Languages of Digital Media

Languages of Digital Media
Digital Studies Conceptualized by V. Kuhn

Syllabus IML201 Fall, 2011

ML 201: The Languages of Digital Media Weekly Schedule
student resources wiki
Fall Semester 2011
Monday, 3-6:50 pm
Location: IML Blue Lab + Seminar Room
Open to all students: 4 units
Prerequisites: None
Professor: Virginia Kuhn, Ph.D.
Office: EGG / IML 202
Office Hours: by appt
Course Description
From the printing press to the personal computer, developments in media technologies have fundamentally transformed the ways we perceive, think and communicate. This courseinvestigates the close interrelationships among technology, culture and communication in order to form a solid foundation for scholarly multimedia authoring. We will proceed from the assumption that theories of “old media” can significantly inform our understanding of “new media” and provide insight into the affordances of contemporary technologies. In addition, we will examine several genres of multimedia scholarship, with the goal of being able to deploy them strategically in a variety of academic contexts.
This foundational course combines theory and practice in order that you begin to thinkthrough the media, rather than about it. At the IML we believe that the history and theory of new media are best understood through the development of practical skills in multimedia authoring.
To that end, we will engage in extensive online discussions of the reading assignments, and we will spend extensive “hands on” time during class. There will be several projects—image editing, video capture, editing (remix) and, finally, interactive—which will help reinforce the theory we confront. You will work hard, but this will be among the most memorable and valuable courses you will take.
Grading Breakdown:
15 % Image Assignment
15 % Remix Assignment
15 % Camera Assignment
20 % Interactive Assignment (in two parts)
20 % Peer Review + Participation
15 % Reading Responses
Required Texts + Materials: 
How Images Think (Ron Burnett) MIT Press: Available at Amazon
Ways of Seeing (John Berger) Penguin Books: Available at Amazon
External Drive: an external drive is HIGHLY recommended. Here are IML tech team suggestions (in the Student Resources wiki, under IML Recommended Equipment): 
Fair Use and Citation Guidelines: We assert that all of our course work is covered under Fair Use, since it’s educational in nature. All projects will need to include academically appropriate citations in the form of a Works Cited section, which covers all sources, in order to receive a passing grade. The Works Cited is either included in the project or as a separate document, as appropriate to your project. The style we use is APA 5th edition and you may refer to these guidelines: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Statement on Academic Integrity: USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A: http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/. Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/.
Statement for Students with Disabilities: Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me (or to TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.