- Teacher: Александра Главанакова
The course examines how computer technologies, telecommunication networks, and digital arts are transforming contemporary culture. It focuses on the transformation of literacy, the role of the printed book and intellectual discourse itself in the digital age. Grounded in the fields of cultural and literary studies, the course stimulates critical analysis of the development of digital culture from a set of ideologies and practices such as new media theory, posthumanism and multimodality.
The course is designed to prepare students to investigate and apply new concepts of textuality, reading, and writing in personal, academic, communal and global writing spaces, including writing with words, images, graphics, and other media. In peer discussions, students will analyze readings; build on writing and research knowledge and abilities with a strong emphasis on strengthening genre and rhetorical awareness. It positions writing as multimodal, and requires the use of reflection as a means to learn and strengthen composing abilities. By producing works using digital tools, students will not only learn to create meaning, tell a story, provoke a reaction with sound, images, animation, and other media, but they also learn how theoretical perspectives lead to the rethinking of conventional rhetorical concepts such as authorship, audience, process, revision, and design when applied to digital contexts. The ultimate goal is to advance students’ visual and digital literacy.
This course is structured so as to focus on two main types of writing projects: (1) collaborative class writing, and (2) writing a digital essay. It starts with introducing different means of expression afforded by writing online and includes discussion of what is digital writing and an analysis of different digital genres.
Course Goals:
- Introduce students to language, theories, and concepts as it relates to digital writing and digital spaces;
- Provide opportunities for students to analyze and compose in various digital genres;
- Equip students with an understanding that technology has shifted writing practices, and has expanded the definition of “writing” to include multimodal and digital texts;
- Equip students with an understanding of the rhetorical nature and communicative function of modalities and digital writing, as well as how various digital platforms influence communication.
В курса се разискват проблеми, свързани с дигитализацията и глобализацията, като основният акцент е поставен върху трансформациите на текста в епохата на дигиталната революция и свързаните с това промени в процесите на четене, писане, учене, преподаване и грамотност. Курсът стимулира студентите да изследват в теоретичен и практически план пресечните точки между традиционната грамотност (alphabetic literacy) и новите, най-вече дигитални, грамотности (visual and digital literacies) на днешното информационно общество, както и тези между традиционните жанрове и новите мултимодални форми на писане. Придобитите в лекционната част теоретични знания се използват за анализ на конкретни образци: 1. на текст в мрежата, 2. на мрежовата литература, както и 3. на иновациите в печатната литература, като на студените се възлага да направят собствени разработки и изследвания по зададените теми. В курса на обучение са предвидени устни дискусии и писмени задания, които формират текущия контрол. Част от заданията включват използването на форми на пораждане на текст в киберпространството: блогове, уики-та, онлайн резюмета, създаване на дигитално есе. Студентите представят своя разработка под формата на курсова работа и устна презентация в края на обучението.