Social Information Spaces
fdm 171d: social information spaces
when: spring 2011
instructor: margaretha haughwout
email: xmargarethax at geemail
office: communications 110
class times: Tu & Th 10:00-12:30
office hours: th 3:30-5:00pm or by appointment
online office hours: tba
course website: http://fdm2.ucsc.edu/~mhaughwo/171d/s11/
aim chat: jonnievenom1
skype: mllebuffalo
twitter: @mllebuffalo class handle: #fdm171d
info about computer labs on campus
margaretha's fdm171 delicious page
Description
Our classroom is a social information space. As such, it is a forum where we as participants engage in various kinds of information exchanges. We observe what it means to dispense and accumulate information, particularly in regards to power. We challenge the assumptions about who holds knowledge in a typical 21st-century classroom, and ways our physical spaces reflect these assumptions. Emergencies are situations that have their own information spaces; these spaces are fluid, frequently ad-hoc and collaborative. Through mapping, digital networks, and an orientation to resource bases are approaches to space in emergency situations. Social formations facilitate the flow of resources, coordinate safety measures, and relay executable information. Urban gardens are another social information space that work at the cutting edge of civilization, frequently undoing concentrations of wealth. The urban gardening movement is deep in the trenches, thinking through alternative governance strategies, new approaches towards a more equitable disribution of resources and, of course, how to bioremediate the urban landscape. Information in this context is embodied and responsive.
In this class we investigate the classroom, emergency situations, and urban gardens to think critically and creatively about how our networked culture can facilitate new power relationships that foster greater learning and greater resilency.
In the beginning of the quater students will be guided through a series of short assignments fousing on the classroom, the emergency and the garden. For the last half of the quarter, students can work individually or collabrativly on one of the aforementioned themes.
Grading Formula
participation/ collaboration/ helping/ asking/ reading: 10% small projects: 10ea 50% final project stage 1, parti: 10% final project stage 2, approach: 10% final project stage 3, release: 20%
Grading Rubric
A -- Excellent. Student exhibits exemplary ability and creativity in implementing project/s as well as through a close reading of the any required materials. Student gives attention to detail. All work is lucid and engaging. Student is able to collaborate within larger group.
B -- Good. Student completes assignments, and demonstrates a grasp of most of the main aspects of each lesson, but not all. Detail, creativity and critical analysis is present.
C -- Satisfactory. Student completes the assignment but may lack enthusiasm or drive to push the work into a detailed creative or critical space. Student performs little or no creativity and does not demonstrate knowledge of the material at hand. Problems exist in student's work, the work is underdeveloped.
D -- Unsatisfactory. Student does not complete the work as assigned. Substantial problems exist in student's work.
F -- Fail. Student does not submit work, or work is below unsatisfactory level.
Late Work Policy
Work is considered late if handed in or emailed after due date/time. The default time for submission of work is 11:59 pm on Friday, unless specified otherwise in the schedule. For each day the work is late (marked each 24 hours by the day and time of original deadline), the work decreases by half a grade (a B+ goes to B-, a B- to a C+, etc.).
Assignments not completed because of lost work will not be excused.
Email Etiquette
Please visit: http://www.stopforwarding.us/etiq.html for tips on appropriate email practices.
In your subject header, indicate your course, and a couple of words about your question/comment -- ie:
subject: FDM 171 assignment question
Allow for a 48 hour response time from the professor (if it is urgent, please put URGENT in the subject header for quicker response time)