In the first six weeks of the semester, we will use Annotation Studio to collectively annotate our syllabus, Auyoung’s “What We Mean by Reading,” Plato’s “Ion,” Arnold’s “The Function of Criticism at the Present Time,” and portions of Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy.
The free technology we will be using is independent of our learning management system (BlackBoard) and our institution (MSU), so everyone will need to register with Annotation Studio in order to complete the assignment. (How this will work: you will sign up for a free account during the first week of class. At the end of that week, I will email everyone on the roster an “invite” link to our group [cunningly titled 499c]. When you accept the invitation, you will have access to the texts you are to annotate.)
Our annotation exercise requires a minimum of 25 annotations: 5 annotations each for work. The variety of annotation is dependent on the type of reading and what we will be doing with the reading in our course. Annotations of the syllabus should demonstrate understanding of outcomes and offer relevant connections to the course site. Annotations of “What We Mean by Reading” should include personal experience alongside substantive commentary. Annotations of “Ion” and “The Function of Criticism at the Present Time” should explicate the source texts and provide commentary and questions that will aid in the drafting of our first paper. Annotations of selections from Birth of Tragedy should explore the work in relation to our course theme.
The exercise breakdown:
- The Syllabus requires 5 annotations. These annotations should demonstrate an engagement with the course policies, assignment descriptions, and learning outcomes. At least 2 annotations should meaningfully link the course policies, assignments, or designated outcomes with information provided in our website’s overview of teaching and our websites’s career guide.
- Auyoung’s article requires 5 substantive annotations. All 5 annotations must meaningfully engage with particular passages of the text. A minimum of 3 annotations will explain or interpret the passages. A minimum of two should provide personal narrative or experience that links the student’s own reading experience to the ideas outlined in Auyoung’s text.
- Plato’s dialogue, “Ion,” and Arnold’s expository prose argument, “Function of Criticism” require 5 annotations each. Each set of annotations must include at least 3 substantive responses to the text that explain and interpret particular passages. Ideally, these annotations will help to address the central problem outlined in the assignment sheet for our first paper.
- The selections from Birth of Tragedy require 5 annotations. These annotations may be more exploratory and focus on questions (vs. explanations). At least 2 annotations must link Nietzsche’s reading to our articulated course theme.
Annotations must be posted by the start of the class period on the day the reading is due (specific due dates are listed on the syllabus). The rubric for the assignment can be accessed here.
But why this exercise, in this format?
Annotation, through a technological interface, allows us to explore some digital tools in the humanities while we complete our required reading. The specific style of annotation will comport with the purpose of our reading requirement.
We will be using “Ion” and “Function” to make a critical case, so our annotations are focused on explication and interpretation. In other words, we’re using textual commentary as a method of note taking that will aid our compositional goals. Selections from Nietzsche’s work are included in the course to spur conversation and exploration, which is why the annotations of this dense text will be more open-ended and inquisitive. The more personal annotations of Auyoung’s article will require you to consider your own reading experiences in light of professional norms. These early explorations will start a conversation that will end in your final articulation of *what* we should read (and why).
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