Syllabus
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Syllabus

Mediated Textuality

Instructor: David Rheams

Office: Let’s find a coffee shop

Office hours: By Appointment

Email: davidc.rheams@utdallas.edu

Class Website Link

Lecture: Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:45

Location: ATC 2.918

Department: Arts Technology and Emerging Communication at UT- Dallas

⚠️Course Policies🦠Covid Policies

πŸ“œ Course Description

β€œOn the surface, data is seemingly straightforward – facts that we use for reasoning or calculations. However, once we consider data as culturally produced and mediated, it makes explicit our need to develop rich and nuanced understandings of it. One of the most primary ways we make sense of things is through storytelling. As such, Mediated Textuality will focus on data storytelling in Fall 2022. The course introduces students to multimodal composition through the major assignment of the portfolio. We will focus on understanding the signifying strategies of, and relationships among, different media formats, including between analog and digital forms. The class is divided into four units: Foundations, Visualization, Interaction, and Demediation. The major assignment is a 3-piece portfolio in which you remediate the same assigned data set into different narrative media forms. This work is supported through active course engagement and by developing a nuanced understanding of your data assigned set” (Dr. Kim Knight wrote this section of the syllabus).

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Remember that you’re an active participant in putting this class together. This isn't a class where I present information, and your job is to memorize it for future use. Instead, the goal of the class is to uncover ideas and present them in a new light. Students will be asked to help facilitate lectures and contribute to case studies throughout the semester. In addition, we will be working in groups during almost every class.

Technologies & Platforms

🧰 What You'll Get Out of This Class

After taking this course, you should be able to recognize the patterns we use to create digital narratives and understand the impact of the stories we tell. You will also gain a foundation in understanding the relationship between data and storytelling. This skill will allow you to crate your own narratives using data.

  • Present ideas, and stories in written, verbal, and multimodal forms;
  • Read and respond to key concepts in narrative theory, semiotics, and the cultural analysis of data;
  • Produce critical creative work in digital and analog media;
  • Evaluate the ethical and social dimensions of media they are producing and be able to apply that knowledge in the creation and analysis of digital media texts.

πŸ’‘Helpful Writing Tools

I will mention these writing and organization tools during the semester. They all have a free option. I’ll add to this list as we go through the semester.

πŸ“š Readings

All readings are provided for you - no need to buy textbooks. I've provided links to all readings on the class website.

πŸ—“ Schedule

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Course Schedule

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Monthly Calendar

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Monthly Calendar

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Table View

December 2024
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πŸ† Grading

Breakdown

πŸ“ŒEngagement (30%)

πŸ“ŒData Set Analysis (20%)

πŸ“Œ Portfolio Assignment (50%)

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Assignment Submission: Turn in everything via eLearning. For papers, please submit your work as a Google Docs link (one that I can edit) as it is easier to give feedback in this format.

Scale

A 90%-100% B 80%-89% C 70%-79% D 60%-69% F < 60%

😒 Plagiarism

Presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with severe consequences. In short, don't do it.