552.311 (22W) Focus on Culture: American Videogame Landscapes

Wintersemester 2022/23

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Erster Termin der LV
28.10.2022 10:00 - 12:00 N.0.27 On Campus
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Überblick

Bedingt durch die COVID-19-Pandemie können kurzfristige Änderungen bei Lehrveranstaltungen und Prüfungen (z.B. Absage von Präsenz-Lehreveranstaltungen und Umstellung auf Online-Prüfungen) erforderlich sein.

Weitere Informationen zum Lehrbetrieb vor Ort finden Sie unter: https://www.aau.at/corona.
Lehrende/r
LV-Titel englisch Focus on Culture: American Videogame Landscapes
LV-Art Seminar (prüfungsimmanente LV )
LV-Modell Blended-Learning-Lehrveranstaltung
Online-Anteil 20%
Semesterstunde/n 2.0
ECTS-Anrechnungspunkte 6.0
Anmeldungen 26 (25 max.)
Organisationseinheit
Unterrichtssprache Englisch
LV-Beginn 28.10.2022
eLearning zum Moodle-Kurs

Zeit und Ort

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LV-Beschreibung

Intendierte Lernergebnisse

Explore US-American cultural geographies through the lens of the medium of the videogame. Learn about the narrative capabilities of their virtual spaces and how player agency shapes our understanding of them. Academically discuss the importance of key leitmotifs, recurring symbols, and meaningful landscapes in the artistic representation of the United States of America. Critically examine selected videogames set in a fictional USA and analyse their stylistic choices. Steady your analytical skills in hands-on game lab exercises. Frame your insights along the real-life history of videogames as a cultural artefact between pioneering creative expression and commodity.

By the end of the seminar, students will be able to independently conduct research on the cultural connotations of geographical depictions in videogames.

Lehrmethodik inkl. Einsatz von eLearning-Tools

Synchronous on-campus sessions that either feature lecture elements and discussions or take place in the shape of student-organised game lab sessions, as well as asynchronous e-learning exercises.

Inhalt/e

The seminar introduces students to the analysis of videogame geographies with a focus on US-American products or games depicting digital virtual versions of the United States of America. It gives students an overview of key sources on American culture and videogame analysis with a focus on spatial (re)presentation and challenges them to combine both spheres for the analysis of videogames.

A complete list of artworks discussed is provided with a syllabus during the first session.

Literatur

The seminar draws from various artistic and intellectual sources. Shorter texts, primarily in the shape of theoretical secondary reading, are provided on Moodle.

Students are expected to buy or otherwise familiarise themselves with the primary sources relevant to their assessment.

Prüfungsinformationen

Im Fall von online durchgeführten Prüfungen sind die Standards zu beachten, die die technischen Geräte der Studierenden erfüllen müssen, um an diesen Prüfungen teilnehmen zu können.

Prüfungsmethode/n

The seminar features two central assessments. Students must

  • organise a game lab session
  • write a term paper

Failing one of these two central assessments (game lab organisation, term paper) fails the entire course!

Furthermore, the final grade is influenced by student participation.

Prüfungsinhalt/e

Game Lab Session: Students (either alone or in a group, depending on the number of participants) must organise a game lab session revolving around a videogame that depicts a US-American landscape.

A game lab session is a seminar unit in which the presenter(s) take(s) over the role of teachers and analyse their specific game for and together with the other seminar participants. Presenters must familiarise themselves with their game in advance, play it with the other seminar participants during the game lab, and apply didactic methods (guided discussions, e.g.) to educate them about the tropes, motives, and meaning dimensions of its virtual geography.

For their game lab session, the presenters must also compose a handout (500 words minimum per presenter) and create a dedicated area on the course Moodle which features supportive material (video links or a discussion forum, e.g. ), as well as at least four pieces of supportive, academic resources.

It is mandatory to consult with your lecturer at least before hosting your game lab.

(Worth 60% of the final mark)


Term paper: Students conclude the seminar with a term paper of 2.500 to 3.000 words.

The term paper is supposed to be the independent analysis of a self-chosen videogame. A reliance on theoretical knowledge as derived from the seminar is expected to demonstrate the ability to portray analytical findings and a critical reflection upon them. Students are generally expected to discuss a videogame that was not featured in the seminar’s main sessions and to rely on adequate secondary sources beyond the seminar syllabus.

(Worth 30% of the final mark)


Participation.

(Worth 10% of the final mark)

Beurteilungskriterien/-maßstäbe

Game Lab Session:

  • It is mandatory to consult your supervisor at least once before hosting a game lab
  • Preparedness
  • Structure of game lab session
  • Organisation of accompanying material, including
    • An ordered section on the course Moodle
    • A handout (500 word minimum)
    • Academic supplementary texts (a minimum of four)
  • Understanding of source material
  • Pre-selection of quotes or scenes
  • Adequate reliance on research literature
    • Selection of citations
    • Provision of a well-formatted bibliography
  • Relevance of discussion questions
  • Discussion management

Term paper:

  • Orderly fulfilment of formal requirements
    • A term paper consists of a title page, an affidavit, a table of contents, the main body, and a bibliography
    • A term paper is coherently formatted
    • A term paper is ideally written in times new roman, font size 12, and with a line spacing of 1.5
  • Adequate reliance on research literature
    • Selection of citations
    • Provision of a well-formatted bibliography
  • Reliance on theoretical resources
  • Self-made observations on the discussed primary resource
  • Critical reflection on self-made observations

Participation:

  • Attendance during the first session is mandatory for seminar participation
  • Attendance
  • Properly announcing/excusing missed attendance
  • Contributions to discussions in class, especially during the game lab sessions


General remark on our code of conduct and plagiarism policy:

Provide properly cited sources (latest Chicago Manual of Style format) on all your assignments.

Have a look at the departmental policy: (https://www.aau.at/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/anti-plagiarism-declaration_english-department.pdf). Students caught plagiarising will be removed from class immediately.

Read the Code of Conduct on our departmental homepage (https://www.aau.at/en/english/study/code-ofconduct/). Violation of this code will result in your immediate removal from class.

Beurteilungsschema

Note Benotungsschema

Position im Curriculum

  • Diplom-Lehramtsstudium Unterrichtsfach Englisch (SKZ: 344, Version: 04W.7)
    • 2.Abschnitt
      • Fach: Advanced Culture Studies (Pflichtfach)
        • Topics in Australian and Postcolonial Culture Studies ( 2.0h SE / 5.0 ECTS)
          • 552.311 Focus on Culture: American Videogame Landscapes (2.0h SE / 6.0 ECTS)
  • Bachelorstudium Anglistik und Amerikanistik (SKZ: 612, Version: 15W.3)
    • Fach: Fachliches Vertiefungsstudium (Pflichtfach)
      • 7.3 (c) Focus on Culture ( 0.0h SE / 6.0 ECTS)
        • 552.311 Focus on Culture: American Videogame Landscapes (2.0h SE / 6.0 ECTS)
          Absolvierung im 4., 5. Semester empfohlen

Gleichwertige Lehrveranstaltungen im Sinne der Prüfungsantrittszählung

Es liegt keine gleichwertige Lehrveranstaltung im Sinne der Prüfungsantrittszählung vor.