syllabus

course information:

english 289.22 multimedia writing workshop
spring 2008
mw 4-515
williams 001a

instructor information

instructor: devon c. fitzgerald
office: williams 351, desk 2
hours: mw 2-330 brewsters (bone student center)
email: dcfitzg{at}ilstu{dot}edu

course overview

The last decade has seen an explosion in digital media in numerous outlets of contemporary culture. During English 289.22 Multimedia Writing Workshop we will explore various media, genres, and technologies we use everyday. We will examine the communication, creative expression, interactivity and design of multimedia composition for the purposes of persuading, negotiating, contesting, and creating narratives as well as individual and community identities. In other words, we will ask: How does this multimedia text tell a story? What elements help tell the story? In what ways does it reflect who I am or want to be? In what ways is it trying to persuade me to socially identify? We will interrogate our cultural practices as they relate to the cultural and technological underpinnings of our use of media such as blogs, podcasts,wikis, text messages, chats, MySpace, Facebook, film, videogames, etc. to tell stories and convey our identities.

The course is designed as a survey course and will take a “hands-on” and theoretical approach to multimedia writing and design. The texts we will read throughout the course are intended to ground our discussions, help us to raise questions and spark creativity as we learn more about how design communicates stories. The assignments range from reading responses to collaborative projects. You will analyze, critique and create various kinds of multimedia throughout the course. I hope the projects will give you the opportunity to narrow your focus on specific topics that interest you and allow you to explore individuated perspectives and interests in the emerging digital culture of the 21st century.

course policies

Class Participation : Learning is an active process in which we ALL participate. Seeing learning as an active process distinguishes traditional classrooms from the classroom I hope we build together. An active process suggests the importance of understanding and experiencing ideas as they relate to our own lives, rather than memorizing facts, dates or other data. This course will provide us with plenty of material upon which to reflect as we consider the impact of technology on our lives, our writing and our ways of communicating. Also, a process continually evolves without a clear beginning or end. Therefore, this course will become a dialogue among all of us as we reflect on the material we read, share and provide for one another. Because the course is intended to take place within a workshop atmosphere, the conversations we will have requires commitment and responsibility to be present intellectually and physically. This means being prepared for class, which means prepared to analyze and critique a particular text or assignment and share your ideas with the class.

Attendance: Attendance is required at all scheduled electronic and face to face meetings. Some of the work you do in this course will be collaborative, which means you may have to meet with group members outside of class. While unexpected events may occur that require you to miss class, you are not required to offer me an explanation. However, you are welcome to talk to me at any time regarding your progress in the course including your attendance. Please do not direct the question “What did I miss?” to me. Since our calendar, assignments, and schedule are all online, it should be simple to discern what you missed. You may also ask your fellow classmates. Determining what you missed and how you should catch up is YOUR responsibility as a student.

Classroom Expectations: I expect you to be invested in your intellectual process and open minded to learning, to challenging your own assumptions and to create innovative projects.

Late Work: Typically, I do not accept late or incomplete work. You will have advance notice of exactly what and when work is due. If a serious and unavoidable problem arises, however, you should contact me in writing prior to the deadline to determine whether or not an extension will or will not be granted. You must contact me well before the due date (at least one week). If you are given an extension you must produce a report on why and how the work is late, and what you plan to do in the future to prevent this from happening again. Since the class will have moved on, you should expect a longer wait for your grades and instructor comments.

requirements

texts:

Calvino, Italo. If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler. San Diego: Harvest Books/Harcourt Brace, 1981.

Cloninger, Curt. Hot-Wiring Your Creative Process: Strategies for Print and New Media Designers. Berkeley: Peachpit P, 2006.

Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: NYU Press, 2006.

suggested texts :

Cullen, Kristin. Layout Workbook: A Real World Guide to Building Pages in Graphic Design. Gloucester, MA: Rockport, 2005.

Warren, Frank. A Lifetime of Secrets: a Postsecret Book. New York: William Morrow, 2007.

technology and software expectations

Technology: Obviously, this course is going to require a willingness on your part to use, work outside your comfort zone and make mistakes with various technologies. Do not be afraid! We will work together to make you feel comfortable and confident with your technological abilities. Once a week we’ll have studio days so that you can focus on your projects and I’ll be available to answer questions large and small about the software we’re using.

Equipment: I typically resist asking students to purchase equipment or software for class. However, because of the nature of the course and of assignments you may be asked to access and download open source software. Additionally, you will need a camera for one of the projects. If you have access to a digital camera (own, can borrow, etc) be aware of the deadlines on the calendar. If you do not have access to a digital camera, please see me immediately and I can seek out sources for you.

Citation: I expect you to give credit to source information rather textual, visual or multimodal. Since we will be dealing with various media you may not have used as source material before, we will work together as a class to determine how best to credit our use of text, images, video, font, etc. from other sources. If you have any questions, please share them with us.