Instructor: Dr. Aaron Ottinger
Email: aottinger@seattleu.edu
Office: Online
Office Hours: Mondays 4:30-5:30 or by appointment
How does a history of text technologies intertwine with the history of human consciousness? While this question might come as a surprise to some, consider that memory, a pillar of human consciousness, must change dramatically with the invention of reading and writing materials, such as the book. With the rise of books, knowledge can be passed from one generation to the next, knowledge that can be studied and re-read, activities far more difficult to achieve in a strictly oral culture. Accordingly, this class focuses on the history of reading and writing technologies, but the stakes of this history are grounded in the evolution of human cognitive processes (i.e. memory, attention, decision making, creativity, and more).
Already a complicated history, this class aims to broaden its scope by taking a global approach and evaluating who is included in narratives of text technologies and who is often excluded. Furthermore, we will consider how we measure time in a history of text technologies: Is it linear? Cyclical? Is it shallow? Deep? or really deep???
To assist us in all of the aforementioned questions, this class combines historical readings of text technologies, theoretical texts, and methods in distant reading, namely, text mining and visualization.
This course is an asynchronous online class (i.e. there are no regularly scheduled class meetings). Students should expect to spend roughly 10-12 hours per week reading and preparing homework assignments. The course is organized into three modules, each consisting of readings (Text, Context, and Theory), discussion boards, an ongoing collaborative timeline assignment, plus a short assignment that develops into a major assignment. Major assignments will incorporate an array of modes and genres, including a research paper, a video presentation, and a multimodal research paper on the present state of digital reading technology. At least twice throughout the term, students will meet individually with the instructor via an online conferencing platform (Zoom). The final major assignment and final reflection will be due during finals week. There is no final test or exam.
I would like to thank Jordan Kraemer, Kathryn Nogue, Eugenia Zuroski, Emma Zuroski, Corinne Cath-Speth, Hined A. Rafeh, Jaclyn (@j_nfoster), Blair Stein, David Krankauer, Emily Yates-Doerr, Michael, Bacon, Kevin MacDonnell, and @praymurray. Many of these folks amplified or responded to a request for text recommendations. I am also inspired daily by the work of Dania Glabau.
The Course Outcomes for this class are the same as the Learning Outcomes for the department. However, to make sense of these outcomes in the context of a History of Text Technologies, each outcome will require a little qualification. In addition, every assignment in this course corresponds with one or more Learning Outcome. In each assignment, the corresponding Learning Outcomes will be qualified further to illustrate how it fits the task at hand.
1. EXPLAIN KEY CONCEPTS IN COMPUTING: This outcome focuses your ability to explain key concepts in computing, media production, and internet-enabled communication.
Throughout the term, there will be key concepts introduced, pertaining either to the history of text technologies, the study of text technologies, or the text technologies themselves. Oftentimes, students will find these key concepts designated by a DEFINITION page. However, new concepts are introduced throughout the modules, often with links to external guides or source materials.
2. EVALUATE RESEARCH SOURCES & DIGITAL TOOLS: This outcome focuses on your ability to evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of research sources, digital tools, interfaces, and technologies.
Students will encounter a number of critics, historians, and theorists throughout the term, and will have opportunities to compare, contrast, and synthesize these theories and outlooks. In addition, students will have the opportunity to compare "old" and "new" technologies for an audience of their choice (Module 2). Last, throughout the term, students will compare and contrast technological aids to reading and writing, from pen and paper to optical character recognition software.
3. ANALYZE TECHNOLOGY USING INTERDISCIPLINARY THEORIES & METHODS: This outcome focuses on your ability to analyze new and emerging media using interdisciplinary theories and methods.
Students will analyze ancient, modern, and digital technologies using frameworks provided by a variety of theorists and critics. Students will also employ a variety of methodologies, from hands-on exploration to "distant reading."
4. EXAMINE TECHNOLOGICALLY MEDIATED IDENTITIES: This outcome focuses on your ability to examine how technology changes sense of self and transforms ideologies of gender, nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, and social class.
One of the fundamental questions of this class is: Who is included and excluded from the history of text technologies? While we will sometimes think of the technological mediation of humans, more generally, we will also consider the differences between technological innovation around the globe and its positive and negative consequences for women, BIPOC, and disabled communities.
5. DESIGN MULTIMODAL PROJECTS: This outcome focuses on your ability to design socially responsible multimodal projects using digital rhetoric and audience engagement strategies.
Students will write traditional, college-level research papers, but they will also create multimodal projects involving video, text, and data visualization.
6. REFLECTION: This outcome focuses on your ability to reflect upon your own work, roles, values, and identities related to digital culture and engagement with social justice issues.
Rather than ask students to wait until the end of the course to share their personal thoughts and feelings with respect to course materials, each module will end with a reflection. Students will complete three major reflections overall.
I am available meet to "face-to-face" online via Zoom meetings. We will have face-to-face conferences twice during the term, once early on and once towards the end. These meetings will be conducted via Zoom.
Please email me any questions you have at any time. I recommend using the Canvas email tool ("Inbox" located on the far left navigation bar). But you are welcome to email me directly through the seattleu email system (Outlook).
While you may email me at any hour, I am more likely to respond to student emails from 9am-6pm, Monday through Friday. I will check email less frequently after 6pm. On the weekends, I will do my best to check and respond to email but that is also time for me to get away from the office and unplug. So beware: if you want to make sure your questions are answered, get them in by the end of the workday on Friday.
Please allow 24 hours for responses.
This class will not use a private Slack channel, but the instructor does post announcements on the #General Slack channel for the whole department. Also Slack is great for sharing news, commenting on the work of your peers, answering questions, and just staying in touch.
I love Twitter (@AaronOttinger). I often post things that I think will be interesting for students using the hashtag #DICE3020. Nothing I post here is required and I will likely crosspost on Slack. The great thing about Twitter is that we can connect with other working professionals that might be able to help us in our discussions. Feel free to engage with me on this platform as well.
It is recommended that you start by watching the CDLI's Student Orientation to Distance Learning.
This course will be fully online, therefore you will need access to an up-to-date device that is capable of playing videos, recording videos and using a camera. If your computer is capable of playing multimedia but doesn't have a webcam, you may be able to use your mobile device to record and upload videos.
It is essential that you have a reliable broadband network connection available during the course. We recommend cable broadband, DSL, or for mobile devices, availability of LTE. Use of satellite broadband services or WIMAX services such as Clear may not have sufficient bandwidth to allow successful participation in this course. If you can watch Netflix or YouTube videos on high definition without lags, it is likely your broadband connection is sufficient. You should also be aware that some countries block content, such as YouTube videos. If you will be traveling to a country that may block content, please talk to me right away.
Most of this course will take place within the learning management system Canvas. For their final project, students will also have the opportunity to work with the R programming environment. We will download R in the early weeks of the course to address any issues before the software is required for the course.
-
Employ anti-violent, inclusive communication (think about connotations of language, e.g. "lame" is often used as a pejorative adjective. Who would likely find this usage hurtful?)
-
Avoid speaking over one another
-
Be okay with being questioned, but challenge and question with respect (avoid personal attacks)
-
Offer solutions
-
Ask questions, encourage, and challenge one another.
-
Be Punctual
-
Be willing to apologize
-
Be willing to forgive
I recognize and respect the diversity of races, genders, sexual identities, classes, ages, and abilities. Differences provide us with opportunities to learn new things, compare experiences, understand ourselves better, and find common ground. Differences also sometimes engender conflict. In the midst of that conflict, I ask everyone to maintain a language and an attitude of respect.
Bear in mind that some opinions and materials in this class might challenge our personal views and beliefs. But if the goal in this class is to grow cognitively and emotionally, students and the instructor are expected to question the limitations of our personal histories to make room for the personal views and experiences of others.
Last, consider that the path to emotional and intellectual growth may not be won by challenging one’s own personal beliefs and values only. To embrace new ideas, skills, and values for future use in different contexts, we must also conduct personal investigations that ask why our views are being challenged in the first place. Accordingly, it is always worth asking “Why do I feel x?”, “Why do I believe x?”, and “Why do I value x?” Ultimately, this course is not solely intended to increase our knowledge about a list of terms; more importantly, the task is to alter the fundamental ways in which we understand ourselves and our relationship to ourselves and others within a digital culture.
This classroom is a place where everyone is welcome and should feel like they matter. Everyone is encouraged to advocate for themselves. Here are some items to consider:
1. Move if you need to: You know your body best.
If you need to get up, sit down, go to the bathroom, and so forth, please do so. You do not need permission. This one may be less applicable online, but it does apply to online, one-on-one conferences.
2. Stay home if you need to:
A little less applicable in an online class, it's still important to let the instructor know if you cannot attend an online meeting. You are encouraged to email the instructor ahead of time, but you do not have to reveal why. Simply stating that you are not well is enough. But if you feel like you need to explain, you are also invited to do so.
3. Eat/drink if you need to:
If you need to eat or drink in class, please do so. But please try to avoid foods that are going to disrupt your neighbor’s learning. Really pungent or noisy foods might best be saved for the cafeteria. Also, be mindful of spaces (like computer labs) where food is not allowed. Feel free to take a break from these spaces if you need food or drink.
4. Speak up, slow down, repeat, stop:
During lectures and discussions, we may need things said again or slowed down. You are encouraged to ask.
5. Be aware of your classmates’ feelings:
If someone looks like they are not doing well, ask them, “Are you okay?” Let’s not ignore one another. Let’s not let anyone go unnoticed—unless, of course, someone expresses that they would like to be left alone. Then leave them alone.
6. In light of the coronavirus: Stay home, wash your hands frequently, and don't touch your face:
While we are trying to proceed as normal, there is nothing normal about a pandemic, and everyone is encouraged to follow state guidelines and to take necessary precautions. Please visit the CDC's website regarding the Coronavirus disease (covid-19).
CANVAS and DIGITAL LEARNING HELP
The following policies govern this course and comply with Seattle University policies.
If you have, or think you may have, a disability (including an “invisible disability” such as a learning disability, a chronic health problem, or a mental health condition) that interferes with your performance as a student in this class, you are encouraged to arrange support services and/or accommodations through Disabilities Services staff located in Loyola 100, (206) 296- 5740. Disability-based adjustments to course expectations can be arranged only through this process.
Be sure that you understand the appropriate university academic policies, posted on the Registrar’s website:
If you are unable to complete course requirements because of extenuating circumstances, please notify the instructor on or before the date the assignment is due and provide relevant supporting documentation (e.g. doctor’s note, note from counselor).
An agreement to receive an Incomplete (I) grade may be negotiated if your circumstances do not allow you to finish the course on time. The Incomplete Removal Policy of the university is available on the Office of the Registrar web site.
Assignments should be submitted at the designated due date/time. If a student requies an extension, they should request one from the instructor 24 hours in advance.
All assignments from the first four weeks of the quarter will be due no later than the start of week 5. This hard deadline is automatic. Exceptions will require additional permission.
All assignments from the second four weeks of the quarter will be due no later than the start of week 9. This hard deadline is automatic. Exceptions will require additional permission.
This course follows a three-module sequence, with each module representing a distinct period in the history of text technologies (ancient, modern, digital). The infographic below outlines this trajectory, starting with an introductory module that asks what we mean by a history of text technologies, followed by a module on ancient reading and writing technologies, succeeded by a section on modern text technologies (from the printing press to the typewriter), and concluding with a module on digital text technologies and a final reflection. Details regarding the kinds of individual assignments are below.
Each student will meet with the instructor twice for online, one-on-one conferences. These conferences will take place between weeks 2 & 3 and weeks 7 & 8 (given the nine week term).
Each week we will have 1-2 discussion board assignments. Typically, these discussion board assignments give students a chance to entertain, challenge, and demonstrate their understanding of course materials. Plus, discussion boards tie into short assignments, which in turn prepare students for major assignments.
Often, history books include a chronology or a timeline, which make for excellent resources. But a timeline can be deceptive. They often reinforce the idea of a linear history towards an ideal good we call "progress." They also tend to exclude much more than they include. In this class, we will collaborate on creating our own timeline and we will reflect on its epistemological end.
Short Assignments are designed to help students get a jumpstart on Major Assignments. They are smaller in scope and lower in stakes. They also allow students to receive feedback before reaching a more critical or decisive point within their research and work.
Major assignments wrap up each module. They synthesize what has been read and discussed for each module, and so they tend to cover 2-3 weeks worth of materials.
- Major Assignment 1: The Psychodynamics of Early Writing Technology
Major assignment 1 is a traditional college-level essay. Following our first example of Rousseau's Discourse on Inequality, students select a form of early lexigraphic writing from one of the five times/regions examined and meditate on how this particular form of writing might have determined (in part) the epistemic state of a particular community in history. As a somewhat speculative endeavor, students are encouraged to use their imagination, while at the same time grounding their claims in the historical and theoretical research discussed in class.
- Major Assignment 2: The Shock of the Old
Major assignment 2 is a multimodal project, part video and part historical analysis/reflection. For this module, students will select a text technology of their choosing, from the early modern period through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They will investigate how this object differs from its present-day iteration, if applicable, with particular focus on the way the object included and/or excluded particular audiences. Students will reflect on how this text technology, by virtue of who it included or excluded, shaped values, beliefs, and or world views.
- Major Assignment 3: Hyper Reading in Context
In the third module, students will conclude by asking: How does hyper, distant, or machine-assisted reading compare to the print technologies of the past. How does it affect how we read and thus how we think? Last, we want to know if this kind of reading is more inclusive or if it merely introduces an old form of exclusion dressed in digital clothes.
Following major assignment sequences 1, 2 and 3, students will submit reflective essays. These reflective essays demonstrate an understanding of the outcomes fulfilled. Additionally, students will reflect on how the skills acquired in class will apply outside of class. Last, students can use these reflections to discuss how they feel about their research, their findings, and how it all relates to their world and the world at large.
| Grade Percentage | GPA | Letter Grade |
|---|---|---|
| between 93 and 100 | between 3.8 and 4.0 | A |
| between 89 and 92 | between 3.4 and 3.7 | A minus |
| between 86 and 88 | between 3.1 and 3.3 | B plus |
| between 83 and 85 | between 2.8 and 3.0 | B |
| between 79 and 82 | between 2.4 and 2.7 | B minus |
| between 76 and 78 | between 2.1 and 2.3 | C plus |
| between 70 and 73 | between 1.8 and 2.0 | C |
| between 65 and 68 | between 1.4 and 1.7 | C minus |
| between 62 and 64 | between 1.1 and 1.3 | D plus |
| between 60 and 61 | between 0.8 and 1.0 | D |
| between 58 and 59 | between 0.1 and 0.7 | D minus |
| between 0 and 57 | 0.0 | F |
| Module / Week | What to Read | What to Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Module 0.5 | What is a History of Text Technologies | |
| Week 1: What is a History of Text Technologies? | TEXT: Rousseau, Discourse on Inequality, Part I CONTEXT: Jerome McGann, "Why Textual Scholarship Matters?" Carolyn Marvin, "Introduction," When Old Technologies Were New. THEORY: Michael Haworth, "Bernard Stiegler on Transgenerational Memory and the Dual Origin of the Human" | 2 Discussion Board Assignments |
| Module 1 | Ancient Reading and Writing Technologies | |
| Week 2: Early Lexigraphic Writing Around the Globe | TEXT: "The Flood Tablet" or the "Epic of Gilgamesh" CONTEXT: Barry Powell, "Writing : Theory and History of the Technology of Civilization" (Chapters 3, 4, 6, 15, and 16) THEORY: Walter Ong, "Some Psychodynamics of Orality," Orality and Literacy | 2 Discussion Board Assignments, 1 Timeline contribution, Short Assignment 1 |
| Week 3: The Alphabet: From Egypt to Greece | TEXT: The Rosetta Stone CONTEXT: Barry Powell, "Writing : Theory and History of the Technology of Civilization" (Chapters 7, 9, 10, 17) THEORY: Walter Ong, "Writing Restructures Consciousness," Orality and Literacy | 2 Discussion Board Assignments, 1 Timeline contribution, Major Assignment 1 |
| Module 2 | The Gutenburg Galaxy | |
| Week 4: The Print Revolution, the Impressionable Mind, and the Heterogeneity of Books | TEXT: Video of the Gutenberg Press; Rene Descartes, Meditations 1 & 2; William Shakespeare, Taming of the Shrew (an excerpt) CONTEXT: Margreta De Grazia, "Imprints: Shakespeare, Gutenberg, Descartes" THEORY: Walter Ong, "Print, Space, and Closure," Orality and Literacy | 2 Discussion Board Assignments, 1 Timeline contribution |
| Week 5: The Marketplace, the Homogenization of Books, and Becoming Bibliographic Subjects, circa 1800 | TEXT: Jane Austen, Persuasion (excerpt) CONTEXT: Andrew Piper, "Introduction" and "Chapter 2: Copying," Dreaming in Books THEORY: Walter Benjamin, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" CONTEXT: Michelle Levy, "Do Women Have a Book History?" | 2 Discussion Board Assignmnets, 1 Timeline contribution, SHORT ASSIGNMENT 2 |
| Week 6: Writing Machines: Women and the Typewriter in Europe and China | TEXT: Victor Saville, Susie Sunshine (film excerpt) CONTEXT: Angelika Führich, "Woman and Typewriter: Gender, Technology, and Work in Late Weimar Film" THEORY: Geoffrey Winthrop-Young, "Media Theory," Kittler and the Media (66-73) CONTEXT: Thomas S. Mullaney, The Chinese Typewriter : A History (Introduction and Chapter 3: Radical Machines) | 2 Discussion Board Assignments, 1 Timeline Contribution, MAJOR ASSIGNMENT 2, Reflection: Module 2 |
| Module 3 | Text Technologies in the Digital Age | |
| Week 7: Inclusion and Exclusion in the Rise of Cognizant Texts: Alan Turing | TEXT: Alan Turing, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" THEORY: Elizabeth Wilson, "The Positive Affects of Alan Turing," Affect and Artificial Intelligence CONTEXT: Arvid Nelson, "Race and Computing: The Problem of Sources, the Potential of Prosopography, and the Lesson of Ebony Magazine" | 2 Discussion Board Assignments, 1 Timeline contribution |
| Week 8: I Sing the Body Electric: Digital Texts, Bodies, and Reading | Text: Shelley Jackson, "Patchwork Girl" CONTEXT: Belinda Barnet and Darren Tofts, "Too Dimensional: Literary and Technical Images of Potentiality in the History of Hypertext," Companion to Digital Literary Studies CONTEXT: Diane Greco, "Hypertext with Consequences: Recovering a Politics of Hypertext" THEORY: Katherine Hayles, "How We Read: Close, Hyper, Machine," How We Think | 1 Discussion Board Assignment, 1 Timeline contribution, SHORT ASSIGNMENT 3 |
| Week 9: Reading and Writing Machines: OCR and NLP | TEXT: Dan Rockmore. "What Happens When Machines Learn to Write Poetry?" The New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2020. CONTEXT: Natalie Berkman. "Digital Oulipo: Programming Potential Literature" CONTEXT: Hannah Alpert-Abrams, "Machine Reading the Primeros Libros" | 1 Discussion Board Assignment, 1 Timeline contribution, MAJOR ASSIGNMENT 3, Reflection: Module 3 |
| FINALS WEEK: Reflections on the History (and Futurity) of Text Technologies | TEXT: Hayles, N. Katherine. "Temporality and Cognitive Assemblages" Unthought: The Power of the Cognitive Nonconscious | Complete MAJOR ASSIGNMENT 3 and Reflection: Module 3 |