English 230

This is Prompt 1 for English 230, “Contemporary Media and Fiction” (Fall 2021), at the University of Victoria. It is also available in PDF.

Responses to the prompt should be submitted via the course Brightspace. Thanks!

Prompt 1

Written on Monday, September 13th

The first two weeks (Sept. 8 - 17) of this course focus on defining media. The third week (Sept. 21 - 24) is about methods for studying what media do in fiction. This prompt asks you to begin practicing those methods.

The prompt’s primary aim is for you to consider the “comprehension” and “apprehension” of media in fiction. You’re welcome to respond to the prompt in one of three ways.

The Three Options

Option 1, “Mood and Main Content”: This option appeals primarily to studies of feeling and storytelling. Write two detailed paragraphs (totaling about 500 words, plus up to three image, audio, or video files) that describe the mood and main content of Kittaka’s Secrets Agent, YHCHI’s THE M00D 0F THE M0MENT, or Hopkinson’s “Message in a Bottle.” Your two paragraphs should give your audience a palpable sense of how the work’s feel or vibe intersects with its story. After these two paragraphs, please include a one- or two-sentence critical observation you would make about the work you selected based on your description of its mood and main content.

Option 2, “Modes and Modules”: This option appeals mostly to studies of artistic media. Write two detailed paragraphs (totaling about 500 words, plus up to three image, audio, or video files) that describe the modes and modules of Kittaka’s Secrets Agent, YHCHI’s THE M00D 0F THE M0MENT, or Hopkinson’s “Message in a Bottle.” Your two paragraphs should give your audience a clear picture of how the work’s various parts address or engage your senses. After these two paragraphs, please include a one- or two-sentence critical observation you would make about the work you selected based on your description of its modes and modules.

Option 3, “Materials and Moment”: This option appeals mostly to studies of media history and culture. Write two detailed paragraphs (totaling about 500 words, plus up to three image, audio, or video files) that describe the materials and moment of Kittaka’s Secrets Agent, YHCHI’s THE M00D 0F THE M0MENT, or Hopkinson’s “Message in a Bottle.” Your two paragraphs should give your audience a clear sense of how the physical substance of the work corresponds with the context of when, where, by whom, and for whom it was made. After these two paragraphs, please include a one- or two-sentence critical observation you would make about the work you selected based on your description of its materials and moment.

Tips for Writing

Assessment

I will assess your response to Prompt 1 based on the following criteria:

You will receive a mark for each criterion, which will be tallied (.25 x 4) to result in your mark for Prompt 1. I will send feedback to you via Brightspace. I will use UVic’s grading system for assessment, according to this rubric: “exceeds and raises expectations” (A+), “exceeds expectations” (A, A-), “exceeds some expectations” (B+), “meets expectations” (B, B-), “meets some expectations” (C+, C), “meets few expectations” (D), and “no submission.” You will have an opportunity to revise your response to Prompt 1, 2, or 3 by Friday, December 3rd. This revision can only improve your mark.

What to Submit

You may submit your response to Prompt 1 via Brightspace as a PDF, DOCX, RTF, or HTML file containing 450 - 600 words and an MLA-style Works Cited page, which should list any works you reference, even if you reference only one work (Secrets, M00D, or “Message”). The Works Cited page is not included in the word count. If you have questions about how to cite a particular work, then don’t hesitate to email me. Here are citations for the three works at hand (change the access dates, if you wish):

If you decide to include media files alongside your writing, then feel free to attach (or upload) them as separate JPG (image), PNG (image), TIFF (image), MP3 (audio), WAV (audio), MP4 (video), MOV (video), or PDF (document) files in Brightspace. Alternatively, you may import them into your PDF, DOCX, RTF, or HTML document and display them there. This way, you need to submit only one document.

When to Submit It

Please submit your response via Brightspace by Friday, September 24th at 10:30am.


Mood

The mood of a work is about being in the world and engaging fiction. What’s the work’s vibe or feel?

Here are some ways to think about mood (it’s probably best to focus on just one or two of them):

Descriptions of mood prompt considerations of distance, immediacy, intimacy, and familiarity.

Main Content

The main content of a fiction is about its story.

Here are some ways to think about the main content (it’s probably best to focus on just one or two of them):

What is interesting about the work’s treatment of each or any of these? What’s familiar or predictable?

Descriptions of the main content prompt considerations of shared interpretation, or which aspects of the work and its plot put people on the same page.

Modes

The modes of a fiction are about how it addresses or engages people’s senses.

Here are some ways to think about the modes (sometimes it’s best to focus on just one or two modes):

Descriptions of mode prompt considerations of how we attend to fiction.

Modules

The modules of a work are about its parts, composition, and arrangement.

Here are some ways to think about modules:

Descriptions of modules prompt considerations of the relationships between parts and whole.

Materials

The materials are about the work as matter and physical substance: as an agent that turns this into that.

Here are some ways to think about materials (it’s probably best to focus on just a few):

Descriptions of materials prompt considerations of the work as stuff.

Moment

Moment is about the work’s context: when, where, for whom, and by whom it was made.

Here are some ways to think about a moment (it’s probably best to focus on just one or two of them):

Descriptions of the moment prompt considerations of shared situations, or which aspects of a work put people in the same space and/or time.