What is the future of culture in a society dominated by information? What would it mean to create a culture of information that is not just "cool" but rich, deep, and humane? The purpose of the course is to think about the place of literature and art in an age when the dominant discourse is "information" and the dominant socio-economic form is "knowledge work." Included topics: knowledge work and postindustrial business, the history and philosophy of information, the interrelations of orality, literacy, information literacy, media literacy (especially the relation between visual and textual interface design), cyberpunk fiction, hypertext fiction, virtual reality, machine or auto-literature, and the role of art in the age of information "cool."

(Fulfills Area G; fulfills a writing requirement; can be used as the one lower-division elective under the 2000-2001 English major; can be used to fulfill the English minor lower-division class requirement. Also counts toward the English Department's undergraduate specialization in Literature and the Culture of Information.)

Overview of the Transcriptions Project.

Class Locations and Time:
Lecture: Broida 1640, MWF 2:00-2:50
Section: Santa Rosa Hall Classroom, W 11-11:50 or Arts Bldg. 1426, W. 12-12:50

Synopsis of Assignments:

1. 4-page essay
2. Online, Revised Version of 4-Page Essay (Web Authoring Assignment)
3. Quizz on readings in course
4. Final 8-page essay
5. Attendance and Participation in TA Section Meetings

Some Facts About Students in the Course in Fall 2001:

Results of Course Entrance Questionnaire