Week 13: Hypertext

Sam Rebelsky, Computer Science, will guest lecture on hypertext.

Unfortunately, I will be out of town at my third and final conference of the semester. However, I'm familiar with much of the material Professor Rebelsky plans to discuss.

Goals:

• Learn about the evolution of hypertext.
• Think about hypertext in the context of what you've learned in the class so far.
• Write your LAST rough draft.

Monday, April 27: Hypertext (1)

Read 

• Bush, Vannevar (1945).  As We May Think.  The Atlantic Monthly 176, 1(July, 1945), pp. 101-108.
• Anonymous (2009).  Douglas Englebart.  Velocity.
• Wikipedia (2009).  Computer.  Wikipedia.

Wednesday, April 29: Hypertext (2)

Read 

• Maso, Carole (2000).  Rupture, Verge, and Precipice; Precipice, Verge, and Hurt Not.  The Barcelona Review 20 (September-October 2008).
• Steinsaltz, Rabbi A. (1989). The Layout of a Talmud Page. The Talmud: The Steinsaltz Edition, A Reference Guide. Random House. (Photocopy to be distributed.)
• Berners-Lee, Tim (1990).  Information Management, A Proposal.  Technical Report, CERN.
  

Friday, May 1: Hypertext (Discussion)

Study Team 6 will lead a discussion about hypertext.

Friday, May 1, 5:30 p.m.: Rough Draft 6 due

Submit a short essay (rough draft). Be sure to review the guidelines for essays. As I reminded you when I returned your first rough drafts,

• be sure your essay has an identifiable thesis;
• be sure your essay adequately addresses the prompt you are responding to;
• include formal citations and a list of works cited;
• proofread your essay to ensure that you used the words that you meant to use and there are no missing or extra words that impede legibility.

Respond to one of the following prompts.

• Explain Lienhard's theory of the evolution of technology to someone who has not read his book.
• In Chapter 8, Lienhard argues that the rate of technological innovation reached a tipping point in around 1850. Propose an explanation of this tipping point based on what Lienhard wrote in this chapter and in the second half of the book (and possibly other sources).
• Building on William Wulf's talk, interview a humanist scholar at Grinnell about the effect of the Internet and information technology on their work. Report what you learn. Does it support Wulf's ideas? Is the use of technology transformative or simply automation?
• "What do you think Lienhard ultimately wanted to achieve with this book? Was he successful in doing so?" (Patrick)
• In the context of the last several weeks of class, agree or disagree with Ralph Waldo Emerson: "New arts destroy the old." (Study Team 5).  Be sure to cite appropriate sources.

To submit your essay, please place it in the folder outside my door. Feel free to drop in and chat if I am available and you would like to talk with me about your essay.

Janet Davis (davisjan@cs.grinnell.edu)