Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
lecturer
Qin Guo
Contact via email
Y3A 158
Monday 9am - 5pm
Sabine Krajewski
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
39cp at 100 level or above
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
3cp in ICOM or MAS units at 300 level
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit explores the transformation of human society as the result of information technology development. The unit introduces theories and concepts associate with global network society and knowledge society; transformation of the structure and productivity of the human society as the result of globalization; and the implications of the transformation of human society on the global politics, economic, education and individuals. This is the capstone unit for students of International Communication. Lectures and readings link disciplinary knowledge and skills to career paths. Students are expected to apply theories and concepts learned in this unit and in previous studies to analyse and critique cases in practical settings.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
All assignments of this unit are aligned to the standards outlined in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university- policies-and-procedures/policies/assessment). Marking rubric for each of the assignments is available on the iLearn. Students are expected to read the rubric before working on the assignment.
1. Submit the weekly seminar outline via Turnitin one week before the seminar takes place.
2. Submit the essay online via Turnitin by 5pm of the due date.
3. Submit the final project report online via Turnitin by 5pm of the due date.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Participation | 10% | No | Ongoing |
Weekly Seminar | 10% | No | Week 4 - Week 9 |
Quiz | 10% | No | Week 2, 3, 4, and 5 |
Essay | 30% | No | Week 6 Monday, 5pm |
Final project | 40% | No | Week 11 Monday, 5pm |
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 10%
Requirement
Students are expected to attend and engage actively in all learning and teaching activities of ICOM301.
You are required to attend all tutorial classes. As participation in the process of learning is linked to and underpins the unit Learning Outcomes (LO 4) you will need to apply for Special Consideration to cover any missed class.
Participation will be assessed using the following criteria:
Due: Week 4 - Week 9
Weighting: 10%
Requirement
This is a group activity which requires students to research, plan and organise the discussion around the topic of the previous week’s lecture. Students are encouraged to role-play based on one’s own career trajectory (e.g. journalist, PR officer, policy adviser, diplomat, aid worker, etc.) and organise the activities in the guise of the figure. It is expected that in addition to the assigned weekly readings, students will read, watch and listen to a variety of texts including news reports, which are relevant to the topic of the seminar, and identify connecting themes. A key element of this assessment is to ascertain how well students can relate the readings to an issue in the real world and bring insights from within their chosen professional role. The discussion must endeavour to engage the whole class. The seminar can be presented in a variety of interesting formats (e.g. panel discussion, round table, focus group, press conference, debate etc.). The assessment include proposal and performance of the seminar.
500-word proposal: Based on the reading of the topic, each group is required to submit one proposal of the seminar one week before the seminar takes place.
The proposal should cover the follow points:
1) Major points of argument drawn from the readings and to be established in the seminar.
2) Evidences/cases supporting the arguments.
3) Method and design of the seminar.
The proposal is required to be submitted via Turnitin one week before the seminar takes place. Late submission will incur mark penalty.
2. Presentation of the seminar: 30 - 40 minutes each group
The assessment of the presentation of the seminar includes individual assessment (6 marks) and team assessment (4 marks).
Individual assessment criteria:
1) Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the week’s topic (concepts, theories and their relations with the real world) (4 marks).
2) Demonstrated effectiveness of inter-communication in intercultural context, including engaging the whole class and responding to audience (2 marks).
Team assessment criteria:
1) Submission of a well-developed seminar proposal (2 marks).
2) Demonstrated efficiency of teamwork and time management capacity during the presentation (2marks)
Due: Week 2, 3, 4, and 5
Weighting: 10%
Requirement
Complete the quizzes on the iLearn in Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 and Week5. The quizzes are based on the contents of the reading and lecture of the week. This assignment aims to assess students’ knowledge of the topic taught in the current week.
The quizzes will open on the iLearn after the lecture of the week and will close for entry at 5pm on Sunday each week. Late submission of this assignment will not be accepted.
1. Knowledge of the contents covered in the readings and lectures.
2. On-time completion of the quizzes
Due: Week 6 Monday, 5pm
Weighting: 30%
This is an individual writing assignment. Students are required to write a 1000-word (with a 10% leniency) essay on the workforce in the knowledge society.
Essay question: In “The Network Society” (2005) (https://www.umass.edu/digitalcenter/research/pdfs/JF_NetworkSociety.pdf), Manuel Castells conceptualised the workforce in the knowledge society as self-programmable labour. Summarise the major points of Castells’ conceptualization of self-programmable labour and discuss the implications of this conceptualisation in the capability development of a university student – a future knowledge worker. Students are encouraged to associate the discussion with their career ambitions. The essay needs to discuss the following points:
The work should be written and presented properly (accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling and proper structure). Additional references are expected, although there is no limitation of the numbers of the additional references. Both quality and quantity of the references will be considered. All source material used in the work should be referenced properly using Harvard referencing style.
This assignment will be assessed using the following criteria:
Electronic submission via Turnitin is required. Deadline of the submission is 5pm on the due date.
Due: Week 11 Monday, 5pm
Weighting: 40%
Requirement
Working in groups, students are required to investigate and write a briefing report on a specific issue (e.g. education, environment, poverty, international relation etc.) for the relevant Federal (National) Minister of a selected country, and make an oral presentation in the tutorial class.
You are expected to integrate key concepts and theories learned in this unit in your project report. Work to be submitted/presented for this assessment includes the written report, the presentation and teammate evaluation.
Students are required to work in groups to complete the final project. However, they will be marked individually based on:
Briefing report (group, 10 marks)
The briefing report (2000 words, with a 10% leniency) should include the following sections:
The report will be assessed using the following criteria. Each group will be given one mark for the report.
Each group is required to submit ONE briefing report via Turnitin by 5pm on the due date. Late submission will incur mark penalty.
Presentation (group and individual, 25 marks)
The presentation will take place in the tutorial classes in Week 11 to 13.
For each group: 20 minutes presentation, 5 minutes answering questions from the audiences
Assessment criteria of the individual performance at the presentation
Teammate evaluation (5 marks)
Each student submits an evaluation on the teammates within the group, using the Teammate Evaluation Form. This will include comments on and a recommended mark for each of the teammates based on their performance in the process of preparing the group project in terms of their attitude, initiative, and contribution. Please refer to the Teammate Evaluation Rubric for detailed marking standards.
Submit the hardcopy of the teammate evaluation form (available on the iLearn) to your tutor in the tutorial class on the day of your presentation. Late submission of the form will incur mark penalty.
The unit will be delivered on campus in forms of lectures and tutorials. Students are expected to complete the reading and reflect on the reading questions of the week before attending the lecture and tutorial. All required reading materials are available in the Reader of ICOM301. The reader can be purchased from the Co-op bookstore on the campus.
Students are expected to make use of material and information available in the library, on the internet and other published resources to enrich their study experiences.
Unit Overview and Introduction
The global knowledge society reflects an innovative way of organising societies, economies, culture and politics by utilising theory, science, technology and communications. It offers a means to overcome the legacy of underdevelopment and address persistent and emerging problems like inequality, depletion of resources, and intercultural/national conflicts through education, communication and application of advanced theoretical insight. It proposes a model for change in advanced and developing societies.
Unit Outline
Activities: L&T content outline and objectives, expectations and assessments, contact details.
Information Society
The concepts of the Information Society, post-industrialisation and the knowledge society are drawn from visions about how technology and social organisation would interact to drive new opportunities for democracy, wealth creation, peace and security. They were also a deeply ideological project.
Webster, Frank (2005). Making Sense of the Information Age in Information, Communication & Society. Vol. 8, No4 December 2005, pp439-458
McDowell, Stephen D. (2001), ‘Theory and Research in International Communication: A Historical and Institutional Account,’ in William Gudykunst and Bella Mody (eds.), Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication (Second Edition) Thousand Oaks: Sage. pp5-19
Tutorial questions: What constitutes a post-industrial society? Has technology been used to improve well-being and security? What are the values behind the information society? Are there alternatives or deficiencies?
The Promise of the Knowledge Society
The knowledge society reflects an idealistic proposition on the development of science, technology, information and communication to benefit whole communities. It reflects a model for development that is applicable to both advanced and emerging economies.
UNESCO (2005). ‘Introduction’ in Towards Knowledge Societies (UNESCO World Report) Stehr, Nico (2007). ‘Modern Societies as Knowledge Societies’ in Sales, A. & Fournier, M. (Eds) Knowledge, Communication & Creativity. London: Sage. pp17-23
Tutorial questions: What is the premise of the knowledge society? Does it hold any value for improving life? What social, cultural and political factors inhibit its application? Why is theory useful for development and policy formation?
Educating the Knowledge Worker
The knowledge economy reflects the structuring of production and society in ways that encourage the commodification of information and knowledge. This approach reflects the values of individual financial gain and private enterprise. It has become the favoured approach of national governments and international policy organisations.
Delanty, Gerard. (2001). ‘The University in the Knowledge Society’, in Organization 8(2). pp149-153
Reich, Robert B. (1992). ‘The Education of the Symbolic Analyst (I)’ in The work of nations: Preparing ourselves for 21st century capitalism, New York:Vintage Books. pp225-233
Tutorial questions: What are the values of the Knowledge Economy? How might these values and practices work against social interests? Who is likely to find knowledge economy a positive approach? Why is knowledge important for innovation?
Working in the Knowledge Society
The establishment of a global market linked through communication technologies has changed the nature of work in many industries associated with the information age. Knowledge is central to catching the opportunities of the global economy and universities play a key role in training the workers.
Kessels, Joseph. (2001).’Learning in organizations: a corporate curriculum for the knowledge economy” in Future 33 (2001), pp497-506
Drucker, P. (1998). ‘The Discipline of Innovation’ in Harvard Business Review (November- December 1998), pp3-8.
Tutorial questions: Why has knowledge become so important to work in the global economy? What are the skills necessary to succeed in the information society? Why has advanced knowledge education become an important policy issue for governments? If advanced knowledge is so important for national economies success, why have many governments introduced university fees? Should government, business or the individual support the cost of education?
International Public Sphere
Media and communications argued to be the safeguard of democratic rights and citizenship yet these institutions seem to be playing a diminishing role in reflecting the public interest.
Calhoun, C. (2007). ‘Information Technology and the International Public Sphere’ in Sales, A. & Fournier, M. (Eds) Knowledge, Communication & Creativity. London: Sage. pp77-95
Gandy, Oscar. H. (2002). The Real digital divide: Citizens versus consumers, in Leah A. Lievrouw and Sonia M. Livingstone (eds.), The Handbook of New Media: Social Shaping and Consequences of ICTs, London: Sage Publications. pp448-460
Tutorial questions: Does the media or new communications offer the best way to raise issues and explore the promise of the knowledge society? How many public spheres exist in each society and internationally? Do these public spheres offer places to debate alternative or controversial views that make up society? Which voices seem to be strongest in the public sphere? Is Wikileaks important for democracy? Why are democratic governments against it?
Managing Information
Public relations sector has enjoyed a phenomenal growth and plays an important role in knowledge management in all sectors – private, public and civil society organization. An important aspect of strategic communication is to promote dialogue with different publics. We’ll discuss the trends and challenges in strategic communication which may include crises communication, public affairs, press relations, marketing communication, etc.
Patching, R. and Pearson, M. (2009). ‘Censorship Through Spin’ in Banerjee, I. & Muppidi, S. (Eds) Changing Media, Changing Societies, Singapore: AMIC.
Frith, K. & Chen, J. (2006). ‘Insights On The Education Needs Of Aspiring Advertising Professionals’ in Media Asia 33 (1 & 2). pp79-86
Tutorial questions: Should government spend public money on spin? What are the dangers and advantages of managing information in this way? Is truth a casualty? Who benefits from Public Relations? How does it impact on the news media? What are the skills and knowledge required to work in this area?
Deeper Divides or Greater Equity?
International comparisons often show the great gulf between societies in terms of access to technology, education and income. These divides seem to be persistent and leading to inequalities between people within and between societies.
McMichael, P. (2008) ‘The Globalization Project in Practice’ in Development and Social Change, Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press. pp191-227
Hywel, W. (2009) In Our Time: The Speeches that shaped the Modern World (Anita Roddick), London: Quercus. pp186-189
Tutorial questions: What are the characteristics of the digital divide? What are the other types of divides which reduce peoples’ ability to participate in the knowledge society? How could these divides be tackled? Is it important to tackle the divides or should we accept that inequality is a part of human life? Does the adoption of technologies change local cultures and societies? Why would some people find these conceptions to be alien? How could these ideas be improved?
Owning Knowledge Intellectual Property
Ownership of knowledge has become a crucial issue all over the world as international regimes gradually increase the range of property rights that can be expressed over information and knowledge. Indigenous knowledge has been marginalised or appropriated by modern capital. What are the interests that lie behind corporatisation of knowledge ownership?
Drahos, Peter with Braithwaite, John (2002). ‘The Knowledge Game’ in Information Feudalism. Who owns the knowledge economy, London: Earthscan Publications Ltd. pp39-60
Laughlin, Robert (2009). Standing to reason, Sydney Morning Herald, January 17-18, p.6.
Tutorial questions: Have you ever copied a CD or computer game? Is it right for people to steal intellectual property? Should companies be allowed to exclusively own knowledge and be able to control its use? Does this help or hinder the progress of human life and society?
Research for the Final Project
Castells, Manuel (2000) ‘Conclusion’ in The Rise of Network Society, 2nd Edition, Oxford:Blackwell Publishers. pp501-509
Himanen, Pekka (2004) Challenges of the Global Information Society at http://web.eduskunta.fi/ dman/Document.phx?documentId=br11307103930385&cmd=download
Week 11-13 Group project and presentation
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Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
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Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.
This graduate capability is supported by: