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Assignment Policy

This course will be graded on a Credit/No Credit basis. For credit to be earned in this course, you must complete all four assignments to the minimum specifications. I will grant extensions during this time, but all four assignments must be turned in by the end of the course for Credit to be received.

Assignment #1: Dead Tech

In order to understand our present, let’s look back at the tech that has shaped our past. In this assignment, you’ll assume the role of a media archaeologist. You will select a single piece of technology and research its creation, impact, and decline. Maybe you’ve heard jokes about Betamax or wondered what happened to all the phone booths – this is your chance to find out! Your findings will be compiled in a 700-1000 word essay, to be published on our course website. You are encouraged to use images and video to illustrate your essay. This is a research-intensive assignment – you will be required to find, use, and assess 5-7 sources. A video introduction to this assignment is available on Canvas.

Specs:

  • This is a short research essay: 700-1000 words with 5-7 sources. It does not need to be fully argument-driven, but I encourage you to include your own conclusions about the forces at work in the lifecycle of your topic.
  • In addition to your essay, you will turn in a brief annotated bibliography. Your bibliography should use a citation standard (MLA, Chicago, etc), but I’m not picky about which one. Each entry in your bibliography should include 2+ sentences - one to summarize the resource, another to analyze it. Why is it useful? Why not? Who created it? Who is the audience? What makes it a reputable? If it’s not reputable, why does it have value for your essay?
  • Your essay will be posted on the course website using these instructions.
  • Turn in a link to your essay on Canvas for feedback.

Due Friday 5/8 at 5:00pm EST.

Rubric Points
Writing
Your writing should be clear, concise, well-structured, and full of curiosity.
X
Use of media
You are encouraged to include photos (your own or others’ with attribution), audio, or video.
X
Level of research
You should cast a wide net with your sources. Include peer-reviewed resources, but also “grey literature” or popular sources. A manual? An old commercial on Youtube?
X
Annotated bibliography
For each source in your essay, include a 2+ sentence annotation. One sentence should summarize the resource. Another sentence should analyze the resource.
X
Total X

Assignment #2: Mapping the Hidden Systems in the Landscape

In chapter 5, Bridle writes about psycho-geography and his search for “the places where the great networks of digital technologies become steel and wire.” In this assignment, you will uncover the hidden traces of technology in our local surroundings. Armed with knowledge from our readings and guests in Week 3, you will identify 4-5 sites of material technology in the landscape and document it for the course website. You’ll place each site on a map so we can see the fuller picture of your local infrastructure. Your documentation should include photos, video, and 50-100 words that address the following questions:

  • What made you notice this site?
  • Why did you select it?
  • What’s happening?
  • What is the technology at play?
  • Who owns the land and who is being serviced?
  • Who is benefiting and who is not?
  • How can you find out more information about this site?
  • What can’t you find and why?

Originally, this assignment was going to be a scavenger hunt through campus and Rockbridge County. Since most of you are no longer on campus, this map has new potential! But it means you’ll have to conduct your own research and rely on local sources of information. I’ll walk you through some of the options in the video for this assignment, but consider the following:

  • local newspapers
  • local property records
  • ask your family members or friends
  • local government meeting minutes or other documents

Finally, go outside (if you can do so safely)! The goal of this assignment is to open your eyes to things in our surroundings that hidden in plain sight.

Specs

  • On Slack, message me a Gmail address so I can share our Google Map with you.
  • Identify 4-5 locations and place them on our Google Map. You will need to create a new layer with your name as the name of the layer. I’ve started to create a “type” category for the places, but you’re welcome to add to that. In the description field, you can identify the site and include a link to your results on the course website.
  • You will write 50-100 words on each location answering the questions above. You can include photos, screenshots, video, or links to your sources, but you’re not required to include everything.
  • Add your write-ups to a new page on the course website to live in the Map section. We’ll see everyone’s locations in one map, but you’ll be able to click on each student’s page to read more about the sites in their area. Follow the same instructions for posting on the course website as you did in Assignment #1.
  • Turn in a link to your essay on Canvas for feedback.

Due May 15th at 11:59pm EST.

Rubric Points
Selection
You thought carefully and creatively about the hidden sites of technology aroud you.
X
Writing
You wrote with clarity about your locations.
X
Map
You followed the conventions of our shared map. You created a layer in your name and are using the type field.
X
Research
You took your research skills to the next level by going beyond the first page of results on Google.
X
Total X

Assignment #3: New Metaphors Unessay

In New Dark Age, Bridle calls for “new metaphors: a metalanguage for describing the world that complex systems have wrought.” For instance, we’ve learned the reasons why “cloud” is an insufficient metaphor for the physical network it represents. We’ve seen examples of other metaphors created by companies and theorists. And we’ve seen visualizations of these metaphors from artists and others (I like Dan Nott’s personally).

In this assignment, you will be challenged to come up with your own new metaphor for a modern technological artifact or phenomenon of your choosing. The form of this assignment will be the “unessay.” You will decide, with the help of the class, the best presentation for your new metaphor, so long as it is compelling and effective. While we don’t do a formal proposal process, let’s chat through your ideas as soon as you’re ready.

Feeling uninspired? Check out these examples from a course called “Technologies of Text” by Prof. Ryan Cordell.

Specs:

  • You are free to choose a topic on whatever interests or inspires you - the only limit is that it should be a new metaphor for technology.
  • You are free to present it in any way you please. My advice: work in a medium that excites you! If you like to paint, or draw, or collage - do it! If you like making videos or audio content - go for it! Board game? Paint by number? Sculpture?
  • However, you must be able to capture your product in a way that can be experienced virtually and shared with the class. This can be through photos, video, audio, etc. Post your results on the course website as you’ve done for previous assignments, using the tag “unessay.”
  • Since normally I’d ask you to present your work in class, please provide a paragraph of explanation on your website post. Think about this as an artist’s statement for your work. It should set some context for your work and describe your motivations for choosing this new metaphor.
  • There is a section in YuJa/Canvas to upload your unessays if it’s in a file format that doesn’t translate easily to the course website.
  • Turn in a link to your unessay post on Canvas for feedback.

Due Friday 5/21 at 5:00pm EST

  • The rubric for this assignment is: how compelling and effective were you? Here’s what create Prof. Daniel Paul O’Donnell says about this rubric:

An unessay is compelling when it shows some combination of the following:

  • it is as interesting as its topic and approach allows
  • it is as complete as its topic and approach allows (it doesn’t leave the audience thinking that important points are being skipped over or ignored)
  • it is truthful (any questions, evidence, conclusions, or arguments you raise are honestly and accurately presented)

In terms of presentation, an unessay is effective when it shows some combination of these attributes:

  • it is readable/watchable/listenable (i.e. the production values are appropriately high and the audience is not distracted by avoidable lapses in presentation)
  • it is appropriate (i.e. it uses a format and medium that suits its topic and approach)
  • it is attractive (i.e. it is presented in a way that leads the audience to trust the author and his or her arguments, examples, and conclusions).

Assignment #4: Reflection

We covered a lot of ground in this course (and quickly!). This is your chance to process what you’ve learned. How has your relationship with technology changed? How do you see the world differently? Where do you see opportunities for agency and justice amidst our complex technological systems? Reflections should be 600-900 words.

Specs:

  • Your reflection will just be read by me (though I encourage you to share your thoughts with your classmates on Slack).
  • Turn in a document in Canvas.
  • You should address some combination of the following questions:
    • What did you learn in this course? What do you predict will stick with you in the coming months/years?
    • Thinking back to a few weeks ago, how have you changed your view of technology? How has your own relationship with technology changed? In good or bad ways?
    • What are actionable steps you can take to change the way technology operates in your life and in the world? What are barriers to those steps? For you? Or for other people?
    • How has this virtual classroom experience affected your ability to learn, especially for this topic?

Due Friday 5/21 at 5:00pm EST