ENG 5801 Fall 2020 Eckert

This course focuses on a central question: How does technology influence not only access to knowledge and literature but also the creation and interpretation of that very knowledge? We will consider this question through a historical and theoretical overview of transnational text technologies from prehistory to the present. Throughout the course we will explore historical text technologies including papyrus scrolls, medieval manuscripts, and early print as well as contemporary digital technologies like Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and XML encoding that are now being used to discover, represent, and analyze historical texts. Students will work with unique materials in FSU Special Collections, and receive training in the handling and bibliographic analysis of rare items from cuneiform tablets to lavish sixteenth-century book bindings to contemporary experimental artists’ books. The course will also feature guest appearances by specialist faculty. The final research component of the course will be based on the students’ original work with materials of their choosing from Special Collections, and ample class time will be dedicated to developing research skills needed to work with rare materials.