ENGL 54.40 Literary Culture in an Age of Digital Distraction

This course is organized around two main projects that will investigate the interesting and compelling ways that "traditional" forms of literacy are evolving to coexist with digital and social media. First, students will choose a contemporary practice, tool, or genre in which print and digital media have converged (e.g. book lists on Goodreads, e-book hardware, "Twitter fiction"), exploring what if anything is "new" about it. Next, student groups will design and prototype a digital technology that reimagines the ways that literature is produced or consumed in the context of digital media. This project will accommodate students with varying levels of technical expertise, though no programming experience is presumed. Throughout the course, readings on the history of media, the ethnography of literacy, and human-computer interaction will guide both our writing and production.

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:ART

The Timetable of Class Meetings contains the most up-to-date information about a course. It includes not only the meeting time and instructor, but also its official distributive and/or world culture designation. This information supersedes any information you may see elsewhere, to include what may appear in this ORC/Catalog or on a department/program website. Note that course attributes may change term to term therefore those in effect are those (only) during the term in which you enroll in the course.

Department-Specific Course Categories

Course Group IV