Monday, October 6, 2008

Assignment Three, part III

Assignment Three, part III [aka Module]
Electronic Literature
ENC 4420/5420-W61
Dr. Saper, Professor

Module 3, part III: Historical Context for Electronic Literature
Included in this module: Goals; Assignment; Due Dates; Links to Web-site; Assessments; and Grading Rubric. Read this entire module before starting the assignment or asking any questions about the assignment.
Goals:
Students read hypertext novels. They also read about the historical contexts of these works. They read about Kittler’s important historical work and use it to place electronic literature in a complicated historical context. They read Talan Memmott’s Lexia to Perplexia (2+ hours) work in relation to that history and context.
These goals correspond to the overall goals of the course: to learn about electronic literature in both its forms and contexts.
Assignment:
Students will read Hayles paying close attention to her explication of Kittler’s work. They will read the large and demanding work by Talan Memmott, Lexia to Perplexia (2+ hours).
Students will examine both Memmott’s novel and a reading of the novel. The time commitment for the reading alone is 3+ hours for this assignment.
1. Read Hayles’ Electronic Literature, pp. 87-131.
2. Read Talan Memmott, Lexia to Perplexia (2+ hours).
3. Please note: the hypertext works do not have page numbers; so, I have supplied you with an estimate of size and the approximate time needed to read Memmott’s work.
4. Describe in your notes how you read Memmott, and relate how Kittler, in general terms, and Hayles, in specific terms, read this work.
5. Write a clear and concise 1250 word essay on your conclusions – jam packed with information and avoiding wordiness. In your conclusions, specifically discuss how Kittler’s history might place electronic literature in the history of texts and technological change. Discuss with very specific details from the hypertext work, Hayles’, and your own, reading experience. What is the historical context for this type of work?

Due Dates:
Include this part of the module in your overall Module and Assignment 3. Turn the entire project in by the due date. This will give you an opportunity to ask questions about the assignment and make revisions. No late projects accepted, no exceptions.

Where: Post the finished assignment to the blog, but post a draft to a discussion on the course site. Since everyone gets credit for helping (and you can help more than one of your peers each assignment) you will find someone to give you suggestions for improvement. If you cannot offer any suggestions, then you might want to consider an alternative to academia.

Assessments:
Content: Do the materials include the following elements:
A. full name of student and helper(s)
C. description of reading experience (yours and others).
D. description of details from lexias and general plot lines and themes. Also describe how the readings relate to historical change in texts and literacy. Relate everything to Kittler’s historical studies.
Form: Did the student include the following technical aspects?
A. turned-in the project in electronic form on the blog
B. prose contains no grammatical, stylistic, or typographical errors
The grader [in this case Professor Saper] will study the essay (including the prose), and ask the following questions.
1. Does this material present a clear representation of the student's thinking about Memmott, Kittler, and Hayles, the contexts for reading these works, and how these works fit in a larger history?
2. Did the student have interesting insights about Memmott’s work and Kittler’s description of historical changes?
3. Were the insights expressed clearly? Did the student modify their time-lines to reflect the new information?
4. Is the essay interesting, unique, expressive, and informative?


Grading Rubric:
Passing Grade (in the D range): fulfilled number one in the assessment.
Adequate Grade (in the C range): fulfilled one and two in the assessment.
Good Grade (in the B range): fulfilled numbers one through three in the assessment.
Excellent Grade (in the A range): fulfilled all of the four criteria in the assessment.