| Digital Literacies English B8109, Section 2YY |
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| INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tom Peele url: http://www.boisestate.edu/english/tpeele/ email: tbpeele@gmail.com |
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| COURSE GOALS | ||||||||||||||||||
| The focus of this course is digital literacy, and we will be looking at our own writing in a digital context. What are the implications of digital spaces on our writing? How does writing for immediate Internet publication affect our choices about audience? How does our ability to incorporate image, video and sound into our texts affect our choices? The main project this semester will be an extended piece of writing on the subject of your choice (with my approval). I'll ask you, though, to publish that text in a digital environment, and to reflect on the rhetorical differences between the ink-and-paper presentation and the digital presentation. During the semester, you will gain practice with various kinds of nonfiction writing: presentation, autobiography, rhetorical analysis, a nonfiction genre of your choice (including creative nonfiction), and a reflective essay. All of these assignments will be completed in a digital space (to what extent do we consider word processing documents as within digital spaces?) and part of the work of the semester will be to reflect on the differences between digital and conventional writing spaces. During the course, I'll ask you to look at various kinds of technology, and to think about how that technology might affect your area of study. You do not need to have any prior experience with technology to succeed in this class, although you do need to be able to check your e-mail and download word documents (operations that by this point are more or less conventional tools of education). You will also be learning about Web-authoring software (if you are not already familiar with it) and other kinds of software that affect nonfiction writing. |
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| READING ASSIGNMENTS | ||||||||||||||||||
| All of our readings can be found either online or in the course packet. You will be asked to write the initial abstract on several articles throughout the semester. When you write your abstract, make connections (when possible) between the essay that you're reading and the other essays assigned for that night. In the same way, when you respond to other students' posts, synthesize the material from all of the readings you've done. | ||||||||||||||||||
| POINTS AND GRADES | ||||||||||||||||||
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| ASSIGNMENTS | ||||||||||||||||||
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Digital Rhetoric Example Presentation For this assignment, you will be responsible for bringing in an example of digital media that you think is particular well-designed and/or particularly well-written. Plan to show the example and to explain why you feel the way you do about the example and how it is rhetorically effective (for approximately 3–5 minutes). |
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Digital Writing Resource Presentation due: week 3 (be prepared for Tuesday or Thursday) For this assignment, you will be responsible for bringing in some sort of resource you’ve found related to writing or creating digital media. This might be a technical book, a design guide, a how-to article, an online commentary, a corporate style sheet, and so on. Plan to show and share the resource and to explain why you think it’s a helpful resource and how it might be used (for approximately 3–5 minutes). |
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Digital Literacy Autobiography For this project, you will write about a technology (or technologies) that has affected your skills, abilities, and/or experiences as a writer and/or as a reader. |
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Final Project You will design your own final project. The design and content of the project is primarily up to you, but you must demonstrate a working knowledge of the principles discussed in class—rhetorical, technical, and creative. |
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| LATE SUBMISSIONS | ||||||||||||||||||
| All work is due at the beginning of the class period on the due date; late work will not be accepted. | ||||||||||||||||||
| CELL PHONES | ||||||||||||||||||
| Please turn your phone off before the class begins. If you have an emergency, please let me know before class that you'll be leaving your phone on. | ||||||||||||||||||
| PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC DISHONESTY | ||||||||||||||||||
| If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism, please see me. Consult your instutitions code of student conduct for information about penalties for plagiarism. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ADA | ||||||||||||||||||
| CCNY complies with all federal and state laws and regulations regarding discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). If you have a disability that could affect your performance in this class or that requires an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please see me as soon as possible so that we can make appropriate arrangements. | ||||||||||||||||||
| LEARNING OUTCOMES | ||||||||||||||||||
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write essays that respond to and analyze theories of language and digital literacy acquire a strong knowledge base of major, contemporary theories of digital literacy practice critical reading of scholarship, research, and literature conduct independent research projects on topics related to digital literacy aquire a working knowledge of digital literacy platforms, including blogs, Digital Photostory, and Web authoring. |