MMS1001 Introduction to Professional Writing for Digital Media

Contents

• Staffing
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Assessment notes
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

SYNOPSIS

This course focuses on creative writing and structuring as a means for extending the student's imaginative and conceptual approach to digital production. On completing this course, students will be able to conceptualise, develop and present multimedia content for PC or console games.. Students are encouraged to explore the effects that interactivity and non-linearity have on the creation of meaning in these works, in terms of Information design, Interaction design and Interface design. Topics to be covered include Narrative, Navigational Structures, Informational Structures, Interactive Techniques and writing methods. The core of this course will be the emphasis placed on the student's own writing. Students will generate scripts and diagrammatic outlines to develop a good understanding of the writer's and audience's role in the New Media as it relates to the interactive multimedia industry. The subject enriches the student's comprehension of the creative process necessary to the generation of Interactive Multimedia

OBJECTIVES

On completion of this course students should:

1. recognise the role of the writer and audience in a creative multimedia team
2. appreciate the structural complexities of non-linear storytelling
3. be able to demonstrate confidence in writing in a variety of styles appropriate to new media
4. have demonstrable skills in appropriate presentation and formatting of scripts
5. be able to edit and re-cast script material for new media
6. be aware of cultural sensitivities in a gobal media market.

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Pardew, L 2004, Beginning illustration and storytelling for games, Premier Press, Boston.

Sheldon, L 2004, Character development & storytelling, Premier Press, Boston.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Unified Modelling Language Resource Centre, www.rational.com/uml/index.jsp

Object Management Group, www.omg.org/uml/

Bonime, A & Pohlmann, C 1998, Writing for new media, John Wiley and Sons, New York.

Graham, L 1999, The principles of interactive design, Delmar Publishers, Albany, NY.

Laurel, B 1993, Computers as theatre, Addison-Wesley, Reading, Mass.

Murray, JH 1998, Hamlet on the holodeck: the future of narrative in cyberspace, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

Ryan, ML 2001, Narrative as virtual reality: immersion and interactivity in literature and electronic media, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Turkle, S 1995, Life on the screen: identity in the age of the internet, Simon & Schuster, New York.

Weizenbaum, J 1996, Eliza - a computer program for the study of natural language communication between man and machine (Available: http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=365168&dl=A).

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

This assessment item relates to all of the Objectives.

2.

This assessment item relates to Objectives 1,2,3,4 & 6.

3.

Exam dates will be advised when timetables are finalised. This assessment item relates to all of the Objectives.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   It is the student's responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. For this course, normal class attendance consists of one two hour lecture and 1 one hour tutorial per week.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To successfully complete an individual assessment item, a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. This statement must be read in conjunction with Statement 4 below.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without extenuating circumstances and without prior approval, then a penalty of a maximum of 5% of the assigned mark may apply for each working day late, up to a maximum of 10 working days, at which time a mark of zero can be recorded for that assignment.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade, a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   The exam for this course is a CLOSED EXAMINATION, and candidates are allowed to bring only writing and drawing instruments into the examination.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   Any deferred or supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6 Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm

ASSESSMENT NOTES

This version produced 27 May 2008.