Electronic Writing & Publishing

Syllabus

Print version in .pdf

Electronic Writing and Publishing focuses on the theory and practice of various forms of electronic writing and publishing. The main objective of the course is to provide a strong theoretical and rhetorical understanding of several genres and media used in electronic writing and publishing. We will also explore recent relevant research to aid our theoretical and rhetorical understanding of electronic writing. We will explore several forms of electronic writing and publishing including hypertext, blogs, podcasts, e-journals, the web, and more. We will examine various issues including:

• The history  and future of electronic writing and publishing
• Digital rhetoric
• Ethical concerns like access, literacy, copyright, and politics,
• Online communities
• Web 2.0, social networking, blogs, and podcasts
• Web topics such as writing, design, & quality
• Audience and users concerns like disabilities, age, sex & gender, learning style and more
• Gaming
• New media design and writing
• Usability and user-centered design

The class will have a discussion focus with minimal time spent on lectures. This class is not a “how to” class on web design or any of the other media. You can choose to get hands on and practical experience through the class projects, but class time will be spent discussing and examining theoretical, rhetorical, and ethical issues.

Disclaimers

• You do not need to have any previous experience in web design or experience using various online media and genres, however you may not be happy in this course if you are not willing to spend hours online or if you don’t have basic computer knowledge.
• This syllabus provides a general plan for the course. Deviations may be necessary or pertinent.

Texts Required :

• Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print by J. David Bolter, 2nd edition, 2001 ISBN: 0805829199. An electronic version of this book is available for free through the library. Make sure you obtain the 2nd edition.
• Electric Rhetoric: Classical Rhetoric, Oralism, and a New Literacy by Kathleen E. Welch, ISBN: 0262232022
• Passions, Pedagogies, and 21st Century Technologies by Gail Hawisher & Cynthia Self (eds), ISBN:  0874212588

Optional: These are texts you may decide to use based on the projects you do.

• Principles of Web Design by David Farkas and Jean Farkas, ISBN 0205302912
• Publishing a Blog With Blogger: Visual QuickProject Guide by Elizabeth Castro, ISBN: 0321321235
• Web Style Guide <http://www.webstyleguide.com/>
• Podcasting for Dummies. By Morris, Tee, and Evo Terra. Electronic Version: John Wiley & Sons, 2006. Books24x7. 16 February 2009 <http://ezproxy.gsu .edu:4519/book/ id_12440/book.asp>

Atutor:
Several reading will be available through Atutor. You will need a copy of Adobe Reader to read these readings, which you can download for free from: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Materials

• portable computer storage devices that will work in the lab formatted for IBM-compatible computers
• an e-mail account for communication
• access to a web browser & your student h: drive
• You may want your own copy of Dreamweaver, which you can buy from the school for fairly cheap (although various campus labs have copies you can use including the English lab, the Instructional Technology Student Computing Center (Education building room 200), and the Digital Aquarium). You can also download Dreamweaver free for 30 days.

Course Policies

Attendance & Participation

Due to the discussion- and workshop-based nature of this course your attendance is expected. If you have a good reason for missing class (I determine what a good reason is), you must make arrangements ahead of time. Missing three classes will result in an “F” in the course. For any absences beyond your first absence, you must submit a 2000 word detailed reading response within three days of the missed class (not doing so will result in a letter grade deduction from your final participation grade). Talk with me about this so we can determine an appropriate topic. For a graduate course, “attendance” means more than showing up to class. It means coming to class with the readings done and participating in class discussions and activities, both electronic and physical. It also means bringing homework and examples when they are due. As a courtesy to me and other class members, please turn off pagers, text messaging devices, and cell phones during class.

Accommodations

Students who require special arrangements because of a disability should contact the professor with an accommodations form within the first four days of class (preferably) or as soon as possible to determine the necessary accommodations.

Academic Honesty & Copyright

The policy on Academic Honesty can be found in the Georgia State University Catalog. It is your responsibility to be familiar with the policies in both the Catalog and the Student Handbook and to abide by them. As a general rule, all work for this course must be original, created during this semester, and created expressly for this course by you. Any sources you consult or utilize must be properly attributed including the use of copyrighted images. Make sure you follow copyright policies with the use of copyrighted materials. Plagiarism will result in automatic failure of this course.

Questions & Availability

I am happy to answer your questions and discuss class related issues during free time in class, during my office hours, by appointment in my office, over Internet chats, or via email. If the office hours conflict with your own schedule, please email me to arrange an appointment. 

Grading

Work will be due in various forms such as email, web, and paper. Work that is not submitted in the correct form will receive deductions. I will be happy to look over draft assignments and provide comments as long as I am given enough time. All assignments are due on the day indicated; assignments 1 day late will receive a lowered grade, after 2 days I will no longer accept the late assignments. If you think you might have a problem meeting a deadline, speak with me at least 48 hours in advance of the deadline.

Grades

Grades will range in each letter from a plus to a minus. F’s may be given if work is unacceptable. Zeros will be given for assignments not turned in. 

The new Plus/Minus Grading system will be employed in this class. If you have not already done so, I suggest you review the explanation GSU gives of the new system: http://chhsweb.gsu.edu/docs/PlusMinusGradingOption.pdf