As the Fall 2017 semester approaches and classes begin next week, the English Department faculty would like to extend a warm welcome back. There are a number of exciting and informative classes with spaces still available if you are searching for courses to invigorate your semester or to meet some of the requirements toward your English degree. Please take some time to look at each of these options and consider signing up today:
ENGL 320: Topics in Communication and Technology
Topic: Sonic Studies
This course challenges students to think through issues of culture, ideology, race, class, and gender through the lens of sonic studies. Students will be introduced to histories of sound reproduction, emerging sound technologies, music, and the presence of sound in various forms of media. In conjunction with covering a diverse array of current scholarship, this course will explore the intersection between communication, culture, and technology. More specifically, students will have the opportunity to build competencies in sound aesthetics as a historical and political object of inquiry and, most importantly, put those competencies into practice. Students will collect, create, and analyze sound in addition to images and texts. Category B CT Track Diversity
ENGL 330: Researching Communicative Practices
Topic: Digital Writing Research
In this course we will explore research practices in Rhetoric and Composition with an emphasis on writing and communication in digital media. We will review research studies in our discipline that introduce issues of digital creation and circulation by using emergent technologies, entering hybrid or digital contexts, or studying communication across a variety of media. Our readings will also provide a foundation for understanding each part of the research process, from study design to writing for presentation. Students will pursue a topic of their choosing and decide upon appropriate methods, ethical practices, and research tools for their projects. Category C CT Track
ENGL 343: Introduction to Genre Analysis
Topic: Genre as Social Action
This course explores the role of genre in shaping society and the everyday actions of individuals. Students will explore the following questions: What constitutes genre, and what functions does it accomplish in the world? How does genre work to stabilize knowledge and particular realities in various contexts? How can use of genre promote social change? What happens when genre expectations are not met, that is, when the genre conventions accepted by a particular community are flouted either intentionally or by mistake? As students formulate answers to these questions, they will come to understand genres not as static categories but as dynamic ways of processing information that shape the world we inhabit. Category B CT Track Diversity
ENGL 391: Advanced Exposition and Argumentation
This course shows students how to locate, gather and arrange information to produce sophisticated arguments. The course will contain readings drawn from various disciplines.
ENGL 392: Tutorial in Writing
This course of individualized instruction in writing should be taken in conjunction with an upper-level course in the student's major field. Students will write on topics in ENGL 392 that are not assigned in the upper-level course. This course requires instructor permission to register.
]]>The Communications Specialist is primarily responsible for managing both programmatic and institutional marketing and promotional efforts, including media and public relations, advertising, and copywriting, as well as overseeing the weekly Humanities Connection radio essay. The Communications Specialist works closely with the Executive Director and the Director of Advancement to manage Maryland Humanities’ messaging strategies at the local, state, and national levels. The Specialist and other members of staff also develop and maintain printed collateral, online platforms for programs, and mdhumanities.org.
A more complete description of all duties is posted on the Maryland Humanities website at www.mdhumanities.org.
]]>The Grants Specialist is primarily responsible for all elements of the grant-seeking process: researching and cultivating funding prospects and opportunities, preparing LOIs and proposals, and accurately tracking and reporting on grant-supported activities to funders. Annual and long-term fundraising goals will be set in consultation with the Director of Advancement. Specific responsibilities are outlined below. The Grants Specialist works collaboratively with the other members of the Advancement team as well as Program staff members in furthering the financial resources of the organization in order to maximize the potential for growth and impact of Maryland Humanities’ dozen programs.
A more complete description of all duties is posted on the Maryland Humanities website at www.mdhumanities.org.
]]>UMBC Blackboard Update is provided by the Division of Information Technology for students, faculty and staff. If you have questions or need help, please consult the Blackboard Help tab inside Blackboard or directly at www.umbc.edu/blackboard/help. You can also contact the Technology Support Center at 410.455.3838 or submit an RT (Request Tracker) ticket via the myUMBC Help Menu or directly at my.umbc.edu/help.
HEADLINES
Blackboard & Instructional Technology
Student Bb Activity Shining Light on Effective Course Design
Training & Professional Development
Skill Builder & Vendor-Sponsored Webinars
Other DoIT News
REMINDER
Course shells from AY 2012-13 and AY 2013-14 (and earlier) as well as organizations larger than 2.5 GB were retired from the UMBC server during the Blackboard cloud migration.
As always, if you have any questions, please consider the following options:
Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups
Request a consult with instructional technology staff
Over the summer, DoIT replaced all of the New Media Studio’s analog, standard-definition TV production equipment to high definition (HD). This included three new Sony HD cameras and related components and switchers for video and audio production.
“The upgrade means we’ll be able to give UMBC students, faculty and staff the kinds of live production experiences they’d find in the Baltimore area,” says Jack Suess, Vice President of IT and Chief Information Officer (CIO). “In addition to improving our institutional capabilities, bringing the Studio up to modern production standards will help prepare students for the kind of work environments they’ll encounter.”
A good example of this kind of student talent development pipeline ocurred during the very successful first season of HD live streaming athetics events on ESPN3 last year. Working with ‘Eli Eisenberg (‘86) and his media production company, VPC, Inc, DoIT, Athletics and several Media and Commuication Studies (MCS) students produced more than 20 live men’s & women’s basketball games that drew rave reviews from ESPN and the America East Conference (AEC). Consisting of 15-20 member crews, the broadcasts were initially produced more by VPC professionals, but by the end of season, they were largely student produced. Several of these students and young alums were then hired by the Baltimore Ravens for the team’s own multimedia upgrade to facilities at M&T Bank Stadium and practice facilities in Owings Mills.
“The upgrade to HD is a boon to the students in Media and Communication Studies,” says MCS Chair Jason Loviglio. “Working with industry-quality gear and with talented professionals like Professor Bill Shewbridge represents a huge advantage when it comes to finding work in a variety of industries that now rely on in-house video production for websites, streaming, and other applications. Along with the ESPN-3 upgrade in sports broadcasting, UMBC now offers students incredible opportunities to do professional-quality video work.”
The New Media Studio is a fee-for-service production facility that has a long tradition of working with faculty in digital storytelling, research grant results dissemination, covering campus events, and producing recorded TV shows like “In The Loop.” We also work with courses focused on media production. To tour the space or discuss a potential project, contact Manager Dustin Roddy at 5-3214 or drod2@umbc.edu.
Clockwise From Top Left: The Studio’s control room with old analog tube monitors; same room with updated controls, new flat screen monitors and digital equipment, added graphics and media manager stations; one of three new HD Sony cameras with fiber optic cabling; and Ross Graphite Switcher- the main unit of the system.
Pictured L to R at M&T Bank Stadium: UMBC students and alums Kevin Harris, Taylor Crimmel, Karlise Simpson, Jerome Graham, Dustin Roddy, Jordan Becker.
]]>Gallery/Marketing Intern:
Renaissance Fine Arts is seeking an enthusiastic, detail oriented intern to join our gallery team. The intern will play an active role in supporting the gallery in various aspects of daily operations including marketing. This is a wonderful opportunity for a highly motivated individual looking to learn about the inner-workings of an art gallery. The internship is unpaid and part-tim meeting 2-3 times a week during the Fall semester with the possibility of extending into the Spring semester.
Primary Responsibilities:
]]>
]]>