Women, Technology, and Art
ICLT 331-F01
Catalog Description
This course takes the nature of experiment as its subject, considering the ways women have shaped the art of the novel, poetic form, science fiction, visual art, graphic narratives, and the tech industry. Our case studies range from popular and classic texts to performances and films. Analyzing various forms of media, students will experiment in print and online, writing essays and creating digital projects.
Instructor Information
Instructor: Dr. Amanda Golden
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: womendigart.weebly.com; Blackboard
Office hours: Zoom, 7-8pm on Sundays, and by appointment
Course Information
Term and date: Summer 2018
Course Number and Section: ICLT 300-F01, Credits: 3
Meeting times: Online Course
Required Texts
Nnedi Okorafor, Binti. Tor.com, 2015. ISBN: 978-0765385253
Gerald Graff, et al, "They Say / I Say": The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. 3rd Edition.
New York: Norton, 2016. ISBN: 978-0393617436
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar. HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN: 978-0060837020
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own. Harcourt, 2005. Ed. Mark Hussey, ISBN: 978-0156030410
Additional readings will be available on Google Drive
Course Overview
This course takes the nature of experiment as its subject, considering such topics as the art of the novel, poetic form, science fiction, visual art, graphic narratives, and the tech industry. Our case studies begin with two college students, Sylvia Plath’s aspiring writer in her novel The Bell Jar (1963) and Nnedi Okorafor’s STEM heroine in her Afrofuturist novel Binti (2015). We then turn to film adaptations of Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein (1818), Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own (1929), and avant garde poetry and aesthetics from Mina Loy and Laurie Anderson to Cecilia Vicuña. We will also survey the state of gender in the tech industry from Gamergate and Maker Culture to organizations like FemTechNet and Girls Who Code, and discuss The Internet of Women (2016), a collection of essays co-edited by NYIT’s Dean of the School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, Dr. Nada Anid. Students in this course will write essays, contribute to a course blog, and complete digital projects.
Student Learning Outcomes and Methods of Assessment
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Discuss social, cultural, and historical, issues that women writers and artists address.
(Core: Communication, Literacy, Critical/Analytical Thinking, Interdisciplinary Mindset and Skills, Ethical/Moral and Civic Engagement, and Global Perspective/World View)
2. Interpret stylistic features of literary texts and forms of media and how these features affect the impact of each text. (Core: Communication, Literacy, Critical/Analytical Thinking)
3. Compose a focused, organized, and clearly written analysis of literary texts. (Core: Communication, Literacy, Critical/Analytical Thinking, Global Perspective/World View)
4. Locate and evaluate research sources and incorporate and document them appropriately in writing, oral presentations, and digital projects.
(Core: Communication, Literacy, Critical/Analytical Thinking, Ethical/Moral and Civic Engagement)
5. Analyze different forms of media and work from different disciplines.
(Core: Communication, Literacy, Critical/Analytical Thinking, Interdisciplinary Mindset and Skills)
6. Work effectively in groups to interpret texts. (Core: Communication, Literacy, Critical/Analytical Thinking, Interdisciplinary Mindset and Skills, Global Perspective/World View)
Methods of Assessment that allow the instructor to assess the above learning outcomes as follows:
Writing in class and completing blog postings—Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 5
Discussing texts and forms of media—Outcomes 1, 2, 5, 6
Analyzing materials from different disciplines and the ways that they inform each other—Outcomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Contributing to group tasks discussing global texts and interpreting them using digital tools—Outcomes 1, 2, 5, 6
Participating in peer review process for essays—Outcomes 1, 2, 6
Giving presentations (podcasts or videos)—Outcomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Writing literary analysis essay—Outcomes 1, 2, 3
Completing research project—Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Reading Assignments
For every reading assignment, students are expected to read the assigned pages thoroughly and carefully, taking detailed notes that they can refer to in class.
Writing Assignments
All writing assignments must be typed in 12-point and double-spaced, and thoroughly proofread. Papers must be submitted on Blackboard at least thirty minutes before class on the due date indicated on the syllabus. Do not include your name in documents submitted on Blackboard.
Grading
Grade Scale:
100-94 A 79-77 C+
93-90 A- 76-74 C
89-87 B+ 73-70 C-
86-84 B 69-67 D+
83-80 B- 66-60 D
59-below F
Analytical Essay: 20%
Discussion Board, Online Assignments, and Blog Postings: 50%
Script and Podcast or Video: 30%
Attendance and Participation for Online Course
Online participation includes reading posts and making substantive comments to others.
Online attendance is mandatory. This means that you must do the required work on your own. This weekly online work involves posting your interpretation of the literature we are reading as well as responding to at least two other students’ interpretation in the forum.
Discussion Board Postings
You will post on our Blackboard Discussion Board on dates indicated on the syllabus. Questions and topics for postings will be on Blackboard. Your postings will be between 50-100 words for each question and engage the question or topic in depth, analyzing quotations and examples when appropriate. Your responses should interpret and analyze course readings, building from previous topics we have discussed. Because these postings are short, you are encouraged to develop your own impressions, rather than consult internet sources. If you do consult internet or any other sources, you must cite them. Cutting and pasting any material you do not cite from websites is plagiarism.
Discussion board postings will be assessed using the following rubric:
4: Exceptional. The discussion board post is focused and coherently integrates examples with explanations or analysis. The post demonstrates awareness of its own limitations or implications, and it considers multiple perspectives when appropriate. The entry reflects in-depth engagement with the topic.
3: Satisfactory. The discussion post is reasonably focused, and explanations or analysis are mostly based on examples or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The post reflects moderate engagement with the topic.
2: Underdeveloped. The discussion board post is mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. The post reflects passing engagement with the topic.
1: Limited. The discussion board post is unfocused, or simply rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic.
0: No Credit. The discussion board post is missing or consists of one or two disconnected sentences.
Adapted from https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/a-rubric-for-evaluating-student-blogs/27196
Replying to Others
Exceptional. Responses to classmates' postings are clear, specific and forward dialogue with them, asking questions of them as well as making useful comments.
Good. Responses to classmates' postings are clearly worded. Developing ideas; sometimes stimulates discussion.
Underdeveloped. Responses to classmates' postings are often worded in confusing manner and show little sense of what others have written.
No Credit. Abusive or distracting comments; persistent lack of participation.
Blog Entries and Comments
Throughout the term you will post on dates indicated on the syllabus. The prompt for each posting will be on our course website under "Blog Posting Assignments." You must also comment on at least one of your peers’ blog postings within 48 hours of the dates in which they are due. Our blog will be limited to members of our class and not available to the public. Your blog entries must be at least 250 words and analyze quotations from the text as well as an image, sound, or video clip that you will include or indicate with a link. Blog postings provide an opportunity to shed light on the contexts that inform the texts we will read. You should build from the topics we have addressed in class and in our projects, taking the readings a step further and posing questions for your classmates to consider. The blog is also a place where you can receive feedback as you develop your projects. You must cite all sources you consult in a list of works cited, including the course texts.
Blog Postings will be assessed using the following rubric:
4: Exceptional. The blog post has a focused thesis and coherently integrates examples with explanations or analysis. The post demonstrates awareness of its own limitations or implications, and it considers multiple perspectives when appropriate. The entry reflects in-depth engagement with the topic. It also demonstrates correct use of grammar, punctuation, and MLA style.
3: Satisfactory. The blog post is reasonably focused, and explanations or analysis are mostly based on examples or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The post reflects moderate engagement with the topic. It contains some errors in use of grammar, punctuation, or MLA style.
2: Underdeveloped. The blog post is mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. The post reflects passing engagement with the topic. It contains many errors in use of grammar, punctuation, or MLA style.
1: Limited. The blog post is unfocused, or simply rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic.
0: No Credit. The blog post is missing or consists of one or two disconnected sentences.
Adapted from https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/a-rubric-for-evaluating-student-blogs/27196
Replying to Others
Exceptional. Responses to classmates' postings are clear, specific and forward dialogue with them, asking questions of them as well as making useful comments.
Good. Responses to classmates' postings are clearly worded. Developing ideas; sometimes stimulates discussion.
Underdeveloped. Responses to classmates' postings are often worded in confusing manner and show little sense of what others have written.
No Credit. Abusive or distracting comments; persistent lack of participation.
Course Policies
1. Make your deadlines. Late assignments will not be accepted. Know and keep your deadlines. All due dates are posted in this syllabus.
2. Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Policies. Each student enrolled in a course at NYIT agrees that, by taking such course, he or she consents to the submission of all required papers for textual similarity review to any commercial service engaged by NYIT to detect plagiarism. Each student also agrees that all papers submitted to any such service may be included as source documents in the service’s database, solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.
Plagiarism is the appropriation of all or part of someone else’s works (such as but not limited to writing, coding, programs, images, etc.) and offering it as one’s own. Cheating is using false pretenses, tricks, devices, artifices or deception to obtain credit on an examination or in a college course. If a faculty member determines that a student has committed academic dishonesty by plagiarism, cheating or in any other manner, the faculty has the academic right to 1) fail the student for the paper, assignment, project and/or exam, and/or 2) fail the student for the course and/or 3) bring the student up on disciplinary charges, pursuant to Article VI, Academic Conduct Proceedings, of the Student Code of Conduct.
Cheating on an examination or assignment in this course will result in a zero for the examination or assignment and the matter will be reported to the appropriate college authorities as per the Student Handbook. A second incident of cheating on an examination will result in failure for the course.
In your writing for this class, you are encouraged to refer to other people's thoughts and writing -- as long as you cite them.
If you are ever in doubt about whether you are citing something correctly, please contact the professor.
You must list all sources you consult in your works cited list. You must cite web pages.
In moments of crisis students sometimes make decisions that they would not otherwise make. If you find yourself in a situation that affects your work in this class, please contact the instructor.
3. Original Work. All of your assignments must be created originally for this class only. Work submitted for other courses or created before the start of this course will not be accepted.
4. Computer Access. According to university policy, all students are required to own or have access to a computer system off campus with connectivity to the Internet and an installed or current version of Microsoft Office. NOTE: Microsoft Works is not compatible with Microsoft Office.
5. NYIT Withdrawal and Incomplete Grade Policy. A student may withdraw from a course without penalty through the end of the 8th week of class during a 14- or 15-week semester and through the 8th meeting during an 8week course cycle. After this, the student must be doing passing work in order to receive a W grade. Students who are not passing after the 8th week or equivalent will be assigned the grade of WF.
It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor of his/her intention to withdraw from a course. If a student has stopped attending class without completing all assignments and/or examinations, failing grades for the missing work may be factored into the final grade calculation and the instructor for the course may assign the grade of WF. The grade of F is used for students who have completed the course but whose quality of work is below the standard for passing.
Withdrawal forms are available in departmental offices and once completed must be filed with the registrar. Students should be reminded that a W notation could negatively impact their eligibility for financial aid and/or V.A. benefits, as it may change the student’s enrollment status (full-time, part-time, less than part-time). International students may also jeopardize their visa status if they fail to maintain full-time status.
The temporary grade of Incomplete (I) shall change to a failing grade (IF) if the student does not complete the work by the end of the allotted time. Grades of IF become part of the student's CUM.
Library Resources. All students can access the NYIT virtual library from both on and off campus at www.nyit.edu/library. The same login you use to access NYIT e-mail and NYITConnect will also give you access to the library’s resources from off campus.
On the left side of the library’s home page, you will find the “Library Catalog” and the “Find Journals” sections. In the middle of the home page you will find “Research Guides;” select “Video Tutorials” to find information on using the library’s resources and doing research.
Should you have any questions, please look under “Library Services” to submit a web-based “Ask-A-Librarian” form.
Additional Resources for Further Learning
If you would like additional help in the course, please contact your instructor for guidance. You can also access Brainfuse (online tutoring, 24/7) using My NYIT.
Support for Students with Disabilities
NYIT adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504. The Office of Accessibility Services actively supports students in the pursuit of their academic and career goals. Identification of oneself as an individual with disability is voluntary and confidential. Students wishing to receive accommodations, referrals and other services are encouraged to contact the Office of Accessibility Services as early in the semester as possible, although requests can be made throughout the academic year. To contact the Office of Accessibility Services please send an e-mail to [email protected] or call (516) 686-4934 for the Old Westbury campus and (212) 261-1759 for the Manhattan campus.
Weekly Schedule (Subject to Change)
Assignments and readings are due on the dates below.
All Assignments (Discussion Board Postings, Blog Postings, Writing Assignments, Rough and Final Drafts, Other Online Assignments) are due Sunday of each week by eleven p.m., est.
Week One: May 23-27
1. Read Virginia Woolf, “A Society” (1921) from Monday or Tuesday and E. M. Forster, “The Machine Stops” (1909). You can also use the Audiobooks App.
2. Discussion Board Posting Due.
Week Two: May 28-June 3
1. Read Plath, The Bell Jar 1-50 (Ch. 1-4).
2. View video regarding the Rosenberg Trial.
3. Read They Say/I Say Introduction and Chapter 1; Review Index of Templates.
4. Discussion Board Posting Due.
Week Three: June 4-10
1. Read The Bell Jar 50-98 (Ch. 5-8).
2. Read excerpts from Tracy Brain, The Other Sylvia Plath (2001) (on Google Drive).
3. Mapping New York Assignment.
Week Four: June 11-17
1. Read The Bell Jar 99-153 (Ch. 9-12); and 236-244 (Ch. 20).
2. Read They Say/I Say chapter 3 and Understanding Rhetoric Issue 4.
3. Workshop Sample Essay – Google Docs Assignment
4. Blog Posting 1 Due
Week Five: June 18-24
1.Read Plath’s poems, “The Colossus,” “Ariel,” “Lady Lazarus,” and “Daddy.”
2. Listen to recordings of Plath reading her poems and 1962 interview.
3. Complete Discussion Board Poem Annotating Assignment.
4. Online Peer review using Discussion Board.
5. Analytical Essay Rough Draft Due.
Week Six: June 25-July 1
1. Analytical Essay Final Draft Due.
2. Read first third of Binti.
Week Seven: July 2-8
1.Finish Binti.
2. View interview with Okorafor.
3. Blog Posting 2 Due.
Week Eight: July 9-15
1. View Adichie, "We Should All Be Feminists" TED Talk,
2. Read chapter from The Internet of Women, ed. Nada Anid, et al.
3. Infographic Assignment Due.
Week Nine: July 16-22
1.View selections from Young Frankenstein and Frankenstein (1931)
2. Discussion Board Posting Due.
Week Ten: July 23-29
1.Read first half of Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own.
2. Listen to recording of the Voice of Virginia Woolf.
3. View first half of Eileen Atkins, A Room of One's Own.
4. Discussion Board Posting Due.
Week Eleven: July 30-August 5
1.Read Second Half of A Room of One's Own.
2. View second half of Eileen Atkins, A Room of One's Own.
3. Read Sample Script.
4. Blog Posting 3 Due.
Week Twelve: August 6-12
1. Script and Podcast or Video Proposal Due.
2. Read Mina Loy, "Feminist Manifesto," "Brancusi's Golden Bird," and "Auto-Facial-Construction."
3. View Laurie Anderson recordings, O Superman and Home of the Brave.
4. Digital Postcard for Mina Loy: Navigating the Avant-Garde.
Week Thirteen: August 13-19
1.Script and Podcast or Video Rough Draft Due.
2. Online Peer Review.
Week Fourteen: August 20-26
1. Script and Podcast or Video Final Draft Due.
2. End of term reflections due.