English

2269Digital Media Composing

Instructor: Will Kurlinkus
Time: W & F11:10 am -12:30 pm Location: Denney 343 Email: kurlinkus.1@osu.edu Office Hours: W.F 1-2:30 or by appointmentDenney 324 DMP Course Website: http://english2269.wordpress.com/ Course Number: (16232)

English 2269: Digital Media Composing

Modern technology is no more neutral than medieval cathedralsit embodies the values of a particular industrial civilization, especially those of elites that rest their claims to hegemony on technical masteryAndrew Feenberg, Critical Theory of Technology (v) Why do you love me? Why do you need me? Always and forever. We met in a chatroom, now our love can fully bloom. Sure the World Wide Web is great, but you, you make me salivate. I love technology, but not as much as you, you seeBut I still love technology, always and forever.Kip Dynamite

Course Description
01. Exigence
What does it mean to participate in democracy in the twenty-first century? Whether its AIDS patients struggling for their right to participate in drug trials, arguments about Internet neutrality, or protests against ambient tracking technologies and phonetapstechnology matters in a democracy. Of course technology has always mattered to democracyfrom the architectural design of the Greek Agora, to the saboteurs of the automated loom in 15th century Holland, to the development of the American military industrial complex under Vannevar Bush and Franklin Roosevelt. More and more, however, academics, designers, and consumers alike have become aware that to participate in democracy directly one has to participate in technology.

02. Goals
The goal of this course, then, is to gain the skills necessary to be technologically literate in the twenty-first century. But in doing so, we will be constantly challenging what technological literacy means and, thus, constantly exploring the idea that technology is both a set of things, a set of skills, and a set of valuesor, as new media theorist Henry Jenkins explains, A medium is a technology that enables communication; on the second, a medium is a set of associated protocols or social and cultural practices that have grown up around that technology. Thus, while we will be learning and teaching one another technical skills (Wordpress, Photoshop, GarageBand, iMovie, Dreamweaver, etc.) we will also be exploring and teaching each other socio-technical skills and values: Why do so many people wear headphones on the bus? Why are lol cats so popular? Why has there been a dramatic rise in Internet dating? Why do people get so mad when technology doesnt work? What are girl technologies and what are boy technologies? What makes a photograph beautiful? What makes a photograph ethical? What is involved in the art of a good mixed CD (why do we still make mix CDs)? Whats gained and lost in the negotiation between creating the kinds of photographs, songs, movies, websites we like and the kinds that someone might buy? Why do I hate the auto-tuner but love a distorted amp?

04. Objectives
More generally, the learning objectives of this course are to: Understand and apply fundamental rhetorical and design principles for analyzing, planning, creating digital media texts for public consumption.

Use and critically examine numerous digital capture and editing technologies (e.g., digital cameras, digital audio recorders, digital video cameras; GarageBand, Photoshop, iMovie).

05. GEC Requirement

This course fulfills the visual and performing arts GEC requirement for cultures and ideas. In GEC visual and performing arts courses, students evaluate significant works of art in order to develop capacities for aesthetic and historical response and judgment; interpretation and evaluation; critical listening, reading, seeing, thinking, and writing; and experiencing the arts and reflecting on that experience. The expected learning outcome are: 1. Students analyze, appreciate, and interpret significant works of art. 2. Students engage in informed observation and/or active participation in a discipline within the visual, spatial, and performing arts.

Required Texts and Equipment

As far as skills there are no technological pre-requisites, well learn everything as we go. All texts will be made available for free on our course blog. Headphones. External hard-drive (not a flash or thumb drive) at least 100G. 6-pack of double-a batteries.

Participation
I want to hear from you, in any and all forms you're comfortable with. And, perhaps more importantly, I want you to hear from each otherto know what one another think of the readings, course topics, etc. This is why participation (in-class, Twitter, and blogging) totals nearly half of your course grade.

01. Twitter
You will be responsible for a minimum of four tweets a week that respond to course readings or to aspects of the broader class conversation. You need to start a Twitter account (if you have one, ensure that it is public, not locked) and send me an email identifying what your Twitter name is. Append our course hashtag (#ENGL2269) to each tweet so your classmates and I can see it. Respond to others by using the @ symbol (e.g., @wkurlinkus). Ideally, a remark will come to you as you read for each class session, so keep your phone or computer handy if possible. You're also not only welcome but encouraged to tweet during class; I'll have the feed up on the screen throughout class. In general, your tweets should both help demonstrate your engagement with the texts and further flesh out the conversations taking place in class and on the discussion forum. (What your cat ate for breakfast is not a relevant tweet topic for the purposes of the class, unless your cat ate a digital technology or went viral). I suggest that two of your weekly tweets respond to other users tweets on our hashtag. I will be posting questions and comments as well, off and on.

02. Blog
As youll see below, blog posts are another 20% of your grade. a) For each unit I will be giving you a few short blogging prompts, which you will then compose a multimodal (300-500 words including some images, links, or embedded videos whenever possible) response to on your own Wordpress blog (youll need to make one for our class). If you feel more comfortable you could also create a video-post of equivalent quality. b) In addition, youll need to respond to another students blog post for each prompt. Your classmates blog links will be listed on our course site. c) Ill also be keeping a class blog/website on which Ill post specific blog and assignment prompts; reading questions; follow-up links and questions about class discussions to which you might respond. I recommend checking the blog a couple times a week (especially before classes) to see whats up, whats being discussed, and whats due. The goal of these blog posts are to excite and enliven our in-class discussions, explore further into and beyond the topics weve discussed in class (we cant cover everything, after all), and provide you with content that may develop into your final project.

03. In-Class
Much of what we're reading is not dry, stodgy, solitary literature. It should elicit responses from youemotional, ethical, intellectual, or otherwise. I hope you'll feel comfortable weighing in during class discussions and group activities, and even if you're not normally inclined to talk in class, I'd encourage you to step outside your comfort zone here. We won't bite. (Note: please don't bite.)

Course Policies

01. Access
Students with disabilities that have been certified by the Office for Disability Services will be appropriately accommodated, and should inform the instructor as soon as possible of their needs. The Office for Disability Services is located in 150 Pomerene Hall, 1760 Neil Avenue; telephone 292-3307, TDD 292-0901; OSU Office for disability Services Web Site [http://www.ods.ohiostate.edu].

02. Attendance
Attendance is an important part of your ability to understand the class material. Therefore, each unexcused absence after two will result in the lowering of your final grade by a third of a letter grade. FIVE UNEXCUSED ABSENCES WILL AUTOMATICALLY RESULT IN THE FAILURE FOR THE COURSE. Excused absences, such as those for documented illness, family tragedy, religious observance, or excused travel for intercollegiate athletics, will not affect your grade. There will be an attendance sheet passed around each day of class. It is your responsibility to sign the attendance sheet to indicate your presence in class each day. Whether you are excused or not, if you miss a class, you are expected to make up the work. This means, if you miss on a day that involves an in-class exercise, you must make arrangements to complete

the exercise on your own time. Additionally, I will count you as absent if you are more than 20 minutes late to class, sleeping, or if you come to class unprepared to discuss the days assigned readings. I reserve the right to hold quizzes to spot check for preparedness. If you develop an illness, visit the University's "Flu" page (http://flu.osu.edu/) and/or related excuse form (http://shs.osu.edu/posts/documents/absence-excuse-form2.pdf).

03. Student Work

Must be completed and submitted on time. All assignments should be posted onto your blog by the time they are due. Drafts for peer review must be brought to class on the specified days. Failure to have a draft in class for peer review will result in the deduction of 1/3 letter grade from the final graded assignment (for example, a B+ would go to a B). Late submission of a final graded assignment will result in the deduction of one full letter grade for each day past the due date (for example, a B+ would go to a C+). Missing class or encountering technological misfortunes are not acceptable excuses for failing to meet a deadline. Save early and save often, and be sure to back up your work. I recommend that you save your work in two separate locations (e.g., save one copy to your external hard drive, and another copy on a flash drive or CD-ROM). The hard drives of the classroom computers are wiped every night, so plan to back up your work somewhere else if you do your composing work there. Unexcused absences or encountering technological misfortunes are not acceptable excuses for failing to meet a deadline. The grade will not be affected when an assignment is late for reasons that would result in an excused absence. Students who know they will miss the class when the assignment is due must contact the instructor as soon as possible in advance of class to arrange for submission of the assignment.

04. Copyright and Plagiarism

It is the responsibility of the Committee on Academic Misconduct to investigate or establish procedures for the investigation of all reported cases of student academic misconduct. The term academic misconduct includes all forms of student academic misconduct wherever committed; illustrated by, but not limited to, cases of plagiarism and dishonest practices in connection with examinations. Instructors shall report all instances of alleged academic misconduct to the committee (Faculty Rule 3335-5-487). For additional information, see the Code of Student Conduct. Working in digital environments poses all sorts of new questions regarding copyright and intellectual property, and we will discuss these issues as part of the class. While it is important to respect others' intellectual property, it is equally important to assert the right to fair use granted you by copyright law. If you have any questions about copyright, intellectual property issues, or fair use, please don't hesitate to ask.

05. Class Cancellation

Class cancellation is a possibility in the unlikely event of an emergency. I will contact you via email and request that a note on department letterhead be placed on the classroom door. In addition, I will contact you as soon as possible following the cancellation to let you know what will be expected of you for our next class meeting.

06. Changes to the Schedule

Changes are a possibility, even likely. Our topic is constantly growing and changing so a particular issue might arise that Id like us to cover. I will notify you of any changes in class and I will post on the Carmen homepage. If we should need to rearrange the syllabus, I will post a revised syllabus to the Carmen content page.

Resources
01. The Digital Media Project (DMP)
The DMP is the division of the English department that provides equipment and technical support to students enrolled in English classes. You will be using the DMPs resources extensively throughout the quarter, and they will be assisting with technology tutorials in our classes. The DMP general office is located in Denney 324, and offers equipment borrowing and support from friendly, expert staff. The DMP Mac lab where we have our classes is available during designated lab hours (see DMP Studio Hours at http://dmp.osu.edu). The DMP has Flip video cameras, dv (tape) video cameras, digital still cameras, tripods, and audio/mp3 recorders (Edirols) for checkout. The following information may be important as your students plan their projects and necessary reservations. All check-outs are for 24 hours, with the exception that equipment picked up on Friday is due back to the DMP on Monday. The DMP does not supply batteries, DVDs, videotapes, CDs or other media. We will make our best effort to supply rechargeable batteries with equipment, but students should make plans for alternate backups. All undergraduate reservations must be made in person. (Instructors may make reservations via email or phone.) Habitually late returns will lead to revocation of checkout privileges. Students must make reservations and check outs in their own names, not for friends or group members. The equipment must be picked up and returned by the person who checked it out. Only students in English classes may check out equipment. Equipment may ONLY be returned to the DMP, not the English department office or the lab assistants.

02. Digital Studio Hours (Denney 343)

Mon - Weds: 6:00 pm-10:00 pm Fri & Sat: Closed Sun: 4pm-10pm

03. OIT Classroom Services

OIT is located in Central Classrooms 25 (the basement), will also check out media equipment to students. You will need the Student Equipment Loan Permission Form, which I will sign and give to you, in order to access these resources. Check out http://oit.osu.edu for more information.

04. The Digital Union

Located in the Science and Engineering Library (SEL 370), the Digital Union is a place for faculty, students, and staff to explore emerging technology. The Digital Union has technology, space to work, and a knowledgeable staff to guide users to thoughtful solutions and provide a supportive environment for low risk trial and error with technology. Visit http://digitalunion.osu.edu to check out their hours and resources.

Grading
Participation: 20%
1. In-class: 10% 2. Tweeting: 10%

Blog Portfolio: 20% Modal Projects: 40%

1. Image: 10% 2. Sound: 10% 3. Video: 10% 4. Web: 10%

Final Project: 20%

Grading Scale A AB+ B B10093.5 93.4989.5 89.4986.5 86.4983.5 83.4979.5 C+ C CD+ D 79.4976.5 76.4973.5 73.4969.5 69.4966.5 66.4959.5 E 59.4 and below

Schedule
Date Readings Due Writing/Assignment Due

Unit 1: Writing OnlineLove in the Digital Age W 8.22 Introductions and Expectations Create Twitter and Wordpress accountsintroduce yourself

F 8.24

W 8.29

through your profiles. o Think about composing identity online. The Politics of Technology Winner, Langdon. Do Artifacts Have Politics? The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for the Limits of High Technology. Chicago: U of Chicago P., 1986. Print. (pp. 20) Prensky, Marc. Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. (pp. 6) Rhetoric and Technology Look at Digital Dating Profiles (See Class Blog). Lanham, Richard. Stuff and Fluff. The Economics of Attention. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2006. (pp. 22) Jenkins, Henry. Love Online. (pp. 3) Unit 2: Writing with ImagesDigital Ethics

Blog about and bring in a WP or Twitter customization.

F 8.31

W 9.5

Fair Use and Photoshop Readings: Lessig, Lawrence. Lawrence Lessig: Free Culture: Lessigs Book Condemns the Monopoly of Ideas. Talk of the Nation. NPR, 2004. Web. (Click: Listen, 32minutes) Aoki, Keith, James Boyle, and Jennifer Jenkins. Bound By Law: Tales from the Public Domain. Duke University. Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain, 2006. Web. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/hillary-clinton-dertzitung-removed-situation-room_n_859254.html Look over the Creative Commons Website more generally o http://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/video/ o http://creativecommons.org/about In Class: Culture Jamming Visual Rhetoric McCloud, Scott. Blood in the Gutter and Time Frames. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: William Morrow Paperbacks, 2004. Print/PDF. (57 page comic) Wysocki, Anne Francis and Dennis A. Lynch. Chapter 9: About Visual Modes of Communication. Compose, Design, Advocate. (Available under readings on the blog.) (pp. ~40)

Bring in harddrives

F 9.7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63pogF_ZiQk Rushkoff, Douglas. The Peoples Net. (pp. 13) Norman, Donald A. Three Levels of Design: Visceral, Behavioral, and Reflexive.. Emotional Design: Why We Love (or
Hate) Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books, 2004. 6398. Print/PDF. (pp. 35)

Blog about and bring in an Example of a Visual Argument

W 9.12

Davidson, Cathy. We Cant Ignore the Influence of Digital Technologies. (Available under readings on the blog.) (pp. 4)

Bolter, Jay David, and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1999. 21-50. Print/PDF. (pp. 29) Draft due

F 9.14

WorkshopMusical Chairs Style.

Unit 3: Writing with SoundDigital Authenticity W 9.19 Introduction to Audio Rhetoric and GarageBand Turkle, Sherry. Identity Crisis. Life on the Screen. 255-62. (Available under readings on the blog.) (pp. 7) Rosen, Christine. Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism. (pp. 16) Ira Glass on Storytelling: 1-4. (~ 16 minutes) In Class: Look at several This I Believe audio essays. Read: Bradbury, Ray. Mars is Heaven. (pp. 14) Listen: Nightwatch, (22 min) Mars is Heaven (29 min.) Tagg, Philip. Reading Sounds or An Essay on Sounds, Music, Knowledge, Rock and Society. 1987. Print/PDF. (pp. 4) Watch Selection: Jack White, the Edge, and Jimmy Paige Clip. (Clip will be linked on the blog.) Listen: This American Life Selfe, Cynthia. The Movement of Air, The Breath of Meaning: Aurality and Multimodal Composing. College Composition and Communication 60.4 (2009): 616-663. Print/PDF. (pp 30.) Craft and Hipters Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Its Mechanical Reproducibility. (pp. 20) Peer Review Day 1 Peer Review Day 2 Subvertising Campaign Due

F 9.21

W 9.26

Blog about and bring in a 5 song playlist with an argument behind it.

F 9.28

W 10.3 F 10.5

Draft Due Draft Due

Unit 4: Writing with Video: Viral Media W 10.10 Introduction to Film Theory and iMovie Watch: Everynone. Radiolab Presents Symmetry. Youtube. RadioLab, 2011. Web. This I Believe Audio Essay Due

F 10.12

W 10.17 F 10.19 W 10.24

Everynone. Radiolab and NPR Present Words. Youtube. RadioLab, 2010. Web. Everynone. "Radiolab and NPR Present Parabolas." Youtube. Radiolab, 2009. Web. Read: Gitlin, Todd. Nomadicity. (Available under readings on the blog.) (pp. 7) Viral Videos and Video Layout Watch: Channel 101 Selections, Drunk History, Other Viral Videos. (Specific videos will be linked to on the blog.) Read: Jenkins, Henry. Buying into American Idol: How We Are Being Sold on Reality. (Will be made available on the blog). (pp. 32) Workshop Day 1 Will, will be out of town for a conference. Workshop Day 2

Blog about and bring in a Viral Video

Draft Due Draft Due

Unit 5: Writing with HTML and CSS: Technology has Doomed Us All F 10.26 Introduction to HTML Carr, Nicholas. Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. The Atlantic. July/August 2008. Web. (pp. 14) Keen, Andrew. Web 2.0: The Second Generation of the Internet Has Arrived and Its Worse Than You Think. (pp. 3) Begin to look at this great free library of introductory web design videos: http://teamtreehouse.com/library Introduction to CSS Siegel, Lee. A Dream Come True. (Will be made available on the blog.) (pp. 11) Deresiewicz, William. The End of Solitude. (pp. 9) Introduction to DreamWeaver Selfe and Selfe. The Politics of the Interface. (pp. 18) Peer Review Day 1 Peer Review Day 2 Concept in 60 Due

W 10.31

F 11.2

W 11.7 F 11.9

Blog about and bring in an example of the rhetoric and politics of a website/interface. Draft Due Draft Due

Unit 6: Writing with Alt-Tech: Jamming Culture W 11.14 Banks, Adam. Scratch: Two Turntables and a Storytelling Tradition. and Groove: Synchronizing African American Rhetoric and Multimedia Writing through Digital Griots. Digital Griots. Mawah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006. 1-33. Print/PDF. (pp. 33) Website Literacy Narrative Due

F 11.16 W 11.21 F 11.23

Jenkins, Henry. Spoiling Survivor: The Anatomy of a Knowledge Community. (Will be made available on the blog.) (pp. 33) Thanksgiving BreakNo Class Still Thanksgiving BreakNo Class

Blog about and bring in an example of a culture jam.

Putting it All Together W 11.28 F 11.30 Workshop and Studio Time Last Day

Final Project Show Case

Digital Media Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Work 4 awards at $100 each.
Sponsored by the Digital Media and Composition (DMAC) institute, the Digital Media Project (DMP), and Digital Media Studies, the 2012 Digital Media Prizes recognize outstanding student work that deploys digital media in creative and rhetorically effective ways. The Digital Media Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Work recognizes an outstanding student digital media project completed in an undergraduate course in the Department of English. Students should nominate themselves for the Prize (instructors should feel free to encourage student nominations). A nomination for the Prize should include: A project submitted in a deliverable digital format (e.g., .jpg, .mp3, .mov, .html, .swf, URL, etc.) A one-page cover letter explaining the assignment and articulating how the project responds successfully to it.

Eligible students must have been enrolled in an undergraduate course in the Department of English offered Spring Quarter 2011 through Winter Quarter 2012. All work submitted must meet at least one of the following criteria: Must be constructed from materials that are original; Must be constructed from materials for which permission has been granted; Must be constructed from materials that were used appropriately according to Creative Commons or similar licensing; Must be constructed from materials found in the public domain; Must be a clearly defined parody of an already existing text; Must be constructed from a combination of the above materials.

All submissions are due on or before 1:00 p.m. on Monday, May 7, 2012. Work can be submitted by email to dmphelp@osu.edu or in person at the DMP in Denney Hall 324. Prize recipients will be recognized at the Department of English Awards and Honors Ceremony on Thursday, May 24, 2012.