A Sneak Preview of English 411
We are in the midst of a technological revolution that is altering the way we work, study, and play. Consider just a few examples that would have been unthinkable a decade ago: corporations announcing layoffs on a public blog, activists organizing political rallies on Twitter, and old friends keeping tabs on each other’s every movement via Facebook. What are we to make of these innovations? In English 411, we will use the lens of rhetoric to examine the historical roots of communication technologies and explore the economic, ethical, and social issues facing today’s workers, students, and citizens. By the end of the course, you will have a deeper understanding of how technology influences the decisions of technical communicators in an increasingly electronic world.
What to Expect
English 411 is designed to be a “senior seminar” for technical communication majors, which means that we’ll spend less time doing hands-on technology projects and much more time reading, thinking, talking, and writing about technology. The reading load will be heavy, and it will be absolutely essential that you keep up with our reading schedule. Likewise, this seminar course won’t succeed unless you come to class ready and willing to discuss (and argue about) what you’ve read. I expect every member of the class to say something interesting during every class period.
What’s the upside of this arrangement? Well, in exchange for your commitment to read deeply and speak intelligently, I will free up your time to think great thoughts by assigning fewer projects and short assignments than I typically assign in my courses. English 411 won’t have much “busy work,” but as I suspect you already know, challenging intellectual work will certainly keep you busy.
Reading List
Over the course of the semester, we will read the seven books listed below. In addition, we will read several academic articles, book chapters, and blog posts, and we will do a fair amount of academic web surfing. I have provided individual links to the Google Books page and the Amazon page for each of the required books, and I strongly recommend that you use the web to find the least expensive copies available. (Used editions are perfectly acceptable.)
- Ian F. McNeely and Lisa Wolverton, Reinventing Knowledge: From Alexandria to the Internet. W.W. Norton, 2008. [Google Books] [Amazon]
- Naomi S. Baron, Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World. Oxford, 2008. [Google Books] [Amazon]
- Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations. Penguin, 2008. [Google Books] [Amazon]
- Peter Morville, Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes Who We Become. O’Reilly, 2005. [Google Books] [Amazon]
- Lawrence Lessig, Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy. Penguin, 2008. [No Google Books link available] [Amazon]
- Cass R. Sunstein, Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge. Oxford, 2008. [Google Books] [Amazon]
- Henry Jenkins, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. NYU, 2008. [Google Books] [Amazon]
Preparing for the Semester
If you would like to get a jump start on the reading for English 411, begin with Reinventing Knowledge — that’s the book we’ll tackle first. In addition, you’ll need a Delicious account to share bookmarks with your classmates, so if you don’t already have one, you should sign up for one and become familiar with how Delicious works. (I highly recommend installing one of the browser tools to make using Delicious easier.)
Next Steps
If you have any questions before the semester begins, feel free to contact me via email (email hidden; JavaScript is required). Otherwise, enjoy the break, get some much-needed rest, and start thinking deep thoughts about technology. I look forward to seeing you in January!