DMS 219 - DIGITAL LITERATURE - Group Oral Project

Each group will have six members representing different specialites, such as video, English, Web design, computer science, etc., depending on your major, interest or speciality. You will be a research team investigating the meaning and functioning of a work of digital literature.

You will prepare a ten minute oral presentation on a given digital poet (Cayley, Goldsmith, Memmott, Biggs, Beiguelman, Juliet Martin, Caroline Bergvall, and/or others). The idea is for you, as a group, to "read" a given work by the poet (check with us about which work to select). You will divide up the work among you as a group, each working in their area of emphasis, and analyze these aspects of the work:

• Navigation - how do you get around, how do you know what to do, what is the structure
• Web design - is it in your face, is it easy, is it pleasing, what hidden values lie beneath
• Language - is it romantic, postmodern, Language poetry, what does it say, what register
• Programming - what capabilities of the computer are engaged in the work, to what end
• Visual design - how does it hold up as an art object, what tradition does it evoke
• Sound (if applicable) - decorative, abstract, functional, ambient, what relation to sound art
• Ideology - if they had you in a headlock what would they want you to say

You may choose one or more members of you group to do the oral presentation. We will try to meet for ten minutes most weeks between now and the due date for the oral presentation, however the burden is on you to exchange phone numbers or e-mails, and make sure your report gets done. You must prepare in advance for your group meetings, with each member exploring the work themselves! We will discover what makes these works tick! A suggested schedule for developing the project is the following, with the "specialist" in each area directing the conversation that day:

• Navigation - discuss the 1st week of Feb.
• Web design - discuss the 2nd week of Feb.
• Language - discuss the 3rd week of Feb.
• Programming - discuss the 4th week of Feb.
• Visual design - discuss the 1st week of March
• Sound (if applicable) - discuss the 2nd week of March
• Ideology - discuss the 3rd week of March
• Written summary - draft the 4th week of March, select someone to type this
• Web site, presentation aids, finalize who will present - 1st week of April
• Rehearsal - 2nd week of April

It is up to you to make sure your project continues at a steady pace of development!

On the day of the presentation your group will be limited to ten minutes exactly (or be "gonged"). You must also hand in a summary of your findings in written form. Your summary should have a cover sheet with the names of all members of the group in alphabetical order, plus a 3-5 page summary of your findings in sections that correspond to those listed in the first bulleted list above. You may prepare a Web site to display your results if you wish, but this is not required. You should, during your presentation, have someone navigate the site while you talk to illustrate your interpretation of the work of digital literature. Oral reports will be given on April 15, 2003. The group oral project counts as 25% of your grade. This can be really fun. But a thorough job is required!

Class website: http://writing.upenn.edu/epc/219/