digital dickens

7/31/2019 Digital Dickens

1/9

Dickens in the Digital AgeEngl. 183, Spring 2013, San Jos State University

Dr. Katherine D. Harris

Email: [email protected]: www.sjsu.edu/faculty/harris

Office: FO 220

Phone: (408) 924-4475Office Hours: TBD + online tools

Twitter: @triproftri

Google Chat: dr.katherine.harris

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) became one of the most prolific novelists of the nineteenth-centuryby marketing his writing through new forms of print. His serialized fiction appealed to the

popular masses from England to America, a popularity that was strengthened by Dickens'

willingness to perform to live audiences. Along with his serials, magazine essays, editorialduties, political essays, Dickens also appealed for international copyright surely inspired by the

piracy of his novels but also in recognition that authorship was a commercial endeavor and a

form of intellectual property.

In this course, we will explore Charles Dickens' writings in the context of nineteenth-centuryprint culture, a rising industrialized nation, and that nation's imperialist ethos. In addition to

reading physical facsimiles of a few of Dickens' serialized novels, participants will researchDickens' enduring impact on the nineteenth-century and beyond; participants will also engage in

lively discussions with Dickens experts from the UC Santa Cruz Dickens Universe and our own

local Dickens scholars. Our concluding project will involve creating a digital scholarly edition ofthe originalHard Times serials currently held in the SJSU Special Collections. With the help of

the Special Collections Director, Dr. Danelle Moon, and with the support of the Dean of King

Library, Dr. Ruth Kifer, the resulting project will become a part of public scholarship about this

internationally-renowned author. (Technical ability requirements: know how to email!)

COURSE RATIONALE & ADDITIONAL STUDENT LEARNING GOALSThis course will provide an interdisciplinary experience with History, Film, Communication, andLibrary Science students in addition to exposing students to cutting edge digital tools. Students

will establish digital literacy and technical proficiency with a number of (freely available)

computer programs (Google Docs, screencasting, video production, dynamic timelines,concordance creators, linguistic analytics) as well as learn to collaborate productively. We will

focus on establishing visual and information literacy by considering the relationship between

visual culture and literary texts. With the overwhelming amount of information about Dickens(e.g., three movie adaptations ofGreat Expectations in the last 15 years!), students will learn to

become discriminating researchers and will articulate the value of multi-media resources through

a series of writing assignments. The final collaborative project will also imbue students with the

ability to practice and comment upon the preservation of cultural materials. In the end, the goalof this project-centered course is to encourage students to create open access materials that will

become public scholarship.


2/9

Instructor Experience

I have employed this type of scaffolded final project in the TechnoRomanticism course wherestudents created a digital version of Mary Shelley'sFrankenstein. Each student created a website

about an individual chapter; the final projects were allowed to move between scholarly and

experimental. The most interesting was a project about current Frankenstein-style

creatures/monsters in today's media (with Lady Gaga as the prime example). From this project, Ilearned that I needed to scaffold the assignments more clearly and to insert a few exercises about

analyzing visual materials (such as engravings, movies, photographs) from a scholarly point of

view.

I have also used the timeline assignment successfully in another version of the TechnoRomantics

course (available here:http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/harris/TechnoRom_F09/RomanticTimeline.htm). For this course on

Dickens, we will populate the timeline and then incorporate it into the final digital project.

All of the digital projects and skills intended for this course inherently alter the learningstrategies; however, the literature is still the primary focus of this course: the tools help students

gain experience in researching, writing, analyzing materials. By encouraging students to buildin

a digital environment, we teach the skills that enhance their critical thinking and provide themwith an opportunity to learn collaboration that will demonstrate their collective learning to a

larger audience.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students shall achieve the ability to write complete essays that demonstrate advanced proficiency

in allof the following:1. Read closely in a variety of forms, styles, structures, and modes, and articulate the

value of close reading in the study of literature, creative writing, or rhetoric.

2. Show familiarity with major literary works, genres, periods, and critical approaches to

British, American, and World Literature.3. Write clearly, effectively, and creatively, and adjust writing style appropriately to the

content, the context, and nature of the subject.

4. Develop and carry out research projects, and locate, evaluate, organize, andincorporate information effectively.

5. Articulate the relations among culture, history, and texts.

REQUIRED BOOKS & MATERIALS

A Tale of Two Cities

Oliver TwistAmerican Notes

Old Curiosity Shop

The Pickwick Papers

Great Expectations

Hard TimesEmail & Turnitin Accounts

Suggested(most on Reserve in King Library):

A Research Guide for Undergraduates in English & American Literature. MLA, 2006.

Harmon, William and C. Hugh Holman.A Handbook to Literature.MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: MLA, 2009.

2
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/harris/TechnoRom_F09/RomanticTimeline.htmhttp://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/harris/TechnoRom_F09/RomanticTimeline.htm


3/9

Hacker, Diana.A Writers Reference (or other writing handbook)

GRADE DISTRIBUTION

10% Class Discussion, Participation, Keywords Glossary & Blogging (SLO 1)

10% Discussion Forum Posts & Character Analysis Glossary (SLO 3,4,5)

20% Collaborative Research Presentation & Timeline (SLO1,2,3,4,5)20% Serials Presentation & Short Essay (SLO1,2,3,4,5)

40% Final Collaborative Project (SLO 3,4,5)

Class Discussion & ParticipationThis course studies the writings and impact of a single author. His career was varied,

complicated, far-reaching, and representative of all that was both good and bad aboutindustrialized, imperial England. Since we will build on our characterization of Dickens,

England, and print culture from the first day of class, your participation in each class meeting is

imperative. Our meeting space is the technology-rich environment of the Incubator Classroom

where we will respond to each other in online forums, evaluate electronic resources and sharestrategies, successes and failures in our scholarly adventures. The technology, though sometimes

daunting, will actually enhance our discussions and has the capability to improve research as

well as writing skills. (We will host a technical skills lab every few weeks for tutorials in digitaltools.) It requires a commitment to participating, though. Each participant will demonstrate

her/his preparedness by raising questions, sharing interesting materials and presentingeffectively, among other things. For further tips on performing well in class, see below.

A students participation is assessed by his/her contribution throughout the semester. Use the

following as guidelines for this portion of your final grade:

To earn a "C," do the minimum: read and prepare assigned readings so you are never at a

loss if you are asked a question, but speak only when called upon, do "ordinary," plain-

vanilla presentations and responses. This is the "bottom line" for getting a "C" in this part

of the course.

To earn a "B," prepare assigned readings thoroughly, initiate discussions about them byasking good questions or suggesting ways to interpret readings, do presentations that

reveal that you have done good additional work that you can make both interesting and

meaningful to our discussions, and participate actively in those discussions.

For an "A," take it up another level entirely: prepare readings thoroughly, find and talk

about connections among them and among other aspects of culture (then and now), take a

real leadership role in class discussions, including working actively to get others involved

in the talk, make your presentations and responses "sparkle" by bringing to themsomething really special in terms of your own contributions, interests, skills, and abilities

to think in broad even interdisciplinary terms. Most of all, remember that an "A"

indicates the very best grade a person can get; that should tell you what sort of work youneed to do to earn the grade of "A."

If you miss class, contact a classmate for notes, reading assignments and handouts or, betteryet, check our Course Website.

3


4/9

Keywords (Defining Print Culture) Glossary & Blogging

Our Moodle offers each participant the space to blog. I encourage you to use this blog space tokeep notes, ideas or random thoughts about the class perhaps youd like to remind yourself to

check on an interesting digital resource or check on some publication history. On particular days

throughout the semester, I will ask you to blog during class. Though I will read your blog entries,they will not be graded since blogging is such an informal medium.

Because we will discuss various types of novels and literary devices, it is necessary to provide

keywords at the outset of each class. Each week, I will add the keywords to a Defining PrintCulture glossary. It's up to you to define the keywords based on the discussions and lectures.

This is an ungraded exercise intended to help you keep track of our various literary terms. When

defining a term, be sure to include your name. We will visit the glossary often throughout thesemester, sometimes even providing a star rating for entries. Both of these exercises will be

rolled into your Participation grade.

Discussion Forum Posts & Character Analysis Glossary

The first graded writing will be your Intellectual Autobiography (300 words) posted to your

Moodle profile. Every week, we may spend the first 10-20 minutes of a class session writing aDiscussion Forum post to an assigned question about the current reading assignment in effect,the Forum acts as a warm-up for class discussions. Each post will receive a grade based on the

quality of your response. Since this is posted to our public Discussion Forum, everyone will be

able to read and respond to each others posts. We will discuss what makes an effective response.

On the final day of any reading, we will work on a Character Analysis Glossary. On these days,

prepare 300 words about any character in the novel and post to the Glossary prior to the start ofclass. (If there is already an entry for your character, add yours to that entry or edit the other

entry. However, be sure to put your initials at the conclusion of the entry!) During class, we will

review, discuss and possibly rate the entries. There will be no make-up for these in-class

writings; you simply receive a zero for that essay. The lowest post and glossary entry grade willbe dropped.

Collaborative Research Presentation & Timeline

In preparation for our final collaborative project, students will be divided into Research

Presentation groups. This Collaborative Presentation, a group of students will research the

production, illustrations, reviews, etc. of a novel and present those findings on that novels firstday (20 mins). A brief piece of writing (300 words) will be submitted to mark the groups

presentation. Each Research Presentation will be graded on its effectiveness and clarity. To

enhance your presentation, you may use handouts, digital information or dramatic performance.Further instructions will be distributed.

Serials Presentation & Essay

One of the greatest inventions during the nineteenth century was the serialized novel. Toadequately understand this reading experience, each student will read, present on and write an

essay (600 words) about a serial installment of one of Dickens novels (serials will be supplied).

Post your essay to the Serials Presentation Discussion Forum prior to the start of class on the daythat you present. Detailed instructions will be provided later.

4


5/9

Final Collaborative Project

For our final project, we will produce a digital scholarly edition of Charles Dickens' serializednovel,Hard Times. Currently, SJSU Special Collections holds these original serials. After

spending some time reading them, we will collaborate on digitizing, annotating, scanning,

creating the digital interface, and writing essays about these particular serials. All previous workthroughout the semester is meant to be used for this final project. For instance, think about your

serials assignment as a first draft to writing about serials. In the end, students will take ondifferent roles according to their strengths, e.g., perhaps one student is best at general editor

responsibilities while another has good project management skills and yet another wants to be incharge of over-seeing the scanning. SJSU Special Collections will provide the labor of scanning

the serials and the digital platform (most likely Omeka) is user-friendly and freely available

online. The entire project will be scaffolded with several assignments that will help us gauge ourprogress and handle the workload. We will learn some digital skills during this project, but the

primary focus will be on becoming scholars of Dickens' work then and now.

Collaboration will become part of the grade in this project. Collaboration differs from group

work in that the project requires that all participants assign roles based on individual strengths.

Just as with any professional scholarly endeavor, we will hold brainstorming days to discuss thebest possible way to represent our research and these serials in a digital realm. From thesediscussions, the project deepens its intellectual pursuit. (Group work is typically more about

divide and conquer a class project; we won't do this.)

As with any project, the rubric for assessment will be provided at the outset of the project. And,

similar to any professional environment, participants will occasionally provide feedback for each

other.

GRADING POLICY

The Department of English reaffirms its commitment to the differential grading scale as defined

in the official SJSU Catalog(The Grading System). Grades issued must represent a full rangeof student performance: A = excellent; B = above average; C = average; D = below average; F =

failure.

In English Department courses, instructors will comment on and grade the quality of student

writing as well as the quality of the ideas being conveyed. All student writing should be

distinguished by correct grammar and punctuation, appropriate diction and syntax, and well-organized paragraphs.

For your final grades, 100-90 is an A, 89-80 is a B, 79-70 is a C, 69-60 is a D, and below 60 is anF. Pluses and minuses are the middle of each range. In calculating the final grade, a set number

will represent each letter grade; for example, B+ is 87.5, B is 85, and B- is 82.5.

5


6/9

COURSE POLICIES

Late Assignments/Essays

If you cannot meet an essay deadline, you must contact me at least 48 hours priorto our class

meeting to discuss the situation. If this is not done, forevery day that an essay is late, you will be

penalized one grade step: A becomes A-, A- becomes a B+, etc. The weekend will count as oneday. Unless you have prior permission or the assignment specifically requests it, absolutely no

assignment will be accepted via email.

Classroom & Online Environment

Respect your fellow students and I: Arrive on time (excessive tardiness will effect your

participation grade) and do not partake in disruptive behavior. We will all be respectful of each

other in both our face-to-face and online communications. If you are late, wait for an appropriatemoment to enter so you do not disturb the class. Turn off cell phones or put them on silent mode

during the class period. You are welcome to use your laptop with the caveat that it is used to

enhance our discussions.

Email Protocols, Office Hours & Online Contact

Email is the best possible way to contact me (9am-5pm) and has the added bonus of recordingour conversations. When emailing me, please consider it a formal communication: include theappropriate salutation, your name, your question/comment, and be aware of tone. Know that long

conversations over email are not fruitful merely because of the limitations of technology. If you

have an extended question or dilemma that cannot be answered by our online materials, pleasevisit me during office hours, schedule a phone conference, or arrange for an online chat/video

chat. If Im in my office, I will usually turn on Google Chat. You might also be able to get my

attention on Twitter. I will amass a class email list and will occasionally send out informationregarding our meetings or the readings.Please provide an email address that you check daily.

Google Chat ID: drkatherineharris

Skype ID: katherinedharris

Twitter ID: triproftri

GENERAL INFORMATION & ACADEMIC POLICIES

(The usual stuff inserted here but left out because it makes this proposal too long!)

6


7/9

SCHEDULE OF READINGS & ASSIGNMENTS

(This is a sketch of the semester; scaffolding assignments will be done with the final schedule if

this course is approved)

Week 1 Intro to 19th C Print Culture: making serials & selling the book

Intro to Print Culture Glossary & first entries (will be done weekly)Intro to Discussion Forum Posts (will be done weekly)

Intro to Character Analysis glossary (make selections)

Week 2: Timeline Tutorial for Collaborative PresentationSkills Lab, Group Membership

Readings: A Tale of Two Cities & A Child's History of England

Week 3: Dickens, Biological Determinism & Imperialism

Readings: Oliver Twist& anti-semitism

Special Guest: expert on 19th-century colonialism

Week 4: Dickens & America

Readings:American Notes

Week 5: Dickens & Other Genres

Readings: Sketches by Boz, Sunday Under Three Heads, Drama, Opera,

Poetry (2 inKeepsake)

Week 6: Serializing Dickens: Reading practices in 19th C Culture

Readings: Old Curiosity Shop in All the Year Round

Week 7: 19th Century illustrations & engravings

Exercises on reading visual culture using online databases

Week 8: Read & Present about Dickens serials

Readings: choice ofGreat Expectations, Pickwick Papers, Hard Times

Weeks 9 & 10:Dickens, Social Issues, and the Picaresque Novel

Readings: Great Expectations

Week 11: Remixing, Reusing, Revising Great Expectations

Watch films that revise Great Expectations & integrate various

conclusions to the novel

Weeks 12-16 Final Project: create digital edition of Special CollectionsHard Times project

7


8/9

Dr. Katherine D. Harris Name:_______________________________

Dickens (Engl. 183)

Spring 2013 E-mail:_______________________________

STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE

Please respond using complete sentences

1. Indicate if you are an English major, minor or other. Are you a sophomore, junior or senior?

2. Have you taken any pre-1900 literature courses or post-1900 literature courses? Have you

taken Engl. 56A (British Survey to 1800), Engl. 56B (1800 to Present) or Engl. 144(Shakespeare)?

3. Do you have access to a computer at home? Yes No

(If not, become familiar with SJSU's computer labs.)

4. Briefly summarize the important policies presented on this syllabus.

5. Write one or two sentences defining plagiarism.

6. Write a briefparagraph explaining what literature means to you.

7. Write a briefparagraph about Charles Dickens (what do you know already?).

8. What kind of technical/digital skills do you already have? (email, texting, social networking,

blogging, editing?)

By signing below, the individual acknowledges receiving (and reading) a copy of the classsyllabus that details the schedule of work, participation requirements, grading criteria and other

8


9/9

important information. The individual also acknowledges understanding of plagiarism and its

consequences.

Name:_________________________ Signature:_________________________

9

digital dickens

Documents