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English 318 Course Calendar: Spring 2019

At the start of class, be seated and ready to go, with your books, notebooks, and pen or pencil out and ready for use.

Actively take notes in class every day, even if you think you don’t need to:
- Capture the main ideas being discussed
- Do not try to transcribe discussion, announcements, or lecture word-for-word
- As you write, process and interpret what’s going on
- Write down any questions you have as we go and wait for the "Are there any questions?" moments
Each assignment involves multiple "milestones" that must be completed on time. Details below.
Calendar is subject to revision; students will be notified of any changes.
Course text is Writer / Designer: A Guide to Making Multimodal Projects (Arola, Sheppard, and Ball)
Additional readings will also be assigned
Complete assigned reading before we discuss it in class.

Week 1 (Jan 14 - 18)

Tuesday

Class activities
- Introductions, to the course and to each other
- Explore examples of games created with Twine
  - Cat Petting Simulator: http://neongrey.itch.io/pet-that-cat
  - Begscape: http://aliendovecote.com/uploads/twine/begscape.html
  - DepressionQuest: http://www.depressionquest.com
  - You Will Select a Decision: http://selectadecision.info/

Thursday

We'll do some in-class digital work today, so either bring your own computer or be prepared to use one of the classroom computers.
Assigned reading: Before class, explore the following links
- Home page for Twine: http://twinery.org
  - Twine is available as a web-based, online tool and also as software you can download and install on your own computer.
- Read through with the Twine2 Guide: http://twinery.org/wiki/twine2:guide. Pay attention to the table of contents in the left-hand column of the Guide. See, in particular, the following sections (but don't be afraid to explore more of the Guide, if you'd like to):
  - Getting started with Twine 2 http://twinery.org/wiki/twine2:getting_started (Includes instructions for both Twine online and for downloading Twine and using it on your own computer)
  - Important! "Where your stories are saved": http://twinery.org/wiki/twine2:where_your_stories_are_saved
  - "How to create your first story": http://twinery.org/wiki/twine2:how_to_create_your_first_story
  - "How to create links": http://twinery.org/wiki/twine2:how_to_create_links
  - "How to format text": http://twinery.org/wiki/twine2:how_to_format_text
  - "How to choose a story format": http://twinery.org/wiki/twine2:how_to_choose_a_story_format
  - See also "Publish my work" http://twinery.org/wiki/twine2:publish_my_work
Optional work to complete before class
- Using what you've learned from your reading, experiment with creating your own Twine text.
- Explore the Twine texts listed in this directory: https://itch.io/games/tag-mystery/tag-twine
Class activities
- Discussion of assigned Twine readings. Comments? Questions?
- Check out this example:
  - Original text: XKCD "Tech Support Cheat Sheet"
  - Picture of analog flow chart with sticky notes
  - Picture of digital workspace in Twine
  - Finished product: Interactive Twine game based on XKCD text.
- In-class work on your own Twine project

Week 2 (Jan 21 - 25)

Tuesday

Assigned reading
- Read Chapter 1: "What Are Multimodal Projects?"
- Read Chapter 2: "Analyzing Multimodal Projects"
- Begin Codecademy's free HTML course at https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-html and CSS course at https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-css
  - Click on "Syllabus"
  - Sign up for a free account
  - HTML :: Complete "1. Learn HTML: Elements and Structure"
  - HTML :: Complete "2. Learn HTML: Tables"
  - CSS :: Complete "1. Learn CSS: Selectors and Visual Rules"
Class activities
- Discussion of assigned reading
- Introduction to using OneDrive (See related handout.)
- HTML Exercises (See related slide deck.)
  - Using folders
  - Creating file names / folder names
  - Creating file extensions
  - How to open files
  - paragraphs / headings / subheadings / links
  - Starting with a template

Thursday

Assigned reading
- Be prepared to discuss the design choices in the assigned readings: emphasis, contrast, organization, alignment, and proximity. (You may realize other terms are necessary to fully describe the design choices in these texts).
  - Watch the following music videos:
    1. "thank u, next," Ariana Grande https://youtu.be/gl1aHhXnN1k
    2. "Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)," Post Malone, Swae Lee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApXoWvfEYVU
    3. "Cycles of Tragedy," Born of Osiris https://youtu.be/l56plK0uReo
Class activities
- Discussion of assigned reading
- Analysis of texts using Chapter 2 handout
- HTML Exercises
- Introduce Project 1: Website

Week 3 (Jan 28 - Feb 1)

Tuesday

Due
- Tuesday: Project 1, milestone 1: Mock-up
Assigned reading
- Chapter 4: "How Do You Start a Multimodal Project?"
- Chapter 5: "How Do You Design and Revise with Multiple Audiences?"
- Examples of multimodal texts: Explore the following news projects. You don't have to read every single word, but you should spend a significant amount of time exploring the variety of modes of expression and how they work.
  - "Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek" (New York Times 2012). http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall/
  - "Till Death Do Us Part" (The Post and Courier 2016)http://www.postandcourier.com/app/till-death/
  - "Failure Factories" (Tampa Bay Times 2015) http://www.tampabay.com/projects/2015/investigations/pinellas-failure-factories/
Class activities
- Discussion of assigned reading.
- Practice rhetorical analysis of multimodal texts.
- Peer review of Project 1, milestone 1: mockup.

Thursday

Assigned Reading
- Continue Codecademy's free course on CSS https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-css:
  - CSS: Complete "2. Learn CSS: The Box Model"
  - CSS: Complete "3. Display and Positioning"
  - CSS: Complete "4. Learn CSS: Colors"
  - CSS: Complete "5. Learn CSS: Typography"
Class activities
- Quick tutorial on text editing.
- In-class work on Project 1.
Other materials
- Slides for HTML and CSS Basics
- HTML template that you might use as a starting place (Remember to view source, copy the HTML, then paste it into your text editor)

Week 4 (Feb 4 - 8)

Tuesday

Due
- ~~Tuesday: Project 1, milestone 2: finished draft, ready for peer review.~~
Class activities
- Discussion of assigned reading
- ~~Peer review of Project 1~~
- Continued work on Project 1

Thursday

Due
- UPDATE Thursday: Project 1, milestone 2: finished draft, ready for peer review.
- ~~Thursday~~ Friday: Project 1, milestone 3: report
Assigned reading
- Project 2: Literacy Narrative. Write down any questions you may have so that you can
  - Ask them in class, or
  - Ask them in the Blackboard discussion forum.
Class activities
- Peer review of Project 1
- Discussion of assigned reading
- Continued work on Project 1
- Introduce Project 2: Literacy Narrative

Week 5 (Feb 11 - 15)

Due
- Tuesday: Project 1, milestone 4: final draft, ready to be graded.
Assigned reading
- Chapter 3: "Why Is Genre Important in Multimodal Projects?"
- "How to Create Storyboards," Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling (University of Houston).
- Sample videos
Class activities
- Discussion of assigned reading.
- Discussion and analysis of sample texts.

Week 6 (Feb 18 - 22)

Due
- Tuesday: Project 2, milestone 1, Proposal
Assigned reading
- Chapter 4: "How Do You Start a Multimodal Project?" (re-read)
- Chapter 6: "Working with Multimodal Assets and Sources"
- Sample videos
- "How to Create Storyboards," Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling (University of Houston). (Re-read) Plus, review these videos and associated storyboards:
  - "Edward R. Murrow," by Jamie Adams (2008) Video / Storyboard (PDF)
  - "Birth of the Internet," by Anita Vyas (2009) Video / Storyboard (PDF)
  - "How Pop-ups Got their Pop," by Shaun Smith (2008) Video / Storyboard (PDF)
Class activities
- Discussion of assigned reading.
- Tutorial on working with audio and video.
- Peer review of Project 2, milestone 1: Proposals.
- Work on Project 2.

Week 7 (Feb 25 - Mar 1)

Tuesday

Due
- Tuesday: Project 2, milestone 2, storyboard
Class activities
- Discussion of assigned reading.
- Continued work on Project 2
- Peer review of Project 2, milestone 2: Storyboards using the Storyboard Draft Worksheet (PDF)

Thursday

Assigned reading
- Video design and production: "Vimeo Video School"
Class activities
- Discussion of assigned reading.
- Continued work on Project 2

Week 8 (Mar 4 - 8)

Tuesday

Due
- Genre analysis of sample multimodal texts listed below under "Sample multimodal texts" (To reminder yourself of what is involved in genre analysis, review pages 63-72 of W/D).
- Before class, explore the assigned multimodal texts and take some notes involving your genre analysis. Be prepared to answer the following 2 questions and to have specific evidence to back up your answers:
  1. What are the major conventions evident in these campaigns?
    - This list will include both common modes (visual, aural, gestural, spatial, linguistic), and
    - Design concepts (emphasis, contrast, color, organization, sequence, proximity, alignment, navigation, etc.)
  2. What are the outliers? Why do you think this is the case?
Assigned reading
- Chapter 5: "Assembling Your Technologies and Your Team"
- Re-read Chapter 4: "Working with Multimodal Sources"
- Re-read Chapter 6: "Designing Your Project"
- Assignment sheet for Project 4: Information Campaign
- Assignment sheet for Project 3: Professional Site
- Sample multimodal texts:
Class activities
- Discuss assigned reading
- Discussion of your genre analysis of sample multimodal texts (see above).
- Introduce Project 4: Information Campaign
- Introduce Project 3: Professional Site
- Project 4: create teams
- Project 4: discussion of "Team Contract"

Thursday

Due
- Thursday: Project 2, milestone 3: finished draft ready for peer review
- Friday: Project 2, milestone 4: report
Class activities
- Peer review of Project 2, milestone 3: finished draft ready for peer review
- Questions and Answers regarding projects 3 and 4.

Week 9 (Mar 11 - 15)

SPRING BREAK

Week 10 (Mar 18 - 22)

Due
- Tuesday: Project 2, milestone 5: final draft, ready to be graded
- Wednesday: Project 2, milestone 6: explanation
- Thursday: Project 4, milestone 1: Team Contract
Assigned reading
- Information campaigns
  - "Frequently Asked Questions," AdCouncil
  - "Learn More About the AdCouncil," AdCouncil
  - "The Ad Council Adapts to Stay Relevant in an Age of Social Action," by Alina Tugend New York Times (22 November 2015).
  - "McGruff the Crime Dog, Outliving His Creator, Fights On," by Zach Schonburn New York Times (8 October 2017).
  - "A Scourge Is Spreading. M.T.A.’s Cure? Dude, Close Your Legs," by Emma G. Fitzsimmons New York Times (20 December 2014).
- Project Management:
  - "Project Management for Humans," by Brett Harned A List Apart (14 September 2017)
  - "The Art of Creating Accurate Estimates," by Matt Griffin A List Apart (18 June 2015)
- Collaboration:
  - "Structuring a New Collaborative Culture," by Rosie Manning A List Apart (1 July 2014)
Class activities
- Discuss Project 4
- Discuss assigned readings

Week 11 (Mar 25 - 29)

Due
- Tuesday: Project 4, milestone 2: Genre Analysis Report.
- Thursday: Project 3, milestone 1: Genre Analysis Report
Assigned reading
- (Re-read) "How to Create Storyboards," Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling (University of Houston).
- Design and communication, TBA
Class activities
- In-class work on Project 3 and Project 4

Week 12 (Apr 1 - 5)

Due
- Tuesday: Project 3, milestone 2: Mock-up
- Thursday: Project 4, milestone 3: Storyboard & Mock-up
Assigned reading
- Project management and collaboration, TBA
- Design and communication, TBA
Class activities
- Peer review of Project 3, milestone 2: Mock-up
- Peer review of Project 4, milestone 3: Storyboard & Mock-up
- Discussion of assigned reading.
- In-class work on Project 3 and Project 4

Week 13 (Apr 8 - 12)

Due
- Tuesday: Project 4, milestone 4: Rough Draft.
- Thursday: Project 4, milestone 4: Report
Assigned reading
- Chapter 5: "How Do You Design and Revise with Multiple Audiences?"
Class activities
- Peer review of Project 4
- In class work on Project 3 and Project 4

Week 14 (Apr 15 - 19)

Due
- Tuesday and Thursday: Project 4, milestone 5: Presentation

Week 15 (Apr 22 - 26)

Due
- Tuesday: Project 3, milestone 3: Rough Draft
- Thursday: Project 4, milestone 6: Final Draft
- Friday: Project 3, milestone 4: Report
Assigned reading
- Careers in media production, TBA.
- Careers that include media production, TBA.
Class activities
- Discussion of assigned reading.
- What comes next, in your education and in your work.
- Peer review of Project 3, milestone 3: Rough Draft

Finals week (Apr 29 - May 3)

Due
- There is no final exam for this course
- As a class, we can decide if we want to meet during the scheduled final exam period for this course for pizza and end-of-semester fellowship.
- Tuesday: Project 3, milestone 5: Final Draft
- Thursday: Project 3, milestone 6: Explanation

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