Project two
In the second hypertext project, you will put the concepts Lev Manovich and Greg Ulmer present to work (or to the test) by creating a new media installation which attempts to follow the logic of electracy, as opposed to logic of print which dominates much of the web.
There are two major components to this assignment.
1. Experimentation with and demonstration of image reason.
Take a short textual selection (a poem, short story, or essay). Transelectrate (as opposed to translate or transliterate) the text, moving it from the logic of print into image reason. This will likely involve shifting the form into multiple web pages which use imagery to create the specific devices Ulmer describes in the selections we’ve read—voice, mood, etc. (You can borrow full Ulmer texts or books and essays by other relevant theorists from me if you would like to see descriptions of other possibilities.)
2. A theoretical question.
Articulate and begin to answer one of the
theoretical questions raised by the work of the course, focusing on issues which
are raised (or directly addressed) in The Language of New Media. You can look to our email list, class discussions, and other sources for issues to consider. Pretty much any question is fair game.
For the draft, form the question as fully
as possible. For the final project, expect the work of providing an answer
to be well under way, and if not answered in some fashion, more fully delineated. Methodologically, I expect part of this process to be experimentation: working through the issue using writing (webbing)—so we approach these issues in the same way that our texts describe technological change.
For each of these components, I would like to see extended intellectual engagement which motivates the texts we've read this semester, showing clear understanding of and work with the principles and theories they offer. While I'm not going to be a stickler about citation, I do want to see your work as a follow-up to the things we've already read---as part of the larger conversations going on in media studies. To that end, if you would like to draw upon the work of other relevant theorists (Kate Hayles, Jay Bolter, Cindy Selfe, etc.), please go ahead. If your media studies interests aren't satisified by the texts we've read, I'll be happy to make other suggestions.
Form: create this project on your WIU web site and include a link to it from your home page. Please create separate files for draft and final projects (e. g. don't just save over your drafts).
The draft: you must post a well-developed draft online before before Wednesday, 11/17, so I have time to review it over the Thanksgiving break.
Technology: for any part of the project, if there’s something you want to do with the computer but don’t know how to get it done, post to the class list or talk to me about it; we’ll figure it out.
Seminar paper option: if you would prefer to compose a traditional seminar paper instead of a new media installation, please discuss this with me. Because I want you to work with computers and engage the possibility of an electrate rhetoric, I would prefer that you consider this option only if you expect to produce a project which would be publishable (presented at a conference, or submitted to a print or online journal).
Lab sessions: I will come to our classroom for several Friday lab sessions, so you can work with our computers for extended time periods. These sessions will be 10/29, 11/12, and 12/3.