engl278w syllabus

By lordbyrne

ENGL278W: Literature in a Wired World
Fall 2008

Joseph Byrne
byrnejo@umd.edu
Rooms: Tuesdays SQH 2112, Thursdays HBK 0115
Office: SQH 2107; Phone: 301-405-2853
Office hours: 11:15am-12:15pm, Thursdays; or by appointment
Class Blog: http://engl278w.wordpress.com

Course Description: This course looks at a new kind of literature: that which makes use of digital, or electronic, technologies. We will begin with the book-the original digital reading technology-and end with wikis, and explore many other genres of digital literature along the way. In addition to close readings of digital works, we will also examine the theoretical and contextual issues involved in digital literature. There will also be a large “praxis” component of the class as students, individually and in groups, will create digital works as a way of understanding how digital literature functions. Writing will be an essential part of the course. There are two paper assignments for the course, and students will also be expected to make frequent contributions to the course blog.

Course Goals: This course aims to familiarize a broad student population with digital works that for many, still, do not qualify as “literature.” A major goal of the course, then, is to explore what we mean by “literature,” and how digital works might fit into that definition. In addition to reading and analyzing digital works, students will also learn by making digital objects, in the class lab, and at home.

Required Texts:

  • Shelley Jackson. Patchwork Girl. CD-ROM (Eastgate Systems, 1995). ISBN: 1884511236

Grading:

  • 30% Class participation (includes attendance, in-class discussion, group work, and blog comments)
  • 20% Mid-term paper
  • 30% Semester Project
  • 20% Final Exam

Papers and Projects:

The university requires 10 pages of formal written work in undergraduate courses. In this course, the 10-page requirement breaks down as:

  • Mid-term Paper: 2-4 pages analyzing a digital work we have not discussed in class, in a genre we have discussed in class (i.e. hypertext, digital poetry, interactive fiction, etc.).
  • Semester Project: 5-7 pages presenting, and analyzing, a digital work that you have created. Details will be provided later, but it is expected that the analysis, or “manifesto,” portion of your paper will draw upon the works and themes of the entire course.

Note: All class papers and projects will be submitted electronically, sent (by attachment or link) to my email address listed above. Papers can be in MS-Word format, PDF, HTML, or any other format which can be transmitted, and read, electronically. They need to be submitted by 11:59pm on the due date. After that time, they will marked down a half letter grade for each day late.

Class Blog:

The course blog can be found at http://engl278w.wordpress.com. We will be using the blog for much of our writing in this course, using it to “publish” papers, carry on virtual class discussion, and facilitate class logistics. Since the blog will represent an important complement to our in-class work, participation will be required. The breakdown of your requirement is as follows:

  • Journal Entries: The class will be divided into 7 groups; one group will submit a journal entry for each class (except on test days). This means that each student will submit 3 journal entries throughout the semester. Although journal entries are not considered formal class writing, they should engage with the material discussed in class and grapple with some of the course’s major themes. Journal entries are due by 5pm the day before class.
  • Comments: Each student will be required to make 5 comments on the class blog during the semester. Each comment should be at least a paragraph in length (about three sentences). Comments can be responses to discussions then underway on the blog, or in class. More than by number, comments will be judged on the insightfulness of the commentary and the tendency to provoke further discussion; they fall under the participation portion of your grade. You are more than welcome to submit more than 5 comments. In commenting on other students’ work, it is important that you are respectful of the ideas of others, even if you do not agree with them. As the blog administrator, I will eliminate any posting that may be offensive to other students.

Class Reflector and ELMS:

  • Reflector: We will be using a class reflector list for timely class announcements. The reflector address is: engl278w-0101-fall08@coursemail.umd.edu. Please make sure your school email account is current and check it regularly.
  • ELMS: We will also be utilizing the ELMS/Blackboard system, mostly as an online location for downloading articles for class. Please familiarize yourself with the class page at ELMS, at this address: http://www.elms.umd.edu.

Attendance Policy: It is essential that you attend class to participate in discussions, group work, etc. Students should have no more than 4 unexcused absences throughout the semester. Any more than 4 will negatively impact your grade. More than 6 unexcused absences will result in failure of the class participation portion of your grade. An unexcused absence is defined as any absence that is not the result of personal illness, family illness, or official religious observance. I will require supporting documentation (i.e. a doctor’s note) to excuse most absences.

University Policies:

  • Academic Integrity and Honor Pledge: Plagiarism, whether it is submitting someone else’s work as your own, submitting your own work completed for another class without the permission of the instructor, or otherwise violating the university’s code of academic integrity, will not be tolerated. You are expected to understand the university’s policies regarding academic integrity. These can be found at the Student Honor Council website at www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu. Please visit this website, click on the “students” link, and read the information carefully.
  • Special Needs: If you have a registered disability that will require accommodation, please see me immediately. If you have a disability and have not yet registered it with Disability Support Services in the Shoemaker Building (4-7682 or 5-7683 TTY-TDD), you should do so immediately.
  • Religious Observance: Please inform me of any intended absences for religious observances at the beginning of the semester.

Note: Given the protean nature of electronic communications, and the fledgling nature of digital literature, this syllabus is subject to change. You will be notified in advance of important changes that could affect grading, assignments, etc.

Class Schedule:

Tuesday 2 September, HBK 0115
Digital Literature: An Oxymoron?

  • General Introduction and review of syllabus, course policies

Thursday 4 September, HBK 0115
The Book: the Original Digital Object

Readings:

Tuesday 9 September, SQH 2112
The Book: Practicum

  • Group work: creating an analogue book from digital materials

Readings:

Thursday 11 September, HBK0115
Remediation

Readings:

Due: Team 1 Journal Entries

Tuesday 16 September, SQH 2112
Remediation: Practicum

  • Group work: digitizing an analogue book

Due: Team 2 Journal Entries

Thursday 18 September, HBK 0115
Remediating Frankenstein

Readings:

Due: Team 3 Journal Entries

Tuesday 23 September, SQH 2112
Remediating Frankenstein: Practicum

  • Group work: edit and publish own electronic version of Frankenstein

Due: Team 4 Journal Entries

Thursday 25 September, HBK 0115
Hypertext

Readings:

Due: Team 5 Journal Entries

Tuesday 30 September, SQH 2112
Hypertext: Practicum

  • Group work: create hypertext fiction in class

Due: Team 6 Journal Entries

Thursday 2 October, HBK 0115
Hypertextual Frankenstein: Patchwork Girl

Readings:

Due: Team 7 Journal Entries

Tuesday 7 October, SQH 2112
Patchwork Girl: Practicum

  • Group Readings of Patchwork Girl

Readings:

Due: Team 1 Journal Entries

Thursday 9 October, HBK 0115
Digital Poetry

Readings:

Due: Team 2 Journal Entries

Tuesday 14 October, SQH 2112
Digital Poetry: Practicum

  • Group work: creating a digital poem

Due: Team 3 Journal Entries

Thursday 16 October, HBK 0115
Interactive Fiction/Text Games

Readings:

Due: Team 4 Journal Entries

Tuesday 21 October, SQH 2112
Interactive Fiction/Text Games: Practicum

  • Group play of interactive fiction games

Readings:

Due: Team 5 Journal Entries

Thursday 23 October, HBK 0115
Textual Immersion and Virtual Reality

Readings:

Due: Team 6 Journal Entries

Tuesday 28 October, SQH 2112
Textual Immersion: Practicum

Readings:

Due: Mid-Term Paper

Thursday 30 October, HBK 0115
Personal Fictions: Avatars/Cyborgs

Readings:

Due: Team 7 Journal Entries

Tuesday 4 November, SQH 2112
Personal Fictions: Avatars/Cyborgs

  • Group Work: Class visit to Second Life; creating fictional profiles/avatars

Due: Team 1 Journal Entries

Thursday 6 November, HBK 0115
Networked Literature: Fiction Blogs

Readings:

Due: Team 2 Journal Entries

Tuesday 11 November, SQH 2112
Networked Literature: Fiction Blog Practicum

  • Group reading/writing of fiction blogs

Due: Team 3 Journal Entries

Thursday 13 November, HBK 0115
Networked Literature: Fiction Wikis

Readings:

Due: Team 4 Journal Entries

Tuesday 18 November, SQH 2112
Networked Literature: Fiction Wiki Practicum

  • Group reading/writing/editing of fiction wikis

Due: Team 5 Journal Entries

Thursday 20 November, HBK 0115
Wikis and Database

  • Go over wiki lab work and discuss database

Due: Team 6 Journal Entries

Tuesday 25 November, SQH 2112
Semester Project Work Day

  • Use time in lab to work on semester projects

Due: Team 7 Journal Entries

Thursday 27 November
Thanksgiving Break

Tuesday 2 December, SQH 2112
Semester Project Presentations I

  • Presentations of individual student projects

Thursday 4 December, HBK0115
Semester Project Presentations II

  • Presentations of individual student projects

Tuesday 9 December, SQH 2112
Future of Digital Literature

Readings:

Thursday 11 December, HBK 0115
Finals Study Day: Review

Due: Semester Projects (send URL in email by midnight)

FINAL EXAM: 16 December 2008