My
courses aren't canned: I will undoubtedly revise the following schedule
as the quarter plays out in response to how things are going, or if
I get better ideas about stuff, or if heads begin to asplode. This revision
will almost always mean less work or due dates pushed forward; it will
never mean added assignments. Check the schedule frequently (daily would
be best) to stay informed of changes.
It's
possible that your browser may present you with a cached schedule that
is no longer up-to-date, so be sure to manually refresh this page every
time you visit.
Don’t
procrastinate, and work ahead when you can. The reading we'll be doing
can get quite dense and difficult, particularly if you don't normally
speak theory, so read ahead.
Make
reading for this class a daily habit, even if you only manage a few
pages sometimes. Only students who read regularly (and welll)
write solid essays and other assignments, flat out. They also make wonderfully
significant and original contributions to class discussions and forum
threads, are happier to be in class because they have something to share
and the curiosity to hear what others have discovered, and basically
lift the mood of the proceedings overall with their inspiring and pleasant
company. Students who cultivate happiness learn better and help other
people to learn better.
Conversely,
students who try to fake it by skimming and skipping and cramming can't
arrive at sophisticated analyses because they aren't familiar with the
data (the books) and therefore don't do well on their own essays and
other assignments. They don't have a clear idea about what other people
are discussing in class, and therefore lurk about in the margins not
having much fun and hoping that nobody makes them participate in anything.
I don't say this because this is what teachers say--I've observed the
effects of hurried or incomplete reading quarter after quarter.
Of
course, I want you all to have a wonderful time in the most stimulating
and productive English class you've ever taken, but this largely depends
on your ability to keep up with the reading. You'll simply enjoy the
books a lot more (and therefore understand them better and have better
ideas about them to take to your writing) if you're not repeatedly trying
to cram a hundred pages of text into your noggin the night (or the hour)
before class.
The
dates for the reading assignments indicate the reading you should have
done by a given day, but they don't mean that we will discuss a given
reading ONLY on the day it's due. The specific discussion of a given
reading may move around a little: this is because I value your conversation
more than this schedule. I'm not going to cut you off just to keep my
schedule tidy. Just a heads up to avoid any confusion later.
This
schedule is set up for a Tuesday-Thursday class! Work ahead when you
can or you'll fall behind! If you put things off until the night before,
you'll be overwhelmed.
(Many
of the following readings are links to online versions of essays from
Second Person, the RPG-focused still-hardback companion to
First Person, so...w00t!)
Print
out all online readings and bring copies with you to class!
Week
One: Games as Literature?
| 4/01 |
Introductions.... |
| 4/03 |
|
Week
Two: Approaches to Analysis
| 4/08 |
The
Video Game Theory Reader (VGTR): Foreward, Introduction
to page 17.
Writing
Due: IWA#1 |
| 4/10 |
VGTR:
"Immersion, Engagement, Presence" (pp. 67-83) |
Week
Three: Choose
Yourself
Week
Four: /reify
Week
Five: Ludology and Narratology
Week
Six: The Tabletop Universe
Week
Seven: Narrative as Architecture
Week
Eight: Playing the "I"
Week
Nine: Collectible Remediation
Week
Ten: IRL
| 6/03 |
Game
/ Expressive Piece Presentations
Writing
Due: Evaluation Draft, Critical Game Spec |
| 6/05 |
Game
/ Expressive
Piece Presentations |
Friday, JUNE 13:
All final revisions and project writing due in my office between 11-5
pm. You MUST hand me your work personally. There will not
be an email or department-mailbox option. If you can't be on campus
June 13, you may hand me your work earlier in the week by arrangement.
