English 102 - Claire Lauer
Cultural Identity
In this unit we will be discussing the nature of identity in a technological culture. Nicholas Negroponte will familiarize you with the basics of living in a digital world. Kenneth Gergen will introduce you to an idea of the changing nature of individualism in society, and Sherry Turkle will explore ways that we construct our selves and our identities over the medium of the Internet.
The purpose of this project is to raise your awareness about who you are as a person and how you choose to convey a version of your "self" on the virtual world of the Internet.
This project is going to require you to construct your identity on a web page, and then accompany that web page with a 4-5 page reflective/analysis essay. The web page itself is going to serve as a representation of who you are. We all have ideas about our identities, what things we value, and what cultures we identify with. Now it is your job to translate those ideas into words, images and sounds on a computer screen. This will no doubt be a difficult process because you will be defining/representing yourself in terms of the available symbols and images on a computer. This will feel limiting at times, but do your best. The design, layout, and content of the web page are up to you, but I expect it to be more than just words on a page. Imagine that this web page is the only impression I will ever get of you.
In terms of the accompanying essay, it should be 4-5 pages in length and be reflective, yet analytical in nature, incorporating personal thoughts as well as ideas from the works we will have read. I would like you to consider who it is that you've attempted to capture on your web site and how the medium of the internet has affected how you see yourself and your identity. It is impossible to capture your entire self on your web site, so you will have to make important decisions about what you would like to include on your site and what you will omit. The decisions that you make throughout this process define the character of your site and say something about your identity and values system as well. In your analysis, I would like you to reflect upon your use of text and images, as well as your use of font, color, layout and design. How do each of these factors contribute to the overall impression you attempt to convey to your audience? When you take a step back and look at your site: who have you become?
As a starting point, reflect upon the process of putting together you web page: the difficulties encountered, the uncertainties raised, where you felt limited and where you felt that you captured yourself perfectly. What would you have liked to include but weren't able to either because of time or resources?