Course Syllabus

ENGL 376VV: Electronic Literature

When: Section 1: 10:00, Section 2: 11:00 MWF
Where: Combs 349
Who: Zach Whalen (www.zachwhalen.net, @zachwhalen, zwhalen@umw.edu, x2355)

Course Description

Outcomes and Goals

After completing this semester, a successful student will ...

• explore the diverse forms, themes, tropes and major authors of the electronic literature genre
• express creative ideas by producing at least one digital text
• develop literary critical skills through media-specific analyses of electronic works

Requirements

• A Google account
• A UMWblogs Account
• One or two videogames (TBA) which will cost a few dollars to download
• Access to a sufficiently modern computer

Assignments

• Forms of Electronic Literature (Exam). [100] This will be a test -- a fairly traditional one -- covering the basic dates, terminology, and names of the electronic literature field.
• Creative Project. [150] Experiment with one of the forms we've covered so far and produce a short, creative work of electronic literature.
• Analysis Paper. [100] A short (3 - 4 pg) essay advancing a specific argument focused on one specific elit work.
• Final Project. [250] Choose either a creative or a critical project. You will earn points for a proposal and a rough draft in addition to the actual final version of the project.
• Blogging. [120] 6 checkpoints total, each worth 20 points.
• Participation. [180] An admittedly subjective determination of your engagement with the community of this class. Contributions through twitter, blog comments, and collaborative notes will help.
• Quizzes. [~100] Daily quizzes worth 2-3 points each, focusing on basic details of the assigned homework.

Schedule

Grading

Philosophy

As of right now (January), you are failing this class. If you'd like to finish the class with a passing or higher grade, you're going to need to earn points by completing the assignments in the syllabus. To earn an A, do excellent work on your assignments so you can earn as many points as possible. At the conclusion of the semester, your final grade will be calculated according to the delineation of point totals in the table below.

Your work this semester will fall into several different categories, but generally speaking, you can earn an A in this class by completing all of the work in a timely manner, and paying close attention to the published rubrics for each assignment. After I grade your work, make sure to view my comments and your rubric score to see how you can improve your efforts for future assignments. As far as I am concerned, an A grade is reserved for work that demonstrates the highest intellectual engagement, creativity and attentiveness to detail. Note: some technical proficiency will be necessary to complete some assignments, but technical skill is a relatively minor consideration in all of my grading rubrics.

Grade Calculations

In cases where assignments are awarded a letter grade, the point value will calculate according to the chart on the left. At the end of the semester, the sum total of your points will determine your final grade, as delineated in the chart on the right.

Policies

Late Work

Unless otherwise noted, assignments may be submitted after their due date, but your work will be worth fewer points, equal to a 10% deduction for the first 24 hours after the specified due date and time, followed by a 20% reduction for each 24-hour period following. Effectively, this means work that is more than 5 days late will not be graded.

Academic Dishonesty

The UMW Honor System is in effect for our course. I may authorize specific assignments as collaborative work, but all other work must be your own, as per Article 1, Sections 1 and 2 of the University of Mary Washington Student Honor Code.

Computer Use in the Classroom

This class is about literary work created for computers. Likewise, the classroom where we meet is full of computers. What's more, you're welcome to bring your own computing devices to class. I simply ask that you be responsible with your computer use. Often, we'll do specific computer-based tasks in class, such as the quizzes that will take place at the beginning of class every day. Other times, I'll be lecturing about something, and you are welcome to take notes or use Twitter as a backchannel while that's going on. While we are having a discussion-based, however, I must ask that you keep your attention away to the screen and instead engage fully with the conversation around you. Failure to do so, i.e. Facebook chatting while I'm attempting to draw you in to a discussion, will result in my revoking your computer use privileges.

Contacting the Professor

I am generally available through a variety of channels: email (zwhalen@umw.edu), Twitter (@zachwhalen) and Canvas. Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions about the class or your work specifically. However, to make the best use of my time and yours, I'd like to establish a few parameters about technical questions. Often, I will assign a videogame or other piece of software for you to play with. Sometimes, it's not going to work as expected. When that happens, you may contact me with your question, but ONLY if you have first done some due diligence:

1. review the instructions I've provided, 
2. Google any error messages, 
3. try again. 

If you do these things and you still need to contact me, please include the following information in your message:

1. the software/game/thing in question, 
2. the unexpected behavior (e.g. won't install, can't save work, other errors), 
3. your operating system and (if applicable) browser software, 
4. the steps you've already taken to try and solve the problem.

If you follow these steps and provide the information I've requested here, there's a much better chance that I can help you figure it out. For more general or non-technical questions about the class, feel free to contact me at any time. I do my best to respond quickly, but please note, however, that I tend to fall asleep shortly after 10:00 PM. In any case, if I haven't replied to you within 24 hours, please send me a reminder.

Disability Resources

The Office of Disability Resources has been designated by the University as the primary office to guide, counsel, and assist students with disabilities. If you already receive services through the Office of Disability Resources and require accommodations for this class, get in touch with me as soon as possible to discuss your approved accommodation needs. Please bring your accommodation letter with you to the appointment. I will hold any information you share with me in the strictest confidence unless you give me permission to do otherwise. If you have not contacted the Office of Disability Services and need accommodations, (note taking assistance, extended time for tests, etc.), I will be happy to refer you. The office will require appropriate documentation of disability. Their phone number is 540-654-1266.