Close, Hyper, Machine Media Essay

Media Essay Due: September 18th at 11:59 pm
Percentage: 10%

Note that there are mini due dates listed below

General Overview

Now that we’ve read Katherine Hayles’s “How We Read: Close, Hyper, Machine,” you are going to write a short paper (900-1400 words total) performing close readings and reflecting on the ways reading changes depending on how we go about doing it. Essentially, you’ll be reading “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (or, as she was then known, Charlotte Perkins Stetson) in several different ways, writing as you go.

Although I won’t be collecting your writing until September 18th, it is important that you complete the following by the dates given below in order to complete the project as intended – and to keep from getting overwhelmed.

Assignment Breakdown

- Close Reading - Friday, September 11th (by class)

Write a 300-500 word close reading of the periodical version of “The Yellow-Wallpaper” and post it in a Wakelet Collection.

Make sure you include at least one picture of any related annotations!

- Hyper Reading - Monday, September 14th (by class)

Read the Hypertext Library’s version of “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Play around with the text and write a 200-300 word reflection on the activity and post it in the same Wakelet Collection as the Close Reading.

Some questions to consider:

Did your reading change?
What sticks out to you the most?
What was the experience of reading using hyperlinks?

Make sure you include at least one relevant picture!

- Machine Reading - Wednesday, September 16th (by class)

Use Voyant to “read” “The Yellow Wallpaper.” (Here’s a link to the full text–make sure you copy and paste the text and not all the metadata). Think about the Cirrus and Trends graphs, but also play around with the other visualizations.

If you’re totally lost using Voyant even after we go over it in class, check out this and this.

Write a 200-300 word reflection on the activity and add it to the same Wakelet Collection.

Some questions to consider:

Did anything change your understanding of the text?
What sticks out to you the most?
What was your experience using Voyant? It’s okay if you say frustrating, but explain why!

Make sure to include at least two images! Just take screen captures rather than trying to embed anything.

- Introduction and Conclusion - Friday, September 18th (by class)

Write an introduction and conclusion after our class discussion from Wednesday (if you missed class for any reason, you are still responsible for writing an introduction and conclusion) and post it to the same Wakelet Collection. Combined, the introduction and conclusion should be roughly 200-300 words.

- Final Essay due Friday, September 18th at 11:59 pm

Polish your work and finish up the bibliography we started in class. When you’re done, share your Collection (create a shareable link you’ll send to me) and export to PDF (to submit via Scholar) by 11:59 pm. The final essay should be 900-1400 words not including the bibliography.

Evaluation Criteria

Uses adequate textual evidence (direct quotations, summaries, and paraphrased passages) to support any claims
- This is especially important for the close reading, but should also be employed when Hyper and Machine reading
Thinks critically about the reading experience instead of simply stating feelings or facts
Includes at least four images interspersed throughout the text (see above for details)
Provides an organized argument (yes, even though we wrote this in parts – the introduction and conclusion can help you organize the piece)
Shows professionalism – i.e. that you took this assignment seriously
- However, the annotation images can be more informal than the essay itself. If you wrote LOL or UGH in your annotation, that’s fine – I do!
Utilizes proper mechanics; style, sentence structure, and spelling promote coherence, clarity, and credibility
Cites appropriately

Late Work

I will take 10 points off for every day the essay is late unless we’ve agreed upon an extension.

Resources

(Free) PDF Annotators

You can do it right in Preview on a Mac (but I haven’t tried it!)
Microsoft PDF Annotate and Fill - free for both Windows and Mac (but I haven’t tried it!)

(Mostly Free) Screen Capture Software

How-to on Mac
How-to on Windows
Greenshot - free on Windows and $1.99 on Mac
TechSmith Capture - free for both Windows and Mac (but I haven’t tried it!)

(Free) Writing Help

Read the assigned Close Reading Handout (available on Scholar and in the Google Drive)
Check out the “Overview of Strategies” and “Questions to Help you Dig Deeper” tables from Joanna Wolfe and Laura Wilder’s Digging into Literature available under “Writing Help” on Scholar.
Come to Office Hours
Calm down! This is meant to be an introductory assignment, so even though it’s fast-paced, it should be low stress. Take it seriously, but also take a big breath.

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