Questions

Questions

Below are a series of questions, in no particular sequence, loosely grouped into thirteen categories, to help you focus your thinking and research. They are meant to guide you and help you direct your attention toward the connections and the evolutionary development of writing, technology and literacy in our society. They span the period of time we are studying: Cave Paintings to HTML (Hypertext).

You are not expected to answer each question but, over the course of the semester, you must:

respond, in the SUNY Learning Network threaded discussion location, substantively to one question in each category and
respond, in the SUNY Learning Network threaded discussion location, substantively in each category to what someone else has said.

The goal here is not one or two word reponses: "Yeah, I agree" or " Writing really changed civilization." Nor are you expected to write 500 words. These are informal discussions requiring some thought, but not extensive research. They can serve as a guide or be a trail to your making your own connections.

While I will not generally participate weekly in the discussion, I will lurk to oversee the discussion and assure compliance. Failure to particpate in a meaningful fashion in these discussions will adversely effect your final grade.

To give yu some time to acclimate to the corse, set up your webfolio and begin your reading, this element of the course will not begin until the third week of teh semester. Once begun, however, responses will be posted weekly.

The Book

Once we began to write what were we able to do that we had not been able to do in oral culture?
Why, where and when did the first library evolve and what, ultimately, happened to it?
What role did the book play in the creation and development of the university?
Why are most books higher than they are wider?

Early Technologies

When and how did technology begin to affect writing? How has it affected writing ever since?
How and why did we begin to use an alphabet? Who used it and how did it evolve?
Where did the alphabet come from?
How close did we come to having an alphabet in Arabic rather than Roman characters? What was the deciding factor?
Why did it take almost 1400 years for the idea of printing to reach Europe from China and even longer for the idea of paper to travel overland?

Monks - Early Copiers

What would the monks of Ireland have accomplished if they had a Macintosh computer?
Why were illuminated manuscripts so colorful? Why were they so expensive?
What happened on Skellig Michael to change the course of history?
What motivated scribes to illuminate their manuscripts?
Why did the bible become so popular?
If glasses and electricity were around for the monks and scribes working on illuminated manuscripts how would the manuscripts and books been different?

Reaction to Writing

Why were so many scholars from the oral tradition (Plato, Socrates , et. al.) so opposed to writing? What change did this new form of communication mean to individuals?
Why were the ancients so resistant to writing?

Scrolls and Codex

How did available natural material limit the writing space?
With each new technology there seems to be a power and status shift. Trace some of that shift

Cave Paintings

Why did man begin to paint in caves? What did he use for coloring and light?
What light of these caves shed on our early ancestors?

Initial Writing

How did writing emerge out of no-writing?
Why did we, as a civilization, begin to write?
What factors had to converge for writing to begin, i.e. political, social, economic and geographic?
Once we began to write, how did society change?
What social, political and economic events could never have happened without writing?

Egyptians

While the Sumerians were developing their culture, what was happening in Egypt?
Who was the Egyptian god of Thoth and what was his impact?

Printing Press

The scribe and the printer seemed to be at odds in society. Why and how did they resolve their differences?
The printing press changed society once again. Why did it take so long to be invented? What needed to be available in the middle of the 15 the century for it to be invented?
After the invention of the printing press, how quickly did printing spread throughout Europe? How did it flourish in Paris, Venice, Germany and the rest of northern Europe?
What does the term incunabula mean? Can we apply that it to this period today?
It is said that the discovery of fire and the invention of the printing press were two of the most significant happenings in the evolution of our civilization. Some now say the computer will have an even greater impact. Do you agree? Why or why not?

The Paperback

What is a triptych? How and why was it used by individuals? What relationship or connection does it have, if any, to the need or desire for paperback books?
When did we get the first paperback book? What brought about its creation? How did this invention affect the reading habits of the public?

Writing with Computers

The computer and information age is upon us. What impact does this technology have upon writing and the book?
Information is no longer private in an electronically configured environment of information. What are the implications of this new development for our generation ?
How is the Internet similar to communication characteristics found in the oral culture?
History often repeats itself. How has the computer enabled us to replicate the characteristics of the illuminated manuscript era?
Will students of the future be writing term papers as we know them today? If not, what format will those documents take?
Hypertext enables us to travel through cyberspace making connections at will. How has this new text changed the way we read and learn?
To what extent do our computers extend our intelligence, and to what extent do they hold us back, limiting the exercise of our varied and complex human abilities? How would Socrates answer ? Ultimately, was he correct?
At a time during the Victorian era, mail was delivered several times during the day. Jane Austin novels often picture protagonists sitting at letter writing tables preparing missives to suitors to be. How is E-mail similar or different than the letter writing period of that same era? Is it as romantic, personal or communicative?

Women & Writing

Were there female scribes and how powerful were they in their day?
What role did women play in scribal culture? Why is three so little information about their participation?

Literacy

Why is the level of literacy higher in Japan than in the West?
When were glasses invented? What impact did they have on writing , books and reading ?
When was electricity invented? What impact did it have on writing, books and reading?
What did the printing press do for literacy?

The Book	Once we began to write what were we able to do that we had not been able to do in oral culture? Why, where and when did the first library evolve and what, ultimately, happened to it? What role did the book play in the creation and development of the university? Why are most books higher than they are wider?
Early Technologies	When and how did technology begin to affect writing? How has it affected writing ever since? How and why did we begin to use an alphabet? Who used it and how did it evolve? Where did the alphabet come from? How close did we come to having an alphabet in Arabic rather than Roman characters? What was the deciding factor? Why did it take almost 1400 years for the idea of printing to reach Europe from China and even longer for the idea of paper to travel overland?
Monks - Early Copiers	What would the monks of Ireland have accomplished if they had a Macintosh computer? Why were illuminated manuscripts so colorful? Why were they so expensive? What happened on Skellig Michael to change the course of history? What motivated scribes to illuminate their manuscripts? Why did the bible become so popular? If glasses and electricity were around for the monks and scribes working on illuminated manuscripts how would the manuscripts and books been different?
Reaction to Writing	Why were so many scholars from the oral tradition (Plato, Socrates , et. al.) so opposed to writing? What change did this new form of communication mean to individuals? Why were the ancients so resistant to writing?
Scrolls and Codex	How did available natural material limit the writing space? With each new technology there seems to be a power and status shift. Trace some of that shift
Cave Paintings	Why did man begin to paint in caves? What did he use for coloring and light? What light of these caves shed on our early ancestors?
Initial Writing	How did writing emerge out of no-writing? Why did we, as a civilization, begin to write? What factors had to converge for writing to begin, i.e. political, social, economic and geographic? Once we began to write, how did society change? What social, political and economic events could never have happened without writing?
Egyptians	While the Sumerians were developing their culture, what was happening in Egypt? Who was the Egyptian god of Thoth and what was his impact?
Printing Press	The scribe and the printer seemed to be at odds in society. Why and how did they resolve their differences? The printing press changed society once again. Why did it take so long to be invented? What needed to be available in the middle of the 15 the century for it to be invented? After the invention of the printing press, how quickly did printing spread throughout Europe? How did it flourish in Paris, Venice, Germany and the rest of northern Europe? What does the term incunabula mean? Can we apply that it to this period today? It is said that the discovery of fire and the invention of the printing press were two of the most significant happenings in the evolution of our civilization. Some now say the computer will have an even greater impact. Do you agree? Why or why not?
The Paperback	What is a triptych? How and why was it used by individuals? What relationship or connection does it have, if any, to the need or desire for paperback books? When did we get the first paperback book? What brought about its creation? How did this invention affect the reading habits of the public?
Writing with Computers	The computer and information age is upon us. What impact does this technology have upon writing and the book? Information is no longer private in an electronically configured environment of information. What are the implications of this new development for our generation ? How is the Internet similar to communication characteristics found in the oral culture? History often repeats itself. How has the computer enabled us to replicate the characteristics of the illuminated manuscript era? Will students of the future be writing term papers as we know them today? If not, what format will those documents take? Hypertext enables us to travel through cyberspace making connections at will. How has this new text changed the way we read and learn? To what extent do our computers extend our intelligence, and to what extent do they hold us back, limiting the exercise of our varied and complex human abilities? How would Socrates answer ? Ultimately, was he correct? At a time during the Victorian era, mail was delivered several times during the day. Jane Austin novels often picture protagonists sitting at letter writing tables preparing missives to suitors to be. How is E-mail similar or different than the letter writing period of that same era? Is it as romantic, personal or communicative?
Women & Writing	Were there female scribes and how powerful were they in their day? What role did women play in scribal culture? Why is three so little information about their participation?
Literacy	Why is the level of literacy higher in Japan than in the West? When were glasses invented? What impact did they have on writing , books and reading ? When was electricity invented? What impact did it have on writing, books and reading? What did the printing press do for literacy?