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Home Page for Literature & the Culture of Information, Alan Liu, English 25
Schedule of Readings
Lectures: Broida 1640, MWF 2-2:50; Office Hours,SH 2521, Fri. 3-4
Section: Santa Rosa Hall Classroom, W 11-11:50 or Arts Bldg. 1426, W. 12-12:50

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In Reader = Reader    Online Only = Online Only   Assignment  = Assignment Due    Related Links = Supplementary Links

I. Art in the Age of Information


CLASS 1:
Mon.
Jan. 8
Related Links
CLASS 2:
Wed.
Jan. 10
 Arts of Memory Related Links
CLASS 3:
Fri.
Jan. 12
Postmodern Art Related Links
  • Fredric Jameson, "Postmodernism and Consumer Society" (1983) In Reader
  • Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (1991), pp. 38-45 In Reader
  • [visit by Faculty Liaison person from Instructional Computing]
    Class Notes
CLASS 4:
Wed.
Jan. 17
Arts of the Future? Related Links
CLASS 5:
Fri.
Jan. 19
Related Links
  • [Reprise and Discussion]
      Class Notes

II. The Age of Knowledge Work

Top

CLASS 6:
Mon.
Jan. 22
Information in the Postindustrial Workplace Related Links
  • Joseph H. Boyett and Henry P. Conn, Workplace 2000 (1992), pp. 1-56, 244-58, 276-83 In Reader
      Class Notes
CLASS 7:
Wed.
Jan. 24
(continued) Related Links
  • Peter F. Drucker, Post-Capitalist Society (1993), pp. 19-47 In Reader
  • William H. Davidow and Michael S. Malone, The Virtual Corporation (1992), pp. 1-19, 50-72, 184-205, 214-16
      Class Notes
CLASS 8:
Fri.
Jan. 26
The "Spirit of Informationalism" Related Links
  • Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline (1990), pp. 3-16 In Reader
  • Manuel Castells, The Rise of the Network Society (1996), pp. 195-200 In Reader
  • John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid, The Social Life of Information (2000), pp. 11-35 In Reader
  • [Reprise and Discussion]
      Class Notes
CLASS 9:
Mon.
Jan. 29
Cyberpunk and the "Dance of Biz" Related Links
  • William Gibson, Neuromancer (1984)
      Class Notes
CLASS 10:
Wed.
Jan. 31
(continued) Related Links
  • William Gibson, Neuromancer (1984) [continued]
      Class Notes

CLASS 11:
Fri.
Feb. 2
(continued) Related Links

III. The History of Information

Top

CLASS 12:
Mon.
Feb. 5
From Nature to Information Related Links
  • Albert Borgmann, Holding On to Reality: The Nature of Information at the Turn of the Millennium (1999), Introduction & Chaps. 1-4
  • Andy Goldsworthy's "land art" (photos and selected text) Online Only (password needed; restricted to students in this course)
  • Rand and Robyn Miller, Riven (shown in class)
      Class Notes
CLASS 13:
Wed.
Feb. 7
(continued) Related Links
CLASS 14:
Fri.
Feb. 9
(continued) Related Links
  • [Reprise and Discussion]
      Class Notes
CLASS 15:
Mon.
Feb. 12
Orality Related Links
  • Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word (1982), pp. 16-27, 31-77
  • Plato, excerpt from Phaedrus Online Only (use your browser's search function and read from the following sentence to the end: "But there is something yet to be said of propriety and impropriety of writing")
      Class Notes
CLASS 16:
Wed.
Feb. 14
Literacy Related Links
  • Albert Borgmann, Holding On to Reality, Chap. 5
  • Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy, pp. 78-83, 93-103, 115-38
      Class Notes
CLASS 17:
Fri.
Feb. 16
(continued) Related Links
  • [Reprise and Discussion]
      Class Notes
CLASS 18:
Wed.
Feb. 21
From Literacy to Information Literacy Related Links
CLASS 19:
Fri.
Feb. 23
(continued) Related Links
  • [Reprise and Discussion]
      Class Notes

CLASS 20:
Mon.
Feb. 26

Media Literacy Related Links
  • Marshall McLuhan, "The Medium is the Message" (1964) In Reader
  • Johanna Drucker, The Visible Word: Experimental Typography and Modern Art, 1909-1923 (1994), pp. 91-104, 238-47 In Reader
  • Jan Tschichold, The New Typography (1928) (sample images and excerpts) Online Only
      Class Notes
CLASS 21:
Wed.
Feb. 28
(Continued) Related Links
CLASS 22:
Fri.
Mar. 2
(continued) Related Links
  • [Reprise and Discussion]
  • [Quizz on reading materials to date; see online demo for format of quizz]
      Class Notes

IV. State of the Art

Top

CLASS 23:
Mon.
Mar. 5
Network and Hypertext Related Links
CLASS 24:
Wed.
Mar. 7
(continued) Related Links
  • M.D. Coverley (Marjorie C. Luesebrink), Califia (2000) (purchase from Eastgate)
  • Janet H. Murray, Hamlet on the Holodeck (1999), pp. 154-82 In Reader
      Class Notes
CLASS 25:
Fri.
Mar. 9
(continued) Related Links
  • [Reprise and Discussion]
      Class Notes
CLASS 26:
Mon.
Mar. 12
Virtual Reality Related Links
  • Michael Heim, Virtual Realism (1998), pp. 3-28 In Reader
  • Jonathan Steur, "Defining Virtual Reality: Dimensions Determining Telepresence" (1992) In Reader
  • Janet H. Murray, Hamlet on the Holodeck, pp. 97-106 In Reader
      Class Notes
CLASS 27:
Wed.
Mar. 14
Machine Literature Related Links
CLASS 28:
Fri.
Mar. 16
The Culture of Cool