Digital Media Poetries
English/DMS 584 - Glazier - Spring 00


Weds. 1230 - 1510, 115 BALDY
Registration # 112276


DESCRIPTION. The seminar will look at the emerging field of digital literature and we'll read essays and texts central to the medium. The context of this reading will be that, although there's a good deal of writing out there about the digital, I don't think this field has yet been determined. This class offers the opportunity for us to map a constellation of crucial texts: media such as sound, video, listserv spaces, scholarly hypertext, etc. can be investigated, depending on interest. We'll attempt to define what it is, what's happening, what's interesting in the medium. We'll do this by looking at established authors, sites, and projects. Crucial, however, will be suggestions you bring from your research; these will extend and frame our discussion. As you can see, what we're looking for are literary skills, theoretical acumen, and an interest in working as a group towards this end. NO SPECIAL COMPUTER SKILLS ARE REQUIRED. As far as I know, this has not been done before so it will be a singular opportunity to survey this material. The seminar will require a final paper, a project or writing, a brief presentation, & weekly participation.

PROJECTS. Who should take this seminar? "Digital Media Poetries" is a good class for those wanting to work towards a canon or corpus of digital lit. This emerging field is one that scholars and writers have a stake in -- so let's stake it out! We can also balance theoretical questions with practical concerns. Thus it will also be valuable for those of you who might have been thinking about starting a web magazine, a web site, or other digital project of your own. We can discuss all aspects of what is involved in such projects including theoretical, strategic, and logistical info, etc., and, depending on the interest of the members of the class, we can even discuss specifics of tools and methods of practice, in or supplementary to class. As you know Poetics Program students have already produced a number of terrific digital projects. If you have a project you want to develop in conjunction with this seminar, or if there is an author page or digital work you wish to pursue, such proposals are encouraged, though not required.

THE PAPER. Considering that we will be defining new areas of scholarly investigation, the written paper here has great potential. I am thinking that papers written for this seminar might be directed to any number of digital culture conferences or to electronic scholarly journals. Another possibility, if the class is interested, is that we might produce a digital monograph. Here I am thinking of a collection of papers, as one suggestion, on the early history of electronic literary publishing. I am confident that, if we do such a project, it would receive quite a bit of attention in digital circles and be widely cited, providing an opportunity for students to have their work read in a larger context.

SPECIAL INTERESTS. If you are considering this seminar and have any special interests that you'd like to see covered or if you'd like any additional information, I'd be very interested in hearing from you. Please contact me at glazier@acsu.buffalo.edu, 306 Clemens (mailbox), or 645-6000 x1490, e-mail preferred.


Rev. 11 Nov. 99