WRIT5550/5550G - Technologies of Writing
WRIT5550 Section A, CRN #15258
WRIT 5550G Section A, CRN #15769
R 5-7:45pm, Newton 2211
Instructor | Course
Description | Required Texts and Materials | Honesty
| Class Listserv | Attendance
| Grades | Regents'
Exam
| Disclaimer | Assignments
| Useful Links | Contact Me!
Dr. Janice R.
Walker
Department of Writing and
Linguistics
Georgia Southern
University
P. O. Box 8026
Statesboro, GA 30460
|
|
This course will consider the technologies
of
writing--from cave paintings to the Internet (and beyond!)--on our
society and our personal lives.
Technologies of Writing analyzes the meanings and implications of the
new technologies on reading and writing as well as explores the
relationship between a culture's technologies of writing and cultural
narratives of identity, subjectivity, and agency.
This section deals with the various ways that we construct and are
constructed
by technologies, specifically technologies of communication.
Students
are expected to bring an enquiring mind to the course. We will
spend
the beginning of the semester reading and discussing selected articles
and technologies as a class. Students will then self-select an
area
to research (e.g., how to use a specific technology, how some
technological
apparatus affects us as individuals or as a society--or the world, or
other
topics chosen in consultation with the instructor). During the
final
weeks of the semester, students will then present the results of their
research to the class in an oral presentation (hopefully using one of
the
technologies we have considered, such as PowerPoint, Web pages, digital
camera, or other means). Each student will also author an e-zine
article for publication to the class Web site.
Students will work extensively with technology during the semester;
however, previous experience with computers and/or the Internet is not
required.
| Required
Texts and Materials |
Recommended Texts:
- Any good college dictionary.
- A good handbook of grammar and usage, such as The Longman
Handbook
or the Harbrace Handbook.
- A guide to the Internet, such as Walker, Janice R., and John
Ruszkiewicz. writing@online.edu. New York: Longman,
1999.
ISBN #-0-321-02699-3.
Materials Needed:
- 3.5-inch floppy diskette (IBM formatted), CDRW, jump drive, or
other
digital
storage medium
- hard case for carrying diskettes
- access to a computer or other necessary technology outside of
class.
Check the location and schedule of on-campus computing facilities at http://services.georgiasouthern.edu/computing//
- an enquiring mind
- Email account
All members of the academic community recognize the necessity of being
honest with themselves and with others. The integrity of the
educational
experience is diminished by cheating in class, plagiarizing, lying, and
employing other methods of deceit or dishonesty. (See Student
Conduct Code for definitions of Academic Dishonesty, including
cheating
and plagiarizing.) The need for honest relations among all
members
of the community is essential. Students will be held responsible
for academic integrity and honesty in all work done in this
course.
The instructor retains the right to set the minimum academic penalty
for
dishonesty in the course.
All students will join, read, and contribute to the class listserv
discussion.
You are required to make at least one posting per week in response to
the
readings, class discussions, or to each others' postings. You
will
need to access and read the postings frequently to keep up. You
may
also choose to post more than once per week, either responding to other
students' posts, asking questions regarding assignments, readings, or
class
discussions, or discussing topics of interest to the general student
population.
Spamming, use of inappropriate language, or posting of inappropriate
materials
will not be tolerated. It is your discussion board, and
as
such it is up to you (the students) to police it.
Subscribe to the class listserv
- Send an email to: WRIT5550-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
- Leave the subject line blank.
- In the message body, type:
subscribe
WRIT5550 yourfirstname yourlastname
- Send your message and then check
your inbox.
You should receive a message asking you to confirm your subscription.
- Reply to the confirmation
request by
choosing
"Reply" and then "Send." Do NOT type anything.
- Finally, you should receive
another
email welcoming
you to the list.
- To send email to the class, use
the
address: writ5550@yahoogroups.com
NOTE: If you do not receive the 2
confirmation
email correctly, repeat these steps, or follow the directions at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WRIT5550/ |
Attendance is mandatory except when otherwise noted. My
attendance policy is firm: no excuses
are allowed. However, missed assignments may be made up. It
is the student's responsibility to find out any assignments or
information
missed as a result of tardiness or absence. Please make
arrangements
with another student early in the semester to ensure that, should you
need
to be absent, you will still have access to this information.
Late
assignments will automatically be lowered one full letter grade, or 10%
(again, no excuses; save your creativity for your
essays).
Participation in class discussions is essential for this course;
therefore, it is essential that you come to class prepared.
Please make sure you consult the reading assignments below and complete
the readings by the day indicated!
Distribution of final grade:
Attendance and
Class Participation
Listserv Postings
Oral Presentation
Final E-zine article |
30 pts.
20 pts.
25 pts.
25 pts. |
|
Grades are assigned as follows:
A
B
C
D
F |
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
Below 60 |
|
All assignments in this syllabus are subject to change, depending on
the
instructor's assessment of students' needs. It is the student's
responsibility
to obtain missed assignments, handouts, changes to the syllabus, and
other
course-related information.
Inappropriate use of computer resources can result in students
losing
their accounts, failure of a class, or legal repercussions.
Inappropriate
use includes but is not limited to illegal access of information
(hacking),
using someone else's account without authorization, tampering with the
settings on Georgia Southern University's writing lab computers,
uploading,
downloading, or installing pirated software or files, and viewing or
distributing
pornographic or otherwise offensive materials using Georgia Southern's
facilities. If you are unsure whether or not a specific use is
allowed,
contact Computer Services.
This schedule of assignments is a tentative one and is provided for
planning
purposes only. Students are expected to check the schedule
frequently
for changes, and to complete all assigned readings and coursework as
shown
by the dates listed. Additional information on assignments
may
be added to this site and/or discussed in class. It is the
student's
responsibility to find out any assignments or information missed as a
result
of tardiness or absence. (See also Attendance
policy above).
Students are encouraged to submit additional links to online
readings
(or bring -- ugh! -- paper copies for me to xerox. We will talk
about
the sites/readings in class and on the class listserv. Remember,
you are to post once a week to the class listserv on topics of
relevance
to the readings and class discussion and to your research. You
may
also respond to other students' postings (I encourage you to do
so!).
Listserv postings should be substantive (approximately
250 words in length) and should engage the topics. You will not
be given credit for postings that simply say, "I have nothing to say,"
or that simply recount your weekend activities.
This class will be a "success" if you
learn something useful (preferably about how we communicate in a
digital age) and if we
can
all have some fun along the way. So, let's begin our journey:
Week One (1/13): Course Introductions
Homework Assignments:
Subscribe to class listserv; send your
first message, introducing
yourself,
your interests, and why you're in this course. Include anything else of
relevance that you'd like to add.
Week Two (1/20): Literacy, Technology, and Resistance
Readings for this week:
Read Technologies of Writing, Vol. 1, Issue 1
Additional Links:
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:
Choose one "technology"--something you actually use on a regular basis--and give it up for the week. Have fun!
Week Three (1/27): Literacy, Technology, and Society
Readings for this week:
Read Technologies of Writing, Vol. 1, Issue 2
Additional Links:
Week Four (2/3): Literacy, Technology, and the Body
Readings for this week:
Read Technologies of Writing, Vol. 2, Issue 1
Additional Links:
Week Five (2/10): Literacy, Technology, and Change
Readings for this week:
Additional Links:
Week Six (2/17): Class work - individual research
projects
Week Seven (2/24): NO CLASS; continue working on individual research projects.
Week Eight (3/3): Class work - individual research
projects;
oral progress reports
Week Nine (3/10): No Class--First drafts of articles due!
Week Ten (3/17): Spring Break
Week Eleven (3/24): Individual conferences
Week Twelve (3/31): Class work - individual research
projects
Week Thirteen (4/7): HTML Workshop, second drafts of articles due!
Week Fourteen (4/14): HTML Workshop
Week Fifteen (4/21): HTML Workshop; course evaluations
Week Sixteen (4/28): Last day of classes - - Final
ezine articles
due!
Final Exam: Thursday, 5/5/05, 5-7:45pm, Newton 2214: Class presentations
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Last modified 18 January 2005 by Janice
R. Walker.
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