Instructor: Ben McCorkle 
Office: 503 Denney Hall 
Office Phone: 292.1702 
Mailbox: 421 Denney Hall (the box under my name)
Class: T/R 11:30 AM - 1:18 PM 
Room: 312 Denney Hall
Office Hours: T/R 10:00 - 11:30 AM  & by appt. 
email: mccorkle.12@osu.edu

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Note: Syllabus is subject to change as needed.

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[A Provocation]
Betty Adcock:
"Computers and all their elaborations have a place, so long as they stay in the toolshed where they belong.  Limited, as reasonable aids for medicine, real science and records storage, they're valuable.  But the culture our tools are creating for us is not worth the jeopardized quality of civic life, of literary heritage, of real time, and of participation in the natural world."

Paul Jones:
"[Technology] is what makes humans human--our sophisticated tool-making and tool-creating.  With technology we probe, extend ourselves, explore, discover and even destroy the mysteries that our world presents us." (from L&T, 556)

In general, all 367.01 courses are designed in such a way that students explore, primarily through writing, issues of diversity as they pertain to American culture.  This often includes such broad topics of inquiry as: What roles do gender , class, and ethnicity (among many other markers of identity) play in the shaping and maintaining of this culture?  How have cultural conceptions of diversity changed historically, and how does difference eventually become part of cultural norms? 

Specific to our class, however, is a focus on the role of technology in the shaping of culture.  In the pursuit of such a focus, two issues in particular will drive this quarter-long inquiry.  How does technology help us make sense of our culture, and how can technology be used to challenge or critique our cultural assumptions? And for that matter, what is technology in the first place? To those ends, we will be examining, discussing, and writing on a variety texts from different media (television, film, digital, etc.) as well as readings that deal with such issues.

 

• Literacies and Technologies.  Robert Yagelski, ed.  New York: Longman, 2001. (SBX has these.)
• The New St. Martin’s Handbook.  Robert Connors and Andrea Lunsford, eds.  New York:St. Martin’s Press, 2002.  (Again, SBX.)
• Online Course Packet (available, as the name implies, online--details forthcoming.)
  
  

• Essays--There will be two short essays, 4-5 pages in length, assigned this quarter.  They will each be revised once; if desired, however, you may revise both of these papers one additional time by the end of the quarter.
• Readings--Several readings are assigned throughout the quarter.  We’ll be discussing and writing about these at length, so actually reading them is essential to the functionality of our class.  If it seems that we are having trouble completing the readings for class, I will begin assigning impromptu quizzes which will figure into the final participation grade.  
• Virtual Classroom--Outside of class proper, I’ve set up a 367 Virtual Classroom that will serve as our class away from class.  During the course of the quarter, I’d like each student to make at least 10 separate page-length contributions to this site: 5 directly responding to our readings or in-class discussions, and 5 replies to your classmates’ responses.
• Final Web Writing Project—This final project will involve the development of an individual web site, which will be based on an initial research writing assignment.  This project is meant to give you the opportunity to employ outside sources in order to defend your analysis of a topic of your choosing (within certain parameters, of course).  

• Essays One and Two: 20% each (40% total)
• Web Writing project: 20%
• In-class Presentation: 15%
  
• Web-based Discussion: 15%
• Class Participation: 10%  

• Plagiarism--Refer to the online version of The Writer’s Companion for a definition of plagiarism at < http://fywp.english.ohio-state.edu/writerscompanion.htm >.  This will be treated in all cases as a serious offense, and work suspected as plagiarized will be forwarded to the proper personnel.  You can avoid this by being extra-careful when you cite your sources.  

• Student Work--Any work left in my office after the end of the quarter will remain there for an additional two quarters (in this case, until the end of WI 04).  If you’d like to pick anything up after the quarter, contact me so we can make arrangements to do so.

• Late Work--Essay drafts can be up to three days late, but with each passing day, your grade on the assignment will drop 1/3 of a letter grade (from a B+ to a B after one day, from a B to a B- after two days, etc.).  Additionally, if you fail to produce copies of your drafts in time for reader response sessions (when Draft One is due for each essay), your class participation grade will drop one letter grade.

• Attendance--You are both expected and encouraged to come to each class meeting.  Department policy will not allow more than four unexcused absences--that means, simply, that you must fail the course.  Additionally, after two unexcused absences, I will lower your final grade by 1/2 (from a B+ to a B-, for example); this fine is doubled on reader response days.  Tardiness of more than 15 minutes is considered an unexcused absence, and persistent tardiness (i.e., more than three) of less than 15 minutes will count as one unexcused absence.  For an absence to be excused, it must be documented, for instance a doctor’s note.  For a list of what the University deems excused absences, refer to the online version of The Writer’s Companion at the URL listed above. 

Again, I stress that I am available to you as a resource outside of the classroom; after all, it is in both our interests that you meet with some degree of success in this class.  However, there are a number of other resources that may prove useful to you this quarter.  Among these are:
 

• Ombud--The Ombud serves as an intermediary who helps to resolve conflicts between students and instructors.  Please feel free to contact the Ombud if you have any concerns about this course.  The Writing Programs Ombud is Matt Cariello, and his office information is as follows: Mon. & Wed. 2.00-4.00; Tues. & Thurs. Noon to 3.00 PM (and by appt.); Rm 533 Denney Hall; 292-5778; cariello.1@osu.edu

• The OSU Writing Center--This office offers free individual tutoring.  Please see the Writing Center's handout or ask me for more information. < www.cstw.ohio-state.edu >

• Office of Disability Services--If you have a disability and need particular accommodations, please feel free to discuss the issue with me during my office hours.  Students with disabilities should be registered at the Office of Disability Services to obtain necessary accommodations.  Call 292-3307 or visit < http://www.ods.ohio-state.edu >.

It is your responsibility to keep current with this schedule, but remember also that the schedule may change.  Readings listed for any particular day are to be completed in advance of that day; you need to be prepared to discuss them in class.

Abbreviation Key:
L&T = Literacies and Technologies
OCP = Online Course Packet
HB = Handbook

[6.24] Class introduction; review of syllabus 
[6.26] A brief historical overview of changes in computer interface designs; Q & A session. Essay 1 prompt given out; Subscribe to virtual classroom:

[7.1] Viewing (TBA); synopsis of Heidegger's "Question..." (OCP); web-based discussion of film and reading before next class.
[7.3] Benjamin's " Work of Art... " (OCP).

[7.8]  Henderson & Barkow; Postman (L&T); Turn in drafts of Essay 1.
[7.10] Birkerts (L&T).

[7.15] Viewing:  Freedom Downtime.  Web-based discussion linking film to our readings before next class meeting. 
[7.17] Debord's "Society of the Spectacle" selections (OCP) ; discussion of film.

[7.22] Reader Response Day (bring HB and drafts to class); web-based discussion before next class meeting (extra credit). 
[7.24] Turn in revised Essay 1; Johnson, Berry (L&T) ; Essay 2 prompt given out.

[7.29] Bolter (L&T); MOO session.
[7.31] Turn in drafts of essay 2; Haraway's "A Cyborg Manifesto" (OCP); discussion of any leftover business.

[8.5]Christian, Sweeney, Eldred (L&T).
[8.7] Reader Response Day (Bring HB to class); web-based discussion before next class meeting (extra credit).

[8.12] Viewing: ( To Be Determined).  web-based discussion linking film to our readings before next class meeting.
[8.14] Turn in revised Essay 2; discussion of film; Freire, Bigelow, Turkle (L&T).

[8.19]  Faketown session; Coyle, "Electropolis" (L&T); web-based discussion after class reflecting upon last 2 class sessions. 
[8.21] Turn in all revisions; class evaluations.