about

classroom: hill hall 101  / /  class time: M/W/F 10:20-11:20
office hours: 11:30-12:30 M/T/W/F or by appt.  / /  lab hours: 3-4 M/W
email: pmuhlhauser@ymail.com

course description

What the heck is making publications digital?

Making something digital can sound a little, well, terrifying. But don’t worry because you’re gonna get the base, the skillz, the know-how to get through it. In other verbal symbols, you are gonna gain tools to develop and design websites that thoughtfully engage audiences through aesthetic and technological approaches. We’ll learn about web standards, usability, and information architecture.

In this course you’ll learn to create multimedia arguments in the digital humanities and submit projects to peer-reviewed magazines and journals. In the course you are gonna analyze the communication practices in other multimedia texts. You will create documents showing the results of this analysis. Readings will focus on constructing digital arguments using the principles of digital rhetorical theory. You will create a positive digital presence online using templates and website building platforms that showcase your projects.

In fact, here are two examples of one of your projects that McDaniel students got published at a blind peer reviewed magazine from this course! – The 5-Sided Lego and Beer, Blogs, and Bitches. Make sure to take a look!


course objectives

To become digital rhetors by –

  • investigating the rhetorical dimensions of multimedia texts
  • demonstrating the ability to rhetorically analyze multimedia texts
  • investigating the socio-historical dimensions of multimedia texts
  • demonstrating an understanding of the socio-historical dimensions of multimedia texts
  • generating a variety of multimedia texts for a variety of audiences
  • upping your digital savvy

 Required materials

  • The Principles of Beautiful Web Design. 3rd edition. By Jason Beaird and James George.
  • The Objects of Affection: Semiotics and Consumer Culture. By Arthur Asa Berger.
  • Your own domain and web server.

readings
You need to have read the assigned readings before coming to class that can be accessed on through the links on the course schedule. Bring the book to class if we are reading from it.

attendance

Since we will be working collaboratively on many assignments, and since learning is a communal effort, your regular attendance is vital. If you miss more than six classes, you will receive an “F” for the course. And since some things come up unexpectedly, please remember you have six absences to account for these unexpected happenings.

late work
Here is the deal: late work is not accepted. HOWEVER, you can turn in one task or homework or whatever one week late. Just let me know beforehand. And, if it’s a partner project, only one of you needs to use the extension. **Quizzes can be made up if you have an excused absence on the day of the quiz.**

technology
The computers, the laptops, cell phones and iPads are allowed for taking notes and class discussion related searches. They are not for random surfing, texting, skyping, or tweeting no matter how uninterested you might be. So if you aren’t using digital tech. for class, it’ll result in an absence. iPhone X EXCEPTION – if an iPhone X rings or bleeps an incoming text does during class, you are exempt from the above rule for two occurrences as long as you allow us to use your iPhone X emoji thingy for five minutes.

academic honesty
Plagiarism is not tolerated in any form. You will fail the course if you commit plagiarism knowingly or unknowingly. Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another’s words or ideas. In short, it’s the theft of someone else’s intellectual property and a serious violation of college policy and academic ethics. The easy availability of materials on the Internet makes it tempting to use other people’s work (or incorporate it into your own) without asking permission or citing sources. However, you are responsible to give credit where credit is due. Please come to my office if you have any questions about citing sources.

As a member of the McDaniel College community, you are expected to abide by the Honor Code on all of your assignments.The McDaniel Honor Code encourages academic integrity among individuals and fosters accountability within the community as a whole. What does this mean? It means: a) the work you submit must be your own, and, b) if others are damaging the values of the community, you have a responsibility to speak up about it.

copyright and readings
All readings posted on our class website are password protected and are intended for use in this class only. Copying, e-mailing, or posting these materials online for any other purpose without the copyright holder’s express written consent may be prohibited by law. For more information about copyright, including information about how to obtain permission to use a copyrighted work, please see the U.S. Copyright Office’s Frequently Asked Questions page.

request for accommodation
McDaniel College, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) and the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973/ Section 504, will provide reasonable accommodations for eligible students with disabilities. If you require special assistance, please see me privately and/or seek assistance directly from the Student Academic Support Services Office (SASS). You are responsible for initiating arrangements for accommodations for tests and other assignments in collaboration with the SASS Office and me.

non-discrimination policy
McDaniel College does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, military status, genetic information, marital status, veteran’s status, or any other legally protected status. To report an incident occurring within an academic context, contact the Office of Academic Affairs. To report other on-campus incidences, contact the Division of Student Affairs.

resources for students who may witness or experience gender-based discrimination, harassment, or violence (title ix)
McDaniel College is committed to preserving an educational environment that is free from gender-based discrimination, gender-based harassment, sexual harassment, sexual violence, and relationship violence and stalking. To report an incident and/or to obtain an academic accommodation, contact any member of the Division of Student Affairs,Department of Campus Safety, any Dean, the Provost or the Title IX Coordinator. Faculty members are not considered confidential resources and therefore incidents shared with them must be reported to the Title IX Coordinator. If you wish to speak confidentially about an incident, please contact the Wellness Center.

grades
Grading criteria will come in the form of a variety of rubrics for evaluating your work. I round up and round down to the whole number. For instance, if you have an 89.50, I’ll read it as a 90% (A-). If you have an 89.49, I’ll read it as an 89% (B+).
A =   93-100%
A- =  90-92%
B+ = 88-89%
B =    83-87%
B- =  80-82%
C+ = 78-79%
C =   73-77%
C- = 70-72%
D+ = 68-69%
D =   60-67%
F =      0-59%