Overview

This course critically engages the mass phenomenon of web publication and online exhibition, seeking to think about the following questions: How does web publication affect the production of knowledge at both an academic (specifically, within the context of American Studies) and a non-academic level (both in terms of non-academic, informational websites and, in terms of the production of knowledge engendered by the digital information revolution's greater efficiency in tracking our habits as consumers)? How does web publication change how knowledge is received? What new critical thinking skills need to be developed in order to use information found on the web? Does web publication increase our access to "good" information, assisting us in making informed decisions or, does it create a paralyzing situation of information overload or a flood of disinformation? How does the intersection of scholarship and commerce on the web affect, or perhaps ultimately fulfill, the production of knowledge? How do concepts of authorship, readership, and intellectual property shift in this environment? If museums are places where our most enduring cultural myths are rehearsed and, more recently, contested, does online exhibition change who tells the stories, what stories are being told and, to what purpose? Finally, what is the future of web publication and online exhibition? One hundred years from now, will any of this remain? Will it be archived in massive, global, digital libraries or will it be lost to future historians and American Studies practitioners?

As a class, we will meet face-to-face only twice during the term. The first day of class we'll meet and learn how to make a Web page! At the end of the semester there will be an optional meeting for people who want to get together and discuss the class informally over breakfast. All of our other interactions will be online. However, I am always available for face to face meetings, discussions, or assistance with the technical aspects of the course. Most of the readings will be distributed via the Web and all assignments will be submitted to me over e-mail or by mounting them to the Web. As such, we will be contributing to the very phenomenon we are studying! Self reflection becomes critical in situations such as this.

If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact your instructor, Debra DeRuyver, by e-mail or by phone (1.301.305.0788).

For more information contact Debra DeRuyver: dd131@umail.umd.edu, 301.305.0788
Department of American Studies, 2125 Taliaferro Hall, University of Maryland, College Park MD 20740
Last Updated May 28, 1999