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This version of CMNS 421 closed. To current version.
Delivery mode: Individualized study online.
Audio/video component.*
*Overseas students, please contact the University Library before registering in a course that has an audio/visual component.
Credits: 3 - Social Science
Prerequisite: None. CMNS 301 and CMNS 302 are recommended.
Centre: Centre for State and Legal Studies
CMNS 421 has a Challenge for Credit option.
This course focuses on social and psychological aspects of the Internet. It examines how this new medium affects individual definitions of self, social exchanges, and notions of the transpersonal. Upon completion of the course, students should be able to apply core concepts of individual and group psychology to online communications in both personal and professional domains.
The course is divided into two parts, with eight units in total.
Part 1: Awareness of the Self and of the Others
From inner self to outer self, the Internet presents a broad range of new definitions that challenge old ways of thinking about self, relationships and even spirituality. Chat lines and multi-user domains give their denizens the opportunity to play with alternate selves in the anonymity of Internet interactions. But serious relationships also develop, ranging from new professional connections to love. Units 1-4 of the course discuss the impact of the Internet on perceptions of the self, on interactions between two people and on small group aspects of life on-line. We consider how related activities may add to and deepen our self-awareness, and how the Internet may affect the development and maintenance of personal and professional relationships.
Part 2: Issues and Special Topics
The final four units deal with specific areas of Net life, beginning with developmental issues concerning children's exposure to the Net. Social roles are also examined concerning the degree to which the Internet has become feminized as well as sensitized to issues of ethnicity and socio-economic class. Various forms of deviance also arise, including addiction, hackers and cyberpunks. Finally, the course deals with on-line spirituality, the Internet as a medium of spiritual comfort and growth for people distanced from traditional religion.
To receive credit for CMNS 421, you must complete all of the assignments, achieve a minimum mark of 50 percent for the essay examination, and obtain a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent).
| Community Posts Six posts to the course website (3 @ 6%) | 18% |
| Short Essays Three short essays (3 @ 17%) *Essay One (17%) (Unit 1) *Essay Two (17%) (Units 2, 3, 4) *Essay Three (17%) (Units 5, 6, or 7) | 51% |
| Integrative Essay Examination At-home 10-15 page essay | 31% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
J. J. Gackenbach (Ed.) (1998). Psychology and the Internet: Intrapersonal, interpersonal and transpersonal implications. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Communications Studies 421: Personal Implications of the Internet—Study guide. Athabasca, AB: Athabasca University, 2001.
Communications Studies 421: Personal Implications of the Internet—Student manual. Athabasca, AB: Athabasca University, 2001.
Communications Studies 421: Personal Implications of the Internet—Reading file. Athabasca, AB: Athabasca University, 2001.
To complete CMNS 421, students are required to take part in on-line discussions with their fellow students. Access to computer/Internet is required.