Introduction
mass 303 roles
Group Project Role Descriptions
The purpose of this guide is to offer you suggestions on where to find information for your assignment. In this guide you will find the following (taken from the project role descriptions):
Technology Production: Find out: how does the technology work-what are the scientific principles, where did it come from, (patents, history, predecessors, inventors, perspective on “the technology” as a physical thing. Provide your group with the information needed to understand the origins and workings of the technology, what it is used to produce, what changes it has undergone, what principles it operates on. (Brian Winston's categories: scientific competence, ideation, prototype)
Media Uses and Effects: Find out what scholarly work has been published on the relationships around/ uses and effects of this technology. Critical perspectives, dimensions of cultural and social experiences we have encountered in our texts will be helpful as guides to your approach, and you will need additional resources to guide your group in understanding perspectives on the technology your group chooses. (Brian Winston's categories: dissemination, redundancy, spinoffs, impact)
Media Organizations and Systems: Find out about the regulatory environment (structural, legal, and institutional) around the emergence of this technology, politics, economics and law are important here: Look at industry practices, regulatory bodies and policy shifts, legislation, lawsuits, corporate mergers/alliances breakups and the emergence and changes that affect markets for this technology. (Brian Winston's categories: supervening social necessity, suppression of radical potential)
Media Uses and Effects
MASS 303: Media Uses & Effects
Media Uses & Effects
For this portion of the research assignment, you'll need to find scholarly work regarding your technology. In some cases, this may come from any discipline. You can start with the databases I suggest for communication, but you might consider looking at other disciplines as well. For example, who might be studying the social experiences people have in regards to your particular technology? Most likely, it'll be sociologists. In addition to the databases below, check the list of Research Databases we have and choose one based on who could be studying your technology.
Most Useful
| Database | Full Text | Coverage | Scholarly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication & Mass Media Complete (Via Communication Source) i
Provides abstracts and full text for more than 200 communication journals. |
Some full-text; plus links to full-text via Get-It | 1950 to current | Some |
| Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA) i
Provides abstracts of articles from about 2,000 journals (published worldwide), coverage of recent books, book review citations and dissertation listings. |
Links to full-text via Get-It | 1973 to current | All |
| Academic Search Premier i
This scholarly collection offers information in nearly every area of academic study including: computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, ethnic studies, and many more. |
Some full-text; plus links to full-text via Get-It | 1975 to current | Most |
Also Useful
| Database | Full Text | Coverage | Scholarly |
|---|---|---|---|
| ERIC
i
A national database of education literature, including reports and journal articles. ALERT! Within ERIC search results: IF the "Link to ERIC full text" does not work, try the "Get It!" link. |
Links to full-text via Get-It | 1966 to current | Some |
| Sociological Abstracts
i
Provides access to the latest international findings in theoretical and applied sociology, social science, and political science.
|
Links to full-text via Get-It | 1963 to current | All |
what is a scholarly article (aec)
What is a scholarly article?
A scholarly article is how researchers (scholars) communicate the findings and analysis of their research. Scholarly articles:
- Provide original research and analysis - these articles are based on studies or experiements, or analyze an artifact or event. Every scholarly article presents something new about the world we didn't know before.
- Are written by scholars - scholars tend to hold PhDs, or other advanced degrees and are professors at universities.
- Are published in peer-reviewed journals - you won't find these floating about on the internet, they have to be published in a journal. Most times you'll find them in the library databases.
- Might be hard to read - they act as the primary conversation between scholars about a field of study. Since they are written by scholars, for scholars, they contain specialized language that might be hard for the lay person to understand.
Technology Production
mass 303 mmp
Patents
I prefer using the Google Patent search, instead of the U.S. Patent Office. Search for:
- the name of your technology
- the company that owns your technology
Expect to find multiple patents for one technology. For example, the patents for the iPhone are numerous, as they use some of the technologies in multiple items (e.g. touch screen).
U Texas has a great overview of patents that includes definitions of the different kind of patents and patent myths, along with links to tutorials on searching for patents on the US Patent Office Website.
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Guide to Patent Searching, McKinnney Engineering Library, Univ of Texas
How the Technology Works
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HowStuffWorks.com - "leading source of credible, unbiased, and easy-to-understand explanations of how the world actually works."
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Wired.com - companion site to the popular tech magazine
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Gizmodo - blog about gadgets and technology
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CNet.com - product review and prices, software downloads and tech news
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TechExpo - directory of engineering and scientific trade technical magazines
Media Organization and Systems
mass 303 moe
Media Organization & Systems
This portion of the research will fall under business and legal research. Below you'll find links to appropriate databases that will help you in this area, along with links to governmental and organizations websites.
Regulatory environment/policies/laws
Library databases
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ACM Library Collection of articles published by the Association of Computing Machinery in a variety of their journals.
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Business Source Premier Full text coverage in all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics.
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PAIS Includes citations for journal articles, government documents, research reports, etc., on a variety of internaional issues.
Websites
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Federal Communications Commission
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FCC Media Bureau "develops, recommends and administers the policy and licensing programs relating to electronic media, including cable television, broadcast television, and radio in the United States and its territories."
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National Telecommunications & Information Adminstration "is the President's principal adviser on telecommunications and information policy issues, and in this role frequently works with other Executive Branch agencies to develop and present the Administration's position on these issues."
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Electronic Frontier Foundation "is a nonprofit group of passionate people — lawyers, technologists, volunteers, and visionaries — working to protect your digital rights."
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USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future tracks "the global evolution of digital technologies and platforms, studying their effects on users and non-users."
Industry
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ABI Inform Trade & Industry Abstracts and full-text articles from more than 1,000 leading business and management publications, with full-text for most popular sources.
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Industry Information Guide compiled by CSUSM Business Librarian, Ann Fiegen
APA Citations
Allison Carr
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