Week 1 - due 23 August	Week 2 - due 30 August
Week 3 - due 7 September	Week 4 - due 13 September
Week 5 - due 20 September	Week 6 - due 27 September
Week 7 - due 4 October	Week 8 - due 11 October
Week 9 - due 18 October	Week 10 - due 25 October
Week 11 - due 1 November	Week 12 - due 8 November
Week 13 - due 15 November	Week 14 - due 22 November
Week 15 - due 29 November	Final Paper - due 6 December

With far-ranging influences on commerce, education, news, entertainment, information dissemination and much more, the Internet has had an enormous impact on American society over the past decade.  This course examines that impact with an emphasis on planning and public policy.

Upon completion of the course, students will:

• understand the basic technology of the Internet; how it works
• understand the basic demographics of Internet use in the U.S.
• understand the social impact of the Internet in American society
• be able to discuss social, ethical and political issues surrounding the advent of the Internet
• be able to discuss and the potential of the Internet to affect American society and policy
• be able to propose a new or changed policy to improve some aspect of the way in which Internet is used in America
• be able to discuss the future and potential of the Internet in America

Prof. Burks Oakley II
e-mail:  oakley@uis.edu
phone:  217-244-6465
web:  http://www.online.uillinois.edu/oakley/
Electronic office hours using AOL Instant Messenger - screen name "BurksO2"

Please contact the instructor via e-mail or the discussion board if you have questions at any time.  Online chat sessions or telephone consultations also can be arranged.

Students will use the Internet to access weekly lectures, required readings, required discussion sessions, and to submit written assignments.  There will NOT be any face-to-face meetings of this class.  There is no text for this course - all required readings are available online.  There are no written exams.

• Discussion Forum -- Weekly discussions in the course Discussion Forum. MULTIPLE WEEKLY POSTINGS REQUIRED
• Important details about discussion postings here
• Important details about the student-led discussions here
• Paper One -- For your first paper, you will select a topic that deals with how the Internet has impacted your life in the past five years.  The paper, then, is to be a description how personally your life is affected by the Internet in this area.  (more details here)  DUE NOT LATER THAN OCTOBER 15, 2004.
• Paper Two -- For your second paper, you will discuss a public policy issue among those covered during the semester, such as (but not limited to) the digital divide, Internet in education, online privacy, Internet taxes, online commerce, security in online communication and transactions, digital democracy, Internet and terrorism, online health resources, and music downloading.  The paper is to conclude with a recommendation for a new or changed public policy to address the issue.  DUE NOT LATER THAN DECEMBER 6, 2004.

Final grades will be determined in the following manner:

Reasonable accommodations are available for students have a documented disability. Please notify your instructor during he first week of class of any accommodations needed for the course. Late notification may cause the requested accommodations to be unavailable. All accommodations must be approved through the Office of Disability Services (ODS) in the Student Life Building, Room 11, 217-206-6666.

From time to time, faculty who are new to online teaching will be observing the discussions that occur in the "Discussion Board" in PAC 442.  This will only be done in the context of learning how to promote online discussion.  The faculty will only observe and will not participate in any of the interactions.

Weekly readings will come from the series of comprehensive surveys of the Internet in American Life project, conducted by the Pew Charitable Trust. Recommended sources for the research papers are also available online.

Due August 23, 2004 by noon central time - Introduction to the Internet

• Send the Student Information Form to Burks.
• Visit the following hyperlinks (spend as much or as little time with this material as you see fit):
• Burks Oakley's Home Page
• Brief History of Internet
• The Animated Internet
• How the Internet Works – from How Stuff Works
• Participate in the "Icebreaker Activity" in the "Icebreaker Activity" forum in the Discussion Board.
• Submit a short biographical sketch to the "Introductions" forum in the Discussion Board and moderate the ensuing discussion.

• Become familiar with the Pew Internet and American Life Project
• Look at various sections, such as Reports, Data, About Us, Mission
• Read the following papers:
• Counting on the Internet
• Getting Serious Online
• Participate in the Week Two Discussion Forum.

• Read the following papers:
• Older Americans and the Internet
• Rural Areas and the Internet
• Participate in the Week Three Discussion Forum.

• Read the following papers:
• Broadband Penetration on the Upswing
• The Ever-Shifting Internet Population: A new look at Internet access and the digital divide
• How to Cite the Internet -- Please note - THIS IS IMPORTANT MATERIAL
• Participate in the Week Four Discussion Forum.

• Read the following papers:
• Music Downloading, File-sharing and Copyright
• Preliminary Results of Survey of Musicians
• Update on Percentages Downloading Music
• Participate in the Week Five Discussion Forum.

• Read the following papers:
• SPAM - How it is hurting e-mail and degrading life on the Internet
• The CAN-SPAM Act
• Participate in the Week Six Discussion Forum.

• Read the following papers:
America's Online Pursuits
Online Banking
• Participate in the Week Seven Discussion Forum.

• Read the following papers:
• How Americans Get in Touch with Government
• Online Campaigners and Election Portals 2002
• Participate in the Week Eight Discussion Forum.

Post your paper in the Paper One Discussion Forum

• Read the following papers:
• Vital Decisions
• Internet Health Resources
• Wired for Health: How Californians Differ
• Participate in the Week Nine Discussion Forum.

• Read the following papers:
• Parents Online
• Faith Online
• Participate in the Week Ten Discussion Forum.

• Read the following papers:
• VoIP Awareness
• Rise of Wireless Connectivity
• Use of the Internet in Places other than Home or Work
• Participate in the Week Eleven Discussion Forum.

• Read the following papers:
• Internet as a Unique News Source
• Internet and the Iraq War
• Participate in the Week Twelve Discussion Forum.

• Read the following papera:
• The Internet Goes to College
• College Students and the Web
• Web-Savvy Students and K/12
• Participate in the Week Thirteen Discussion Forum.

• Read the following papers:
E-mail at Work
Wired Workers
• Participate in the Week Fourteen Discussion Forum.

• Read the following papers:
America's Online Pursuits
A Look Ahead - The Global Technology Revolution
• Participate in the Week Fifteen Discussion Forum.

Peer Evaluations of Paper Two - in the Discussion Forum - due by December 14, 2004

Submit Course Evaluations - links to evaluation forms will be provided in late November