ENAM 485: Senior Seminar in American Studies

Course Objective: Spring 1995

The objective of this course is to produce a virtual multimedia issue of American Quarterlyentitled American Icons: Studies in Representative Identity. Since this will be the first experience for many of you with computing in the humanities and the production of hypertext, anyone may submits their final project in conventinal hard copy. However, it is hoped that some of you may become sufficiently intrigued with the possibilites of hypertext to attempt it. Whether in hard- or hypertext, some projects from this class will actually find may actually find their way on to AS@VA, the HomePage for our American Studies Program -- if it ever comes into existence.

Protocols:

• Individual or small group projects; topic and format suitable for AQ; entire class to serve as editorial board with individual students responsible for leading discussion of other students' projects; topics to be focused on things claiming to be or perceived as being in some fashion representative of America. Icons might be persons(e.g.,George Washington), a place (Yellowstone Park), a text (The Declaration of Independence), a picture or sculpture (The Signing of the Declaration of Independence), a built structure (The Empire State Building or the Vietnam War Memorial), an object (Coca-Cola Bottle or 1957 Chevrolet), an institution (The Supreme Court), an event (Rainbow Family Reunion or Presidential Inauguration or the Minstrel Show), or an image (Bell telephone logo or "Abbey Road" album cover).

• we will be working a good deal on computers. If you don't already have one, you should get a Unix account (not a pcmail account) -- today! Then subscribe to the newsgroup "uva.engl.enam485," sign up for the appropriate "short courses;" (gwis -->11.computing and communications -->5.ITC Short courses). I suggest "Introduction to Unix" and "Introduction to the Internet." Then look at the short courses offered in The Electronic Text Center (gwis --> library services -->15. Electronic Text Center --> 4.Training Sessions for Electronic Texts, 1994 (sic)) I suggest "Introduction to the On-Line Electronic Text Sevices," "Electronic Text Center: Introduction to Text and Image Scanning" and "Introduction to HTML" (Not listed but available.) In both ITC and ETC, we may have enough demand to request courses offered for our class, but sign up as they require in any event.

If you have any questions -- here or at any point in the course -- get in the habit of getting in touch with me!