When we think of the word “text” most of us think of books. That’s correct, a book is a text, but it’s certainly not the only kind of text out there. A text is something that the author (or authors) composes or creates with a specific purpose and a specific audience. It can be observed, explored, analyzed, or read in a variety of different ways. Using this definition, this website is a text. This course is a text. Last night’s soccer game was (and still is) a text. A forest is a text. Your MySpace page is a text. Even your iPod is a text. Everything in the world around us, really, is a text. Hard to believe, but true. This expanded definition of “text” is the first thing you will need to understand.

In this class, you will read a variety of texts, some in print, some visual, some spatial, and some philosophical. You will learn to analyze these texts and respond to them in writing and discussion. You will also create your own texts for others to explore.

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