YORK COLLEGE BULLETIN DESCRIPTION: 3 hrs. 3 crs. A selected topic in English Literature. The topic varies with each offering. Preq: ENG 126 or ENG 200.Coreq: ENG 126 or ENG 200.This course can be taken a maximum of two times by any one student. This is a hybrid course. This is a writing intensive course.

 

TECHNOLOGIES OF READING: This course will introduce you to the field of Digital Humanities (DH) and the wide range of tools available for the study of literature. In addition to reading and analyzing novels, online literature, and non-fiction works, we will begin to learn about digital literacy and digital production (both physical and virtual). Through a variety of projects including blogging, mapping, and distant reading, we will explore what old and new technologies can do to shape and modify the ways we read literary texts.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Moretti, Franco. Graphs, Maps, Trees. Verso, 2007. IBSN: 978-1844671854.

Howard, Henry, and Thomas Wyatt. Tottel’s Miscellany: Songs and Sonnets of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, Sir Thomas Wyatt and Others. Ed. Amanda Holton and Tom MacFaul. Penguin, 2011. ISBN: 978-0141192048

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, students will be expected to:

1. Define technology and new media as a historical rather than exclusively recent phenomenon.
2. Analyze books and other textual technologies as material objects and within their particular social contexts
3. Draw parallels between literary studies and diverse fields such as information science, computer science, communications, and media studies
4. Create original, public, creative research projects using archival materials
5. Develop a collaborative edition of Tottel’s Miscellany using online platforms

ATTENDANCE: Attendance is essential to success in this course. In addition to meeting face-to-face (f2f), students will be required to devote one (1) hour weekly to online assignments such as posting blogs on CUNY Commons, tweeting, and commenting on peers’ work (via CUNY Commons). The student is responsible for all material presented in this course and is expected to actively participate in the learning process. Please inform the instructor about any health conditions that could create a classroom emergency. The student is responsible for discussing with the instructor any needed accommodations.  Repeated tardiness or early departure from class is not acceptable. Each late arrival or early departure will count as half an absence. Failing to complete online assignments on time will also be reflected in the student’s participation grade.

Absences will affect your grade in the following way:

• Students may miss no more than two (2) sessions, which should be reserved for unforeseen emergencies.
• Three (3) absences automatically lower the student’s participation grade by 10%. Four (4) or more absences are grounds for failure.
• Missing segments of class—arriving late, departing early, or skipping online assignments– counts as half an absence for each instance.
  • Roll call will be conducted every day at the start of class. If you’re not in class by that time, you will be marked as late.

Dropping the class

Make sure you pay careful attention to how dropping a course may affect your financial aid. See here for more information: https://www.york.cuny.edu/administrative/finaid/frequenly-asked-questions/what-happens-to-my-financial-aid-if-i-drop-a-course

 

In order to avoid such penalties students will have to discuss the exceptional reasons for absence with the instructor, preferably ahead of time, and provide viable proof of emergency. This means: keep me in the loop! If I don’t know, I can’t help. And, please, take responsibility for your choices.

 

York College Resources

Computers with word processing software and internet access are available in the library and in computer labs.

• York College Library: http://york.cuny.edu/library
• York College Computer Labs: http://york.cuny.edu/it/acet/computer-labs
• York College Writing Center: http://york.cuny.edu/student/writing-center

Located in the Academic Core 1C18, The Writing Center assists students with writing skills. The Center offers scheduled tutoring, drop-in tutoring and workshops. For more information, stop by, call (718) 262-2494, or check the Writing Center Website.

• English as Second Language (ESL) Tutoring Center:

Tutoring is available for ESL students in Academic Core 3C08. Call (718) 262-2831 for schedule.

• Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities may contact the STAR Program to learn about and gain access to resources available to them at the college. See their website at http://york.cuny.edu/student-development/star for more details.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:  The main components to successful completion of this course:

 

Blogging and Responses	20%
In-Class Participation and Writing	10%
Disciplinary Technologies Presentation	15%
Mapping Whitney	15%
Distant Reading Tottel	15%
Tottel: A Social Knowledge Experiment	25%

TOTAL = 1000 pts.

NOTE: You will receive detailed assignment instructions along with grading rubrics for each of the projects below roughly three weeks before they are due. The instructions and details will be covered in class (see schedule). Budget your time accordingly to keep up with due dates!

 

COURSE WEBSITE and TECHNOLOGY

The online portions of our class will be run on a CUNY Commons WordPress website. Assignments, instructions, and discussion questions will be posted on this website, so keep track of it by bookmarking it on your browser. The most updated schedule for our course will also be on this site. This class is about understanding, using, and creating with technology, and as such requires reliable access to a computer, the internet, and occasionally signing up for free software.

Response blogs, and links to digital projects (when relevant) should be submitted via students’ professional blogs. Grades and instructor feedback will be available on Blackboard approximately 7 days after deadline.

1) BLOGGING AND SHORT RESPONSES

Once a week, you will use the online segment of this course to research and prepare formal blogs (app. 300 words) evaluating assigned readings, tools, or websites. Periodically throughout the semester you will also be asked to complete short, in-class writing and to participate in academic Twitter conversations. We will go over in class some considerations for professional blogging, including tone and style. Written responses will help prepare you for tasks needed to succeed in major projects.

2) CLASS PARTICIPATION

This discussion will be a better experience for all of us if everyone comes to class ready and willing to be a part of it.  Please plan on taking part in exciting conversations, asking hard questions, and engaging with the material in new ways. You will occasionally be asked to read text out loud, so be sure to bring your books with you to all class meetings. In addition to meeting face-to-face (f2f), you will also be asked to devote one (1) hour weekly to online assignments such as posting blogs, tweeting, and commenting on peers’ work. Our etiquette rules apply online as much as in person: be courteous, respectful, and only write feedback that’s thoughtful and constructive.

Check your space: This class is a community, and within it we need to respect each other and our wide range of ideas. As members of a community, we need to be aware of and in control of our own dynamics in the class.  Come to discussion ready to add to, not detract from, our group.

Be tech-mindful: we will be constantly using technology in the classroom and you’re encouraged to bring your own devices. You’ll want to police yourself and make sure you are not distracted by websites and apps that are not assignment-related. Consider downloading blocking apps if you have difficulty staying focused.

3) DISCIPLINARY TECHNOLOGIES PRESENTATION

Working in pairs, you will be responsible for uncovering other ways in which technology research is being taught and created on campus. This assignment will require interviews and conference presentation skills, particularly as you reflect on how those courses represent (or support) the digital humanities. Creative presentations that escape the traditional format are encouraged.

3) PROJECT 1: Mapping Whitney (digital map + 3-4 page reflection)

This project will engage you in understanding how real-life locations influence writing production and reading. Working independently, you will map one of Isabella Whitney’s poems according to historical and contemporary London. You will present your map to the class and write a 3-4 page reflection on the assignment when it is completed.

4)  PROJECT 2: Distant Reading Tottel (visualization + 3-4 page discussion of results)

This assignment will encourage us to inquire what a digital humanities approach might add to our already rich discussions of Renaissance poetry miscellanies and your own, individual analyses of the poems. Using visualization tools provided by the resource Voyant, you will work in groups to transcribe and look for patterns within Tottel’s edition and the digital version of the Devonshire manuscript. You will write a 3-4 page assessment of two central themes identified by your visualization, using textual evidence to support your points.

5) PROJECT 3:  Tottel: A Social Knowledge Experiment (digital edition + final exam reflection)

Our end-of-the-semester project will be a collaborative experiment to make a social, digital edition of Tottel’s Miscellany. After evaluating other digital editions for pros and cons, we will work to digitize, edit, and reframe Tottel for a contemporary audience of future students and scholars. The final exam will include a 2-page reflection piece on goals and expectations for the project as well as future plans for expansion.

GRADE DISTRIBUTION IS AS FOLLOWS:

A+ =97.0-100

A  =93.0-96.9

A- =90.0-92.9

B+=87.0-89.9

B =83.0-86.9

B-=80.0-82.9

C+= 77.0-79.9

C =73.0-76.9

C-=70.0-72.9

D+=67.0-69.9

D= 60.0-66.9

CHEATING & PLAGIARISM:    The English Department abides by York’s policies on academic dishonesty, and considers all forms of cheating as unacceptable. Plagiarism includes copying language, texts, and visuals without citation (e.g., cutting and pasting from websites).  Plagiarism also includes submitting papers that were written by another student or downloaded from the internet. York College describes cheating and plagiarism as:

1. “Cheating is the unauthorized use or attempted us of material, information, notes, study aids, devices or communication during an academic exercise.”
2. “Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s ideas, research, or writings as your own.”

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense:  the minimum penalty for plagiarism is an F for the assignment; the full penalty for plagiarism may result in an F for the course.  All cases of plagiarism in ENG 298 will be reported to the York College’s Academic Integrity Officer. Information about plagiarism procedures is available here: http://www.york.cuny.edu/president/legal-compliance/legal-affairs/cuny-legal-policies-procedures/Academic-Integrity-Policy.pdf 

Assignments in ENG 298 may be submitted to Safe Assign for plagiarism check.

CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE:  All Students are expected to conduct themselves in an adult manner. Keep in mind that our class is a place to share ideas and questions, but it is also a shared space which demands mutual respect and understanding. If you feel like your gadgets or your friends may be disruptive to the class, please keep yourself in check.

1. Take responsibility. If you leave your work to the last minute, skip classes, consistently show up late, sleep or talk during class, your grade will suffer. Do not rely on your professors to make up or accept excuses for your behavior. Keep track of your grades and budget your time to accommodate for the demands of the class.
2. You are expected to make up work if you are not here, and to submit assignments by their deadline even if you miss class.
3. I do not distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused” absences. Use your time wisely and be aware of potential consequences for consistently missing class.
4. Small assignments (blogs; comments; tweets) automatically lose 10% of the total grade for each late date. Projects 1,2, and 3 will not be accepted past the due date. Students must contact the instructor in advance if work cannot be submitted by the due date. The instructor will determine specific grade reductions based on timely prior notification, whether revised deadlines are met, and similar factors. Late papers will be accepted and graded only if a new deadline is arranged with the instructor in advance (at least 48 hours prior to deadline). No comments will be provided for late work.
5. Extensions and make-up assignments are only considered when the requesting student has demonstrated a strong academic record (e.g. fewer than two absences, consistent participation, and timely delivery of past work). They should be discussed ahead of time, on a case by case basis.
6. You may email or talk to me at any time with questions. Just be respectful and polite. I will do my best to respond within 24 hours. If you send me an email at 1am, you probably won’t get a response until the next day (even if your paper was due at midnight!).
7. Students are not allowed rewrites once the final grade for a project has been assigned.