Mediated Textuality
Instructor: 
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 Description
“On 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).
Technologies & Platforms
- Class website: This website will have your schedule, lectures, instructions, reading materials, and everything else you need. If you're reading this, then you're in the right place.
- MS Teams: We will use MS Teams as the place for you to meet during lab, have class discussions, and talk to me! It's not perfect, but it will serve our purposes.
- eLearning: We'll use eLearning to turn in your Think Pieces, Assignments, and any other class materials for a grade. However, this website is the source of truth for all dates and activities. So if you want to know when something is due, check here first.
- Miro: We'll use Miro for brainstorming activities. While I prefer actual sticky notes, whiteboards, and anything else likely to make a mess - this digital equivalent will have to work for now.
- Hypothes. Is: This is an online annotation tool we will use as a group. It allows us to set up groups to see each other’s comments, questions, and critiques on the weekly readings.
🧰 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.
💡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.
📚 Readings
All readings are provided for you - no need to buy textbooks. I've provided links to all readings on the class website.
🗓 Schedule
🏆 Grading
Breakdown
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.