Common Knowledge

Information Technologies and Human Understanding

Spring

Winter
Fall

Classroom Schedule

Tuesdays, 10-12 - reading seminar, Library Classroom

Tuesdays, 1-3 - computer class, MCC (Mac classroom in the Computing Center)

Fridays, 10-12 - computer lab, MCC

Fridays, 12-3 - film series, Sem II B1105 - Winter film series explores sci-fi representations of high tech in 20th century daily life; spring will explore futuristic sci-fi.

TBA, 10 hrs per week- library work exchange

Required Readings

Wk 1 - Henry Petroski, Book on the Book Shelf (Vintage, 2000).

Wk 2 - Daniel Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig, Digital History (University of Pennsylvania, 2005) .

Wk 3 - Michel Foucault, The Order of Things, Pt 1 (Vintage, 1994).

Wk 4 - Michel Foucault, The Order of Things, Pt 2 (Vintage, 1994).

Wk 5 - Matthew Battles, Library: An Unquiet History (Norton, 2004).

Wk 6 - Andy Hertzfeld, Revolution in the Valley (OReilly Media, 2004).

Wk 7 - David Nye, Technology  Matters: Questions to Live With (MIT Press, 2006).

Wk 8 - Christina Hopkinson, Cyber Cinderella (5 Spot, 2006).

Wk 9 - John Batelle, The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business... (Portfolio, 2005).

Wk 10 - Don Delillo, Cosmopolis (Scribner, 2004) .

Assignment Catalog

Team Writing Project – Students will work together to build a shared website on the digital humanities, presenting the history, current web presence, and critical analysis for various content areas, as well as a research guide. Students will be responsibile for both the source code of the website and its rendered documents. Students will use our seminar book for week 2 as a guide to site design, composition, and copyright.

Seminar Readings – Students will read a book and produce a response paper of 1-2 pages each week. The short, but serious paper assignment should review book content and arguments, focus thoughts for discussion, and practice bookish writing skills.  Papers will be due in seminar, in print, each week and also be posted on a program blog.

Individual Writing – Students will actively maintain an individual academic blog and contribute to the program blog.

Library Work Exchange – Students will work individually and in teams in various public service areas and research projects for the library. 

Presentations – Students will present progress on the digital humanities site every Tuesday. Individual assignments will be presented in weeks 5 and 10.

Week 1, Jan 8-12: The Book as Artifact

Tues 10-12, LC / Introductions and planning.

READING: Petroski, Book on the Book Shelf (Vintage, 2000).

Tues 1-3, MCC / Academic computing orientation.

Fri 10-12, MCC / Computer lab.

Fri 12-3, Sem II B1105 / Fahrenheit 451 (1966).

Week 2, Jan 15-19: Content and Meaning

Tues 10-12, LC / Seminar.

READING: Cohen and Rosenzweig, Digital History (University of Pennsylvania, 2005).

Tues 1-3, MCC / Computer writing.

Fri 10-12, MCC / Computer lab.

Fri 12-3, Sem II B1105 / The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).

Week 3, Jan 22-26: Kingdom of Things

Tues 10-12, LC / Seminar.

READING: Foucault, The Order of Things Pt 1 (Vintage, 1994).

Tues 1-3, MCC / Computer writing.

Fri 10-12, MCC / Computer lab.

Fri 12-3, Sem II B1105 / Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970).

Week 4, Jan 29-Feb 2: Empire of Representation

Tues 10-12, LC / Seminar.

READING: Foucault, The Order of Things Pt 2 (Vintage, 1994).

Tues 1-3, MCC / Computer writing.

Fri 10-12, MCC / Computer lab.

Fri 12-3, Sem II B1105 / War Games (1984).

Week 5, Feb 5-9: A Lesson in Political Science

Tues 10-12, LC / Seminar.

READING: Battles, Library: An Unquiet History (Norton, 2004).

Tues 1-3, MCC / Computer writing.

Fri 10-12, MCC / Student presentations.

Fri 12-3, Sem II B1105 / Potluck and film - Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999).

Week 6, Feb 12-16: The New Age

Tues 10-12, LC / Seminar.

READING: Hertzfeld, Revolution in the Valley (OReilly Media, 2004).

Tues 1-3, MCC / Computer writing.

Fri 10-12, MCC / Computer lab.

Fri 12-3, Sem II B1105 / Hackers (1995).

Week 7, Feb 19-23: Nature of Machines, Redux

Tues 10-12, LC / Seminar.

READING: Nye, Technology  Matters (MIT Press, 2006).

Tues 1-3, MCC / Computer writing.

Fri 10-12, MCC / Computer lab.

Fri 12-3, Sem II B1105 / Lawn Mower Man (1995).

Week 8, Feb 26-Mar 2: The Personal Computer

Tues 10-12, LC / Seminar.

READING: Hopkinson, Cyber Cinderella (5 Spot, 2006).

Tues 1-3, MCC / Computer writing.

Fri 10-12, MCC / Computer lab.

Fri 12-3, Sem II B1105 / ExistenZ (1999).

Week 9, Mar 5-9: The Copernican Shift

Tues 10-12, LC / Seminar.

READING: Batelle, The Search (Portfolio, 2005).

Tues 1-3, MCC / Computer writing.

Fri 10-12, MCC / Computer lab.

Fri 12-3, Sem II B1105 / Matrix (1999).

Week 10, Mar 12-16: What Makes a Cyborg 'Borg?

Tues 10-12, LC / Seminar.

READING: Delillo, Cosmopolis (Scribner, 2004).

Tues 1-3, MCC / Student presentations.

Fri 10-12, LC / TBA.

Fri 12-3, Sem II B1105 / TBA.

Evals Week, Mar 19-23.