There has been much discussion in recent years, on this campus and elsewhere, about the death of the book. Digitization and various forms of electronic media, some critics say, are rendering the printed text as obsolete as the writing quill. In this subject, we will examine the claims for and against the demise of the book, but we will also supplement these arguments with an historical perspective they lack: we will examine texts, printing technologies, and reading communities from roughly 1450 to the present. We will begin with the theoretical and historical overviews of Walter Ong and Elizabeth Eisenstein, after which we will study specific cases such as English chapbooks, Inkan knotted and dyed strings, late nineteenth-century recording devices, and newspapers online today. We will also visit a rare book library and make a poster on a hand-set printing press.

The goal of this course is to review grammar and develop vocabulary building strategies to refine oral and written expression. Speaking and writing assignments are designed to expand communicative competence. Assignments are based on models and materials drawn from contemporary media (newspapers and magazines, television, Web). The models, materials, topics and assignments vary from semester to semester.

This course helps in developing skills as science communicators through projects and analysis of theoretical principles. Case studies explore the emergence of popular science communication over the past two centuries and consider the relationships among authors, audiences and media. Project topics are identified early in the term and students work with MIT Museum staff. Projects may include physical exhibits, practical demonstrations, or scripts for public programs.

Learning Objectives:Student Learning ObjectivesAs a result of meeting the requirements in this course, you will be able to:1.     Employ a variety of approaches to analyze and interpret texts.  (PLG 1) (Gen Ed Goal 1 a)2.     Respond to texts, in discussion and writing assignments, demonstrating an understanding of rhetorical strategies employed in the texts. (PLG 2) (Gen Ed Goal 1a, b; 6 a, b)3.      Incorporate the fundamentals of academic essay writing such as gathering ideas, developing and clearly stating theses, organizing, drafting, revising, and editing.  (PLG 3) (Gen Ed Goal 1 c, d)     4.      Compose essays in several rhetorical modes, such as description, comparison/contrast, and argument.   (PLG 3) (Gen Ed Goal 1c, d)5.     Move from personal responses to formal academic essays, including appropriate, properly formatted evidence from outside sources. (PLG 4, 5) (Gen Ed Goal 1 c)    6.     Accurately incorporate the ideas of others using summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation. (PLG 4, 5) (Gen Ed Goal 1 c; 6 b)7.     Incorporate the academic requirements, tools, and techniques of research through the resources of contemporary information science.  (PLG 6) (Gen Ed Goal 4 a, b, c, d)8.      Employ current MLA style for text presentation, in-text citations, and Works Cited pages for essays and research papers.  (PLG 5, 6) (Gen Ed Goal 4 a, b, c, d)9.      Write an argumentative research paper accurately incorporating material from outside sources. (PLG 4, 5, 6) (Gen Ed Goal 1 a, b, c, d; 4 a, b, c, d; 6 a, b)Course RequirementsYou will be required to do the following:Write at least four multi-paragraph assignments of at least 500 words.(Meets student learning objectives 1-5)Write at least one in-class essay.     (Meets student learning objectives 2-5)Complete other writing exercises such as summaries, journals, reading responses, reading comprehension questions, quizzes on reading assignments, letters, resumes, etc.      (Meets student learning objectives 1-6)Read, interpret, and analyze a variety of texts.      (Meets student learning objectives 1, 2)Conduct independent research and write a 5-7-page research paper, using MLA style.      (Meets student learning objectives 6-9)Submit papers that adhere to MLA manuscript requirements and which demonstrate effective proofreading and editing.      (Meets student learning objectives 1-9)Participate in class discussions and other in-class (individual or group) activities necessary to produce quality expository prose.      (Meets student learning objectives 2-7)

Watch the ZOOM cast build a chair out of newspaper by making good use of the strength of triangles.

How do you teach world current events? From history textbooks? From the internet? From watching the news? The 21st Century World: Crises and Solutions, aims to remedy a scarcity of comprehensive analysis of world events. It recollects the recent past, analyzes the factors that destabilize and threaten human life, and examines sustainable and fair solutions. The chapters are organized in four parts: sustainability, demographics, literacy, and freedoms. Coverage includes the sustainability of land and water use, poverty-induced issues such as health, hunger, and homelessness, the global economy, population distribution and location, migrations and refugees, education and information and issues of violence that find outlets in oppression, protests, war, and terrorism.

A rubric in student language used by high school students to create a newspaper that meets high standards of quality.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.