IAP 2015 Activities by Sponsor - Comparative Media Studies/Writing

Patsy Baudoin, Digital Humanities Librarian

Jan/14

Wed

03:00PM-04:30PM

14N-313

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Wondering what the chatter is about digital humanities (DH)? Come ask questions and share what you know. Let's talk about the impact of computation on the humanities, about where it can takes us, and about what it means to use this lens on our scholarship. And who's doing what where in DH at MIT?

 

 

 

Sponsor(s): Libraries, Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Patsy Baudoin, 14S-140M, 617 253-4979, PATSY@MIT.EDU

Nick Montfort, Associate Professor of Digital Media

Jan/07

Wed

10:00AM-05:00PM

E15-335, lunch provided

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Limited to 15 participants

This one-day course is an introduction to programming that requires no previous experience. Through practice, we consider how to think with computation, how computation and media interact, and how computing is part of culture. Programming is introduced as a way to iteratively design artworks and humanities projects so that one can discover the direction of the project during programming. The idea of exploratory programming differs from the instrumental programming done to a pre-determined specification; beginning programmers, as well as others, can benefit from this different perspective. Students will develop and share several short projects during the day, will modify existing code, and will learn some programming fundamentals. The medium we will focus on will be text, but students completing the course should be better prepared to use computing with other media as well.

Students should bring their own notebook computers running any typical OS: GNU/Linux, Windows, or OS X. Windows and OS X, installing Anaconda with Python 2.7 <http://continuum.io/downloads> is required before the session begins. GNU/Linux users, please install iPython notebook. OS X users will need a text editor set up for use with plain text files (not TextEdit!) and, if one is not installed, should install TextWrangler. To continue after the course, installing Firefox and Processing is also recommended.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Nick Montfort, nickm@NICKM.COM

David Dufresne, Open Doc Lab Fellow

	Jan/14	Wed	10:00AM-05:00PM	E15-335
	Jan/15	Thu	10:00AM-05:00PM	E15-335, (continuation of Day 1, optional)

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: second day is optional

In this 1-day workshop (with an optional 2nd day), join David Dufresne, award-winning interactive documentary storyteller and OpenDocLab fellow, in brainstorming and prototyping non-linear story writing tools.

The challenge: how to build a new tool to write and conceptualize non-linear stories in a way that directors, storytellers, designers and developers can understand and use for their work.

We need new tools for creating non-linear narratives. A word processor is poorly adapted to think in terms of fragmented narratives, database, and interactive research. Word or Google Docs are too linear in their design, Excel too boring and not inspiring. Scrivener is wonderful but for solo usage. Let's invent the right writing and producing tool for the new narratives!

In this workshop we will brainstorm and prototype tools for non-linear documentary writing and conception. Anyone with an interest in developing interactive documentary tools is welcome including but not limited to students, faculty and staff with skills in storytelling, design, programming, and game design and development.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Sarah Wolozin, swolozin@mit.edu

Suzanne Lane, Director, Writing, Rhetoric and Professional Communication

Jan/26

Mon

02:00PM-04:00PM

56-162

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required

This workshop will provide vivid lessons and hands-on practice in communicating scientific research to a general audience.  A panel of science writers will explain strategies for making complex information accessible and memorable, without compromising accuracy.  The panelists will then lead participants in exercises for developing clear and vivid explanations of data and concepts.  Space is limited to 25.  Please contact wrap@mit.edu to reserve a place.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Suzanne Lane, E39-369, 617-253-3039, wrap@mit.edu

Philip Tan, Research Scientist

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: None

The "Disney Fairies" series launched in 2005 with new novels based on the tales of Peter Pan. From the novels and plays of J.M. Barrie and the animated films by Walt Disney Productions, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine developed an elaborate mythology for the fairies of Neverland. The lead character, Tinker Bell, moved from "Disney Princess" marketing efforts into a separate franchise of chapter books, comics, and merchandise. Following Disney's purchase of Pixar, direct-to-DVD productions of Disney Fairies were restarted and debuted with the 3D computer-animated film "Tinker Bell" in 2008.

While visually consistent with Disney's earlier interpretations of Neverland, some may find the characterization and the tone of the films surprising. Barrie's century-old "common pots-and-pans fairy" is reinterpreted as a titular heroine with a unique talent for invention and engineering. Most of the films revolve around Tinker Bell's ability to construct incredible machines and her irrepressible drive to find and fix "lost things." The mostly-female cast is generally portrayed as being extremely competent and working collectively to solve problems, even as the films fall back on formulaic personality conflicts.

Children with adult supervision are welcome. Each screening will be followed by an optional, moderated discussion with participants, which may venture into playful, activist, academic or headcanon topics.

This event aims to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Philip Tan, 26-149, 617 324-9129, PHILIP@MIT.EDU

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Screening times

	Jan/07	Wed	02:00PM-03:30PM	2-105, Tinker Bell
	Jan/09	Fri	02:00PM-03:30PM	2-105, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
	Jan/12	Mon	02:00PM-03:30PM	2-105, Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue
	Jan/14	Wed	02:00PM-03:30PM	2-105, Pixie Hollow Games & Secret of the Wings
	Jan/16	Fri	02:00PM-03:30PM	2-105, The Pirate Fairy

Children are welcome to the screenings (with adult supervision, please!)

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Optional Discussion

	Jan/07	Wed	03:30PM-04:30PM	2-105
	Jan/09	Fri	03:30PM-04:30PM	2-105
	Jan/12	Mon	03:30PM-04:30PM	2-105
	Jan/14	Wed	03:30PM-04:30PM	2-105
	Jan/16	Fri	03:30PM-04:30PM	2-105

A moderated discussion and critique of the themes, representation, development, marketing, problems and solutions presented by the Tinker Bell films and media franchise. The session will start after a 10-minute intermission after the screening. Participation in the discussion is completely optional.

Kurt Fendt, Executive Director, MIT HyperStudio

Jan/23

Fri

08:30AM-05:30PM

Room 66-110

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/15
Limited to 50 participants
Prereq: None

Instructors and students in the humanities and the liberal arts increasingly work in an electronically supported and extended world of multimedia texts. Digital archives, online media repositories, and new tools for creating digital content have not only changed the way students interact with cultural content, they have also radically changed the landscape within which learning can take place. Instructors are faced with the challenge of how to respond to this shift, how to innovate and redesign their roles and curricula.

In this workshop, we investigate one possible solution to this challenge: digital annotation. Digital annotation brings the long humanistic tradition of annotation, one of John Unsworth's "scholarly primitives," into contemporary electronic media. Participants in this workshop will discuss the opportunities digital annotation tools create for new forms of social engagement with the text, for students to share ideas, interpretations, references, sources, adaptations, or other related media with peers and other readers that significantly change the way students acquire and produce knowledge.

Keynote Address: John Bryant, Hofstra University

Presentations and Sessions:

Jody Gordon & Chris Gleason, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Mary Isbell, University of New Haven

Alex Mueller, University of Massachusetts, Boston

MIT: Suzanne Lane, Wyn Kelley, Ina Lipkowitz, Roberto Rey Agudo

For more information and registration, visit HyperStudio.mit.edu

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Gabriella Horvath, 617 715-4480, HYPERSTUDIO@MIT.EDU

Steven Strang

	Jan/05	Mon	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/06	Tue	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/07	Wed	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/08	Thu	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/09	Fri	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/12	Mon	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/13	Tue	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/14	Wed	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/15	Thu	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/16	Fri	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/20	Tue	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/21	Wed	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/22	Thu	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/23	Fri	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/26	Mon	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/27	Tue	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115
	Jan/28	Wed	10:00AM-04:00PM	E39-115

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Repeating event, particpants welcome at any session
Prereq: none

The Writing & Communication Center (WCC) will continue to offer free consultations and advice on oral presentations and on any writing problem, including writing strategically, finding a topic, generating ideas, overcoming writer's block, improving grammar, crafting effective sentences and paragraphs, organizing ideas, using of evidence, analyzing audiences. We can help with technical writing; theses in all departments; job, graduate and med school application essays; research and teaching statements; resumes; conference talks; articles for publication; book proposals and chapters; and papers for any course. We also offer help on pronunciation. The WCC is open throughout IAP. You must be registered with our online scheduler. Go to https://mit.mywconline.com/index.php to register and to schedule appointments. Open to MIT undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-docs.

Sponsor(s): Writing and Communication Center, Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Steven Strang, E39-115C, 617 253-4459, SMSTRANG@MIT.EDU

Marie-Jose Montpetit

	Jan/20	Tue	01:00PM-04:00PM	E15-335
	Jan/21	Wed	01:00PM-04:00PM	E15-335

Enrollment: Advance sign-up appreciated but not required
Attendance:

If you ever wanted to know the link between knitting and programming this is the workshop for you. A knitting pattern is actually a more or less complex algorithm with the difference being that the output is directly wearable like 3D printing. The 1st day we will review fundamentals, learn basics and start a small project (hat, scarf or bag depending on skills), and the 2nd day we will work on the project. Students will have to get their own supplies but can contact the instructor for help in type/quantities of wool and needles.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Marie-Jose Montpetit, mariejo@mit.edu

Suzanne Lane, Director, WRAP

Jan/29

Thu

10:00AM-12:00PM

E39-335

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required

What kind of feedback is most effective in helping students to develop and structure their ideas, and to communicate them effectively in writing? This workshop will draw on composition research to explore the range of instruction and responding practices, from rubrics to peer review to individual conferences, and when each is effective. By considering feedback in relation to other forms of instruction, participants will learn to provide the kinds of comments and strategies that will help students understand how to improve both their specific texts and their abilities as writers.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Suzanne Lane, E39-369, 617-253-3039, wrap@mit.edu

Karen Boiko, Lecturer II, Marilyn Levine, Leturer II

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/18
Limited to 15 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: none

Do you lack confidence as a speaker? Have you struggled through presentations in your classes?  This workshop is for you.

We will meet for 3 two-hour sessions to explore the features of a great oral presentation, as well as the physiology and kinetics of confidence.  Throughout the workshop, we'll examine ways to make public speaking, on any topic, easier and more natural. The workshop will include instruction, group exercises, homework (just a little!) practice, and individual coaching, culminating in one or more brief presentations. The emphasis will be on crafting a talk, developing strategies for both remembering what to say and making the ideas memorable for the audience, and delivering the talk with confidence.  Note: This workshop will not include designing or using slides.

We will meet in E39-335, 10:00 a.m.-noon each day

Tuesday Jan 20

Wednesday Jan 21

Thursday  Jan 22  

Sponsor(s): Writing and Communication Center, Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Marilyn Levine, E39-115B, 617-253-3090, maynew@mit.edu

Suzanne Lane, Director, WRAP

Jan/28

Wed

10:00AM-12:00PM

E39-335

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required

By learning the stages of developing, structuring, rehearsing, and delivering presentations, students can become comfortable with a live audience, and use the interaction as a tool to develop their thinking. This workshop will help instructors think through their goals for oral assignments, so that they can scaffold the steps involved in developing presentations.  Workshop participants will be able to work on (re)designing assignments for their current or future courses by developing (i) a deeper understanding of fundamental oral communication concepts, (ii) strategies to integrate oral communication assignments into a class, and (iii) techniques and tools to provide feedback on student presentations.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Suzanne Lane, E39-369, 617-253-3039, wrap@mit.edu

Andreas Karatsolis, Associate Director, WRAP

Jan/27

Tue

10:00AM-12:00PM

E39-335

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required

While scientists typically communicate knowledge in the field through proposals, technical reports and journal articles, most undergraduate students spend their time in problem-set based classes which don’t include substantive engagement with readings in their field. In this workshop we will explore ways to engage students in reading and understanding published literature in their field, using that knowledge to design their own projects, and analyzing how the literature conveys meaning. Our overall goal is to help instructors develop and scaffold instructional activities and assignments so that their students can learn how to write effectively in these genres.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Andreas Karatsolis, E39-371, 617-253-3375, wrap@mit.edu