FDM 194C: Senior READING Seminar in NEW MEDIA -- Assignments

2 writings the first 2 weeks of class:

1)750-1000 words, 11pt georgia font. printed & handed in to the professor as well as posted to the blog. conduct an image or video analysis of an early personal computer ad. see the computer history museum, google, or youtube. if doing video, you do not have to do the whole sequence; do a brief shot analysis and select the most relevant scenes to detail your point. first describe the picture or the shots in a denotative mode, then describe the connotations. due saturday 10.jan
2)conduct a similar analysis of your OS (operating system). how does one "read" the OS? how does your OS make you feel? why? what are the components that shape your interaction? due saturday 17.jan
3% each, =6%

6 response papers:

750 words, 11pt georgia font. printed & handed in to the professor as well as posted to the blog on thursdays before class. students may choose two weeks out of eight to opt out of assignment.
alternatives: if you are more artistic, and less literary, you have the option of submitting up to 3 of the 6 response papers in the form of small artworks or abbreviated project proposals. these artworks must be interactive, participatory or relational in nature, and they must reflect an understanding of the texts that inspired them. they may not be static or linear, though of course the proposal for the work may be.
All work should contain at least one question within it. The question can be answered or unanswered, be at the beginning, middle or end of the writing. it should fit fluidly within the context of the rest of the writing.
24%

public participation:

one extended response to another student's response paper (500 words minimum) on the blog within 5 days of the post's date stamp. (please do this before the last week. waiting until the last week will result in an automatic L for lame).
a post to a list, a blog, or wiki on new media theory & culture. submitted at students' discretion before date of final class. this can be a modification of any writing conducted this quarter to suit the theme of the public discussion.
5%

oral presentation:

present course material for 10mins, run class for 20 mins once during quarter. consider sharing artwork, other visual or aural aids, and/or handout/ pdfs for your oral presentation, as in the written response papers, it behooves you to coherently frame the stakes of the text in question. you should address why we grapple with the themes of the texts at all, who and what is impacted.
think of yourself not necessarily as the authority of the texts, but as one eager to understand them. what questions do you have, and at at what points do these questions arise? what do you understand that leads you to these questions? try to make the work relevant to your life.
15%

participation:

participation is determined in part by attendance, but also by contributing to in-class discussion. for optimum participation credit, one must speak, but also speak with the orientation of advancing and deepening dialogue, not ending or dominating it (as well as attend class). students must bring book to class to count as present.
20%

final paper/ project proposal:

7500 words, 11pt Georgia Font, double spaced.
abstract due mid quarter (4/30).
30%