Even though this assignment is pretty straightforward, I'm expecting a wide variety of responses from members of the seminar. For the past ten or twenty years, our culture(s) have been grappling with the changes brought about by e-books or any kind of book that isn't printed with ink on paper. Many people celebrate the end of "dead-tree" books, while others lament it. It's a battle that we're all familiar with. For this assignment (6-8 double-spaced pages), write an essay that sets out your position(s) on the spectrum. What affordances does digital technology provide the reading experience? Compare these to "traditional" paper-based reading.Focus on the experience of reading, and be careful of falling into comfortable cliches. Make your essay lively, debatable. Use as much or as little secondary sourcing as you please. I recommend at least engaging with Howard and C&C. Also look at daily journalism. It's hard to pick up a copy of the Sunday New York Times without reading about this very transition and the uneasiness it provokes on all sides. Proofread your essay carefully. I'll collect it from you at the LC's Rosenwald Room (the place where the Daniel Kelm lecture was) at the start of class next Thursday, 3:15.
Asa always, send questions to kcs@gwu.edu
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