Internet Communities and Social Networks
NET204
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Level of study: What does Undergraduate Level 2 mean?
Undergraduate Level 2
EFTSL: What does EFTSL mean?
0.125
Delivery Method: What does delivery method mean?
Fully Online
Prerequisites: What are the prerequisites?
Availability: What is a Study period?
For enrolment (2012):- SP1
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- SP1
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Duration:
13 weeks
Fee: Fees (current and planned)
- Domestic student fee:
- $795.00 (AUD)
- HECS student fee:
- $706.00 (AUD)
- International student fee:
- $1,020.00 (AUD)
Description
The internet offers many opportunities for people to share their lives with others and engage in social interaction and dialogue. Initially the internet seemed to be about 'virtual' community; but these days, online and offline networking and community practices merge. The internet now plays a major role in 'being together' - whether to maintain relations with friends and family, to advance political causes, to escape into fantasy worlds or to strengthen communal belonging. In this unit, you will investigate the excitement, the scepticism, the possibilities and the pitfalls of communities, networks and online social interaction and become more effective in managing and facilitating them.
Further Information:
Assessment schedule subject to minor alteration.
Prerequisites
Equivalent units
You cannot enrol in this unit if you have successfully completed any of the following unit(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
- NET24 — The Internet - Virtual Communities
Recommended prerequisites
You are recommended to have completed the following unit(s) or have equivalent knowledge before starting this unit:
NET12 is the same as NET102 and NET11 is the same as WEB101.
Special Requirements
- Additional materials — Knowledge networking
- Broadband access
- Other special requirement — Web2.0
Assessment
- Assignment 1 — Conference paper (50%)
- Essay — Review essay (20%)
- Participation — Conference participation (30%)
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit students will be able to:
- demonstrate understanding of the origin, nature, purpose and operation of internet-mediated communities and online networks of social interaction
- analyse specific examples of internet-mediated communities and networks in terms of theories of broader interaction and identity within society
- demonstrate an understanding of the complex relationship between technological forms of connectivity and social practices of connectivity
- use conceptual knowledge of internet-mediated communities and networks to be an effective participant in diverse forms of online interaction.
Topics
This unit addresses the following topics.
| Number | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | The difference between communities and networks |
| 2 | Historical development of 'virtual community' |
| 3 | Relationship of technologies, especially as they relate to time and space, to the management and maintenance of interaction |
| 4 | Identity as a key component in understanding communities and networks |
Study Resources
This unit is delivered using the following methods and materials:
Instructional Methods
- Audio/Video conferencing
- Blogs
- Chat rooms
- Discussion Forum/Discussion Board
- Online assignment submission
- Podcasting/Lecture capture
- Standard Media
- Streaming Multimedia
- Web links
- Wikis
Print based materials
- Welcome Letter
Online materials
- Audio/Video - Streaming
- Online Assessment
- Printable format materials
- Resources and Links
Relevant Courses
This unit is part of a major, minor, stream or specialisation in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Arts (Internet Communications), Curtin University
- Bachelor of Technology (Computing Studies), RMIT University
This unit is an approved elective in the following courses:
This unit may be eligible for credit towards other courses:
- Many undergraduate courses on offer through OUA include 'open elective' where any OUA unit can be credited to the course. You need to check the Award Requirements on the course page for the number of allowed open electives and any level limitations.
- In other cases, the content of this unit might be relevant to a course on offer through OUA or elsewhere. In order to receive credit for this unit in the course you will need to supply the provider institution with a copy of the Unit Profile in the approved format, which you can download here. Note that the Unit Profile is set at the start of the year, and if textbooks change this may not match the Unibooks textbook list.
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