This is a highly approximate syllabus. While the
first few weeks are fairly-well fixed, the later weeks contain rougher
notes on the topics. Expect topics, assignments, ordering, and almost
everything else to change.
Class 01
(Sunday, August 22, 1999)
What is Hypermedia?
- What is Hypermedia?
- What is Tutorial?
- What is a liberal arts education?
- Nitty-gritty details (registration et al.)
- Assigned:
Class 02
(Thursday, August 26, 1999)
What is Hypermedia? Revisited
- Technical details (Lab):
- Getting online in the MathLAN
- Using the Web
- Discussion of paper topic
- Due:
- Assigned:
Class 03
(Tuesday, August 31, 1999)
Technology: Representing Hypertexts
- HTML: The HyperText Markup Language
- Computerized representations of formatted texts
- Should computerized representations be in a form that humans can read?
- WYSIWYG vs. markup languages
- Logical vs. physical markup
- Should markup of document elements reflect their underlying purpose,
their intended appearance, or both?
- The evolution of HTML
- The future of Web markup
- Assignment: Web of teaching techniques
- Due: Thursday, September 9
Class 04
(Thursday, September 2, 1999)
Technology: Representing Document Styles
- Logical vs. physical markup, revisited
- Can the appearance of documents tell us about their intent?
- Can/should the ``same'' document have multiple appearances?
- Can/should the ``same'' document have multiple contents?
- Designing a language for marking styles
- Cascading style sheets, a Web standard
- Reading Assignment (due Tuesday, September 7):
Copyright in the
Electronic Environment
- Questions due by noon, Monday, September 6
- Reading Assignment (due Tuesday, September 7):
Advice for Students
on Citation and Scholarship
Class 05
(Tuesday, September 7, 1999)
Intellectual Property
- Skills
- Definitions of intellectual property
- Proper use and citation
- Discussion
- Ownership of links
- Ownership of databases
- Assigned:
- Citation exercise (Due Tuesday, September 14, 1999) (Only in printed
form.)
Class 06
(Thursday, September 9, 1999)
The Evolution of Writing
- Historical track
- The evolution of reading and writing
- Transition
- The library catalog as hypertext
- Hypertext and libraries
- Technical track: Library orientation
- FirstSearch
- Library orientation
- Assigned:
Class 07
(Tuesday, September 14, 1999)
Writing and Reading Hypertext
- Due:
- Assigned (all due on Thursday):
Class 08
(Thursday, September 16, 1999)
Reading Hypertext
- Writing issues to ponder
- On the overhwelming terminology of postmodernist essays
- Discussion: How does one read hyperfiction?
- Assigned (due Tuesday):
Class 09
(Tuesday, September 21, 1999)
Writing and Reading Hyperfiction
- Writing skills: Characters and Actions
- Hypertextual fiction
- What is fiction?
- How can hypertext help?
- Authorial voice
- Due:
- Assigned:
Class 10
(Thursday, September 23, 1999)
Selected Hyperfictions
- Due:
- Assigned:
- Writing Exercise: Muddying Writing
- Experiment/demonstration: Immersive games
- Discussion: Different reading experiences
Class 11
(Tuesday, September 28, 1999)
Building Communities with Hypertext
- Experiment/demonstration: MOOving around
- Central issue: How do the Internet and hypertext create and affect
community?
- What is a community?
- What types of communities are there?
- Can hypertext help build communities?
- Readings
Class 12
(Thursday, September 30, 1999)
Hypertext, Reconsidered
- Introduction: Redefining ``hypertext''
- Intellectual property revisited: Class notes and evaluations on the Web
- Observation: members of many nationalities now in the U.S. have formed
electronic communities and Web sites.
- What does this mean about national boundaries?
- Are there virtual nations?
- How do the various members view these communities?
- Observation: Many ``disappearing cultures'' are creating Web sites
and other hypertexts to document themselves.
- When a culture reflects on or documents itself, does it change itself?
- Question: Can building hypertexts affect native communities?
- Readings due:
Class 13
(Tuesday, October 5, 1999)
Reconsideration, Continued
- Selection of a work for ``hyperfictionizing''
- Defining hypertext, revisited
- Intellectual property and class notes.
Class 14
(Thursday, October 7, 1999)
Who Remembers?
- Questions for consideration:
- Assignments (due Tuesday)
Class 15
(Tuesday, October 12, 1999)
Race, Gender, Culture, and the Web
Class 16
(Thursday, October 14, 1999)
Is Hypermedia a White-American-Male Enterprise?
- Historical perspective: who's been involved in the development?
- Societal perspectives: what claims are there about how different
peoples think?
- Is hypertext hierarchical?
- Are hierarchical structures more predominant in some cultures?
- Assigned:
- Thesis paragraph for research paper (Due Tuesday, October 26, 1999).
Break runs from 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 15, to 8:00 a.m. on
Monday, October 25.
Class 17
(Tuesday, October 26, 1999)
Programming Adaptive Hypertexts
Class 18
(Thursday, October 28, 1999)
Programming, Continued
- Due:
- Thesis paragraph for research paper
- Assignment
- Annotated bibliography for research paper (Due Thursday, November 4,
1999)
- New reading
- At 4:15 in ARH224, Mills Kelly of Texas Tech will be speaking on his use
of hypertext in teaching history. You are strongly encouraged
to attend.
- We'll be talking about related issues in week twelve.
Class 19
(Tuesday, November 2, 1999)
Does Language Influence Thought?
- Readings
- Bolter
- McLuhan
- Devitt and Sterelny
Class 20
(Thursday, November 4, 1999)
Work on Alice
- McLuhan's ``The Medium is The Message''
- Due
- Annotated bibliography for research paper
- Assigned
- Final research paper (Draft due Thursday, November 11,
Paper due Thursday, November 18)
Class 21
(Tuesday, November 9, 1999)
Does Language Influence Thought? Revisited
- Assigned:
- Thesis paragraph for research paper (Due Tuesday, October 26, 1999).
Class 22
(Thursday, November 11, 1999)
Who Remembers?
- Due:
- Are hypertexts different than other documents (in terms of payments)?
- Paying for links
- Transclusion
- Micropayments
Class 23
(Tuesday, November 16, 1999)
Paper Discussion
Class 24
(Thursday, November 18, 1999)
Themes
Class 25
(Tuesday, November 23, 1999)
Music and Hypermedia
- What links are implicit in musical pieces and performances?
- What ``decision points'' in musical performances?
- Can we make such links explicit?
- How might we present such links?
Thanksgiving Recess runs from 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 24
to 8:00 a..m on Monday, November 29.
Class 26
(Tuesday, November 30, 1999)
International Hypertext I
Class 27
(Thursday, December 2, 1999)
International Hypertext II
- Group visitation of selected art sites
Class 28
(Tuesday, December 7, 1999)
What is Hypermedia? Revisited
Class 29
(Thursday, December 9, 1999)
Evaluation, Plans for the Future, and More
The history will not include small changes to the summaries of
individual classes. You can find more information on such changes
in the individual outlines.
- On Monday, March 22, 1999, created very rough first version.
- Filled in some details on Tuesday, March 30, 1999
- Rearranged slightly on Wednesday, March 31, 1999 to (1) accomodate
planned but forgotten section on hypertext and the ways we think
and (2) handle correction to dates.
- Rearranged significantly on Thursday, August 12, 1999, during and
after consultation with Rebecca Stuhr.
- Added some more detail on Saturady, August 21, 1999.