CSE 87D Readings

CSE 87D: Stories, Computers and Semiotics

Readings

Note: The following is likely to evolve as teachers and class get to know each other better.

Due Week 2 (18 Jan): Foundations for Media Studies. This material provides a basic vocabulary for dealing with media of all kinds.
- Notes on Basic Semiotics, by Joseph Goguen.
- Notes on narrative, Joseph Goguen.
- Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud. Introduction and Chapters 1 and 2.
Due Week 3 (25 Jan): Examples of Narrative. These readings are intended to illustrate the depth and range of narrative.
- The Literary Mind, Mark Turner, pages 3-9.
- Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, Samuel R. Delany. Prologue, pages 42-48.
- "The Cut Up Method of Brion Gysin," William S. Burroughs, 1961, in New Media Reader, Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Nick Montfort, MIT.
- Nova Express, William Burroughs, "The Death Dwarf in the Street," pages 74-79.
Due Week 4 (1 Feb):
- Hotline Healers, Gerald Vizenor, pages 4-5.
- More than Cool Reason, George Lakoff and Mark Turner, Preface and pages 1-6.
- Barthes, Chapters 2 and 3, pages 7-25.
- The Language of New Media, Lev Manovich, pages 213-217.
Due Week 5 (8 Feb):
- Barthes, Chapter 5, pages 34-42.
- Computational Narratology Homepage.
- Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud. Chapters 3 and 4.
Due Week 6 (15 Feb):
- Barthes, Chapter 6, pages 43-51.
- "The Garden of Forking Paths", Jorge Luis Borges, 1941, in New Media Reader (as above).
- Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud. Chapters 5 and 6.
- Optional: S/Z by Barthes is on reserve in the Social Sciences and Humanities Library.
- Optional: Speaking in Djinn by Fox Harrell, in ctheory.net.
Due Week 7 (22 Feb):
- You should email me a proposal for your final project before 16 February; you will get feedback from me, to help you sharpen your proposal and do a really fine job. Please read the Project Guidelines carefully.
- Barthes, Chapter 7, pages 52-60.
- "Virtual Reality as the completion of the Enlightenment Project," by Simon Penny, in Culture on the Brink, edited by Gretchen Bender and Timothy Druckrey, pages 231-248. Penny is Director of the Art Computation and Engineering program at UC Irvine and a well known robotics artist.
Due Week 8 (1 Mar):
- Barthes, Chapter 9, only pages 73-74 on hypertext.
- "The recombinant history apparatus presents: Terminal Time", S. Domike, Michael Mateas, and P. Vanouse. In Narrative Intelligence, eduted by Michael Mateas and Phoebe Sengers.
- Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud. Chapter 7.
Due Week 9 (8 Mar): We will discuss game theory this week.
- Remarks on Gaming, by Fox Harrell.
- Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud. Chapter 8.
- Optional: "Steps towards a Design Theory for Virtual Worlds" by Joseph Goguen.
- Optional: "The Virtualisation of Art Practice: Body Knowledge and the Engineering World View" by Simon Penny.
Week 10 (16 Mar): Presentation of student projects.

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