CONTACT INFORMATIONOffice: Susquehanna 4109Office Hours: Mon. and Wed., 1:30-3:00, and by appointment Office Phone: 301-405-3816 The best way to contact me is usually by email: mk235@umail.umd.edu
ABOUT THE COURSEThis course explores writing's transition from the printed page to the computer screen. After an introductory unit that examines the history of computing and the rise of the internet (what is a computer and how do they really work?), we'll examine various ways of understanding the shift from the writing spaces of the printed book to the information spaces of the digital world. We'll then take a look at other forms of media (photographic images, film, television) and their complex relations to the electronic sphere (what do Hollywood movies and hypertext have in common, for example?). Next we'll sample some work from the flourishing contemporary electronic fiction and poetry scene, including a reading of the hypertext novel Patchwork Girl. We'll conclude the course with a look at the current state of literary studies in a wired world, where scholars at this university and elsewhere are using electronic resources to dramatically revise our understanding of key authors and major literary periods.Over the course of the semester, you can expect to experiment with new kinds of reading, such as a hypertext novel, and new kinds of writing, such as multimedia and online chat. You will learn practical Web publishing techniques and strategies for expressing yourselves and communicating in electronic environments--sure to become essential survival skills in the new millennium. Requirements will include HTML exercises, two short papers (4-5 pages each), an online project, and a final exam. No prior technical knowledge is expected or assumed. However, I do assume a genuine interest in computers and new media, as well as a little bit of patience and a willingness to learn some new skills.
BOOKSRequired Texts:
You are responsible for reading assigned materials according to the course calendar. Moreover, online readings are as much a part of the course as the printed texts, and you can expect to be examined on them and otherwise held responsible for their content. REQUIREMENTS AND GRADINGGrades will be calculated according to the following percentage values:
LATE WORKAssignments--including the HTML exercises, papers, and the course project--are scheduled on the course calendar. Any work submitted after the beginning of class on the day on which it is due will be considered late. Late work will be docked one full letter grade for each day--not each course meeting--that it is overdue (work submitted late on the same day it was due will still be docked one full letter). Persons who know they will require special accommodation for religious, university athletic, medical, or other such obligations should inform me of the fact as close to the start of the semester as possible.EMAIL AND COMPUTER ACCOUNTSSubscription to the class's electronic coursemail list is mandatory. All students who have a valid email address in Testudo should be automatically subscribed. I will use the list to post announcements, updates to the calendar, and other administrative items. You should get into the habit of checking your email at least once a day. You will be held responsible for the content of all email announcements 24 hours after they have been posted.The address of the coursemail list is: engl467-0101-fall01@coursemail.umd.edu We will also all use the list to continue and further our in class discussions. Your contributions to the list will be taken into account when I assess the level of your class participation (see below). All of you must also open a WAM account, which you will learn to use during the course of the semester. Your WAM account will host your online work, including your HTML exercises and your course project. All online work must be done on WAM, and not on a private ISP. (This policy will help me to help you troubleshoot if and when problems arise.) You must open your WAM account no later than the first lab session, Friday, September 14th.
ATTENDANCE, PARTICIPATION, QUIZZESUniversity Attendance Guidelines state "The University expects each student to take full responsibility for his or her academic work and academic progress. . . . Students are expected to attend classes regularly, for consistent attendance offers the most effective opportunity open to all students to gain command of the concepts and materials of their courses of study."Since this class is also a community, you each have a responsibility to one other as well as to yourselves. I will therefore take attendance every class. I will also expect lively participation and discussion (both in class and online). Your personal attendance record and participation habits will absolutely be the most important factor I consider if, at the end of the semester, I must make a decision on a borderline grade. You are responsible for the material you miss if you are absent. Note that I will not respond to "what did I miss" queries via email (ask a friend in the class, or come see me during office hours). Finally, I may administer surprise quizzes at any time--and will not hesitate to do so if the class seems unprepared. Quizzes will be taken into consideration alongside participation when calculating borderline grades. ACADEMIC INTEGRITYEvery member of the class is expected to abide by the University's Code of Academic Integrity. |
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ENGL 467 FALL 2001 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND |
MATTHEW G. KIRSCHENBAUM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH MK235@UMAIL.UMD.EDU |