GER 494/598; ENG 494/549; HUM
494
Spring 2003, Daniel Gilfillan
The following are required assignments and exams. Students
participating in the course will be evaluated on their
engaged participation in class discussion, on their written
work for the course, and on their ability to engage with
the course content in an exam situation. The exam is a
take-home midterm covering the required readings and discussions
(print or online) from the first part of the course; they
are also designed to reward students who attend lectures
on a regular basis. An attendance policy will be in effect.
Note: To pass the course,
students must regularly attend lectures and participate
actively in in-class discussion and in the discussion
forum.
Discussion
& Minutes
Weight: 20% of Final Grade
Due:
varied dates throughout the semester
Class discussions will be built on assigned readings
and in-class exploration of web-based artistic
and scholarly projects.
Undergraduate students will be responsible
for:
- leading one class discussion (10%)
- taking minutes of class discussions, individually
(to be handed out in class at the next meeting
and posted to our discussion forum on Blackboard)
(5%)
- participating in the Blackboard discussion
forum (one substantive post based on a class
reading, or a response to a question that I
post) (5%)
Graduate students will be responsible
for:
- leading two class discussions (15%)
- taking minutes of class discussions, individually
(to be handed out in class at the next meeting
and posted to our discussion forum on Blackboard)
(5%)
- participating in the Blackboard discussion
forum
Parameters
for Leading Discussion/Taking Minutes
Schedule
of Discussions and Minutes Taking |
Two
Short Reviews
Weight: 20% of Final Grade
Due: Review
1: by February 20, 2003; Review
2: by April 3, 2003
Two short reviews (900-1000 words, typed):
- of 1 book related to the course. Viable titles
will be discussed in class or look at bibliography
of suggested titles
- of websites or films discussed in class
- you may also suggest a book or film of your
own which engages the subject matter of our
course (i.e. The Matrix)
Book Review Guidelines
|
Mid-term
Take-Home Exam
Weight: 20% of Final Grade
Dates:
Pickup at my office: March
6 |
Due
in class: March 11 |
The take-home midterm exam will consist of short
answer questions and one essay (choice of question)
related to the readings and discussion from the
beginning of our course. You will pick up the
exam on a Thursday, and it will be due back in
class the following Tuesday. You may consult your
notes and readings, but you may not work together
on the exam. |
Web
Storyboard
Weight: 10% of Final Grade
Dates: Due April
17
You will create a website storyboard for a future
web project based on individual research or creative
interest.
The term storyboard is borrowed from filmmaking,
and relates to the written organization and visual
conceptualization stages done far before the cameras
start rolling. In similar fashion, a web storyboard
will consist of information (text, image, sound)
organized by rubric (a website generally consists
of multiple areas: like those in my navigation
sidebar). As the date approaches, I will share
with you some examples of web storyboards.
The storyboards can be done individually or
together with a partner. |
Seminar
Project/Research Paper
Weight: 30% of Final Grade
Dates: Due May 13
in my mailbox by 5 p.m.
Undergraduate students will produce an 8 - 10
page paper with citations and graduate students
will produce a 10 - 12 page paper with citations.
Topics for these papers should develop from the
content of the course, and students should discuss
their ideas with the instructor.
Some topic examples:
- changing views of authorship with the advent
of digital texts and experimental print texts
- a new role for the reader; issues of identity
in terms of gender, race, class within hypertext
and digital art projects, or within synchronous
communication (chat rooms, MOO space)
- depictions of cyberculture in film: i.e. reading
as gaming, the reader as a player of the text
Multimedia alternatives to the seminar paper
will be entertained by the instructor, if there
are students who have the capability and skills
necessary to produce a multimedia project.
Parameters
for the Seminar Project |
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Assignments:
Class Discussions, Participation & Minutes
- 20%
Two Short Reviews - 20%
Web Storyboard - 10%
Midterm Exam - 20%
Seminar Project - 30%
Due Dates:
Short Review #1: by February
20
Short Review #2:
by April 3
Midterm Exam: pickup:
March 6
due: March 11
Web Storyboard: April
17
Seminar Project: May
13, 5:00 pm
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