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Syllabus: Visual
Literacy Fall 2005 Web: www.research.umbc.edu/~carpente
LLC 642/ English 488/688 focuses on the impact of new media on an evolving visual and technological literacy. The course will examine literacy development and expectations in contemporary communication forms. To ground the study we will begin with a solid history of literacy development, both visual and textual, across cultures. The course goal is both to understand how we see and how we communicate in various cultural contexts. Practical applications will include both composing and designing in the computer-mediated classroom. We will explore art history, reading and writing theory, and the evolution and sociological expectations of literacy development. Technology?s impact on our literacy practices is great in scope; only by comparing print literacy with electronic literacy can we truly begin to understand, interpret, and create documents that meet contemporary visual and textual literacy expectations.
For both readers and writers, technology is reshaping our literate practices; literacy definitions are expanding; literacy expectations are increasing. Yet, as educators, while we may be competent in the skills associated with technology, we are often unprepared to help student writers as they experience a changed composing process. Reading the screen, transitioning among software programs, researching and validating research online, integrating and 'reading' visual messages, sharing ownership in new collaborations, and practicing new composing processes including the conflated practice of editing while composing are just a few of the ways technology has extended our literacy practices.
Texts Required:
Literacy in the New Media Age by Gunther Kress Publisher: Routledge (March 2003) ISBN: 041525356X
Literacy in a Digital World: Teaching and Learning in the Age of Information by Kathleen Tyner Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc (September 1998) ISBN: 0805822267
Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials by Gillian Rose Publisher: Sage Publications (March 2001) ISBN: 076196665X
Creating Graphics for Learning and Performance: Lessons in Visual Literacy by Linda L. Lohr Publisher: Prentice Hall (October 2002) ISBN: 013090712X
Recommended: [wait to purchase; will be individually
assigned during class one for graduate student presentations]
Mutltimodal Discourse: The Modes and Media of Contemporary Communication by Gunther Kress, Theo Van Leeuwen, Edward Arnold Publisher: 2001) ISBN: 0340608773
Handbook of Visual Analysis Theo Van Leeuwen and Carey Jewitt (editors) Publisher: Sage Publications (2001) ISBN: 0761964770
Mediamorphosis: Understanding New Media by Roger Fidler Publisher: Pine Forge Press (l997) ISBN: 0803990863
Image-Based Research: A Sourcebook for Qualitative Researchers, Jon Prosser (editor) Publisher: Routledge (l998) ISBN: 075070649X
Online portfolios, a three step process. Students create online portfolios by writing in response to a journal entry and to a classmate, each week, on the classlist. Weekly journal prompts will be posted to the classlist on Tuesdays.
1. Student journal entries answering the questions posed in the prompt are due to list by Friday evening. Entries are typically 1-2 pages in length. 2. After reading entries, students select one classmate's entry and respond/react; those responses to one classmate are due to list by Sunday noon ; ie, student portfolios consist of weekly entry plus weekly responses to a classmate. Responses are typically 1 page in length. 3. Bring a hardcopy of your journal entry and of your response to your classmate to class at the next meeting; archive these hardcopies in the folders kept in the classroom. The final in-class essay will be a reflective essay using your portfolios as the text. Note: If, as a result of our classlist activity, your email account is exceeding your limit, you may delete the list responses every third week.
Presentations All students will deliver at least one oral presentation; graduate students will deliver two-- one collaborative, one individual. The purpose of this exercise is to provide an in-depth study of the text your group has selected. Group members may divide tasks as they wish, both for composing and presenting responsibilities. A general timeline that will work well is to have everyone read the text immediately, assign individual tasks, exchange emails and phone numbers, meet to prepare the assignment, and then plan to meet several times prior to the presentation to practice the delivery. Consider, as you prepare, the best way to present an informative lesson within an electronic classroom. Where to stand? How much to deliver as a lecture? How much participative work? How to integrate the technology? How to store, or make available, the materials? How to satisfy the needs and expectations of the audience and engage them for the entire 45 minutes allotted. Individual Graduate Presentations
Group Presentations on Creating Graphics text
Notes on the delivery for all presentations: Use excellent presentation delivery skills: good eye contact; useful, well-prepared audio visual support; print supplements; careful, clear diction; appropriate volume and pace Class work and discussion: Class participation and discussion are key to success in our course. Attendance is mandatory. The course material will engender lively discussions, thoughtful reactions, and detailed, critical analyses. 2 short Essays
Students will write three 4-6 page essays with supporting research. In addition to the primary text, each essay/analysis requires a minimum of 6 supporting sources, 3 of which must be print. Use APA citation form.
Final essay#3 Students will write a final essay [with a thesis statement] on the topic of their choice relating to visual literacy. This essay should demonstrate your understanding and application of the theories discussed in class. The undergraduate level requirement is a minimum of 8 pages in length with a minimum of 15 supporting sources [half must be print]; the graduate level requirement is a minimum of 15 pages in length with a minimum of 20 supporting sources [ half must be print]. Graduate students are encouraged to explore the impact of visual literacy on their research area of interest and to submit their paper for publication. Use APA citation form.
one reflective, in-class essay#4 the last
night of class [ based on portfolio]
** Reading assignments are to be completed [so that you are prepared for discussion] for class as indicated on the assignment schedule. For example, be prepared to discuss chapters one and two of Literacy in a Digital World, when you come to the second class.
Assignments Fall 2005
Policies: Attendance in class and at conference is mandatory, as this is a participatory rather than passive learning experience. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. When you write or speak, present your own work and not the effort of another writer. Plagiarism is easily avoided by using quotation marks when you quote directly, by citing the author whose ideas you are using when you paraphrase, and by never taking credit for writing or for ideas which are not your own. Students who plagiarize will automatically fail the course. Please see www.umbc.edu/integrity for a full understanding of the values and conduct expected of our students. Students are required to complete all assignments.
Papers are due on assigned dates. Late papers will not be accepted. All papers must be word-processed and must demonstrate a mastery of page design and audience awareness. All papers will be submitted in a labeled folder with all prewriting, an outline, a rough draft and a final, camera ready draft. For all papers use APA citation form. Revisions will be accepted no later than one week following the return of the initial graded paper. When revisions are exceptional, the grade may be raised by as much as one letter grade.
Everyone needs an email account right away; everyone needs to see me during the first class to discuss your computer-assisted writing background. This upper level undergraduate/ graduate seminar is a decentralized, student-centered class meeting only one time each week; it is designed to be highly participative, intense, and great fun.
Plan to attend all classes; come prepared for class. We will write each week, both in and out of class. My grading system follows: A=4, A-=3.8, B+=3.5, B=3, B-=2.8, C+=2.5, C=2, C-=1.8, D+=1.5, D=1, D-=.8 Remember: revision grades are averaged with all prior grades per paper to determine that paper's final grade.
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