Week 2

2 The Book as Technology

What happens when we study the book as a technology?

Week Two Preview

In week two, you'll begin to think about what we mean when we describe the book as a technology. With the help of historian Nicole Howard, we will outline some of the main questions and paths of inquiry that we will follow throughout the course. As you read selections from Howard's text, and watch the video on The Book as Technology, start thinking about the questions and topics you want to explore as we begin our journey back in time, to the era before the invention of printing.

Video: The Book as Technology

(Length: 8 minutes)

You can think of this course as an extended inquiry into a single question: How does the medium and technology of the book shape the ways we read, write, and communicate? This video elaborates on this question and explains how it forms a starting point for our work in the class. The video introduces the Nicole Howard text and poses some questions you will explore further in the discussion forum for this week.

(Downloadable transcript of the audio can be accessed below the video player.)

transcript_the_book_as_technology.pdf
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Video: Books Before Printing

(Length: 10 minutes)

This video gives you a head start on the reading for this week. In the video, I summarize Howard's chapter 1, adding some images and commentary, and highlight what I see as some of the main ideas that are important in the chapter.

(Downloadable transcript of the audio can be accessed below the video player.)

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Reading

We will begin reading the Nicole Howard text this week. The Book: The Life Story of a Technology offers a concise, accessible overview of the development of book-making technologies.

The video, The Book as Technology, will introduce the Howard text and help you get started with the reading and writing assignment for this week. Be sure to watch that video in tandem with the reading.

For this week, read the following:

Introduction
Timeline
Chapter 1, Ancestors: Books Before Print (covered in detail in the "Books before Print" video)
Chapter 2, Infancy: The Earliest Printed Books, 1450-1500 (you will write about this chapter for Assignment 2)

Pre-reading questions:
As you read the Introduction and chapter one, think about these questions—which will help you prepare for Assignment 2.

How does Howard define “technology”?
What are the enabling technologies that make books possible?
What are some of the important developments in book history prior to the invention of printing?
What technologies and resources needed to be in place to enable Gutenberg to develop the first commercially viable printing press?

Assignment 2: Reading Response--Howard #1

Assignment 2 Template (Google Docs file--must be logged in to UALR Gmail to access)

Overview and purposeNicole Howard introduces the idea of the book as technology and tells the story of the evolution of the modern book. Assignment 2 is designed to guide you through an initial reading of the first part of her book, and to spark your thinking about some of the key concepts that we will apply throughout the course.
In your reading response, try to describe things that surprise or interest you about the story Howard tells. Moments of surprise, curiosity, or wonderment are often good starting places for research projects!

To prepare

Watch the Week 2 videos on this page.
In the Howard text, read the Introduction, review the Timeline, and chapters 1 and 2 (pages vii--53). Note that I provide detailed notes on chapter 1 in one of the videos, to give you a head start and to illustrate what I understand as some of the key ideas in the chapter.
Choose one of the three questions below to explore in more detail and write a short reading response essay on to provide your answer to the question of your choice. Focus on Howard’s chapter 2 and be sure to use specific examples and a few selected quotations from her text in your response.

Write about one of the following three questions

Howard describes her book as “the life story of a technology.” What kinds of things does she include in her definition of technology? What kinds of things does she focus on in her story of the book? As a reader and student of writing and technical communication, what do you find interesting or surprising about the way she tells this story? What new ideas does her approach reveal that you might not have considered before?
Gutenberg did not invent the printed book out of thin air. What ingredients needed to be in place before he could develop the innovations that made the modern printed book possible? What different tools and technologies did Gutenberg have available to work with? What does this story tell us about the nature of innovation and technology?
Chapter 2 chronicles the “infancy” of printed books during the period 1450-1500 (mostly focused on Europe). What notable things happened in book technology during that time? Why do you think Howard describes this time period as “the first information revolution”?

Refer to and quote from the readings in your response. Use quotations and summary (in your own words) from the readings to illustrate and support your points. Be sure to include page number references for direct quotations.

Your response should be written in complete sentences and developed paragraphs. Your writing style can be conversational, but it should be professional. You are writing for your classmates and your instructor.

Your response should be about 500-750 words in length. You may include images or other media if you like.