Instructor: David Rheams
Office: Let’s find a coffee shop
Office hours: By Appointment
Email: [email protected]
**Class Website Link**
Lecture: Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:45
Location: ATC 2.918
Department: Arts Technology and Emerging Communication at UT- Dallas
[Covid Policies](https://rheams.notion.site/Covid-Policies-9bcdfed5dc1746849350afc3a93457b3)
“On the surface, data is seemingly straightforward – facts that we use for reasoning or calculations. However, once we consider data as culturally produced and mediated, it makes explicit our need to develop rich and nuanced understandings of it. One of the most primary ways we make sense of things is through storytelling. As such, Mediated Textuality will focus on data storytelling in Fall 2022.
The course introduces students to multimodal composition through the major assignment of the portfolio. We will focus on understanding the signifying strategies of, and relationships among, different media formats, including between analog and digital forms. The class is divided into four units: Foundations, Visualization, Interaction, and Demediation. The major assignment is a 3-piece portfolio in which you remediate the same assigned data set into different narrative media forms. This work is supported through active course engagement and by developing a nuanced understanding of your data assigned set” (Dr. Kim Knight wrote this section of the syllabus).
<aside> 🤔 Remember that you’re an active participant in putting this class together. This isn't a class where I present information, and your job is to memorize it for future use. Instead, the goal of the class is to uncover ideas and present them in a new light.
Students will be asked to help facilitate lectures and contribute to case studies throughout the semester. In addition, we will be working in groups during almost every class.
</aside>
Class website: This website will have your schedule, lectures, instructions, reading materials, and everything else you need. If you're reading this, then you're in the right place.
**MS Teams:** We will use MS Teams as the ****place for you to meet during lab, have class discussions, and talk to me! It's not perfect, but it will serve our purposes.
eLearning: We'll use eLearning to turn in your Think Pieces, Assignments, and any other class materials for a grade. However, this website is the source of truth for all dates and activities. So if you want to know when something is due, check here first.
Miro: We'll use Miro for brainstorming activities. While I prefer actual sticky notes, whiteboards, and anything else likely to make a mess - this digital equivalent will have to work for now.
Hypothes. Is: This is an online annotation tool we will use as a group. It allows us to set up groups to see each other’s comments, questions, and critiques on the weekly readings.
After taking this course, you should be able to recognize the patterns we use to create digital narratives and understand the impact of the stories we tell. You will also gain a foundation in understanding the relationship between data and storytelling. This skill will allow you to crate your own narratives using data.
I will mention these writing and organization tools during the semester. They all have a free option. I’ll add to this list as we go through the semester.