 SYLLABUS
Introduction to Digital Media
E59.1003.001
Spring 2006
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Class Time: T/Th 2:00pm - 3:15pm
Class Location: 194 Mercer St., Room 207
Office Hours: by appointment
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This course is an introduction to digital media, focusing on networks,
computers, the Web, and video games. Theoretical topics include the
formal qualities of new media, their political dimensions, as well as
questions of genre, narrative, and history. Students are allowed to
pursue either a writing track or a production track.
January 17 Course introduction — What is "new media"?
I. COMPUTERS AND NETWORKS
January 19 Vannevar Bush, "As We May Think," (R).
January 24 Alan Turing, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence," (R).
January 26 Norbert Wiener, "Men, Machines, and the World About," (R).
January 31 Janet Murray, "From Additive to Expressive Form," (R).
February 2 Lev Manovich, "What is New Media?" (R).
February 7 Espen Aarseth, "Nonlinearity and Literary Theory," (R).
February 9 Lawrence Lessig, The Future of Ideas
February 14 Lawrence Lessig, The Future of Ideas
February 16 Albert-László Barabási, Linked
February 21 Albert-László Barabási, Linked
February 21 — Midterm paper/prototype due.
II. VIDEO GAMES
February 23 Mark Wolf, The Medium of the Video Game, Chapter 1.
February 28 Roger Caillois, "The Definition of Play" and "The Classification of Games," (R).
March 2 Mark Wolf, The Medium of the Video Game, Chapters 3-4.
March 7 Mark Wolf, The Medium of the Video Game, Chapters 5-6.
March 9 — Midterm test
March 21 Student presentations on video games
March 23 Student presentations on video games
March 28 Student presentations on video games
March 30 Student presentations on video games
III. POLITICAL CRITIQUES OF NEW MEDIA
April 4 Hans Magnus Enzensberger, "Constituents of a Theory of the Media," (R).
April 6 Donna Haraway, "A Cyborg Manifesto," (R).
April 11 Philip Agre, "Surveillance and Capture," (R).
April 13 Lisa Nakamura, "Menu-Driven Identities: Making Race Happen Online," (R).
April 18 Gilles Deleuze, "Postscript on Control Societies," (R);
John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt, "The Advent of Netwar (Revisited)," (R).
April 20 C.A.E., "Electronic Civil Disobedience," (R).
April 25 Final project demos
April 27 Final project demos
Monday, May 1, 5pm — Final papers/projects due.
Note: "(R)" indicates that the reading is contained in the course reader.
REQUIREMENTS
Attendance and readings are both required. Thorough coverage of the
day's reading in advance of class is of utmost importance.
Each student will follow one of two tracks:
Writing Track
1) Midterm paper (5 pages)
2) Midterm test
3) In-class presentation
4) Final paper (8-10 pages)
Note: All papers should demonstrate a close reading of the required
texts and visual material and exhibit a method of critical analysis.
Research papers, creative writing, memoirs, etc., are not
appropriate.
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Production Track
1) Midterm project prototype
2) Midterm test
3) In-class presentation
4) Final project
Note: Students must get approval by the professor before pursuing this
track. No production skills will be taught in this course, nor can we
offer special access to hardware or software. Thus, students pursuing
the production track must be completely responsible for their own work.
Individualized sessions can be arranged with the professor if specific
help is needed.
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REQUIRED MATERIALS
Course Reader
Lawrence Lessig, The Future of Ideas (New York: Random House, 2001).
Albert-László Barabási, Linked (Cambridge: Perseus, 2002).
Mark Wolf, The Medium of the Video Game (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001).
GRADE FORMULA
10% Class participation
20% Midterm paper/prototype
20% Midterm test
20% In-class presentation
30% Final paper/project
GRADING RUBRIC
A — Excellent. Student exhibits exemplary creativity through a close
reading and critical analysis of the required materials. Style is lucid
and engaging with zero mistakes.
B — Good. References to the course material are well-selected and
topical. Critical analysis is present, but largely rehearsed from class
lecture and discussion. Student's style is clear and has very few
mistakes.
C — Satisfactory. References to the course material are well-selected
and topical, but student performs little or no critical analysis.
Problems exist in student's work. Work consists mostly of
underdeveloped ideas, off-topic sources or examples, inappropriate research,
or anecdotes.
D — Unsatisfactory. Student does not engage with the material and no
critical analysis is present. Substantial problems exist in student's
work.
F — Fail. Student does not submit work, or work is below unsatisfactory
level.
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