History of Composition Technologies

The act of writing and composing has been intricately connected to technology since humans
first started putting symbols on materials. Along with changing technologies, came changes in
the way humans have composed. For this research project, you will choose to research a
specific technology and explain how it changed the way we compose. Then, as a group, you will
create a digital archive of your era and the technologies that represent writing technologies
during that time.

You can pick a technology from the following defined eras (these will be assigned randomly):

Ancient: Up to 500 AD
Medieval: 500 AD through the 14th century
Renaissance: 15th through the 17th century
Industrial: 18th through 19th century
Post-Industrial: 20th century through the present

You are not limited to any specific geographic area. For example, someone might decide to
research the printing press in Europe while someone else may research the creation of paper in
Ancient China. Once you have an era, we will form groups in the class. You all will be
researching different technologies, but may share research about that time in history within
your group.

Your research project should give a thorough background of your technology and time period.
For this research, you will use primarily secondary sources. You should also include information
on how it changed writing and composition for that time. For this section, you can also include
primary research. If you are able, try to reproduce that writing technology. For example, if you
research clay tablet and stylus as a way of writing, try composing this way. Or, if you choose a
pencil, write in pencil. This will give you first hand experience of using this technology.
However, this might not be available to everyone. For example, if you pick a printing press, you
will not be able to compose on a printing press.

As a group, you will combine all of your research into a well designed website to create a digital
archive that tells the story of your research. Each person in the group should have their own
section that highlights their specific technology. However, the group should develop a main
page that explains the time and culture(s) that these technologies were created during.

Deliverables:
Qualifying Topic (Due Nov. 4): Individually, you will each need to submit a detailed paragraph or
two that explains:

What is the basic topic/subject youve chosen?

Why is it important/interesting to your?
Why will it be important/interesting to others?

Note: You may not know exactly what your main point is by this time. The research will help you
discover that. However, you should know what this project is about and why it matters.
Annotated Bibliography (Due Nov. 11): Individually, you will turn in an annotated bibliography
for a minimum of 5 sources. Ideally, these will be varied between online, print, and perhaps field

History of Composition Technologies

research (depending on the topic). An APA formatted annotated bibliography lists alphabetically
(usually by author) each book, essay, article, etc. that the writer has consulted in the course of
research, and it includes a brief summary of and commentary on each item.
The goal is to describe the (1) main points made in the article, interview, video, etc that you are
annotating. You also want to (2) explain the angle of the resource. This will be around a
paragraph for each source, with roughly 3-5 sentences of summary and 3-5 sentence of
assessment/angle.
Prospectus (Due Nov. 15): As a group, you will submit your prospectus. A prospectus is a plan
that details your research goals and overall project goals. Consider this the last ok before you
can complete the project. You will need to explain exactly what topics you are going to cover,
why this is important/interesting to you and the audience, and how you will accomplish your
goals in the website. For example, how are you going to divide up the website? What types of
media will you include? I would also like you to discuss who you think the audience is and how
that audience might affect the way you compose. Finally, include a discussion about how you
will accomplish your research and what evidence is appropriate. This will be roughly 1-2 single-
spaced pages.
Reflection Write-up (Due Dec. 6): In addition to the website and other multimedia you create,
your group will turn in a 3-5 page (single-spaced) extended reflection on this project. This
reflection needs to be an in-depth exploration of your project. You should include background
information about your topic, the purpose of your archive, your approach to design, how you
structured and organized your site, how you used logos, pathos, and ethos to inform your
audience, how you created access to your information, etc. You may also want to discuss
aspects of the rhetorical situation and how that affected your final project. Consider this an
extended update on your prospectus.
Website (Due Dec. 6): As a group, you will produce a well designed website that adheres to
principles of CRAP, HATS, and solid web design. We will be using a free website builder (either
Wix.com or Weebly.com) to create these sites. In addition to good design, your site needs to be
usable and accessible (this include adding links). To have a successful website, you will need to
create and use multimedia including images, video, audio, galleries, and other interactive media.
Your goal is to make this website interactive in some way. You will also need to make sure your
list all of your sources and use APA citation throughout (this means you need a page that acts as
a reference page). Bare minimum would be a site with a homepage, a sources page, and 4
different pages that each cover a specific technology of that era.


This project is due by the end of class on Friday, Dec 6.