EMAC 6V81
EMAC 6V81 Writing and Research For New Media
Spring 2012
Syllabus
Course Description
Over the course of the last five years, the coverage of “hackers” in the mass media has undergone a curious metamorphosis. Whereas previously the coverage of “computer hacking” tended to focus on theft and fraud, the overt activist orientation of groups like Wikileaks and Anonymous has, however we regard the goals of these groups, lead to a greater recognition of the larger political potential of hacking.
This class will investigate the political, economic and philosophical implications of hacking. We will read accounts of hacker culture drawn from the disciplines of history, anthropology, political economy and literary theory. We will investigate such questions as: what does it mean to be a hacker? What are some of the values that have been associated with hacker culture? How does the hacker movement connect to other historical trends of the late 20th and early 21st century? How might the concept of hacking be expanded to encompass property relations and political structures?
The final project for this class will not be a traditional research paper. Instead, in keeping with the class themes, students will build a “hacker project,” and use the arduino microcontroller to build an original device that explores or demonstrates some aspect of class themes. Students will also build a WordPress based website that will document their project, and explain how the project responds to ideas derived from hacker culture.
Reading and Materials
Required Reading
All students must purchase the required books listed below, available at the off-campus bookstore.
- Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution – 25th Anniversary Edition, by Steven Levy
- The Hacker Ethic, by Pekka Himanen, Manuel Castells and Linus Torvalds
- A Hacker Manifesto, by McKenzie Wark
- From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism, by Fred Turner
In addition, students should obtain a copy of the book Two Bits: The Cultural Significance of Free Software, by Chris Kelty. This book is available for free download in .pdf format from the author’s website (http://twobits.net/), however students who wish a copy in paper format or the format of their favorite e-reader may wish to purchase this book.
Reading for this class will also include several articles and short selections from authors. These will be provided by the instructor in electronic format.
Recommended Reading
Students who are new to computer programming may find the book Getting Started With Arduino, Second Edition, by Massimo Banzi, a useful resource. This book is available for purchase online.
In addition, students who are new to hacker culture may wish to keep an eye on some of the blogs and webcomics that play an important role in this culture, just to get a better sense of the overall hacker ethos. Here are a few suggestions:
- Slashdot: The granddaddy of tech blogs, Slashdot offers a regular stream of legal and technical news for the hard-core computer enthusiast. Free and open source software are common topics, as are stories relating to science and technology more broadly. Slashdot’s comment rating system is itself a well regarded technical achievement.
- BoingBoing: BoingBoing shares many of the same interests as Slashdot, but tends to publish more material related to culture, art, and literature, and less related to small bits of scientific and technical arcana. Any breaking internet meme is likely to show up on BoingBoing, as are a wide variety of weird images and stories. WARNING: Some material may be graphic in nature.
- XKCD: This stick figure comic strip regularly engages with serious issues related to science, math, technology, and culture. You’ll see the strip quoted and retweeted consistently.
Required Materials
Students will need to purchase an intro Arduino kit to participate in this class. As of now, the best option for this is the Sparkfun Starter Kit for Arduino, which costs $59.95. Any kit with a current model Arduino board, a set of LEDs, resistors, and a photocell, will do for our purposes.
Students will also need to purchase additional materials to complete their final project. The cost of these materials will depend on the project the student selects. The arduino is quite adaptable, and it should be entirely possible to complete a successful project with only a few relatively low cost parts. However, students should keep their parts budget in mind as they plan their projects. If you have questions about the parts a project will require, or how much they might cost, contact the instructor.
Recommended Materials
While not required to fulfill the course exercises, students may find that these low-cost components make life easier when experimenting with the arduino:
- Half-size (or Small, not mini) breadboard
- Assorted LEDs
- Assorted Resistors
You can add these to your order from sparkfun, or pick them up at Fry’s. Expect to spend less than $10.
Contact Information
The best way to contact the instructor is to send an email to the address listed below.
- Prof. Famiglietti’s Office: ATEC Building, room 1.602
- Prof. Famiglietti’s Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 2pm-5pm and by appointment
- Lab Office Hours: Tuesday 10am-12pm and Wednesday 5:30-7:30pm
- Prof. Famiglietti’s Email: axf112730 at UTD dot edu
- Prof. Famiglietti’s Twitter: afamiglietti
Course Policies
All students should familiarize themselves with official UTD course policies, as listed on the provost’s website (http://provost.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies/). In particular, be sure to carefully review the sections on Academic Integrity, Class Attendance, and Avoiding Plagiarism. Here are some additional guidelines that will ensure your success in this class:
Be Bold
This class is about learning how to learn. The learning process always involves experimentation, trial and error, and making mistakes, especially early on. In some cases, I will ask you to participate in assignments that are designed to give you experience with this process, and in these cases I may simply ask you to attempt to accomplish a particular task using a particular technology, without explaining a detailed set of instructions for accomplishing this task. When this happens, it is important that you be bold and experiment with the assigned task. Try your best to accomplish the task, and ask for help from the instructor and your classmates as you encounter difficulties you can’t resolve on your own. You will not be penalized for having difficulties!
Be In Class
This class is a discussion class. Our class meetings provide an essential opportunity for discussing readings and assignments, working through difficulties and misunderstandings, and exploring ideas from different points of view. I cannot arrange to have a class discussion over again if you miss our meeting! For this reason, your regular attention is essential.
Be In Touch
This class asks students to be bold, experiment, and try new things. All this will require students to keep in touch with each other, and the instructor, much more closely than they do in other courses. Students should expect to receive communication from the instructor in the form of email on a regular basis. For this reason, you should plan on checking your campus email at least once per day. Students who do not check their campus email regularly will have difficulty completing this course successfully. If circumstances make it difficult for you to check your email this often, try to find a classmate to serve as your “email buddy,” and send you a text message or call when important emails arrive.
In addition, this course will make extensive use of Twitter as a platform for informal communication, troubleshooting, and collaboration. You are strongly encouraged to make use of the Twitter platform to keep in touch with your classmates and instructor. Twitter can be a very valuable method for EMAC grad students to network and make connections. Twitter can be used via text message, if that makes sense for you.
Be Respectful
This classroom is a safe space. You are expected to show your classmates the highest level of respect. Language or actions that discriminate against class members on the basis of Race, Age, Religion, Ethnicity, Sex, Gender, or Sexual Orientation will not be tolerated.
Be On Time
Work that is not complete by the date due will be penalized 30% for each day or fraction of a day it is late. As work this class will be comprised of many small assignments, it is imperative that you not get behind. If you do find that you have missed an assignment, it may be better to abandon this assignment and complete the next one on time.
Pseudonymous Participation Policy
This class asks students to participate in publicly accessible blogs and other forms of public writing. Writing in public has several advantages for student learning. It creates a closer analogue to the “real world” environment, and allows for the creation of writing that is designed to be shared with a real audience, instead of just an instructor. It also allows students to learn from each other. However, some students may have legitimate privacy concerns about participating in publicly accessible assignments. These students may choose to participate in public assignments under a pseudonym, or assumed name. If you wish to request this accommodation for any reason, please contact me immediately.
Assignments and Grade Breakdown
The major assignments for this class are listed below, along with the percentage of the total class grade each assignment is worth. In this print version of the syllabus, detailed descriptions of each assignment follow the course schedule below.
- Discussion Participation (25%)
- Wiki based class-prep assignment (25%)
- Final Project and Website (40%)
- Final Project Presentation (10%)
Schedule
January 19: Introduction to class/syllabus
January 26: First Section of Hackers / Absolute beginner’s intro to programming
February 2: Arduino + Python Bootcamp / also read: “Why the Arduino won, and why it’s here to stay” (http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/02/why-the-arduino-won-and-why-its-here-to-stay.html)
February 9: Two Bits
February 16: A Manifesto for Cyborgs (Instructor will distribute) / Brainstorm Projects
February 23: Project Proposals / Selections from Yochai Benkler (Instructor will Distribute)
March 1: The Hacker Ethic
March 8: Hacker Manifesto
March 15: SPRING BREAK
March 22: Tech Skills Workshop
March 29: Tech Skills and WordPress Workshop
April 5: Counterculture to Cyberculture
April 12: Selections from Gabriella Coleman (Instructor will distribute)
April 19: Last two sections of Hackers
April 26: Project Presentations
