ENG
101b: Cyber-Theory
Dr.
Irr
Spring 2002
See a list of
interesting cyber-fiction links that
students in this course located.
Themes
of the Course:
This course asks how and why new
cybernetic systems of communication—especially the Internet—have changed the
practice of writing. Throughout the semester, we will be exploring theories that
describe the unique features of print vs. electronic media and we will look at
a number of attempts to map cyber-spaces. In particular, we'll be focusing on
changes to the personnel of writing (author, reader, publisher) in the context
of cybnernetics. We'll ask whether new options for writing, reading and
publishing now available, and where further elaboration or extension of
existing options might occur. Overall, the point of the course is to grapple
with these questions by immersing ourselves in critical and utopian theories of
cybertextuality.
The course does not assume that students
have an advanced level of familiarity with debates about cyberspace or literary
theory. It is an exploratory course designed for English majors; students in
the Internet Studies program; future writers, readers and publishers; and
people with an interest in the creative possibilities of contemporary culture.
Pedagogical
Goals:
After taking this course, students should
be able to do the following:
Texts:
-Tim Druckey,
ed., Ars Electronica: Facing the Future
-Thomas Swiss,
ed., Unspun: Key Concepts for Understanding the World Wide Web
-Marshall
McLuhan, The Gutenberg Galaxy
-Paul Virilio, The
Art of the Motor
-Philip K. Dick,
Scanner Darkly
-selected
websites
Assignments:
-attendance and
class participation. 12%
-4 lab reports
posted to WebCT. 2% each x 4 = 8%
-4 short papers
(5-8 pages each). 20% each x 4 = 80%