1997
– hypertext
Special Topics in Communication
Subject code HM408
Subject title Special Topics in Communication
Year offered 1997
Semester offered First semester
Duration One semester
Prerequisites Successful completion of HP331 Special Topics (offered in 1996)
An email account
A file server account on Orson Welles
Mode of delivery internal
Contact hours A one hour seminar and a two hour lab per week.
Non contact hours 9 hours per week
Credit points 12
Staff Adrian MILES
rm: 24.1.04
phone: 9925 3157
email: adrian.miles@rmit.edu.au
Consultation times Tuesday, 2pm ≠ 4pm, Wednesday, 11am ≠ 2 pm
subject guide
description HM408 is a subject that allows students who have successfully completed a prior introductory hypertext subject to continue their theoretical and practical work in the areas of hypertext theory. The subject will concentrate on a small group of critical writings, while the labs will be used to explore further possibilities of non≠linear writing and reading, and hypertext publication.
objectives It is hoped that many of the issues introduced during HP331 Media Project in 1996 will be elaborated in further detail during the seminars. A solid understanding of several key issues in hypertext theory will be sought, while in lab work students will be able to creatively explore the issues and practices of hypertext, while also producing and publishing a substantive body of work.
syllabus details Each week the seminar will concentrate on the readings provided. This will allow a significant degree of student involvement in the academic content of the subject, and it is hoped to be able to conjoin theory and practice through these classes. The scheduled lab sessions will be used to develop the Storyspace authoring skills students have, as well as to develop a preliminary understanding of digital audio and video on the World Wide Web. The subject will then be a combination of the practical and the theoretical, with a particular emphasis on attempting to consider the implications for communicative practice of the technologies being introduced.
An email list will be maintained for the class (hm408@cs.art.rmit.edu.au) so all students will be required to have an email account (Computer Centre, Building 5), an account on the Department file and web server (åOrson Wellesπ) is needed, and can be obtained from Adrian Miles.
submitted work Assessment will be based on two pieces of work. The first shall be an academic Storyspace essay derived from the material covered during the seminars, while the second will be a group project utilising either Storyspace, the World Wide Web, or both. Each will be worth 50% of the total mark for the subject.
assessment The individual Storyspace essay will be assessed via a combination of self assessment and a mark given by the teacher in charge. The group project will be assessed by the lecturer.
Assessment will be based on several criteria, not all of which may apply for any particular piece of work. Questions of ådesignπ and åstructureπ will be addressed (with an emphasis on intelligibility rather than åstyleπ), but in general the ability to engage with an idea, argue with or about it, and demonstrate processes of critical thought are the major assessment components.
essay oneThe first essay will be distributed during the week beginning March 17 and will deal with general questions relating to material in the reading list. The essay will be due on Monday, May 5, and commented work will be returned by Tuesday May 27 for the self assessment process. After this a final mark will be calculated and distributed. This essay will provide 50% of your final mark.
essay two The second essay will be a collaborative project undertaken in either Storyspace, HTML, or a combination of both. This project should incorporate åmultimediaπ elements (sound files, video images, stills, and video and audio åstreamingπ). The particular project is to be decided by the group in consultation with the lecturer (groups will consist of three or four students) and will combine theoretical interests and practical application. Groups should submit a project proposal to the lecturer by Friday March 28. Project work is to be completed by Monday, June 16.
submitting work Storyspace essays are to be submitted via the åAdrian Milesπ hand in folder on åOrson Wellesπ. HTML work is to be published on the Department Web server, and in both cases an accompanying email should be sent to the lecturer. Please ensure that all work is appropriately titled and contains your name, subject code, and student number.
self assessment For the individual Storyspace essay a self assessment task will be undertaken by all students. This will involve reading the work of other students, providing a very brief comment and mark for this work, and in the light of this suggesting a mark for your own assignment. The specific determination of the final mark for this essay, and how we approach this self assessment, is to be determined in the first seminar and will be binding on all students.
plagiarism Plagiarism is where you copy someone elseπs work but do not credit this. This applies whether you literally transcribe someone elseπs writing, or paraphrase it. All direct quotes and paraphrases must be attributed, and all references and sources must be contained in a bibliography in the document or web site. It must be stressed that plagiarism is regarded by the University as an extremely serious offence and runs counter to the academic principles of the university.
late work Unless prior arrangement has been made all late work attracts an automatic penalty of 1% per day.
extensions Extensions can only be provided prior to the hand in date for an assignment (this is Department policy). To provide an extension after work has fallen due requires a Special Consideration application to be made. Extensions are only provided on the basis of reasonable need and should not be assumed to be automatic.
grades High Distinction (85%+), Distinction (75 ≠ 84%), Credit (65 ≠ 74%), Pass (50 ≠ 64%), Fail (>50%).
reading A small reading list of material has been prepared. This should be regarded as the core reading for the seminars, and additional reading will be required
prizes
All hypertext work by Media Studies students in any given year is eligible for the Eastgate Hypertext Prize.
Reading List
This reading list is the required reading for students undertaking HM408 in 1997.
Lanham, Richard A. "Elegies for the Book." The Electronic Word: Democracry, Technology, and the Arts. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1993. 195-223.
Taylor, Mark C. and Saarinen, Esa. Imagologies: Media Philosophy. New York: Routledge, 1994.
Bolter, Jay David. "Writing Culture." Writing Space: The Computer, Hypertext, and the History of Writing. Hillsdale (N.J.): Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1991. 223-38.
Bolter, Jay David. "Critical Theory and the New Writing Space." Writing Space: The Computer, Hypertext, and the History of Writing. Hillsdale (N.J.): Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1991. 147-68.
Burnett, Kathleen. "Toward a Theory of Hypertextual Design." http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/postmodern_culture/v003/3.2burnett.html Postmodern Culture, v3, n.2. 1993. Accessed April 1996.
Moulthrop, Stuart. "Rhizome and Resistance: Hypertext and the Dreams of a New Culture." Hyper/Text/Theory. Ed. George P Landow. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 1994. 299-319.