Projects and Applications

 
Course Expectations

This is a collaborative course–encouraging experimentation, intellectual curiosity, and creative making. We will explore multimodal literacies through engagements with course ‘texts’ – and through ‘hands-on’ multimodal production and  design.

  • Attendance and Participation  10%

Attendance in class is mandatory and  participation means active engagement with readings, your active collaboration in groups (break out rooms), and your in-class exploration of tools and models, theories and practices. If you will not be present, please notify me ahead of class. Attendance will be taken using Zoom.

Read all assigned texts (readings and videos) closely. This means creating some kind of ‘meta-text’ for each reading/text. That is, as you read, develop a note-taking, annotation and/or mind-mapping  system for yourself (or collaborate with others in your own informal reading groups of your own design). As you read: Identify new terms, central concepts and key quotes; map out your take-away points; jot down your critical reflections and/or any connections to personal experiences.

  • Weekly Reflections and/or Multimodal Applications (50%)

Short semi-weekly creative applications and/or critical reflections based on what we have engaged, read, or done in class.

You will design a digital portfolio/website (application 1) that will showcase your (semi-weekly) critical reflections and/or multimodal artefacts. Some of these productions will ask you to explore, experiment and create with, and then critically reflect upon multimodal literacies/practices.

Your website will contain a total of 7 reflections/creative artifacts  (inclusive of application 1) / at least 2 of these reflections will go toward directly supporting your practice project below.

  •  Developing a Multimodal Practice (40%)

This course-long project will invite you to select a tool(set) and engage deeply in a new (for you) multimodal practice.  The main idea of this project is apply multimodality and tool use as part of a skilled practice of learning (doing) and multimodal making.

You will become (as much as possible in 12 week course) a skilled practitioner in the art or practice you select, and you will document what and how you learn through the process.

I will provide a suggested list of tools/resources below (though you can ultimately direct your own course of learning based on your own interests). But the essential point is that you engage a practice that is new to you.

By the end of the course you will have: 1) some kind of culminating artefact(s) that demonstrates your deep engagement with the multimodal making practice 2) documentation of learning with concrete evidence (video, screencapture, photos, field notes) telling me what and how you learned; your process; challenges and means of overcoming them; what resources you mobilized to learn 3) a final accompanying ‘meta-text’ (2 pages max) that provides a reflection (multimodal analysis) of your own process and product.

  • Video/Film Production
  • Game Design & Interactive Systems: Twine, RenPy, Unity, etc.
  • Musical Practice: Modular Synthesis (I have a tutorial set to support learning this practice with a free tool)
  • Material-based craft/artistic/making practice.

Brief Project Proposal (Due by Week 4) No more than half a page. Address: 

  • What skilled practice do you want to deeply engage?
  • What media tools do you wish to deeply engage?
  • How will you document your learning process over time?
  • What will be your culminating artefact/s?

Presentation: As part of this project mark, on the last day we will have a ‘work-in-progress’ group presentation party. We will share our projects, process, and provide/ receive critical feedback. Final Projects (in whatever form) will be due by the following week.


Assignment Submission/Lateness: Proper academic performance depends on students doing their work not only well, but on time. Accordingly, assignments for this course must be received on the due date specified for the assignment. Assignments are to be handed in on your course portfolio/website (with an accompanying email to notify me), unless otherwise stated in class. Should you need to submit an assignment late, or require an extension, contact me in advance of the due date.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Absences: This course involves both theoretical and hands-on work with concepts and tools surrounding new media literacies. It is important that you attend every class, as you will often be working in groups and trying out different tools in class. If you cannot attend class, please email me and, if possible, inform a member of your group (preferably before class). An attendance sheet will be distributed each class, which you will sign to indicate you are present (or for online courses I use Zoom to take attendance). If you know you will be absent for a class, please let me know as soon as possible so we can work together to ensure you can make up what you will miss.

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS

All students are expected to familiarize themselves with the following information, available on the Senate Committee on Academic Standards, Curriculum & Pedagogy webpage (see Reports, Initiatives, Documents) – https://secretariat.info.yorku.ca/files/CourseInformationForStudentsAugust2012-.pdf

  • Senate Policy on Academic Honesty and the Academic Integrity Website
  • Ethics Review Process for research involving human participants
  • Course requirement accommodation for students with disabilities, including physical, medical, systemic, learning and psychiatric disabilities
  • Student Conduct Standards
  • Religious Observance Accommodation

Grading: York System (Graduate)

Grading System
 A+  Exceptional  90 – 100%
 A  Excellent  85 – 89%
 A-  High  80 – 84%
B+  Highly Satisfactory  75 – 79%
B  Satisfactory  70 – 74%
C  Conditional  60 – 69%
F  Failure  0 – 59%
I  Incomplete  N/A