Electronic Literature
Undergraduate course
- ECTS credits
- 15
- Teaching semesters
- Autumn
- Course code
- DIKULT203
- Number of semesters
- 1
- Teaching language
- English, Norwegian when needed
Course description
Objectives and Content
Electronic literature is literary fiction and poetry created for and with the computer, the network, and other interactive digital devices. Genres of electronic literature, while focused on poetics, have connections to other forms of digital culture such as network art and computer games. In this course, students will read and create works of electronic literature, for instance hypertext fiction, digital poetry, and interactive fiction. Students will also study theoretical and critical studies of electronic literature.¿
Creative practice is an important component of the course, and all students will participate in the production of different types of electronic literature. The necessary technical skills will be taught in practical sessions. Students will also receive theoretical training in analyzing electronic literature, in particular in analysis of how the elements that are common in electronic literature, such as images, motion, time and space and interactivity influence the text of experience and reader experience, and how this also problematizes our understanding of traditional narrative and poetry.¿
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
The candidate has knowledge
- of the genres of electronic literature and their history.¿
- of key works of electronic literature and digital poetry.
- of how visual, kinetic, temporal and interactive features (for example) work in narrative and poetry in electronic literature, and how they complicate our understandings of the reader and of the literary in general.¿
- of the practical and creative production of electronic literature. ¿
Skills
The candidate can
- create digital environments for electronic literature.¿
- write for digital environments.¿
- use theories of electronic literature in own interpretations of specific works.¿
- discuss how coding and design can be elements of writing practice.¿
General competence
The candidate can
- reflect upon their own creative practice and use feedback to improve their work.¿
- use creative strategies for conveying academic content.¿
ECTS Credits
Level of Study
Semester of Instruction
Place of Instruction
Required Previous Knowledge
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Access to the Course
Teaching and learning methods
There are twenty weeks in a semester, where ten weeks usually have classes. A week with classes will usually contain both practical and theoretical work. The class schedule will be available by the beginning of the semester. It is important that the students take part in the orientation meeting in the beginning of the semester.¿
As this class includes practical in-class work, students should bring their laptop to all sessions and be prepared to use it. The students must be prepared for the classes and seminars, as the classes always include the students and there always will be discussions around the class topics. At times, homework will be given.¿
The work effort is standardized to 18 hours a week from the beginning of the semester until the exam, also in lecture-free weeks. These hours must be spent on lectures, laboratory exercises, seminars, reading specialist literature, homework, writing compulsory assignments and obtaining relevant material from the library and online (books, articles, videos). It is expected that the time during teaching-free weeks is used for own reading and preparation for the exam.¿
The students can be invited to relevant guest lectures and events organized by Digital Culture. If fewer than five students are registered to a course, the department might reduce the teaching, please see the department's guidelines regarding this on Mitt UiB. Regarding a course where this is a possibility the students get information about this at the beginning of the semester, and before the deadline regarding semester registration 1.September.¿
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
Attendance is mandatory in all class activities. Course participation is approved by the course coordinator. If absences exceed 25%, the student cannot take the exam.¿
There will be three compulsory assignments across the semester, which typically include a collaborative practical project in the form of an interactive essay about a work of electronic literature, an individual practical project on a given theme, and a video-based assignment.¿
All academic assessment must follow academic practice for i.e. argumentation and citation and cannot use the assistance of AI to generate academic texts.¿
The obligatory assignments must be approved by the course coordinator before the student can take the exam.¿
Forms of Assessment
Grading Scale
Assessment Semester
Reading List
The teaching material will be a combination of electronic literature and theoretical texts about these works and about electronic literature in general. ¿
All material is usually in English. Students can use and refer to sources in other languages in assignments and exams.¿
The list of compulsory and recommended subjects, as far as this is known in advance, is available on Mitt UiB before the start of the semester and is updated continuously as needed. The books will be available at Akademika before the start of the semester, or downloadable as e-books.¿