8/8/2019 692-002 Spring 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/692-002-spring-2011 1/8

[692]

[ WRITINGTECHNOLOGIES ]

ENG 692–002 :: Spring 2011

T/TH 5:00–6:15 :: RB 292

Dr. Brian J. McNelyRB 2111285-8682

bjmcnely@bsu.edu

Ofce Hours :: T/TH 3:15–4:30 and by appointment

8/8/2019 692-002 Spring 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/692-002-spring-2011 2/8

[ABOUT ]

“We live in a world o artiacts. We live in a human-made environment, largely. All o those artiactsmaniest coded intelligence.

I you make something, it’s an artiact. It’s something that somebody or some corporate entity has caused tocome into being. A great many human beings have thought about each o the artiacts that surround us.Dierent degrees o intelligence and attention have been brought to bear on anything … I’m looking at a tallStarbucks cup right now. The amount o thought that went into getting that Starbucks cup to look exactlythe way it is, as it sits on the bedside table next to me, it’s an enormous amount o inormation. You couldwrite a book, a thick book, about how that cup got to be there. I’ve always been, or whatever reason, veryconscious o the world o things.”

—William Gibson, 2010

“In activity theory, peopleactwithtechnology; technologies are both designed and used in the context opeople with intentions and desires. People act assubjectsin the world, constructing and instantiating theirintentions and desires asobjects. Activity theory casts the relationship between people and tools as one o

mediation; tools mediate between people and the world.”

—Kaptelinin & Nardi, 2006

692 explores writingasa technology and writing work as thekey drivero contemporary, sociotechnicalknowledge work.

In this course, we will consider writing technologies less or what theyarethan or what they enable,ocusing our explorations on how our writing work allows us to surace and trace human interaction withcontemporary mobile and web-based technologies. We will take an activity theory approach, drawing romNardi and O'Day (1999), Spinuzzi (2003; 2008), Dourish (2004), and Kaptelinin and Nardi (2006) amongothers.

Exploring writing technologies rom within the rameworks o activity theory, 692 will introduce you toqualitative methods appropriate or conducting rigorous research o digital writing work—o peopleactingwithtechnology.

The course culminates in a series o related, scholarly deliverables:

[ research brie + IRB protocol + lit review + qualitative study ]

[OBJECTIVES ]

Students will—

Exploretheories and practices o contemporary writing work:

• Recognize and categorize important genres and styles o written communication

• Consider the prevalence o writing work in everyday experience

• Practice using common tools and technologies o proessional writing production with prociency andresourceulness

8/8/2019 692-002 Spring 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/692-002-spring-2011 3/8

Analyzewritten artiacts and practices:

• Critically interact with writing in everyday experience

• Explain rhetorical choices (metacognition) made as a result o both individual and collaborative work

•  Analyze specic artiacts and/or organizations to better understand rhetorical, social, cultural, andpolitical implications o writing work in everyday experience

Researchpractices that impact proessional writing scenarios:

• Plan and implementin situqualitative research on written communication

• Recognize appropriateness o dierent methods or producing and researching practices and contexts

• Explore and practice writing as a way o thinking, knowing, and being

Produceproessional, scholarly artiacts:

•  Apply rhetorical and design principles to producing proessional, scholarly artiacts

•  Apply principles o air use, copyright and documentation conventions or print and digital media

• Recognize rhetorical possibilities o dierent modes (alphabetic text, images, graphics, video, audio, etc.)and make sound rhetorical choices when combining modes

[KEYWORDS 

]

8/8/2019 692-002 Spring 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/692-002-spring-2011 4/8

[ SOURCES ]

Selected academic journal articles sourced via BlackboardSelected blog posts, articles, images, and videos sourced via Twitter [ #9ine ]Ong, W. (1982).Orality and Literacy.Stake, R. (2010).Qualitative Research.Norman, D. (1988). The Design of Everyday Things.Haas, C. (1996).Writing Technology.Nardi, B. & O'Day, V. (1999).Information Ecologies.Spinuzzi, C. (2003).Tracing Genres through Organizations.Kaptelinin, V. & Nardi, B. (2006).  Acting with Technology.

[ASSESSMENT ]

Deliverables

Practica (3) 300Research Brie 100

IRB Protocol 100Lit Review 150Qualitative Study 350

Course Total:1,000

Grading Scale

 A 950–1,000 A- 900–949B+ 860–899B 830–859B- 800–829C+ 760–799C 730–759C- 700–729

[DETAILS ]

Grading Policy

Deliverables are assessed according to criteria distributed through Blackboard.

Storage and Backup

This course will require the consistent use o one or more o the ollowing methods o digital storage andbackup:

BSUiLocker :: Dropbox::Google Docs

Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

8/8/2019 692-002 Spring 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/692-002-spring-2011 5/8

Proper citation is a hallmark o good scholarship. Crediting someone else's work—whatever orm that worktakes—is a nice thing to do.

It's nice to be nice to people.

Don't use someone else's work without giving them credit. Don't submit work or this class that you did oranother class. Don't alsiy data. I in doubt, seeBSU's statement on academic integrity. But mostly?Be nice

to people and give credit where it's due.

 Attendance, Withdrawals, and Incompletes

Come to class—it's un!

Don't be late—you'll miss important stu!

I you miss more than 3 classes—or any reason—your nal grade will be lowered by one step or each missedclass beyond the limit (or example, 4 absences will result in a reduction rom a B+ to a B).

Let me know early in the semester i you will miss class or university business or religious holidays. Pleasesee the University Catalog or more inormation on withdrawals and incompletes.

Students Needing Accommodations

I you need course adaptations or accommodations because o a disability, i you have emergency medicalinormation to share with me, or i you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated,please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. My ofce location and hours are listed on the rstpage o this document.

For additional inormation, please contact Larry Markle, Director o the Ofce o Disabled StudentDevelopment, at lmarkle@bsu.edu or 285-5293; TTY 285-2206. The DSD ofce is located at Student Center

116.

Writing Center

The Writing Centeroers ree one-to-one assistance on all o your writing projects or all o your classes. Also? The Writing Center is ull o awesome people.

They are located in RB 291, and are open 10 am to 8 pm, Monday–Thursday, and 10 am to 2 pm on Friday.

8/8/2019 692-002 Spring 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/692-002-spring-2011 6/8

[CALENDAR+ SCHEDULE ]

Important Dates

Research Brie 3.15IRB Protocol 3.22Lit Review 4.5Qualitative Study 5.4

[Complete the readingsbeforethe class or which they are assigned, and prepare to interact in class.]

 Week 11.11 A Thought on Communication

TwitterGDocsHow to Have an Idea

1.13 Schmandt-Besserat, D. (1986). The Origins o Writing: An Archaeologist's Perspective.[BB]

Scott, R. (1967). On Viewing Rhetoric as Epistemic. [BB]Stake Introduction & Glossary

 Week 21.18 Le, M. (1978). In Search o Ariadne's Thread. [Handout]

Berlin, J. & Inkster, R. (1980). Current Traditional Rhetoric: Paradigm and Practice.[Handout]

Stake Ch. 1

1.20 Kopelson, K. (2008). Sp(l)itting Images; Or, Back to the Future o (Rhetoric and?)Composition. [BB]

Stake Ch. 2Ong Introduction & Ch. 1

 Week 31.25 Ong Ch. 2 & Ch. 3

Stake Ch. 3 & Ch. 4Practicum Due

1.27 Ong Ch. 4Norman Preaces & Ch. 1

 Week 42.1 Ong Ch. 5, 6 & 7

Stake Ch. 5

2.3 Norman Ch. 2 & Ch. 3Haas Preace

8/8/2019 692-002 Spring 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/692-002-spring-2011 7/8

 Week 52.8 Haas Ch. 1 & Ch. 2

Stake Ch.6 & Ch. 7Spinuzzi:How Not to Write FictionPracticum Due

2.10 Smagorinsky, P. (2008). The Methods Section as Conceptual Epicenter in

Constructing Social Science Research Reports. [BB]Norman Ch. 4

 Week 62.15 Haas Ch. 3, 4 & 5

2.17 Norman Ch. 5 & Ch. 6

 Week 72.22 Haas Ch. 6

Stake Ch. 8Norman Ch. 7Practicum Due

2.24 Haas Ch. 7 & Ch. 8Stake Ch. 9

 Week 83.1 Stake Ch. 10

Haas Ch. 9Nardi & O'Day Ch. 1 & Ch. 2IRB Training

3.3 Nardi & O'Day Ch. 3, 4, 5, & 6Stake Ch. 11 & Ch. 12IRB Training

 Week 93.8 Spring Break :: No Class!

3.10 Spring Break :: No Class!

 Week 103.15 Nardi & O'Day Ch. 7, 8, & 9

Research Brief Due 

3.17 Nardi & O'Day Ch. 10 & 11Dourish Preace & Ch. 1

 Week 113.22 Nardi & O'Day Ch. 12 & 13

Bazerman, C. & Russell, D. (2002). Introduction.Prior, P. & Shipka, J. (2002).Chronotopic Lamination.IRB Protocol Due

8/8/2019 692-002 Spring 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/692-002-spring-2011 8/8

3.24 Dourish Ch. 2 & Ch. 3

 Week 123.29 Dourish Ch. 4 & Ch. 5

Spinuzzi Ch. 1

3.31 Dourish Ch. 6 & Ch. 7Spinuzzi Ch. 2

 Week 134.5 Spinuzzi Ch. 3

Kaptelinin & Nardi Ch. 1Lit Review Due

4.7 Spinuzzi Ch. 4Kaptelinin & Nardi Ch. 2

 Week 144.12 Spinuzzi Ch. 5 & Ch. 6

4.14 Kaptelinin & Nardi Ch. 3

 Week 154.19 Kaptelinin & Nardi Ch. 4

4.21 Kaptelinin & Nardi Ch. 5

 Week 164.26 Kaptelinin & Nardi Ch. 6 & Ch. 7

4.28 Kaptelinin & Nardi Ch. 10 & Ch. 11

Final5.4 4:30–6:30

Qualitative Study Due