collectionadalovelace

CORNERSTONEPastIssuesSummer1999ByVictorJudgeInGarlandHall'smicrocomputerlaboratory,whereEnglishProfessorJayClaytonand15freshmenarediscussingthehypertextnovelPatchworkGirlbyfeministandgendertheoristShelleyJackson,theroombecomesthesettingforapostmodernliterarysalon.
ThestudentsskillfullydrawcorrelationsbetweenMaryShelley'sliteraryportraitofVictorFrankenstein'smonsterandthetitlecharacterfromFrankBaum'sbookThePatchworkGirlofOz.
Astheyexplorethebooks'variationsonthethemesoffragmentationanddispersalofidentity,Claytonasksthemtoconsiderwhythemedicalterm"suturing"isanappropriatemetaphorfortheactofwritingon-line.
Whenonefreshmandiscernstherelationshipbetweenhypertextandsewing,anotherasksifthepunon"text"and"textile"isrelatedtothecurrentmovementinfeminismthatrevaluessuchartsasquiltingthattraditionallystereotypedandsegregatedVanderbiltUniversityAlumniPublicationsDigest:Cornerstonefile:///C|/DocumentsandSettings/DonBarry/Desktop.
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htm(1of7)[3/15/200111:32:54AM]womenfrommen.
AvisitortoRoom117wouldbeimpressednotonlybythedepthofthestudents'perceptionsandtheirabilitytointerweaveideasfromthedisciplinesofliterarytheory,history,medicine,andcomputerscience,butalsobythelackoftraditionalsoundsassociatedwithanEnglishclass.
TheresponsestoClayton'squestionsaren'tpunctuatedbytherustlingpagesofpaperbacknovels,theintermittentsqueakfromyellowhighlightersunderliningpassages,orthescrawlingofnotesacrosslegalpads.
InsteadonehearstypingfromkeyboardsandtheclickingofmousesasthestudentsopenNetscape4.
5andnavigatetheirwaytotheWebsitefortheirclass--English115W:ReadingandWritingOn-line.
WhenClaytonasksKellyDeeltodefendheranswertoaquestion,shedoesn'treferherpeerstoapagenumberinatextbook;thefreshmaneconomicsmajorfromJoplin,Missouri,suggeststheclassmembersclickonahypertextlinkasshebeginsreadingfromthetextor"lexia"thatappearsontheirmonitors.
ThesefreshmenlisteningtoDeel'sdefensehavebeenparticipantsinasuccessfulexperimentconductedthispastspring.
ByenrollinginVanderbilt'sfirstcourseinreadingandwritingon-line,theysatisfiedtheA&Srequirementofcompletingafreshmanseminarbeforequalifyingforsophomorestanding,buttheyalsotestedanewservicethatAcademicComputingandInformationServices(ACIS)willprovidethisfallforallundergraduatesandclassestaughtintheUniversity'scurricula--freeWebspace,orVUSpace.
"We'rethefirstgenerationofVanderbiltstudentstoreadandcomposeinhypertext,"observesKushShahwhocollaboratedwiththeotherfreshmenwritersandcreatedtwoliteraryWebsitesfortheirseminar.
Becausetheyoungauthorsareonthevergeofturning21yearsold,theyfirstdesignedVirtually21,acollectionoftheirwritingsfromthefirst-personVanderbiltUniversityAlumniPublicationsDigest:Cornerstonefile:///C|/DocumentsandSettings/DonBarry/Desktop.
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htm(2of7)[3/15/200111:32:54AM]Knownasthe"DesignTeam"forEnglish115,EddisonLin,MichaelBuendia,MikeGlass,andSylviaApariciosharedresponsibilitiesfordesigningthegraphicsanddeterminingthehyperlinksfortheVirtually21andArcadiaWebsites.
PhotobyPeytonHogeperspectiveonfivesubjectstheyconsideredimportant--technology,alcohol,family,sex,andculture.
AndbasedontheirintensivestudyandresearchofTomStoppard's1993dramaaboutchaostheory,theydevelopedArcadia,aseriesofcriticalessaysonfractals,interrelatedalgorithms,andnon-Aristoteliangeometry.
ThestudentsprimarilydecidedtotakethecourseinhypertextbecausetheywantedtolearnhowtocreatetheirownWebpages--atasktheyaccomplishedasearlyasthesecondclassmeetingwhentheypresentedthemselvestotheworldthroughcyberspace.
Asparticipantsinthisexperimentalcourse,theyalsoexploredhypertextastheemergingliteratureoftheWorldWideWebbyreadinghypertextfiction,investigatingthewayshypertextchallengestheestablishednotionsofliteraryform,anddebatingtheeffectsofelectronicwritingonresearch,editing,criticaltheory,andliteracy.
"PeoplewhowritehypertextsareinterestedinthewaysinwhichweareconnectedwithcomputersandtheInternetandhowentryintoaninformationorderaffectsouridentities,"explainsClayton.
"Webecomehybridbeingsformedbyournaturalsubjectivityandthisartificial,virtualworld--sopeoplewhousethecomputerbecomelinkedtotheelectronicdeviceinthesamewaythePatchworkGirlandFrankenstein'smonsterarelinkedbyseveralpartsofotherbeings.
"Cyberspace,contendsClayton,isnotdestroyingbutVanderbiltUniversityAlumniPublicationsDigest:Cornerstonefile:///C|/DocumentsandSettings/DonBarry/Desktop.
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htm(3of7)[3/15/200111:32:54AM]transformingandsupplementingbookculture.
"Withhypertextasanalternativemodel,wenowseethatbooksarenottheonlywaytoreceiveinformation.
Whilestudyingthehistoryofprintedtechnology,Ihavediscoveredthatnomodeofinformationhaseverbeenlost;eachmodebecomessupplemented.
Oralpoetrywasnoteradicatedbytheprintingpress;moviesdidnotdestroythenovelaswasoncebelieved,andphotographydidnotbringanendtorealisticpainting.
"ReflectinguponhisownfreshmanyearatYale,Claytonneveranticipatedthatcomputertechnologywouldbeanintegralpartofhisscholarshipandteaching.
"ThemostpressingdemandonmyattentionasanundergraduateandasagraduatestudentattheUniversityofVirginiawaswrappingmymindaroundthealiendiscourseofliterarytheory;alltheacceptednotionsofwhatconstitutedatextandhowmeaningarosewerechallengedbythepoststructuralistswhoencouragedustoseethatatexthasnofixedboundary.
"Clayton'sinterestintechnology,however,isanaturalextensionofhisstudiesinliterarytheory.
"Computertechnologyistheliterarytheoryofthe'90sbecausehyperlinksalsochallengetheintegrity,autonomy,andboundariesofanindividualtext--theassociativecharacterofhypertextmaybethetechnologicalrealizationofaliteraryvisionthatwaspresentintheearlytwentiethcenturyinthestyleofJamesJoyceorVirginiaWoolf.
"Whetherheisteachingafreshmanseminaroraclassonthenineteenth-centuryEnglishnovel,Clayton,whoservesasthedirectorofgraduatestudiesfortheEnglishdepartment,integratescomputertechnologyintohisteaching.
Hisstudentsarerequiredtosubmitalltheirpapersasattachmentfilestoe-mailmessages.
"WhenIannouncedatthebeginningofthesemesterthatIwouldrefusetoacceptanyessaysonpaper,theseniorshadapanicattack,butthefreshmenwerelessintimidatedbytherequirement,"saysClayton,forVanderbiltUniversityAlumniPublicationsDigest:Cornerstonefile:///C|/DocumentsandSettings/DonBarry/Desktop.
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htm(4of7)[3/15/200111:32:54AM]whomthisexperimentingradingprovedtobeamuchmoreinteractivewayofevaluatingastudent'swork.
"Iopentheattachmentfiles,writecommentsandmakerecommendationsforrevisions,highlightallmyremarksinred,andreturntheassignmentsinstantaneouslybye-mail.
"AlthoughtheuseofcomputertechnologyisprevalentincompositioninstructionthroughoutAmericanhighereducation,ClaytonsaysthatVanderbiltisonthecuttingedgeofthismovementasaresultoftheforesightofMarkWollaeger,directorofthecollegewritingprogram.
WollaegerhasincorporatedcomputertechnologyintoalltheEnglishclassestaughtbyteachingassistantsandhasmadethetechnologyavailabletoeveryprofessorinA&Swhosecoursesarecodedbytheletter"W"--thedesignationforclassesthatmeetthewritingrequirementforundergraduates.
Viatechnology,studentscanparticipateinbrainstormingmodulesforassignments,serveaspeereditors,andreviseaccordingtosuggestionsfromtheirprofessorsandpeers.
HavingtaughtVanderbilt'spremierecourseinhypertext,Claytonstatesthatthemostimmediatebenefitfromtheseminarhasbeentheenthusiasmofthefreshmen.
"Forthefirsttimeinteachinga'W'courseinmy11yearsatVanderbilt,Ihavefoundstudentswhosepredominantinterestsareinmathematicsandsciencetobeasexcitedandasengagedwiththeliteratureasstudentsinthehumanities.
They'vewrittenautobiographicalnarrativesandanalyticalargumentsfortheVirtually21site,andfortheArcadiaprojectthey'veresearchedhistoricalfiguresfromtheEnglishpoetsLordByronandThomasPeacocktoAdaLovelaceandCharlesBabbage,precursorsofthemoderncomputer,"explainsClayton,"butthecoursealsohasprovidedamodelforunderstandingtheimportanceofrevision.
Whetherwritingafive-pagelinearessayoraglossfortheWebsites,theyVanderbiltUniversityAlumniPublicationsDigest:Cornerstonefile:///C|/DocumentsandSettings/DonBarry/Desktop.
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htm(5of7)[3/15/200111:32:54AM]understandthatwritershavetopreparetheircompositionsfordifferentaudiencesindifferentrhetoricaloccasions--asinglelexiacouldberevisedfourtimesbeforebeingpostedontheWeb.
"Apossibleconsequenceofwritingon-linethatClaytonintendstoresearchinvolvestheeffectsofhypertextonastudent'sattentionspan.
"Doesthetemptationtoreadandwritebriefsnippetsencouragetheshorteningofastudent'sattentionspan--aphenomenonwehavealreadywitnessedinoursocietybecauseoftelevisioncultureWillhypertextasamethodofthinkingandwritingthatisbecomingincreasinglyprominentrespondtoanexistingshortenedattentionspan"heasks.
Untilresearchaddressesthesequestions,Claytonbelievesthatuniversitiesmustcontinuetoofferopportunitiesfortrainingstudentsinlongercompositionalprojects.
Fiveminutesbeforethefreshmanseminarconcludes,ClaytonaskstheclasstocontemplatehoweveryoneislikethePatchworkGirl--howeachindividual'sidentityisquiltedfrommultipleinfluencesandvoices,andhowapersonisreallyacollaborationofexperiences.
"Frankenstein'smonster,PatchworkGirl,andhypertextareassembledfrombodypartsstitchedtogether,"heremindstheclass.
"Ifliteratureisabodyoftext,canwethenextrapolatethatourphysicalbodiesalsoaretextsorvehiclesforwriting"TheinquisitivelookonDustinLaverick'scountenancechangestoagrinwhenClaytonsuggeststhestudentconsiderthewritingonhispullovershirt--"SeasideAbercrombie.
""Whatmessageareyouconveyingwiththatbrandname"asksClayton.
BeforeLaverickcanrespond,hispeersrealizetheimplicationsofClayton'squestionandbegininterjectingcommentsabouthaircolors,tattoos,andotherwaysthehumanbodycouldbeconsideredatext.
Astheylogofftheircomputers,ClaytontellsthemVanderbiltUniversityAlumniPublicationsDigest:Cornerstonefile:///C|/DocumentsandSettings/DonBarry/Desktop.
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htm(6of7)[3/15/200111:32:54AM]they'llresumethisdialoguenextclass,butLuxmiRajanayagamdecidesthat'snotsoonenoughforherquestion.
Pullingherbackpackoverhershoulder,shetellsClayton,"I'llsendyouane-mail.
"LearnmoreaboutVanderbilt'spremierecourseinhypertextandthecollaborativewritingprojects,Virtually21andArcadia,byvisitingProfessorJayClayton'sWebsiteathttp://www.
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