syllabus

Introduction

How often do you stop to think about the medium in which you are communicating? How does a specific medium change the way you write? What does it mean to “read” an image? How does our use of technology shape the way we communicate? What theories inform our relationships with media?

The ability to communicate effectively in multiple types of media is a crucial part of literacy in our society. In this class, we will explore the intersections between various media: print, film, images, sound, etc. Through the course, we will develop an approach for understanding and composing multimedia products while attempting to identify (and challenge) the implicit conventions of media. Along the way, we will consider the ways in which writing (as an object and as a practice) is shaped by these multimodal interactions from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

By integrating practical activities with broader theoretical issues, we will work on developing effective strategies for designing multimedia presentations that integrate text, photography, video and sound. Class sessions will alternate between the Apple Mac lab in the Undergraduate Library and the Nevada St lab and will be a combination of in-class practice and discussion.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, you will…

…have the ability to define, read, and produce New Media…

…understand New Media’s theories, including (but not limited to) topics such as process, authorship, affect, and multimodality…

…be able to engage in informed discussion about New Media theory, products, and processes…

…understand how theoretical perspectives and engaging in New Media production lead us to reimagine conventional rhetorical concepts such as authorship, audience, process, revision, design, etc…

..have a basic understanding of media production tools and software, including stencil graffiti, Garageband, iMovie, and more…

…be able to communicate effectively in a multimedia environment.

Assignment Submission

Unless otherwise noted, projects, reading responses, and other written work are due at the beginning of class on the assigned due date. Late work will be penalized by 1/3 of a letter grade for every day it is late, seven days a week. That day begins five minutes after class begins. Late work should be emailed to me or put in my mailbox on the second floor of the English Building by 3:00 pm of the day you wish to turn it in. Work turned in after 3:00 pm will count toward the next day. If you know in advance that you will be absent on a day a written assignment is due, or in the case of an emergency, please contact me immediately to make arrangements. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Reading and Reading Responses

Reading assignments for our class are assigned with correlating weeks on the syllabus, rather than specific days. Unless instructed otherwise, please plan on having each week’s reading done when you come to class on Tuesday. This means you should begin reading for the next week’s assignment on Thursday of the previous week (at the latest). While reading, you are required to write at least three discussion questions related to the reading. At the beginning of each class in which reading is due, you will be required to write a short response to one of the reading questions posted by another student in your blog discussion group

Writing

Since the title of this course is Writing Across Media, you will be expected to write extensively throughout the semester. This writing will take the form of online posts and discussions on class blogs, rationales and reflective writing for each major project, written responses to the reading, and analyses of multimedia artifacts.

Groups

I will assign groups that you will be a part of throughout the semester. For the first four projects, you will brainstorm, discuss and workshop with your group members but you will produce individual documents. Even though you will work to produce independent individual projects, think of your group mates as resources for ideas, feedback and sometimes even material. For the final project, you will work together to produce a group final project. More about this and projects 1-4 later.

Blog

Throughout the semester you will be required to post work to your blog. All projects, reflective writing, and analysis projects are to be submitted via the blog. Also, for each reading assignment, you will be required to write three discussion questions and post them to your blog.

Analyses

Over the course of the semester, you will be asked to find examples of New Media from your daily environment and write a short (one page) analysis of each object you find to be posted to your blog. These analysis projects will be related to the major projects in the course. You will also be required to present your findings to the rest of the class occasionally during the semester.

In-Class Exercises and Workshops

Throughout the semester you will be working on various projects in the classroom. These will consist of interactive workshop sessions for the composition tools we will be using as well as short individual and group assignments. You must be present in class on the day of these assignments in order to receive credit for them.

Major Projects

There are five major projects in this course, including the final project. Each one will involve composing in different media, and the due dates for each are listed on the course calendar. Along with every major project, you will be required to write a rationale as well as a reflective essay examining your compositional process and considering some of the related theory from the readings.

Attendance

Since this course involves regular in-class tutorials, assignments, and workshops, regular attendance is required if you wish to be successful. If you miss a class, you are expected to stay current by checking the class website, contacting me, and/or speaking with one of your fellow students. Up to three absences are permissible (you won’t receive participation points for those days, of course); however, four or more absences will result in a zero for half of your total participation grade. Missed in-class exercises will receive a grade of zero. Coming to class unprepared, unresponsive, or more than 20 minutes late will be considered an absence.

Participation

Class participation is critical for success in this course. Class discussions will give you an opportunity to better understand the theories that will inform your work. They will also give everyone the opportunity to share their personal experience working on multimedia composition. Along with discussions, in-class exercises, demos, and workshops will help you learn to use the necessary technology and give you practice with writing and design. Together with attendance, class participation accounts for 20% of your grade. In order to get full points for participation, you must complete all assigned reading before class, attend class regularly, complete all in-class and other writing assignments, and participate attentively in discussions and workshops. Online participation on the blogs is also required for success in this class. You will be expected to log into the course website on a regular basis to check for news updates and to view assignment prompts. You will also need to post to your blog regularly and respond to discussion questions posted online.

Also remember to be courteous and discrete about non-class related computing. Facebook, email and instant messaging software makes distraction incredibly easy in a computer-based class like this one. If I notice that you are on Facebook, texting, or emailing during class, you’re not being discreet enough. I’m very good at detecting this kind of thing, and am not afraid to call you out in class and you will not receive full participation credit.

Grading

The relative weight of each assignment is as follows. One of the reasons this breakdown is only an estimate is that the “participation” part of the grade can factor more or less in extraordinary cases. This is more likely to work for you than against you, but a student who misses an extraordinary number of class sessions or who is inconsiderate to me or to others will find that his or her overall grade is impacted negatively more than that 20% might entail.

20% – attendance & participation (including minor writing assignments)

20% – rationales and reflections (10% projects 1-4 + 10% final)

20% – revision of a selected individual project

20% – projects 1-4 (5% each)

20% – final project

Course Materials

Since we will be composing in a variety of media over the course of the semester, you will have to purchase supplies (paint, poster board, etc.). Required materials for specific assignments will be explained in the assignment prompts, however, we do recommend that you invest in a USB jump drive or some other portable storage device (at least 2 gigabytes) for your files in the class.

Modification of Syllabus

I reserve the right to modify the syllabus at any time. You are responsible for staying current with the syllabus, even if you did not attend the class during which a modification was announced. Modifications will not increase the workload, but may be made in order to better address the unique needs of the class. All modifications will be announced in class and documented on the course website.

Writer’s Workshop

If you need any help with you writing, the Writing Workshop is an excellent resource (http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/). Workshop consultants can help you learn how to improve your writing by offering assistance with planning, drafting, and revising. The resource is free, and I highly recommend it. You are also always welcome to utilize my office hours for help with assignments.

Plagiarism

The University of Illinois has high standards of academic integrity set out in Article 1, Part 4 of the University Student Code. According to the code, using words or ideas from another source as if they were your own is plagiarism, a violation of academic integrity. Submitting your own work for more than one course without acknowledgment can also constitute plagiarism. Ignorance of the code does not excuse infractions, so if you have questions about the definition of plagiarism, please consult the code at the following web address: http://www.admin.uiuc.edu/policy/code/. The University Student Code also explains the consequences of plagiarism, which can include suspension or dismissal from the university. You are responsible for reading and understanding the definition of plagiarism found there. If you have questions, please ask me.

Emergency Plan

In the event of an emergency, you will be asked either to exit the building (e.g., in the case of a fire) or to go to the basement (e.g., in a tornado). Please do so quickly and quietly, making sure to find me once you have exited to the proper location. Please remain with the rest of the class, even after I have checked you in. You will not be allowed to leave until officially notified by emergency personnel. If you have a

physical disability and would like help in exiting the building, please see Lauri Harden in the Undergraduate Studies Office (room 294) to sign the voluntary register for assistance.

Disabilities

If you believe you have a disability for which you may need an academic accommodation (including special formats/assignments, auxiliary aides, non-traditional instructional formats, etc.), please inform me as soon as possible in private.

Discrimination

This course will operate under a spirit of nondiscrimination and equality. All participants in the course will abide by University policy and guidelines, including those governing discrimination, harassment, academic honesty, and computer lab usage. Language or actions that are deemed discriminatory or harassing will not be tolerated in class or online, and will result in either being removed from the classroom for the day or banned from the discussion forum, with a participation grade of 0 for that day. Repeated offenses will be dealt with as per school policies.

Bibliography

Bolter, Jay David & Richard Grusin. “Immediacy, Hypermediacy, and Remediation.” Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999. 16-50.

–. “Introduction.” Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999. 2-15.

–. “Mediation and Remediation.” Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999. 52-62.

–. “Networks of Remediation.” Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999. 52-62.

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books: New York, 1972. Drucker, Joanna. “Language in the Landscape.” Figuring the Word. New York: Granary Books, 1998. 90-99.

Ede, Lisa and Andrea Lunsford. “The Concept of Authorship: Explorations and (Dis)Closures.” Singular Texts/Plural Authors: Perspectives on Collaborative Writing. Southern Illinois University Press: 1990. 72-102.

–. “Intertexts.” Singular Texts/Plural Authors: Perspectives on Collaborative Writing. Southern Illinois University Press: 1990.

Elkins, James. “Preface.” How to Use Your Eyes. New York: Routledge, 2000. vii-xi.

Hampe, Barry. “The Documentary Interview.” Making Documentary and Reality Videos. New York: Henry Hold and Company, 1997. 263-271.

–. “Making Analogs of Reality.” Making Documentary and Reality Videos. New York: Henry Hold and Company, 1997. 1-9.

–. “Visual Evidence.” Making Documentary and Reality Videos. New York: Henry Hold and Company, 1997. 49-68.

Lauer, David A. and Stephen Pentak. Design Basics. Harcourt College Publishers, 1999. 4-53.

Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media. Cambridge: MIT, 2001.

McCloud, Scott. “The Vocabulary of Comics.” Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: HarperCollins, 1993. 24-59.

McKee, Heidi. “Sound matters: Notes toward the analysis and design of sound in multimodal webtexts.” Computers and Composition 23 (2006): 335-354.

Shipka, Jody. “Sound engineering: Toward a theory of multimodal soundness.” Computers and Composition 23 (2006): 355-373.

Wysocki, Anne Francis. “The Multiple Media of Texts: How Onscreen and Paper Texts Incorporate Words, Images, and Other Media.” What Writing Does and How it Does it. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004. 123-163.