This seminar will investigate the implications of digital media on a variety of perspectives in English studies such as creative writing, writing pedagogy, and the digital humanities at large. An aim of this course will be to prepare students to contribute research to the field through a professional conference proposal and presentation. In ad- dition to reading theoretical texts within the field of image and new media studies, students will also compose texts in a variety of multi- media genres such as digital stories, web texts, and/or podcasts. As a result, the course will involve developing basic skills within industry- standard publication and design software such as iMovie, Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, InDesign, etc.), and HTML/CSS coding. Students do not need prior experience with the technology to enroll in the course.

Course Objectives

1. Read texts closely and critically

2. Write analytically about the defining characteristics of a particular genre

3. Examine theories and assumptions about a particular genre

4. Demonstrate knowledge about cultural and historical contexts of the genre

5. Trace the development of the genre over a specified period of time

6. Interpret works in the genre from theoretical and aesthetic perspectives

7. Develop an original idea about the genre

8. Research scholarly perspectives on the genre