HUMN 312: Narrative + Storytelling

This course analyzes narrative and storytelling with a particular focus on serial, time-based, and interactive texts. Students will investigate a variety of dynamic storytelling approaches through the principles of narratology - the study of structures, conventions, and functions of narrative. Students will consider how established approaches to narration, character, world-building, and temporality evolve and shift in the context of serial and dynamic media. Case studies can include fiction and non-fiction serial narratives in print and electronic forms; sound-based and moving-image works; interactive texts; and gaming environments. The relationship between image, text, and sound will be explored across different formats, and the changing role of the reader/viewer/player will be considered. Readings and case studies will trace the evolution, diversification, and innovation in dynamic storytelling, with the goal of giving students a deeper understanding of the compositional choices in their own storytelling practices.