ENG 406: Digital Design (Spring 2020)
Tue/Thu 12:15-1:30 pm, Open Tutor Classroom
| Instructors | Office Location & Hours | |
| Suzanne Churchill, Professor of English | suchurchill@davidson.edu | CH 3288, Mon 2:30-4 pm, Wed 10:30 am-noon & by appointment |
| Sundi Richard, Instructional Designer | surichard@davidson.edu | Research and Design Studio (E.H. Little Library) by appointment |
Overview
On this page you’ll find essential information about the course. It lays out a contract that we all agree to follow, so read it carefully and let me know if you have any questions. Topics covered include:
- Course Description
- Course Goals
- Learning Outcomes
- Required Books
- Required Work
- Grade Breakdown
- Honor Code
- Attendance & Class Decorum
- Late Work
- Accommodations
Course Description
The digital revolution has opened up humanities scholarship to new topics and methods, as well as to broader audiences. This team-taught seminar will emphasize four pillars of Digital Humanities: 1) design, 2) collaboration, 3) inclusivity, and 4) networks. You will design your own humanities research projects from initial conception to online publication via a WordPress website hosted in Davidson Domains. You will learn project design strategies and apply principles of UX-design in order to make your scholarship accessible, interactive, and immersive. You will collaborate with classmates and other experts, pooling your knowledge and working together to redress critical biases and exclusions in the humanities. And you will use social media to network, connect with scholars in the field, and cultivate an audience for your project. In the process, you will develop digital agility and skills in research, writing, design, teamwork, networking, and project management—skills that are not only fundamental to digital humanities, but also sought after by employers outside academia.
This course meets the Innovation and seminar requirements for the English major and counts toward the Digital Studies minor.
Prerequisites
Curiosity, courage, resilience, and a willingness to take risks and share knowledge.
In digital humanities, there is no expertise, only courage and resilience.
— Dr. ‘Chill
Course Goals
This course aims to let you:
- Activate and make productive use of Davidson Domains.
- Reflect on relationship with technology and curate digital identities.
- Become an intrepid explorer of technologies, finding and learning from communities of practice.
- Think of yourself not only as an author, but also as a designer of writing that meets the needs of diverse publics.
- Work collaboratively to plan, design, and realize a project.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the semester, you should be able to:
- Identify a research topic/problem and frame a manageable question.
- Identify experts in the field and organize research using Zotero.
- Develop and implement a strategic plan.
- Synthesize different positions and arguments in a literature review.
- Summarize a scholarly debate, intervene with a thesis, and support the thesis with evidence and analysis.
- Design and create a work of digital scholarship that conveys research findings to users in a dynamic, innovative way.
- Be proficient in WordPress, including ability to customize with plugins.
- Use social media to network and build an audience.
Required Books
- Robin Williams, The Non-Designers’ Design Book, 4th ed., Peachpit Press, 2015.
- Alberto Cairo, The Functional Art: an introduction to information graphics and visualizations, New Riders, 2013.
- Additional readings are online, electronic, and/or open-source and should be completed on the day they are listed in the calendar. For each class meeting, you must have access to an annotated print or electronic copy of the assigned readings, along with your notes and questions. Some of the readings are linked in the calendar below; PDFs can be found in the ENG406 Digital Design DropBox folder.
- Our use of free, electronic texts, rather than print textbooks, requires you to develop your own best practices for critical reading and retention. You may want to print all the readings at the beginning of the semester and assemble them in a binder or folder, so that you can annotate them by hand. Or you may convert the readings to PDFs, save them in DropBox, and use an app like iAnnotate, so that you can annotate them on a tablet. If you prefer to read online, use a web annotating app such as Hypothes.is.
- We have also placed numerous, valuable resources, such as books by Alberto Cairo and Steve Krug, on course reserves.
Other Required Readings
- All readings are online, electronic, and/or open-source and should be completed on the day they are listed in the calendar. For each class meeting, you must have access to an annotated print or electronic copy of the assigned readings, along with your notes and questions.
- Our use of free, electronic texts, rather than print textbooks, requires you to develop your own best practices for critical reading and retention. You may want to print all the readings at the beginning of the semester and assemble them in a binder or folder, so that you can annotate them by hand. Or you may convert the readings to PDFs, save them in DropBox, and use an app like iAnnotate, so that you can annotate them on a tablet. If you prefer to read online, use a web annotating app such as Hypothes.is.
Research
- Consult the ENG 406 course guide for relevant research databases and resources.
Required Work
* = assignments with floating deadlines (you set deadlines in your strategic plan)
- “About Me” post & course website (ungraded)
- Project Proposal
- Think Piece
- Preliminary Bibliography + Annotations (ungraded)
- Strategic Plan
- Literature Review*
- Outreach & Sustainability Plan*
- Complete Bibliography*
- Content Draft
- 2 prototypes (ungraded)
- Peer critique/UX design comments (ungraded)
- Final Project (including complete bibliography)*
- White paper*
Grade Breakdown
- Participation, including peer critique: 10%
- Project Proposal: 5%
- Think Piece: 5%
- Literature Review: 15%
- Outreach & Sustainability Plan: 10%
- Content Draft: 15%
- Final Project: 30%
- White Paper: 10%
Note: We may adjust these percentages in consultation with you.
Honor Code
All work must be completed by you and submitted for this class only. You are encouraged to exchange drafts with classmates in Building Stories and Writing China, even beyond your assigned peer review exchanges. You are also encouraged to seek help from me and from the Writing Center. While you may talk about your work to anyone who will listen, you may NOT ask friends or relatives to edit or proof your work.
No matter how informal the writing assignment, you must CITE YOUR SOURCES. All writing published on this website must include bibliographic citations for ALL materials following MLA Style (see Help and How to cite sources). You must include citations for assigned texts and references consulted, as well as for any works you mention or quote. Use signal phrases to introduce authors by name at first mention, in order to create a lively cast of characters for your story.
As we migrate into digital environments, citation practices change. The important thing is to acknowledge all sources in a clear and consistent way that allows your reader to locate the original source. Hyperlinks to electronic sources are a bonus, but are not an acceptable substitute for citations.
No citations, no credit. Repeated lapses will result in referral to the Honor Council.
Write the word PLEDGE at the bottom of each post you publish on this site, indicating that you have upheld the Honor Code and upheld the policies described here.
Attendance & Class Decorum
Sometimes you have to miss class: you may be sick, want to honor a religious holiday, or have an interview, family emergency, personal crisis, or some other opportunity or responsibility that takes precedence. You may miss two class meeting without directly lowering your grade (please let us know why you’ve missed class, either in person or by email, because we’re concerned about your well being). Use those absences wisely, because except in the case of verifiable hardship, each additional absence lowers your participation grade by a 1/2 letter grade. This includes absences for sports, music, theater, or other commitments, because if you can’t make it to class, you can’t participate. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to get the notes, keep up with the classwork, and—if you’re concerned about missing too many classes—talk to us about possible make-up work. Failing to bring assigned texts to class 2x = 1 absence; 2 late arrivals = 1 absence.
Because much of our work occurs in digital environments, you may bring laptops or tablets into the classroom, but are Honor Code bound to turn off your phones and notifications, cut off access to email and social media, and use electronic devices for course-related purposes only (except in cases of emergencies).
Please do not get up and leave class during class time unless you have a personal emergency. Try to schedule restroom breaks between classes.
To communicate with us about ANY questions you have regarding readings, assignments, or other course matters, please use our class email list: ENG406I_201902@davidson.edu. Use this address rather than our individual emails, because if you are confused about something, chances are someone else is too. But if you have to communicate with us about personal matters, feel free to use our personal email addresses, suchurchill@davidson.edu, and surichard@davidson.edu. Find our office hours on the Help page.
Late Work Policy
Due dates are listed in the syllabus. Work handed in after these deadlines will be considered late and marked down a letter grade for each day late. Extensions must be approved a week in advance.
Accommodations
Disabilities
Full accommodations are the legal right of students with all kinds of disabilities, whether learning or physical. If you have a disability documented by Davidson College and might need accommodations, please discuss this with your professors within the first week or two of class, so that we can learn how to best work with your learning style. All such discussions will be confidential unless you otherwise stipulate.
The College welcomes requests for accommodations related to disability and will grant those that are determined to be reasonable and maintain the integrity of a program or curriculum. To make such a request or to begin a conversation about a possible request, please contact the Office of Academic Access and Disability Resources, which is located in the Center for Teaching and Learning in the E.H. Little Library: Beth Bleil, Director, bebleil@davidson.edu, 704-894-2129; or Alysen Beaty, Assistant Director, albeaty@davidson.edu, 704-894-2939. It is best to submit accommodation requests within the drop/add period; however, requests can be made at any time in the semester. Please keep in mind that accommodations are not retroactive.
Religious Observances
Please look carefully at the syllabus during the first week of class. If any of the assignments conflict with a major religious holiday for your faith, then please let us know. We will make every effort to make the necessary accommodations.
Easter Eggs
If you have read this entire page, send a picture of your favorite meme or gif to suchurchill@davidson.edu and surichard@davidson.edu.
