Non-Linear Narrative
RTF 331Q, Unique 06845
RTF 393Q, Unique 07285
Mondays and Wednesdays, 9am-12pm
CMB Studio 4B and other locations (TBA)
Spring, 2004
Instructor: Dr. Samantha Krukowski
samantha@rasa.net
Office hours: Tuesdays, 3-5 pm (sign up)
UA9 2.112K, 471-4222
TA: Scott Nyerges
hutchense@yahoo.com
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“Erasing, cutting and shuffling words liberates them from those who produce them and from their cultural background because ‘the words do not belong to the poet.’ Machine poetry, Permutations, Cut-ups, Dreamachine—all are instruments designed to attack civilization, through language and its interpretation of space and time. “
--Brion Gysin, Tuning into the Multimedia Age
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Non-Linear Narrative is a studio course in experimental writing techniques and production. Texts are being redefined by technologies that challenge their architecture (physical and linguistic structure), appearance (design, texture, layout), content (word, image, meaning, reference), function (education, entertainment), and distribution (print, electronic, activist). Shifting ideas and practices around and about texts are not only influenced by technological advances, but also by historical and theoretical preoccupations that gain or lose ground with the rhythms of time. In this course we will study the landscapes of textual transformation and make projects that reflect and extend it cinematically.
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Things to buy (or get)
Glue (RC 56 or Neutral Ph Adhesive)
Xacto knife and blades, self-healing cutting mat
Scissors
Lots of paper, as many varieties as you can muster (NO colored construction paper, please)
1 large pad newsprint paper
Pencils and pens, multiple varieties, thicknesses and hardnesses
Paints, inks, other wet media
Paint brushes
Pencil sharpener
String
Tuff stuff eraser (or another good brand)
CD-RWs or, better, a portable firewire HD
Materials will vary for each project. Costs are a function of time and materials. The cost of materials can be altered somewhat by decisions you make (i.e.: resource pooling, bulk ordering, alternative methods). Be ready to spend what is required to effectively execute your work and to coordinate your efforts to lower prices.
Places to buy such stuff: The University Co-op, Asel Art, Miller Blueprint, Breed and Company, Hobby Lobby. There are many online resources, and better art supply stores in Houston than in Austin.
Things to know
Of primary importance should be your engagement with your work, your investment in the labor of making it, your dedication to the evolution of your own sensibility, your concern for craft, and your perseverance in completing individual projects while allowing each one to serve as a ground for the next.
You should be self-motivated to succeed in this course. Work is cumulative. If you are not used to setting your own goals and keeping a fast pace you may have trouble participating and producing work. We are here to help you as you develop ideas, interests and questions. Be prepared to work hard, collaborate with others, stretch your boundaries, share what you learn. Students with no prior background in analog or digital arts are discouraged from taking the course, though there are always exceptions.
Questions you have and develop may be resolved by practice or by other types of inquiry--theoretical, philosophical, scientific, poetic, etc. There should be times during the semester that you get stuck. You should develop the tools to unstick yourself. If you don’t know what to make, go look at what other people have made. If you don’t know what to say, go read something or watch something or listen to someone interesting. If you are still stuck, in all probability you are not making enough stuff to get yourself moving toward a question you can answer through practice or thought. A motto for the course: Make, make, make. If you show up for help, you will be asked what you are making and for evidence of your efforts and research in the direction of your inquiries.
Your technical ability will increase in proportion to your effort. Hack and be resourceful. There are many, many online tutorials and resources for various programs. Lab facilities are limited which necessitates cooperative scheduling. You may need to use resources in several locations, and finding the right equipment at the right time will probably require initiative on your part.
Other details
The course has a listserv: nlnarrative@lists.cc.utexas.edu. Your e-mail address will be added to the listserv after the first week of class. Use this listserv to communicate with us, your fellow students, ask technical questions, contribute ideas, share resources. In addition, you are encouraged to join the Converge listserv, a listserv populated by many of my ex-students and others who are involved with work of the kind you will be doing in this class; it is an additional resource for you during and after this course.
Things you should already have with you: a working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, familiarity with website design and production, some foundation in both design and writing, an understanding of basic video techniques (shooting, importing, exporting).
Readings
To purchase (all titles available at University Co-op):
Roland Barthes, S/Z
Tom Phillips, A Humument
Johanna Drucker, The Century of Artists' Books
Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics
Mark Hiner, Paper Engineering for Pop-Up Books and Cards
Paul Jackson, The Pop-Up Book
Jay David Bolter, Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext and the Remediation of Print
In addition:
There is a reserve list for this course and most items are on reserve at PCL. Some of the books on reserve include required readings, some do not but extend the field for our discussions and production. You may wish to purchase some of the books on reserve since many are wonderful. Take advantage of this catered-to-you mini library. Note there are many artists’ books in the Humanities Research Center (HRC) collections and these are available to you when you visit the HRC.
To see the reserve list for this course online, go to: http://reserves.lib.utexas.edu/courseindex.asp or to my website http://www.aces.utexas.edu/sam/professorial/currentcourses.html (click on “reserve list” for the course).
Grading
Projects 1-4 including online documentation 80%
Participation and Presentation 20%
A high grade will be assigned to those students who work hard, participate extensively and continuously, demonstrate a clear understanding of the readings and course concepts, and produce work that shows evolution in terms of sensibility, process, craft, scope and final composition | work. The standard grade rules apply: A=excellent, B=good, C=average, D=below average, F=failing. Remember that C is an average grade and only students who reach beyond this level will earn a higher grade.
A failing grade will be assigned to any student who does not complete all of the projects, misses more than three class sessions, and / or who misses any part of any review.
Documentation and presentation are both large parts of your participation in the course—invest in them.
As in any creative class, grading criteria are necessarily subjective. You may not agree with our personal evaluation, but decisions are final and no post-grading negotiation will be permitted. I discourage incompletes.
Projects
#1 Pop up Book
Develop the story, characters, imagery and architectural environment for a pop-up book. Make a lot of models and sketches. Produce the book and hand-bind it. Your pop-up book should be exquisitely crafted and should look like something you would find on a shelf in a bookstore.
#2 Re-Text
Find a book that fascinates you, with or without images, paperback or hardback, old or new. Rewrite it, using our discussion of Tom Phillips and Roland Barthes to guide you. Please challenge the verb “to write” considerably—your interventions should take multiple forms. The quality of your craft and the structure of your interventions are quite important.
#3 Interactive Narrative
Create an online narrative that takes into consideration our readings about hypertext and our discussions about interactive narrative.
#4 Non-Linear Narrative | Final Project
Develop a final project based on your interests and discoveries throughout the course of the semester. Your project’s form is completely open—it may be physical and | or virtual, it may be an installation, a cinematic offering, something else entirely…
Documentation and Presentation
• Website and CD-ROM
Throughout the semester you are required develop a website that documents and extends your work in the course. This site should be designed in such a way that it evokes the character of the work you pursue and complete. In a sense it is your semester-long and ultimate narrative project. Use your site as much to document your work as to order it, extend it, and discover things about it.
You will be given a personal directory on the Convergent Media server where you can store your files. Post-dates for online project representation are the same as project due dates. At the end of the semester this website and its dependent files should be duplicated on a CD-ROM for archival purposes and turned in.
• Mini-DV tapes
Any video project must be duplicated on mini-DV tape and handed in at the end of the semester for archival purposes.
• Semester presentations
You will be asked often to discuss readings, ideas and the progress of your work with the class and /or visitors. Be prepared for these discussions, and participate in them fully.
Faculty Information
To find out more about Samantha Krukowski see: http://www.rasa.net
University Speak
Regarding Scholastic Dishonesty: The University defines academic dishonesty as cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, falsifying academic records, and any act designed to avoid participating honestly in the learning process. Scholastic dishonesty also includes, but is not limited to, providing false or misleading information to receive a postponement or an extension on a test, quiz, or other assignment, and submission of essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor. By accepting this syllabus, you have agreed to these guidelines and must adhere to them. Scholastic dishonest damages both the student's learning experience and readiness for the future demands of a work-career. Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. For more information on scholastic dishonesty, please visit the Student Judicial services Web site at http://www.utexas.edu/depts/dos/sjs/.
About services for students with disabilities: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY.
About the Undergraduate Writing Center: The Undergraduate Writing Center, located in the FAC 211, phone 471-6222, offers individualized assistance to students who want to improve their writing skills. There is no charge, and students may come in on a drop-in or appointment basis.