ENGL 720
Textual Studies in the Digital Age:
Doing Things with Novels, Fall 2022

Instructor: Jeff Allred
Class Meetings: Mon 6:30-8:30
Office Hours: M/Th 1-2pm via Zoom and by appointment

Contact me: [email protected]

Course Blog: https://dh720fa22.commons.gc.cuny.edu

Course Group: https://commons.gc.cuny.edu/groups/dh-720-fa22

Hypothes.is group: https://hypothes.is/groups/BvvYVX6B/dh720fa22

Course Description:

The novel, whose very name is associated with the new, is starting to look a bit antiquated. It demands of us long, uninterrupted stretches of time; it projects a world hermetically sealed from the buzzing data flows that travel in our pockets and around our desks; it resolutely resists—Kindles and iPhones notwithstanding—being ripped from between printed covers and scattered in the cloud(s). This course will examine the past and future of the novel genre, attempting to link the history of what William Warner calls the dominant entertainment platform of the nineteenth century to the present moment, in which an increasing share of our “serious” reading and “light” entertainments alike unfold on networked screens of all kinds. We will examine this dynamic along two axes. First, we will read classic and recent work on the history and theory of the novel, with a particular emphasis on reading practices and cultural technologies. Second, we will do things with novels other than simply read them, exploring new possibilities for engaging the genre via the affordances of digital technology. For example, we will remediate a printed novel by creating a DIY audiobook; we will transform a novel by “playing” it as a role-playing-game; we will annotate a novel, creating a new edition to orient lay readers to its cultural historical underpinnings.

Requirements: rigorous reading, informal writing (on a course blog), enthusiastic participation, participation in collaborative digital projects and a final essay or project.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the semester, students will gain

• knowledge of overarching themes of the “digital humanities”
• mastery of several techniques associated with the digital humanities, including the collaborative production and publication of textual editions (e.g., audiobook, annotated edition), the use of games as a mode of scholarly inquiry, and the use of digital text analysis techniques
• awareness of historical antecedents for emerging cultural technologies, such as the audiobook and the online edition
• experience writing in shared, collaborative online writing spaces and practices, especially the WordPress blogging platform
• familiarity with several landmark literary texts, and critical discussions of them

Responsibilities:

• four blog posts of 500-800 words + informal commenting on others’ posts
• occasional annotation of primary and secondary texts using hypothes.is platform
• participation in three small “building/sharing” projects
• final project OR topic of your own devising based on original research (ca. 15 pp. or equivalent)
• regular attendance and participation in all discussions

Grading:

I will give detailed guidelines for the blog posts, annotations, collaborative projects, and final projects separately. Your grade will be calculated as follows: blogging (25%); annotations (10%); small projects (20%); final project (30%); participation (15%).

Sexual Misconduct Policy:

The Graduate Center seeks to create and maintain a safe environment in which all members of our campus community —students, faculty, and staff—can learn and work free from fear of sexual assault and other forms of violence. The City University of New York and The Graduate Center prohibit gender-based harassment of any kind, by students, faculty, and staff. Harassment is unwelcome conduct that may include sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Harassing conduct, also implicated by sexual assault, domestic and intimate partner violence, or stalking on any CUNY campus, creates a “hostile environment” which, when sufficiently severe or pervasive, may limit or interfere with a student’s ability to participate in educational activities, or an employee’s ability to perform his or her job. For more details, see the full documentation.

Academic Integrity:

Academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York. Penalties for academic dishonesty include academic sanctions, such as failing or otherwise reduced grades, and/or disciplinary sanctions, including suspension or expulsion. Plagiarism is defined as “the act of presenting another person’s ideas, research or writing as your own.” Examples of plagiarism include:

• Copying another person’s actual words or images without the use of quotation marks and footnotes attributing the words to their source.
• Presenting another person’s ideas or theories in your own words without acknowledging the source.
• Failing to acknowledge collaborators on homework and laboratory assignments.
• Internet plagiarism, including submitting downloaded term papers or parts of term papers, paraphrasing or copying information from the internet without citing the source, or “cutting & pasting” from various sources without proper attribution.

Here is the GCs full academic integrity policy.

Accessibility/ADA:

The City University of New York is committed to providing reasonable accommodations and academic adjustments to allow qualified individuals the opportunity to participate in programs, activities and employment. CUNY recognizes that there may be times when employees and their supervisors, as well as students and their instructors, can resolve accommodation requests informally. However, in many cases, such requests require a more formal process with the request being made to and considered by a designated decision-maker, with the opportunity for an appeal, as provided for in these procedures.

Here is the full statement of procedures, and here are some available resources regarding accommodations.