ENGL 494: The Personal Computer: A Biography
Prof. Aimée Morrison
Email: ahm@uwaterloo.ca
Twitter: http://twitter.com/digiwonk
Office hours: Thursday, 2:00–4:00
Course description:
At the end of the 1970s, hardly anyone had their own computer. By the middle of the 1980s, everyone thought they needed one. How did this happen? Why? What? The course offers an interdisciplinary approach to the history of “personal” computing, one which braids strands of history, technology and design, popular culture, and literary studies to arrive at a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms and impacts of “technological change.” You will read/watch period fiction, do primary research on pop culture materials in print and online, and consider questions of design and code, as well as train in materialism, postmodern theory, software studies, and science and technology studies. So that you can start to answer the questions we started this paragraph with.
Course learning outcomes:
The design of the course is determined by the specific research problem posed in the course description: What is the literary, social, and technical biography of the “personal computer”? However, the course has a more general set of learning objectives related to your development as researchers, writers, and junior colleagues in English.
Foundational Knowledge—by the end of the course you should be able to:
Describe the literary, technical, and discursive contexts of early personal computing
Historicize personal computing within the popular cultures of the time of its emergence
Theorize the links between representation, engineering, and social structures in establishing new technologies in culture
Application—over the course of the term you will:
Research personal computing using scholarly, popular, and everyday sources
Interpret texts in terms of generic, historical, critical, and theoretical scholarship
Frame persuasive critical positions orally and in writing, in a variety of genres
Integration—this course encourages you to:
Enact “débrouillage,” finding research questions, identifying problems, and solving them
Write persuasively, research independently, edit effectively
Collaborate with others to generate and disseminate research products
Scheduled, in-person, synchronous class sessions
The course has a scheduled, in person class meeting on campus each Monday from 11:30-12:50, in PAS 1241. The course is a blended course, which means that in person stuff is essential, and the online stuff is essential. Attend carefully to the requirements of both.
Please feel free to contact me with any concerns or questions you have about the class, the readings, or the assignments. Synchronous class sessions are a great opportunity for this, as are open office hours. Each unit has an AMA discussion forum which is the next best place to put questions, as I am likely to see it sooner. Email is a last resort.
Email policy
Email is fast but it is not instant. I am available to you but not constantly or immediately. I will read your email within one business day, and respond within two. Friday is the fail-safe email clearout/catch-up day for me. The subject line must include the text “ENGL 794” or your email will drift off my screen and I will never find it again, and it will remain unanswered, alas. I use email primarily to set up appointments, not to answer questions of substance.
This class is an inclusive space
The university mandates that I say this: “Note for Students with Disabilities: The AccessAbility Services office (AS), located in Needles Hall, Room 1401, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.”
But what is really important is this: I strive to make my classes accessible to whatever student happens to cross the digital threshold. Everyone has a right to the full experience of the university education they have earned by admission and/or tuition payment. Night owls, English learners, introverts, rebels, loud-talkers, assault survivors, grieving students, anime fans but only like the subs and not the dubs, injured students, disabled students, people with dial up internet, people who wear sunglasses indoors because it’s, like, too much. If there’s something you need to help you succeed, lemme know. If something in this document is freaking you out, let’s talk. If you’re registered with AccessAbility Services (man, that’s a LOT of paperwork to fill out!!!!) you can for sure have them send me whatever. Or talk with me. Me, I’m autistic with a VERY LARGE SIDE ORDER of ADHD, so, yeah. Let me help you out here.
Required and Recommended texts
You will need access to a computer, and to an internet connection to access course materials. Make sure you’re using Learn as your main hub for the course. Longer, required critical readings (ie, scholarly articles and book chapters) will also be made available through the LEARN site. You will need access to assigned materials during class meetings, should you attend them. This might mean printing things out to have in front of you, or downloading things onto your computer, or otherwise keeping all the needed stuff accessible and usable on any device (computer, tablet, phone, e-reader) while you are in a video conference at the same time.
Assignments and Mark Distribution
The following are the graded components of the course:
Group Work 20%
Literary Analysis: Review 20%
Rhetorical Analysis: Non-Fiction 20%
Design and Technology: Video Presentation 20%
Capstone: Summary Argument 20%
Detailed handouts describe what is expected of you from each assignment; please read these carefully, do not throw them out, and do refer to them as you complete the assignments. Due dates are marked on the course calendar on Learn.
Assignments are due at as noted on Learn. As the first three individual assignments, as well as the group assignments, involve producing material that is part of the content of the course for all of us, it is essential to our shared goals that they be completed on time. If you find yourself unable to do so, please contact me as soon as you know this will be a problem, and we can work something out.
Rights and Responsibilities
Every member of this class—instructor as well as students—has rights and responsibilities to ensure a pleasant and productive experience for all. We are all answerable to University policies governing ethical behaviour (Policy 33) and academic integrity (Policy 71), as well as to those outlining grievance or dispute procedures (Policy 70). Please consult these documents, available from the website of the university secretariat.
Here are some more specific expectations for this course:
You will:
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know the university policies that govern your behaviour
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participate actively in your own learning by accessing the course website at least weekly, and keeping up with the readings and activities
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respect the rights of others to learn as well: this means active listening as well as active speaking in class meetings and in communications with group members; in group work it means as well to remain accountable and accessible to your group members.
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give thoughtful consideration to instructor feedback on written and oral work
I will:
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adhere to the university policies that govern my behaviour
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attend all scheduled classes
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make myself available for consultation in person and over email
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return assignments within 2 weeks
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provide helpful and respectful feedback on your work
On academic dishonesty: it is a serious offense to appropriate the intellectual labour of another to yourself. Plagiarism consists of using the words or ideas of another without proper attribution. I expect that the work you submit in this course will be the product of your own labour, and that your research sources will be scrupulously documented. If you have any concerns or questions about appropriate practice, you are sincerely encouraged to come discuss this with me—I really would like to help.
On academic dishonesty and intellectual property: be aware that this course contains the intellectual property of the instructor—me. Intellectual property includes items such as:
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Lecture content, spoken and written (and any audio/video recording thereof);
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Lecture handouts, presentations, and other materials prepared for the course (e.g., PowerPoint slides);
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Work protected by copyright (e.g., any work authored by the instructor or TA or used by the instructor or TA with permission of the copyright owner).
Course materials are used to enhance your educational experience. However, sharing this intellectual property without permission is a violation of intellectual property rights. Don’t do this. Also, please alert me if you become aware of intellectual property belonging to others (past or present) circulating, particularly online.
A final word
Once more, welcome to the course! I hope you find it as valuable as it will be challenging. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you.