English 10LC Syllabus - K. Knight Winter 2006

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Contents 1 Overview 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Required Texts 1.3 Assignments 1.4 Course Policies 2 Weekly Schedule 2.1 Week One 2.1.1 Tuesday, Jan 10: Introduction 2.1.2 Thursday, Jan 12: Writing Machines 2.2 Week Two 2.2.1 Tuesday, Jan 17: Visual Genealogies: Shaped Poetics and the ImageText 2.2.2 Thursday, Jan 19:Marvel 1602 2.3 Week Three 2.3.1 Tue, Jan 24: Poetic Genealogies: Romantic / Victorian and Modernist Poetry 2.3.2 Thu, Jan 26: New Media Poetry 2.4 Week Four 2.4.1 Mon, Jan 30 2.4.2 Tue, Jan 31: Frankenstein and Paper One Workshop 2.4.3 Thu, Feb 2: Frankenstein, Part II 2.4.4 Fri, Feb 3 2.5 Week Five 2.5.1 Tue, Feb 7: Frankenstein, Vol III and Patchwork Girl 2.5.2 Thu, Feb 9: Patchwork Girl 2.6 Week Six 2.6.1 Tue, Feb 14: l0ve 0ne 2.6.2 Thu, Feb 16: l0ve 0ne, Part II 2.7 Week Seven 2.7.1 Tue, Feb 21: Neuromancer, Part I 2.7.2 Thu, Feb 23: Neuromancer, Part II 2.8 Week Eight 2.8.1 Mon, Feb 27 2.8.2 Tue, Feb 28: Robot Stories 2.8.3 Wed, Mar 1 2.8.4 Thu, Mar 2: Robot Stories 2.8.5 Fri, Mar 3 2.9 Week Nine 2.9.1 Tue, Mar 7: Short Stories 2.9.2 Thu, Mar 9: The Narrative of Play 2.10 Week Ten 2.10.1 Tue, Mar 14: Web Presentations 2.10.2 Thu, Mar 16: Web Project Presentations, Part II 2.11 Finals Week 2.11.1 Wed, Mar 22: Final Exam Period 2.11.2 Sun, Mar 26: Web Projects Due

Overview

Introduction

English 10 LC – Introduction to Literature

Literature and the Culture of Information: Textual Ecologies

Winter 2006

Catalog No. 50971 Meets: Tue & Thu 11 a.m. – 12:40 p.m.

Location: SH 1415

Instructor: Kim Knight (kimberly_knight@umail.ucsb.edu)
Office Hours: Tue & Thu 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. in Transcriptions (SH 2509)

Class website: http://kimknight.com
Course Wiki

In this version of English 10, we will use the basic principles of literary analysis to explore the intersections and disjunctions between literature and technology.

We will engage with a variety of content, from gothic fiction to contemporary prose and poetry, to visual texts such as graphic novels, films, or video games. Our movement through the course will progress genre-by-genre and a primary aspect of our work will be to tease out the threads that unite the wide range of texts under consideration.

We will also be reading a selection of critical works and learning some rudimentary web design skills in order to complete a web-based project. In addition, the class will include instruction in research and writing in print and digital environments.

Recommended for students interested in doing the Literature and Culture of Information specialization. English 10 is required for all English majors and recommended for English minors.

Satisfies second half of GE requirement in Area A.

Please note: Gerald Egan, the Transcriptions Studio RA this quarter is available for drop-in assistance during the following times:
Mon - 12 - 4
Tues - 2 - 4
Wed - 4 - 6
Thurs - 12 - 4

Required Texts

All of these books are available at the UCSB bookstore.

Gaiman, Neil. Marvel 1602. New York: Marvel Enterprises, 2004.

Gibson, William. Neuromancer. New York: Ace, 1984.

Hayles, N. Katherine. Writing Machines. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2003.

Jackson, Shelley. Patchwork Girl. CD-ROM.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: WW Norton, 1996.

Assignments

Participation, includes attendance and quizzes - 10%
Web Project - 20%
Paper One - 20%
Paper Two - 20%
Wiki Group Presentation - 10%
Wiki Glossary - 10%
Critical Responses - 10%

Course Policies

Academic Honesty

From the UCSB General Catalog: “Materials submitted to fulfill academic requirements must represent a student’s own efforts. Any act of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism or other forms of cheating, is unacceptable and will be met with disciplinary action.”

Plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the plagiarized assignment and possible disciplinary action by the university. We will review the proper way to use outside sources in order to avoid plagiarism; however, I encourage you to meet with me if you are at all uncertain about whether your writing could be misconstrued as plagiarism. Online Etiquette Policy

As we will undoubtedly discover in class, the finer points of online communication can be tricky. Emotions are difficult to express and read. Our many online assignments will require vigilance to ensure that we are always preserving an atmosphere of mutual respect. Disagreements may arise and consensus may not be possible. We can, however, respect each person’s right to an opinion. Name calling or menacing behavior will not be tolerated.

Email Policy

Since we are, after all, focusing on the culture of information, I have done my best to make the class as “paperless” as possible. As such, papers will be turned in via email. In addition, you are encouraged to contact me with questions, paper ideas, general comments, etc. via email.

Please be aware that I respond to most email messages within 24 hours Monday - Friday. If you send me an email and I do not respond during this timeframe, chances are that I did not receive it. It is your responsibility to re-send the email or to contact me another way.

Attendance Policy

Much of the most valuable information will come out of our class discussions and your participation is necessary for our success. It is important that you come to every class prepared and on time. To be “prepared” means that you have thoughtfully engaged with the reading, completed the critical response assignment, are prepared to discuss it and that you are equipped with the supplies necessary to participate in class (books, paper, writing instruments, etc.)

Because your presence in class is important, three or more absences will impact your final grade. In most circumstances, six absences will result in failure. Three instances of tardiness will equal one absence.

Cell phones and pagers are to be turned off and kept out of my sight. If your phone or pager rings during class, or if I see you checking your messages / pages during class, you will be marked absent. No exceptions.

Weekly Schedule

Week One

Tuesday, Jan 10: Introduction

Thursday, Jan 12: Writing Machines

• Critical Response Due. Post in class forum.
• Terms: New media, technotext, material metaphor, hypertext, media-specific analysis.
• Readings Due:
  • N. Katherine Hayles, Writing Machines, Preface, Ch. 1, Ch. 2 and Lexicon Linkmap, (p 4 – 33, 72).
  • Hayles, Writing Machines Online Lexicon Linkmap Peruse linkmap with particular attention to materiality and form (click on web supplement and then on the picture of the open book to access the linkmap).
  • Erik Loyer, “Webtake” on Writing Machines.Read webtake with particular attention to materiality and form
  • Reading Eye Dog. Browse site to get a sense of the Reading Eye Dog’s purpose and its status as technotext

Week Two

Tuesday, Jan 17: Visual Genealogies: Shaped Poetics and the ImageText

• Critical Response Due in class forum.
• Group Wiki Presentation - Marvel 1602: Taylor and Leah
• Readings Due:
  • George Herbert, “The Altar” and “Easter Wings”
  • William Blake, “Introduction” (Songs of Experience) and "The Tyger" (if the links are not working, go to http://blakearchive.org, select “US Home” at the bottom of the page, illuminated works, and then Songs of Innocence and Experience. You will then be able to find “Introduction” and “The Tyger.”)
  • Stephen Mallarmé, “One Toss of the Dice Will Never Abolish Chance”
  • Neil Gaiman, Marvel 1602, Peter Sanderson’s Introduction and Parts 1 & 2.
  • W.J.T. Mitchell, excerpt from Picture Theory (p 89-92, 95 - 97 Par 1, 99 Par 2, 106 par 2 - 107).
  • Scott McCloud, excerpt from Understanding Comics (Ch 6 p 138 – 161).

Thursday, Jan 19:Marvel 1602

• Critical Response due in class forum.
• Terms: shaped poetics (Krystal), imagetext (Krystal), frame (Krystal), disjunction (Alex), synthesis (Alex), heterogeneous representation (Alex).
• Readings Due:
  • Neil Gaiman, Marvel 1602, Parts 3 – 8, Afterword, browse Script and Sketches
  • Scott McCloud, excerpts from Understanding Comics. Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 8.

Week Three

Tue, Jan 24: Poetic Genealogies: Romantic / Victorian and Modernist Poetry

• Critical Response due in class forum.
• Readings Due:
  • William Wordsworth, “The Solitary Reaper”
  • Christina Rosetti, “Cousin Kate“
  • Gerard Manley Hopkins, “Duns Scotus’s Oxford”
  • Ezra Pound, “In a Station of the Metro”
  • H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), Mid-day
  • Wallace Stevens, “ Of Modern Poetry and Disillusionment of Ten O’Clock
  • William Carlos Williams, “This is Just to Say”
  • e.e. cummings, “r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r”
  • Gwendolyn Brooks, ”We Real Cool“
  • Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (Preface and Sections 1 - 5)

Thu, Jan 26: New Media Poetry

• Critical Response due in class forum.
• Group Wiki Presentation - New Media Poetry (Krystal)
• Terms: rhythm (Gabrielle), free verse (Gabrielle), tropes (Gabrielle), metaphor (Amber), metonymy (Taryn), simile (Amber), personification (Amber), and synecdoche (Taryn), poetic diction, cacophony (Katy), euphony (Ashley), modernism (Katy), postmodernism (Katy).
• Readings Due:
  • Peter Howard, “A Poppy”; Also read the plain text version.
  • Dan Waber, “Strings”
  • Komninos Zervos, “Invention (CyberPoetry)”
  • Ana Maria Uribe, Select 2 - 3 Anipoemas at Vispo.com
  • Bob Grumman, “MNMLST Poetry
  • N. Katherine Hayles, Writing Machines. Ch 3

Week Four

Mon, Jan 30

A full-length (i.e. minimum four page) draft of Paper One to be posted to the class forum no later than 5:30 PM.

Please read your workshop partner’s draft before coming to class on Tuesday.

Tue, Jan 31: Frankenstein and Paper One Workshop

• No Critical Response due.
• Paper Workshop - Bring two copies of a full-length draft of your paper to class.
• Readings Due:
  • Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Editor’s Preface, Author’s Preface and Vol I of Frankenstein (p vii – 59).
• Read your paper workshop partner’s paper prior to coming to class.
• Secondary Readings:
  • Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, “Mary Shelley’s Monstrous Eve” in Frankenstein (p 225 – 241).
  • Barbara Johnson “My Monster/My Self” in Frankenstein (p 241 – 251).

Thu, Feb 2: Frankenstein, Part II

• Critical Response due in class forum.
• Group Wiki presentation - Frankenstein (Linh and Amber).
• Terms: realism (Candace), narrative (Candace), epistolary novel (Candace), gothic, linearity (Taylor), aporia (Kai), epiphany (Linh).
• Readings Due:
  • Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Vol ii (p 59 - 102)

Fri, Feb 3

• Paper One is due on the class forum no later than 5:30 p.m. No Exceptions.
  • Insert your images in the midst of your text if they are small enough, or at the end of the paper. Just be sure to include a reference such as (see image 1) and then label them 1, 2, 3, etc.

Week Five

Tue, Feb 7: Frankenstein, Vol III and Patchwork Girl

• Critical Response due class forum.
• Readings Due:
  • Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Volume III (p 103 – 157).
  • Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, “Mary Shelley’s Monstrous Eve,” Frankenstein (p 225 - 240).
  • Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, “Frankenstein and a Critique of Imperialism,” Frankenstein (p 262 - 270)
• Secondary Readings
  • Donna Haraway, “Cyborg Manifesto”
• Familiarize yourself with the layout and workings of Shelley Jackson, Patchwork Girl (available in the Transcriptions Studio).

Thu, Feb 9: Patchwork Girl

• Critical Response due in class forum.
• Group Wiki Presentation - Patchwork Girl (Katy and Nicole)
• Terms: Interactive fiction (Jessica), closure (Jessica), reading paths (Jessica), heterarchy (Taryn), linking mechanism (Linh).
• Readings Due:
  • Shelley Jackson, Patchwork Girl. Available in the Transcriptions Studio.
  • Espen Aarseth, excerpt from Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature (Ch 4 p 76 – 97).
• Secondary Readings:
  • Alan Sondheim and Stelarc “On Stelarc”.
  • N. Katherine Hayles, Writing Machines, Ch 7 (p 100 – 108).

Week Six

Tue, Feb 14: l0ve 0ne

• Critical Response due in class forum.
• Group Wiki Presentation - l0ve 0ne (Ashley and Daniel).
• Readings Due:
  • Judy Malloy, l0ve 0ne.
  • Marshall McLuhan, “Media Hot and Cold.”
• Secondary Readings:
  • Marshall McLuhan, “The Medium is the Message”.

Thu, Feb 16: l0ve 0ne, Part II

• Critical Response due in class forum.
• Terms: interface (Jenna), setting (Jenna), spatial writing (Jenna), hot and cool media (Ashley), ideology (Nicole).
• Readings Due:
  • Judy Malloy, l0ve 0ne.
  • Bill Nichols, “The Work of Culture in the Age of Cybernetic Systems.”
• Time permitting, review Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (Preface and Sections 1 - 5)

Week Seven

Tue, Feb 21: Neuromancer, Part I

• Critical Response due in class forum.
• Readings Due:
  • William Gibson, Neuromancer, parts 1- 2 (pages 1 - 98)
  • N. Katherine Hayles, “The Seduction of Cyberspace.”

Thu, Feb 23: Neuromancer, Part II

• Wiki Presentation - Neuromancer, Alex and Jessica
• Critical Response due in class forum.
• Terms: narrator (Daniel), point-of-view (Daniel), cyberpunk (Daniel), cyberspace (Kai), visual narrative (Kai), identity (Nicole).
• Readings Due:
  • William Gibson, Neuromancer, Parts 3, 4 and Coda.
• Secondary Reading:
• Julian Dibbell, “A Rape In Cyberspace; or How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database into a Society.”
• Michael Heim, “The Erotic Ontology of Cyberspace.”

Week Eight

Mon, Feb 27

Draft of Paper Two is due in the class forum no later than 5:30 p.m.

Tue, Feb 28: Robot Stories

• No Critical Response due.
• Screening of Robot Stories.
• Readings Due:
  • Lisa Nakamura, “Race In/For Cyberspace.”

Wed, Mar 1

Respond to your paper workshop partner’s online draft in the class forum no later than 5:30 p.m.

Thu, Mar 2: Robot Stories

• Group Wiki Presentation - Robot Stories (Jenna and Candace).
• Terms: lighting (Taylor), dialogue, editing, transition, shot, camera movement (Taylor), camera angle (Nicole), focus (Taylor).

Fri, Mar 3

Paper Two no later than 5:30 p.m. No Exceptions.

Post papers on the class forum.

Week Nine

Tue, Mar 7: Short Stories

• Critical Response due in class forum.
• Group Wiki Presentation - Short Stories (Taryn and Gabrielle).
• Readings Due:
  • Jorge Luis Borges, “The Garden of the Forking Paths.”
  • James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Sheldon), “The Girl Who Was Plugged In.”
  • Larissa Lai, “Rachel.”
• Secondary Readings:
  • Charles Saunders, “Why Blacks Should Read (and Write) Science Fiction.”

Dreamweaver Workshop SH 2509, 2pm - 4pm

Thu, Mar 9: The Narrative of Play

• Critical Response due in class forum.
• Group Wiki Presentation - Gaming (Kai).
• Terms: subculture (Linh), gaming (Ashley).
• Readings Due:
  • Felis Rex, LambdaMoo: An Introduction
  • LambdaMoo (Your computer will launch a “telnet” window. In the window that says LambdaMoo at the top, type “connect Guest” to get started. I highly recommend typing “@tutorial” right away to help you find your way around. Spend some time exploring and interacting with people.)
  • Linden Labs, Second Life (register for a free basic account and spend a couple of hours playing).
  • James Paul Gee, “Why Game Studies Now?
• Secondary Readings:
  • David J. Leonard, “Not a Hater, Just Keepin It Real: The Importance of Race- and Gender-Based Game Studies”
  • Toby Miller, “Gaming for Beginners”

Dreamweaver Workshop SH 2509, 1pm - 3pm

Week Ten

Tue, Mar 14: Web Presentations

• Draft of Web Project due.
• Final draft of Wiki glossary and group entries due.
• The following students will present their web projects-in-process and receive feedback:

1. Jenna 2. Amber 3. Jessica 4. Alex 5. Kai

Thu, Mar 16: Web Project Presentations, Part II

• The following students will present drafts of their web projects and receive feedback:

1. Gabrielle 2. Candace 3. Krystal 4. Daniel 5. Katy

Finals Week

Wed, Mar 22: Final Exam Period

12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The following students will present their web projects and receive feedback:

1. Taylor 2. Linh 3. Ashley 4. Taryn 5. Nicole

Extra Credit Final Exam: An extra credit final exam will follow the web presentations and will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions on terminology and texts from the entire quarter.

Sun, Mar 26: Web Projects Due

Web projects are due, i.e. must be online, by 5:30 p.m. You must email me the URL (web address) to let me know the project is complete.