E-Rhet - Hypertext assignment

What is the assignment?: Your assignment is to create a hypertext, consisting of a series of interlinked pages, equivalent in scope and research to a 10-15 page research paper on the topic discussed in your research proposal. The final revision should be accompanied by a site map (this can be a link on your website or handed in/posted independently) as well as a 1-2 page reflection letter on the hypertext project as a whole.

What exactly is a hypertext?

One scholar defines hypertext in this way:

A term coined by T.H. Nelson in the 1960s . . . hypertext refers to the non-sequential arrangment of text-based information. Hypertexts are broken down into nodes, small units of text (screens of text, of text and graphics, or scrolling screens of text and graphics, for instance), which are linked, or connected to other nodes in webs, or connected sets of information. (Richard Selfe 217 from Teaching Argument in the Composition Course)

Hypertexts vary in layout and design, a variation that is often influenced at least in part by differences in purpose & audience: a personal webpage, for instance, has a markedly different purpose and probably a different audience than a commercial website such as amazon.com.

What is the purpose of our hypertext?

For this class, your purpose is to create a research hypertext that presents your research to an academic audience, such as the students in this class. Just as in PWR1 (where you were asked to produce a research argument, rather than a report), here you should produce a text that is analytical and argumentative (i.e. whose pages and relationships between links are designed to facilitate your particular line of inquiry) rather than solely informational (i.e. simply providing information on a topic).

The overall pedagogical purpose, in keeping with the underlying goals of PWR2, is to effectively apply the priniciples of argument and rhetoric within a variety of media -- in this case, within an electronic enviroment.

How should I structure my hypertext and what should it contain?

The organization of the page is up to you, though probably will follow the outline provided by your visual map (or improve upon it) -- however, all hypertexts should contain

a homepage
a clear navigational structure
a series of links to topic and subtopic pages
a works cited page (in correct MLA format)

Other elements you may want to include to enhance your hypertext include:

contact link

external links

conclusion

graphics (see my Image Use guidelines page for more on this subject)

In general, your research hypertext should follow the principles for effective design and persuasive e-rhetoric that we have been discussing this quarter and should be composed of a variety of interconnected links stemming from a central homepage and at least 3-4 central "paths." Remember as you link your texts that your links shouldn't be random: you need to ensure that your reader can follow your argument and intellectual connections behind your links.

What is the process for completing this project?

As the due dates at the top of the page suggest, we are going to approach this research hypertext as we would any research project: through a series of steps. You've already begun these steps through drafting a research proposal and creating a preliminary bibliography. In the weeks to come, you will create a working visual map for your project; you will be writing nodes or pages incrementally over a two week period; you will participate in in-class and on-line peer review (through Forum); you will be meeting with me in conference and have the option of attending extra tech-oriented office hours in Wallenberg; you will be revising your hypertext into a polished finished product; and you will be submitting a final site map and reflection letter once you have completed the hypertext.

You may create your pages in any program that you like -- from Microsoft Word (saving as .html) to Frontpage, Netscape Composer, or Dreamweaver. You can even code it yourself if you like. However -- keep in mind that formating will change if you write drafts in a word processing program and then cut and paste to a Web Authoring program. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you draft using the software you intend to use for authoring your hypertext itself.

How can I possibly get a good grade on this assignment if I have no prior web-authoring experience?

All of you have had some practice working with hypertext based on the Proposal Translation assignment, and in the Media Reflection, you have already anticipated some of your challenges approaching a longer project in hypertext. These assignments should have provided you with a foundation for approaching this one.

In addition, remember that -- as I mentioned earlier in the quarter -- I am most interested in the quality of your research and writing and the design of your website as it reflects an understanding of the principles of electronic rhetoric. Whether or not you act on these principles through a very basic design or through elaborate java scripts is less important than that you understand these principles themselves and attempt to put them into practice(see reflection letter below, for more on this).

Once I finish my hypertext, what else do I need to do?

Part of this assignment involves not just the creation of a hypertext, but a consideration of the specific structure and properties of a research argument as adapted to this specific medium. To help you focus on these aspects of the project, you should turn in a site map and a reflection letter with your final revision of the hypertext itself.

The Site Map

Creating a site map can be a simple or difficult process. Some web authoring programs, such as Dreamweaver, allow you to "view" a site map as part of their authoring function. If your program allows you to do this, you need to merely print out this map (or capture it as a jpeg and then print it out) and turn it in.

If you web authoring program does not offer this option, you have the slightly more labor-intensive task of converting your original visual map into an accurate site map for your site. Once this map is completed, you should print it out and turn it in.

Your site map may be linked to your hypertext if you prefer.

The Reflection Letter

The reflection letter is your opportunity to discuss the principles of e-rhetoric that you tried to implement in your research hypertext. In your reflection, please comment on the rhetorical decisions that informed the content and design nof your site: what choices you made about voice, audience, purpose, design, organization, chunking; what you are proud of; what you would have done more of had you had more time; and what you would have improved on had you had greater technical knowledge. In addition, please note the principles of e-rhetoric that you followed in constructing your site -- i.e. what decisions you made about embedded vs. listed links, amount of text on a page, use of graphics, etc. You may refer to a supplementary text if it was instrumental in determining how you constructed your hypertext (such as one of the Writing for the Web pages that you read earlier in the quarter).

Keep in mind, this is your primary place to speak to me about your goals, accomplishments, and your perceived shortcomings in drafting and revising your hypertext.

Your reflection letter should be 1-2 pages long and should be posted or handed in on December 1st at the same time as your revised hypertext. It does not need to be linked to your hypertext site, but you may link it if you want to.

Where can I find extra help on this?

For an overview of how to approach writing a hypertext, you might find the "webpage" section of chapter 8 of Envision to provide some helpful tips. Other readings that might be helpful include:

"Writing for the Web"
Writing and Reading Electronic Hypertexts
Virginia Montecino's "Considerations When Creating a Web Page"
Selections from Martha Sammons Internet Writer's Handbook (recommended for this class) and the Introduction to that text, distributed as a handout during the 2nd week of classes
Your list of the top 6 important rules to follow for Writing On-line from earlier in the quarter
Examples of other research hypertexts, such as those from CS201 and the Winter 2004 E-Rhetorics class.
Christine's Dreamweaver handout and Introduction to Templates handout
Rutger's Dreamweaver Tutorial

Other resources that may be helpful include:

The extra tech-office hours held in Wallenberg 125 on Monday, Nov. 1 (7-9pm) and Tuesday, Nov. 9 (7-9pm)

Your RCCs

The Stanford Writing Center

Feel free to e-mail me, IM me, or talk to me in class if you have any questions about this assignment or the project as a whole.