by Jason Wiens

English 509.01 Literary Audio Recording Project
Due: Varies (see course schedule)
Value: 25% of your final grade

This project will be completed by three groups of eight or nine students per group. Working with Isabelle Groenhof, the research assistant for this project, each group will attend and record one of three readings held by the Literary Flywheel this winter. Flywheel events take place the second Thursday of every month at Pages in Kensington, at 7:30 pm. The dates for each of these readings are January 10, February 14, and March 14. Students will then, assisted by Ms. Groenhof and library staff, upload the recorded file to a digital collection in the TFDL. Students will describe the audio file through a metadata template, providing information such as the names of the readers, the date and location of the reading, etc.

Each student will then individually, again working with Isabelle Groenhof, use Audacity or Garage Band to select one poem / story / text, whatever part of the reading they choose, and share that particular recording with the rest of the class (and the world) at omeka.ucalgary.ca. Students will describe the audio file through a metadata template, providing information such as the names of the readers, the date and location of the reading, etc. Students will need to coordinate with the other members of their group so they do not duplicate each other’s selections. In the case of longer stories or poems, selecting portions of the text is acceptable (even necessary, given the size of each group). Each student will then individually write a 5-6 page review of the reading they attended, evaluating the performances of each reader at the event, and explaining why they selected the text they shared with the rest of the class. This should involve some critical discussion of the text selected. Students will be evaluated both as a group, in terms of the quality of the audio recordings, and the detail and accuracy of the metadata, and individually, in terms of the normal criteria for an English essay (clarity and effectiveness of writing and argument, proper formatting etc).

Throughout the term, we will be reading critical perspectives on the literary reading as an institution; students are welcome (even encouraged) to cite these critical writings in their essays, but these are the only secondary sources that should be referenced in these papers.

On designated days in the term, we will as a class turn our attention to the audio texts selected by members of the class to share. In this way, students will determine part of the ‘listenings’ for our course. However, due to time constraints, it is unlikely we will be able to discuss every text selected to share with the rest of the class.

Please note that this project is part of a research study funded by the Taylor Institute. Students who participate in the recording part of the project will be asked to sign waivers acknowledging that they are aware these recordings will be part of an ongoing digital collection in the TFDL. Students who do not wish to be acknowledged as the recorders and describers of these recordings can have their names removed from the metadata (while still receiving credit for completing the assignment).

Please note: This is not a conventional group project insofar as students are not expected to “present” their materials to the class in a formal presentation. Students are expected, however, to be prepared to discuss their work, both as a group and as individuals, on the day we discuss the texts which they shared with the class (recognizing that not all shared texts will be discussed). Students who are not present when we discuss the text they worked on will have their grade on the assignment penalized by 1/3 of a letter grade.