Spring Semester, 2024
List of students in class
These topics will be discussed at both a conceptual and tool level. By
the end of the course, you will be able to look at an existing system
or design a new system with an understanding of the impact it may have
on communication and storytelling.
This course will focus around discussions of the readings. We will
read two books and assorted papers taken from a variety of conferences
and journals concerning human-computer interaction, hypertext,
media studies, and computers and the humanities.
Books:
Selected papers:
The following links require access to the ACM Digital Library. Access to
ACM Digital Library is available from on-campus computers.
Grades will be on a 10 point scale: 90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C,
60-69 = D, and <60 = F.
There will be a number of assignments due in class. These assignments
may require use of specific software outside of class time and will
take the form of short essays, written answers to questions, and
design documents. All material turned in should be printed using a
computer printer or typed except when noted otherwise.
Homework late policy:
The final project report (8-12 pages in the old ACM Conference Format) will also require the design of an
evaluation procedure for refining the resulting interface. The in-class
presentations of project progress will be about 5 minutes long and the final
presentation on the project will be approximately 15 minutes long.
Project grades will be determined by both the instructor's review of the
project and student's description of their and other member's work.
Programming for projects:
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Course description
This class investigates three topics related to computational media:
Prerequisites
Students should have a basic knowledge of computing and the
humanities, and either the ability to program complex systems or
able to learn new software tools on their own. Ask instructor if you
have any questions.
Reading materials
Reading schedule
Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace,
by Janet Murray,
book
The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind, by James Boyle, book
Grading
Short assignments 10%
Survey paper 15%
Team project 30%
Write-ups 30%
In-class quizzes/participation 15%
Write-ups late policy:
50% is immediately deducted from your grade if turned in late. 5% more is deducted for every day late up to a maximum of one week after the original due date. For example, if a write up is turned in between 48-72 hours late, the highest grade it could receive is 40%. Do the reading and turn in the write-ups before class.Short assignments
List of assignments.
10% is deducted from your grade for every
school day late up to a maximum of one week after the original due
date. Class participation
Most class periods will include a discussion of reading materials.
All students are expected to have done the readings and be able to
participate in discussions. Project
Students will form three- to five-person teams and define a semester project or select
one from a list of existing ideas. There will be three preliminary progress
reports for the projects emphasizing particular phases of the interface
design process:
(1) identifying a topic, determining cognitive and social issues,
and determining an approach, (template for slides)
(2) creating an initial system design and mock-up, (template for slides) and
(3) instantiating the design in a prototype implementation (template for slides).
done in language and operating system of your choice on
machines to which you have access. General Note on Assignments
Important: All reports are to be printed on a word processor or typed
(no handwritten assignments will be accepted). All writing should be
the work of the student -- any text taken from other sources needs to
be quoted and referenced. It is expected that students will correct
grammar and spelling -- these are grounds to deduct from your
grade. (i.e. Use a spelling checker and reread what you write before
turning it in.)Attendance Policy
All students are expected to attend and participate every class.
Attendance policy will be administered in accordance with Texas A&M
University Student Rule 7.
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legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed
a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of
their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an
accommodation, please contact Disability Services, currently located
in the Disability Services building at the Student Services at White
Creek complex on west campus or call 979-845-1637. For additional
information, visit http://disability.tamu.edu.
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"An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do."