructors” is defined as cheating.

Failure to maintain academic integrity on an assignment will result in loss of credit for that
assignment – at a minimum. Other penalties also may apply. If you are in doubt about what
constitutes academic dishonesty, speak with either faculty member before an assignment is due.
All students enrolled in this class, whether from Medill or another school, are also responsible
for knowing and following Medill’s academic integrity code, which applies to all students taking
Medill courses: http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/students/students.aspx?id=60573
Among other provisions, this code requires that you report other students’ violations of academic
integrity that you become aware of.

Students with Disabilities

If you require appropriate academic accommodations as a result of any disability, please make
any requests during the first week of the quarter. You are urged to register with Services for
Students with Disabilities (SSD) for disability verification and for determination of reasonable
academic accommodations. For more information, visit http://www.northwestern.edu/disability/.
All discussions will remain confidential.