Writing Across Media

Summary

Taught by Dr. Andy Jones, TCS 191, Writing Across Media, introduces students to experimental approaches to writing for different media and artistic practices, including photography, art installations, radio, film and film criticism, and live staged and multimedia performances. Participants in the class will explore how written texts relate to the images, sounds, and performances in digital and media production. Participants will complete a significant number of in-class and out-of-class writing assignments, both individually and as parts of groups. Our common themes, creativity and discovery, will inform all your reading and writing assignments, and prepare you to engage, challenge and impress readers, viewers, and listeners.

In essence, how to write as a creative professional.

No physical book is necessary because Tim Kerbavez PDFed and OCRed the whole thing, available on Smartsite.

Content

Week 1: Introductions, Poetry and Photography

Week 2: Writing Modern Art

Week 3: Storyboarding and the Book

Week 4: Rethinking the Book, Writing with Audio

Week 5: Audio; Photograph

Week 6: Storyboarding II

Week 7: Conceiving Film

Week 8: Performance

Week 9: Interactivity and Wikis

• Read “Know It All: Can Wikipedia conquer expertise?” by Stacy Schiff
• This article absolutely does not answer its own title question. Its an especially long article. If you don't like reading, don't take this class. LeTroll
• The author objectively looks at Wikipedia's pros and cons. ElFixer
• Wikipedia is the shit. For research paper sources to reading a synopsis of every Pokemon episode that exists. LT
• That's because Wikipedia is devoted to a higher good. Everyone has everyone else's backs. EF
• Except for trolls, they destroy the integrity and correctness of the info I need at any given moment. LT
• Which brings up the question of why do I need to learn something when Wikipedia has it? EF
• You don't! Wikipedia has made education affordable everywhere. All you need is the interwebs. Case in point: One laptop per child LT
• Information ≠ knowledge. You have to think and learn how to think. —cp
• Does that mean people can't use the tools they are given? Can I not build a bow and arrow out of rocks and sticks to defend myself? LT
• Not only has Wikipedia almost rendered the Britannica Encylopedia useless, its free for everyone and flourishes on donations. EF
• It's a self engaging tool that teaches links after links. LT
• Wikipedia might not be able to make up for a college education, but its getting there. EF
• Wikipedia is useful, but it won't teach you to think critically about what you are reading, especially since Wikipedia strives for NPOV. Many of the arguments that would help you evaluate a point of view are missing. Furthermore, the demographic that edits Wikipedia is pretty skewed, e.g., there are far fewer women than men. So, you're taking in information, but you're not given the tools to evaluate that information, and you're not being taught how to creatively produce new knowledge. And it's passive learning, not active learning. —cp
• Wikipedia is a medium in and of itself. An online database, a community, written by the masses and corrected by the masses. Practically an accident, no one, not even founder, Jimmy Wales, anticipated the project to become the fact-finding standard. Accepted by many, rejected by many, Wikipedia continues to cross the boundaries of scholars and know-it-alls. DO

Week 10: Catch up

Assignments

10% Class participation

• Attend all classes
• Finish all readings
• Actively participate in class

20% Collaborative presentation

• Show your peers and me what you can do as a group of four or so writer-performers

30% Individual assignments

• Complete three of six assignment prompts

10% Position paper

• Respond assertively to an assigned reading
• These will be read out loud in class
• Signups required

30% Final paper

• Create and present a major creative, substantive example of a studied genre of writing