New communication media and literature

Understanding the basic principles of the language of the new media, with an emphasis on the transformations of literature within the new media. Ability to analyze communication in the new media and an appropriate use of the new media language for purposes of planning new forms of communication. Knowledge of and understanding the relationship of the computer media towards the older technical media: photography, film and video, and an ability to reflect on the integration of traditional media into the new media communication. Understanding and consideration of an involvement of the new media in the wider field of information technologies, and of innovations in this field. Understanding the ways in which the new media are embedded in the changes in the field of representation.

Knowledge of English and of at least another foreign language. Basic computer skills.

This course is the foundation for researching the relationships between cultural practices as they are developed in the so-called new media. A special emphasis will be given to the relationships between literature and other media. For a contemporary approach to literature, art and culture, it is essential to consider the transformation of the world-model by means of the new forms of telecommunication, personal mobility and algorithmic data processing. The course will link theory and practice in the domains of semiotics, communication studies, literary theory, theories of visual language and new media theories. On the horizontal syllabus line, the course is connected with the following courses: Literary journalism as a trans-national and trans-genre discourse, and Translation as a means of transcultural communication

Themes:
1. Terminology: interactivity, computer art, digital media, electronic media, new media (Lev Manovich), multimedia, intermedia, integrated media, post-media condition, cyber-text, hypertext.
2. Information technologies and the understanding of the functioning of computer media.
3. Use of new media in design and fine art. Digital humanities.
4. Digital video as a link between video and computer media. Interactive video.
5. Virtual reality and image databases.
6. Vilém Flusser and techno-imagination. Telepresence.
7. Boris Groys and media art. Groys' definition of art installation.
8. Communication through web page (language HTML, XML, Java Script, databases).
9. Smartphone applications and the phenomenon of “augmented reality”.

Knowledge of basic study literature, especially key theoretical contributions and key works of art in the new media. Knowledge of basic elements, procedures and principles of interactive communication in the new media. Knowledge of the software tools, formats and principles of assembly and composition of digitized image, sound, textual and other data material for a production of interactive presentational uses. The ability to critically reflect on the new media forms of communication.
Understanding concepts such as: integrated media, computer art, hypertext and hypermedia, cyber-text, digital and analogous, databases, algorithms, server, browser, interface, compressibility of data, compatible formats, internet textuality, interactivity, avatar, telepresence, telematics. The student will be able to decode the new media communication in an appropriate manner.

• Aarseth, Espen J. Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. Catalogue E-version
• Benjamin, Walter. Izbrani spisi. Ljubljana: SH - Zavod za založniško dejavnost, 1998. Catalogue
• Bonitzer, Pascal. Slepo polje. Ljubljana: Studia humanitatis, 1985.
• Bovcon, Narvika. Umetnost v svetu pametnih strojev. Ljubljana: Inštitut Akademije za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje, UL, 2009. http://usps.bovcon.com E-version
• Brin, Sergey, and Lawrence Page. “The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine.” 1998. E-version
• Anne Burdick, Johanna Drucker, Peter Lunenfeld, Todd Presner, Jeffrey Schnapp. Digital_Humanities. The MIT Press, 2012. Catalogue E-version
• Enzensberger, Hans Magnus. Einladung zu einem Poesie-Automaten. Frankfurt/Main: Suhrkamp, 2000. E-version
• Flusser, Vilém. Digitalni videz. Ljubljana: Študentska založba, 2002.
• Im Buchstabenfeld: Die Zukunft der Literatur. Ed. Peter Weibel. Graz: Literaturverlag Droschl, 2001.
• Link, David. Poesiemaschinen/Maschinenpoesie: Zur Frühgeschichte computerisierter Texterzeugung und generativer Systeme. 1st ed. Fink (Wilhelm), 2007. Catalogue E-version
• Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media. MIT Press, 2001. Catalogue E-version
• (The) New Media Reader. Wardrip-Fruin, Noah & Montfort, Nick (ed.). Cambridge, Mass & London: The MIT Press, 2003. Catalogue E-version
• Strehovec, Janez. Besedilo in novi mediji: Od tiskanih besedil k digitalni besedilnosti in digitalnim literaturam. Ljubljana: LUD Literatura 2007. E-version
• Virilio, Paul. Hitrost osvoboditve. Ljubljana: Študentska založba, 1996.

seminar work 50%, project presentation 50%

Aleš Vaupotič holds a PhD in Literary Studies and an MA in Video and New Media. He is a member of the executive committees of REELC/ENCLS, SDPK and a member of the ICLA. He is also a new media artist and curator, and President of the Society for Connecting Art and Science (ArtNetLab). He is currently Assistant Professor in Literary Studies at the University of Nova Gorica and Assistant in the field of Video and New Media at the University of Ljubljana. Mr Vaupotič is also Assistant Professor in the field of New Media at the University of Primorska .

1. BOVCON, Narvika, VAUPOTIČ, Aleš, KLEMENC, Bojan, SOLINA, Franc. "Atlas 2012" augmented reality : a case study in the domain of fine arts. In: First International Conference, SouthCHI 2013, Maribor, Slovenia, July 1-3, 2013. HOLZINGER, Andreas (ed.), et al. Human factors in computing and informatics : proceedings, (Lecture notes in computer science, ISSN 0302-9743, 7946). Heidelberg [etc.]: Springer, cop. 2013, pp. 477–496, illustr. http://eprints.fri.uni-lj.si/2098/. [COBISS.SI-ID 2782459].
2. VAUPOTIČ, Aleš. Literature and new media art in the "sonnetoid" web projects by Slovenian artists Vuk Ćosić and Teo Spiller. Revue de littérature comparée, ISSN 0035-1466, Oct./Dec. 2013, vol. 87, no. 4, pp. 423–440. [COBISS.SI-ID 3290363].
3. VAUPOTIČ, Aleš. The book and the World Wide Web. Primerjalna književnost, ISSN 0351-1189, Jun. 2012, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 201–211, illustr. [COBISS.SI-ID 49282658].
4. VAUPOTIČ, Aleš. Peirceova teorija raziskave kot poetološki model : primer literarnega realizma = Peirce's theory of inquiry as a poetological model : the case of literary realism. In: ŠKULJ, Jola (ed.), HABJAN, Jernej (ed.). Živo branje : literatura, znanost in humanistika = Reading live : literature, science and the humanities, (Primerjalna književnost, ISSN 0351-1189, vol. 35, no. 2). Ljubljana: Slovensko društvo za primerjalno književnost, 2012, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 83–93, 225–236. [COBISS.SI-ID 49711970].
5. BOVCON, Narvika, VAUPOTIČ, Aleš, SOLINA, Franc, BATAGELJ, Borut, DEŽELJIN, Damir. Presence : the integration of classical artistic media in a smart space prototype. In: SABLATNIG, Robert (ed.), KAMPEL, Martin (ed.), LETTNER, Martin (ed.). VSMM 2009 : 15 International Conference on Virtual Systems and Multimedia, 9-12 September 2009, Vienna, Austria : proceedings. Los Alamitos (California); Washington; Tokyo: IEEE Computer Society, cop. 2009, pp. 98–103, ilustr. http://eprints.fri.uni-lj.si/1391/. [COBISS.SI-ID 7341140].