Course Description:

Web 2.0 technologies have made digital networking and social connectivity an important area of rhetorical knowledge and research. But since the technologies are so new and constantly changing, academic theories and practices have yet to completely catch up. This course seeks to put students at the center of this knowledge production. The class will investigate rhetorical theories, theories of ecology and complexity, and network theories in the context of a semester long encounter with a particular social networking site of each student's choice. Students will use the site over the course of the semester and write about the connections they see among the various theories and the site under investigation. Assignments will consist of weekly blog entries, four short papers, a final paper, and one class presentation on the technology under investigation.

Texts:

Johnson, Steven. Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software. New York: Scribner, 2001.

Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. New York: Back Bay Books, 2005/2007.

Borgo, David. Sync or Swarm: Improvising Music in a Complex Age. New York: Continuum, 2005/2006.

Latour, Bruno. Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Technologies:

Each student needs to pick a preferred technology to follow and participate in over the course of the semester. Social networking sites are often easy to set up and manage, but require a lot of time to maintain, update, and network. I recommend picking something that is related to a personal interest or your professional goals. There are sites out there for just about everything. The key is finding the right one for you. Below is an intitial list, but do some searching early on to find a good fit.

Workshops/Labs:

Since this course primarily focuses on rhetoric and server-side technologies, only a limited amount of time will be spent in class on technical skills. We will do a brief introduction to help you sign up for the class blog, but aside from that you'll need to learn different things depending on your prior knowledge and on the social network you decide to participate in. Consequently, you'll need to spend time each week outside of class learning technologies on your own in addition to reading and doing writing assignments.

If you need help working with photoshop, dreamweaver, (x)html, wikis, podcasting, or even social bookmarking/tagging you can take advantage of the workshops available on campus. Students need to sign up for workshops but are able to get individual, walk-in peer tutoring in the Star labs for any project you are working on. Topics, dates, and times for workshops can be found from the workshop schedules below.

Attendance:

Each week we will discuss the readings, do short assignments, give presentations, and/or have lab time to blog or network. Consequently, attendance is extremely important and will count towards participation grades. It is also vital that lab time in class be utilized. Others around you can help with your efforts. If you stop coming to class, it will be your responsibility to drop. Failure to do so will result in an 'F'.

Office Hours:

I will have office hours in Sci-Tech I 105 from 4:10-7:10 on Tuesdays. If you need to speak to me and cannot make this time, then ask me to schedule a time that is convenient for both of us. I check my e-mail several times daily, so this will be the best way to contact me in a hurry if you have a question or problem, especially about what is due that week. The only other option is to call and leave a phone message, but I will not receive it immediately.

Grades:

Students in English 611 receive a final grade of A+ (4.0), A (4.0), A- (3.67), B+ (3.33), B (3.0), B- (2.67), C+ (2.33), C (2.0), C- (1.67), D (1.0), or F (0.0). Since both A+ and A have the same GP, I make little or no distinction between them. Although a B- is a satisfactory grade for a course, students must maintain a 3.0 average in their degree program and present an overall 3.0 GPA on the courses listed on the graduation application.

Rewrite and Late Policy:

Responses to readings will need to be posted to the blog before class. The short papers will be read aloud in class and discussed. I will also give written feedback on these papers and they may be rewritten. We will schedule a day for getting peer feedback on drafts of the final paper, but there will be no opportunity for revision after if it is turned in. I don't accept work past the due dates.

Specific Needs: