Print Unit Overview and Project Details

DTC/ENGL 375 Language Texts and Technology
Spring 2011

This Unit will include
1) Reading The British Library Guide to Printing,
2) Two quizes,
3) Field trip to Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) in the Holland Library (see daily schedule for dates--no report due on this activity),
4) Field trip (4 options--see below--written report required),
5) A final group project (see below).

As always, the class schedule is your guide to everyday activities.

Field Trip Options for DTC/ENGL 375
(2 group; 2 individual; complete ONLY ONE).  Every option requires a written report due Feb. 22

Group Options:

Individual Options:

Report formats and details.  Make sure to read this section carefully before writing your report.  A report that does not conform to the specifics below will not receive full credit.

Helvetica –
Watch movie and write a 2-page movie review that relates at least three ideas from the Twyman book to the movie. 

How to write a movie review for this assignment (adapted from http://www.essaytown.com/writing/movie-review)
A movie review is a document that provides critical commentary on a film. Movie reviews are commonly found in popular media, so it is likely that students who are called on to write a movie review can find many existing examples. However, it is likely that in a college class, a movie review will be assigned to assess a particular film that relates to the subject matter of the class. Therefore, a movie review written for a college class will be somewhat different from a movie review published in the local paper in that it must comment specifically on the ways in which the film comments on, informs about, or explores particular themes and subject matter that relate to the class.
A movie review should begin by announcing the full title of the film, the film director, the film’s primary actors, and the film’s genre. The genre is the type of film it is. For instance, some films are documentaries. Others are historical films. Others are romantic comedies.  After this introductory information has been presented, the movie review should provide a synopsis of the action. A synopsis is the same as a summary. The synopsis should outline the major events of the film, identifying the primary characters, themes, plot, and subplots.
After the synopsis, the movie review should critically assess the film. The critical assessment should be the longest part of the movie review—roughly 2/3 the length of the entire document. It should discuss various aspects of the film’s content and presentation. This critical assessment must relate information from our Twyman book to the film’s content.  Your review of Helvetica must include at least three (3) references to the book. If you quote or paraphrase Twyman, use MLA style.
The point of a movie review is not to provide an individual’s personal likes and dislikes, but rather a critical assessment.  


Chatters Museum Field Trip Photo Essay
A photo essay is typically a collection of essays that work together to tell a story.  The Field Trip Photo Essay has three purposes: 1) documenting your field trip; 2) telling a story about it; and 3) relating the reading from class to what you learned on the field trip. 
You must have a minimum of five (5) photos in your Field Trip Photo Essay.  Each must include a label and an appropriate description of the photo’s content.  For example, if you have a photo of the flat bed press, you must label is as such and you must make additional commentary that adds some depth of understanding or insight for the reader.  For at least three (3) of the photos, you must relate the subject of the photo to the reading in the Twyman book.  Finally, you must be in one of the photos! If you quote or paraphrase Twyman, use MLA style.


University Press Tour and FA Print-making Demo Report
You must write a 2-page report of your visit.  In this overview you must include the location, date, your name and the name of the person conducting the tour/demo. Include your observations and interesting facts you learned.  Do not just write a play-by-play of the tour/demo. Include quotes or paraphrases from the person conducting the tour/demo. This report must relate information from our Twyman book to the tour/demo’s content.  The report must include at least three (3) references to the book. If you quote or paraphrase Twyman, use MLA style.


*Print-making Demo: Meet in FA Dept. at noon. Directions: When you enter the building go to the top of the stairs, turn left and then go down the hallway to the right. The printmaking studio is room 7094 at the end of that hall on the right.

**University Publishing: Cooper Publications is on Grimes Way a few blocks east of Lighty.

Group Project: The Future of the Book
(completed in groups of three)

The goal of the project is to predict the future of the book. What will the book be 10 years from now? 25 years from now? 50 years in to the future? Even though you do not have a crystal ball, the reading that you've done for this Unit, the field trips to the MASC and other field trip options, our discussions, and our e-reader demos will allow you to think critically about books and make prognostications about the future. In keeping with the topics of this course, you must consider language, text, and technology in your predictions.

Your group's goal is a critical analysis of the future of the book, as well as a creative projection about its form.
1) You MUST use the text we've read for this unit.
2) You MUST refer to field trips and the visit to the MASC.
3) You MUST come up with some conclusion on the future of the book and what the book will look like.
4) Your product for this project MUST include some traditional, written content. It may be in the form of a traditional research paper (but probably one that includes pictures, sketches, etc.). It might be a Web page. It might be a video that will go on YouTube. It might include a prototype of the future book.
5) You MUST present your project in class and you MUST include written content.

What other formats could this project take? When we form groups, we can talk more about that. Remember, however, you must include some traditional, written content. The written content included should compliment the format of your project, but the expectation is that your project be accompanied by at least the equal of two written pages (about 500 words).

You will receive a group grade for this project. The grade will be based on your presentation (35%), your completed project (55%), and a colleague evaluation (10%).

The questions below can serve as guides as you complete this assignment. Answering them in a list form will not be adequate for a passing grade on this project.
What new technologies can you imagine that will impact the future of the book?
What reading habits and habits of mind will change the future of the book?
What does the history of printing and the book tell you about the future of the book?
What did you learn at the FA Dept. and at the MASC that impacts the future of the book?
Will the book as we know it survive?
What will the book of the future look like?

You may find some inspiration (or confusion) at the Institute for the Future of the Book site or in the recent Frontline program "Digital Nation."

The due date for this assignment is Feb. 17. That day your group will make a brief presentation of your project to the entire class and turn in the rest of the project. Class time on Feb. 15 is reserved for group workshops.

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