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Being Online (HPSC30038)
Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5Not available in 2023
To learn more, visit 2023 Course and subject delivery.
Overview
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Being online is banal and dangerous, trivial and profound, disembodied but visceral. Terrorists and friends are online, along with trolls and lovers, funerals and games, pornography and Proust. Billions are made online from stuff that seems free; there are mass killings and cute cats; businesses, communities, universities, countless humans and even more non-humans, all networked, all interacting with unpredictable outcomes. The subject Being Online takes the experience of being online in all its breadth and complexity and through critical assessment draws out its implications for us as individuals, and as members of new online collectives. Lecture topics include online friendship and intimacy, uber-surveillance, online identity, the internet of things, death and online media, online crime, and morality and ethics online.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Assess and analyse the relationship between online technologies and the society we live in;
- Assess and analyse the relationship between online technologies and our daily lives;
- Critically assess theoretical approaches to being online, and persuasively apply these approaches to analysis;
- Use empirical evidence to develop and express coherent and persuasive arguments about the interactions between online technologies and specific social and cultural phenomena and characteristics;
- Make normative assessments of the social role of online technologies and be able to justify those assessments using reasoned argument.
Generic skills
- Critical thinking in the context of conflicting claims;
- Analytic skills informed by empirical data;
- Clear written and oral communications skills;
- Use of digital media;
- Capacity to make reasoned normative judgements.
Last updated: 14 June 2023
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Corequisites
Non-allowed subjects
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 14 June 2023
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Participation in online asynchronous discussion activities
| 1 hour per week | 20% |
Essay
| Mid semester | 40% |
Report or Online Multimedia Product
| End of semester | 40% |
Attendance Hurdle requirement: Students must attend a minimum of 75% of tutorials in order to pass this subject. | N/A |
Additional details
Note: Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day. After five working days late assessment will not be marked. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked.
Last updated: 14 June 2023
Dates & times
Not available in 2023
Last updated: 14 June 2023
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Readings will be provided online prior to the beginning of semester.
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 14 June 2023