Schedule | Spring 2014
Current Meeting and Next Homework
| F 5/9 | HomeworkWrite a sample exam question that asks us to explain something about the relationships of literacy, technology, and society" by relating a critical idea from the course to one of our texts. Post your question to the Moodle forum, "Sample Final Exam Questions."
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Day 40. Final Exam Prep and Wrap Up 2Looking at the Final FormatSee the Moodle forum "Sample Final Exam Format" under "Topic 3: Final Exam" Postmodernism
Your Questions from MoodleA. Which question does the best job of relating a particular critical idea to a “new text” to get us to think about the relations of literacy technology, and society? B. Which is the most intriguing question? C. Which question would you most like to spent time answering? D. Which question would be most difficult to answer? - Revising a QuestionEvaluations
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| Scheduled final time: Thursday, May 15, 2:00 |
HomeworkPost to MoodleAs part of preparing for the exam, post the revised question that you co-wrote with your neighbor in class into a reply to the Moodle forum, "Sample Final Exam Questions." Post the revision as a reply to the original verison of the question. Please try to do with by Monday of Final Exam Week at noon so everyone will have a chance to review it as part of studying for Thursday.
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Online FINAL EXAM via Moodle 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
(open book, open note, 2-hour time limit) Final Exam Directions and Time Frame
This means you should begin the exam no later than 3:00 so you can have a full two hours before the exam closes. Only Three AnswersRemember to answer only three of the five questions. PreviewA preview of the exam format is available via the Moodle forum "Sample Final Exam Format" under "Topic 3: Final Exam." The link to the actual final exam will appear just beneath the link to this sample, but the final exam itself will not be available until the scheduled exam-time window. PrecausionsAs a precaution, be sure to write each answer in text-editing software and save it in a file on your computer. How to Complete the Exam If Moodle FailsIf you have problems with Moodle during the exam time, please copy the text of your answers into an email and send the email to me no more than two hours after the time you started the exam. Technical Issues and HelpIf you are using Firefox and have trouble typing or pasting into a text box, use the handle grip in the lower right of the text box to enlarge it slightly. If you have technical issues during office hours, you can call the ITSS Help Desk at 726-8847.
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| Homework to Complete | Topics in Class | |
WEEK 1
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HomeworkObtain the BooksSee the syllabus |
Day 1. Introduction to Literacy, Technology, and Society Syllabus and CourseLiteracy, Technology, SocietyTimeline and Phases of Society/Identity Resources
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F 1/24 (2)
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HomeworkRead and Be Prepared to AnswerRead Walter Ong, Chapters 1 and 2 using the principles of Active Reading, and come in prepared to answer the Reading Questions. Don't answer on the handout--answer in the margins of the book with word tags, arrows, stars--whatever symbols seems useful. Photocopy and bring inAfter you've read and marked your text, choose a two-page spread from the book that best shows your active reading and engagement with Ong and one of more of the questions above. Photocopy that two-page spread, write your name in the upper right, and bring it to class next time to turn in.
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Day 2. Literacy and Orality Film Clip: Turkish medieval song from Homer: Singer of Tales from Plato's Phaedrus Reading Questions for Chapter 3
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| WEEK 2 M 1/27 |
HomeworkSee Homework for W 1/29 |
Wind-Chill Day 2014 - No Class Meeting |
| W 1/29 (3) | HomeworkRead and MarkRead Ong's Chapter 3, "Psychodynamics of Orality" and come in prepared to answer the Reading Questions for Chapter 3 Answer on PaperAnswer each of these questions in writing: a paragraph, a list, a chart, or map, etc. Make your answer "thing-like" (Ong 11), and be sure the "thing" specifically refers to particular pages and passages in Ong's Chapter 3. |
Day 3. The Oral Mind 38-Year-Old Wheat Farmer
Resources
1. "Body of institutions and relaitonships,"
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| F 1/31 (4) | HomeworkRead and MarkRead "Ong Chapter 4 "Writing Restuctures Consciousness." Mark and make marginal notes, especially with the question below in mind. Write, Print, and BringWrite a 500-word "Preparation Sheet" titled "Ong Chapter 4" which answers the following question: "According to Ong, how does the technology of writing "restructure consciousness" and how does this restructuring affect human society?" This preparation sheet should
BringBring your Ong book and be sure you have the hnadouts "The Cathedral and the Book" and "from Plato's Phaedrus" |
Day 4. Writing Restructures Consciousness Review from Last Time
Discussion of Chapter 4Extreme change of gears: "The Sense of True Writing"
Resources
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| Homework to Complete | Topics in Class | |
| WEEK 3 M 2/3 (5) |
HomeworkIn the Moodle forum, "Writing Restructures Consciousness," create an "intellectual postcard" about a contemporary example or effect of this restructured consciousness. An intellectual postcard is an image or video combined with a short piece of writing (a sentence or paragraph) that explains a critical idea. Use a quote from Ong somewhere in your writing. Feel free to repurpose a passage from your Preparation Sheet on Chapter 4. You should try to insert a visible image into your posting, rather than just inserting a link. To insert an image in Moodle,
If you insert the URL of a video (YouTube, for example), Moodle will usually embed the video in a player, which will allow us to watch it without having to leave the Moodle page. |
Day 5. The Machine that Made Us Viewing GuideHandout: Viewing Guide for the film |
| W 2/5 (6) | HomeworkReadRe-read the following pages from Ong concerning Plato and his complicated relationship to the transformation of consciousness and society from oral to literate: 23-24, 78-80, 103. Then read "from Plato's Phaedrus" marking passages in which Plato's actual words seem to bear our out what Ong observes about Plato's attitudes and ideas concerning oral vs. written thought. Write
Post this Moodle posting before the beginning of class. |
Day 6. The Machine that Made Us Return of Preparation SheetsYour preparation sheets will have evaluations in three categories: Content, Execution, Mechanics Why Narrative?Comments on narrative (Cobley)
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| F 2/7 (7) | HomeworkRead"Cobley, Chapter 1 "In the Beginning, The End" Reading Question: Cobley argues that the power of narratives comes not simply from their content, but from the form of narrative. This power, Cobley says, is fundamental to the human experience, which makes "narrative" much more than just another way of organizing a piece of writing. Choose three specific quotations from Cobley's chapter which suggest the source, nature, and/OR consequence of this primal, narrative power. Come to class prepared to read and explain your choices. |
Day 7. Why Narrative?How the Cobley Book is Different From Ong's BookTerms from Cobley C1
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| WEEK 4 M 2/10 (7) |
HomeworkReadRead Cobley, Chapter 3 "The Rise and Rise of the Novel." Reading Question: Cobley argues that how you choose to tell a story creates a "problem of representation" and a potential crisis of social authority. Post In Moodle Choose one of those passages and, in a reply to the Moodle forum, "Cobley C3," write a paragraph explaining how Cobley is saying (or suggesting) that narrative plays a role in consciousness, society, identity formation, etc. |
Day 8. Cobley C3: The Problem of Representation (narrative mimesis) How the Cobley Book is Different from the Ong Bookargument v. survey (writer v. sources) Representation
Resources:
Imitation and Elaborationshowing and telling, scene and summary, imitative mimesis and the poet's voice |
| W 2/12 (8) | HomeworkReadRead Cobley, Chapter 4, "Realism" Reading Questions1. According to Cobley, what are some characteristics of "realist" representation? What ideas, attitudes, philosophies, or goals do works of realism share? Make a list of at least four characteristics with page numbers. 2. Conventionally, "realistic" representation is assumed to be objective, scientific, and apolitical. Throughout this chapter, however, Cobley argues otherwise. Identify at least three of Cobley's reasons, ideas, examples, or arguments (with page numbers) that show how realist narrative is not pure or uncontroversial in its representation of truth. Post In MoodleChoose one of those passages and, in a reply to the Moodle forum, "Cobley C4," write a paragraph explaining why realism is not a way around the problems and controversies of representation. |
Day 9. Realism (Cobley C4) ListIdeas, Attitudes, Philosophies, Goals Shared by Works of Realism Resources |
| F 2/14 (9) | HomeworkReadRead Cobley Chapter 5, "Beyond Realism" Reading Question:In Chapter 4, Cobley argues the 19th and 20th centuries saw a transformation in the scale of economic life (i.e., "capitalism") through three phases (98). These phases had profound effects on both the form and focus of narratives, and on contemporary models of individualism or identity. In Chapter 5, Cobley is describing the last phase of economic development: the global or "imperialist" stage. Identity at least three passages or examples from Chapter 5 that demonstrate the characteristics of this third phase, and how those characteristics resulted in "modernist" narrative style and a "modernist" identity. In a reply to the Moodle forum "Cobley C5" (by noon), give the page number, a brief quotation, and two or three sentences of explanation for each of your choices. |
Day 10. Modernism (Cobley C5) HandoutBakhin's Dialogism (narrative space) WordsGroovy, Evidence, Mom, Homeland CommentNarrative Levels Resources: |
| M 2/17 (10) | HomeworkReadRead all of The Picture of Dorian Gray, including the "Preface" Answer a Reading Question in MoodleThe Picture of Dorian Gray is a book about the relationship of art and life--or, more generally, of representation and life. (Remember, "representation" includes writing, visual art, music, performance, or any other way of "externalizing" and preserving experience.) Wilde's particular position about that relationship can be termed "aestheticism," which is partly a reaction against realism and the conventionalized "common sense" that accepted forms of realism expressed.
Write a paragraph under these quotations explaining how the two quotations, together, might suggest a philosophy or position concerning representation and life. In what ways might representation be the foundation of a life founded on "aestheticism"? Be Ready to DiscussThought question: Contemporary criticisms of Picture of Dorian Gray charged:
Wilde responded to these criticisms in his "Preface" to The Picture of Dorian Gray. Is the book immoral? Are the characters shallow? Does Wilde just use the book as a vehicle for his wit and personal style? How does Wilde answer these accusations in specific lines of his rather cryptic Preface? |
Day 11. Picture of Dorian Gray 1Announce: No Class on FridayAesthetic-"of or relating to the nature of art, beauty, and taste, and to the creation and appreciation of beauty." -ism"a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy, typically a political ideology or an artistic movement." Compare to
Preface
Decadence and Anxiety- the ending of Dorian Gray - the Preface as a response to the criticisms of the books as immortal and a self-advertisement. ResourceExcerpts from Walter Pater's The Renaissance |
| W 2/19 (11) | HomeworkReadRead the excerpts from Walter Pater's The Renaissance. These are two classic statements of Aestheticism (in short, the independence of art and literature from social utility). Write or Type in Three ColumnsOn a piece of paper divided into three columns and two rows (handwritten or printed out),
Do this twice so you fill up both rows (two left, middles, and rights). Beneath these columns, write a long paragraph that performs a "close reading" of one quotation in light of the others. (For more on close reading, consider this example.) Bring a hard copy of all the above to class to turn in. Something Interesting to Think About: Sexual AnxietyIn this class, we're reading The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) right before Dracula (1899) because we want to understand why the 1890s were such an "anxious" period, especially in terms of gender and sexuality. Dracula is drenched in such social anxiety. The ends of centuries tend to produce cultural anxieties about the future. The French even have a word for such periods of apprehension: the fin de siècle (the "end of the century"). Why might The Picture of Dorian Gray have produced anxieities about gender and sexuality in the 1890s--or how might it produce such anxieties for readers today? How did (or does) aestheticism support or heighten this sexual anxiety in The Picture of Dorian Gray?
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Day 12. Picture of Dorian Gray 2 Mikhail Bakhtin and the PrismCobley 104-07, 130-32 Aestheticism, Decadence, the Literacy/Technology/Society CycleThe Hyprocricy of Lord Henry (Harry)?Ending and Beginning (Aesthetic Meaning as Refraction)- the ending of Dorian Gray |
| 2/21 | SNOW DAY 2014
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| WEEK 6 M 2/24 (12) |
Read Dracula, pages 26-122 Thought questions: 1. During Jonathan Harker's journey to, and stay with, Dracula at his castle, Stoker suggests contrasts of East and West (Transylvania and Britain). Identify two specific phrases, passages, or descriptions where Stoker characterizes (or even just implies a characterization of) differences between East and West. ...What role do literacy and technology play in shaping those respective societies? ...In what ways do Dracula and Jonathan exemplify their respective societies? |
Day 13. Dracula 1 Complete LectureAestheticism and Decadence (review) DiscussionThe East/West Dialogic and Dracula HandoutKeynote TalkStoker, Dracula, and the End of the Century
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| W 2/26 (13) | HomeworkRead Dracula, page 123 (Chapter 8) through the end of Chapter 15. Be prepared for some plot-oriented questions that might take the form of a pop-quiz. Write and Print Out:Our handout, "Notes on the Gothic Mode," suggests that a Gothic story might fulfill a radical/critical function or a conservative function--or maybe, variously, both. Which do you think best describes Dracula so far? Some aspects of modern culture that might be in for either radical critique or conservative defense include
Write and print out a paragraph that includes two quotations from the book, which supports your opinion. As much as possible, connect the radical/conservative function to the Gothic features of Dracula (explained by the other five features on the handout) |
Day 14. Dracula 2Discussionconservative or radical/critical? |
| F 2/28 | No Class Meeting
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| Homework | Topics | |
| M 3/3 | HomeworkReadRead Dracula, Chapter 16 through the end |
Day 15. Dracula 3What I Was Hoping We Would Get Out of Reading Dracula in this Class
Handouts
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| W 3/5 | HomeworkDownload, Print, Read, Mark, and Bring1. From
See the 2. Download, print, read, mark and bring to class the passage from Moses Coit Tyler's A History of American Literature 1607 - 1765. (1879) available from out Moodle site: pages 137-38, starting with "There is in this history one vein of writing..." and ending with "...heard by divers godly persons." Mark wording in Tyler's historical account that suggest the kinds of intepretation or the filling in of gaps which White describes. 3. Download, print, read, mark and bring to class Karl Marx's "Preface" to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (starting with the sixth paragraph) Read this as both an example of what White calls "metahistory," and also an interpretation of the historical processes we've been discussing in class (think of Ong, the big timeline on the board, the succession of eras in Cobley, etc.). |
Day 16. Historiography, White, Marx Review from Last Time
Terms
Resources:
CommentWhy history matters today (Fredric Jameson) |
| F 3/7 | HomeworkDownload, Print, Read, Mark, BringPrint out, and actively read Immanuel Kant's "What is Enlightenment?" Respond, Print, and BringRespond to the Reading Question print them out, and bring them to class. |
Day 17. Marx: Historical Materialism, and Kant: Enlightenment, Literacy, and Print Review from Last TimeWhite: "Something like how the victors being the ones to write histoy?" Terms
Resources:
CommentWhy history matters today (Fredric Jameson) |
| WEEK 8 M 3/10 |
HomeworkReadRead Cobley C6: Modernism and Cinema Copy, Paste, Write, Print, BringCopy the following questions into a Word file and, for each, record page numbers and brief verbal tags that point to two quotations from Cobley that help answer it. Print out the document and bring it to class. (Note that your answers may be handwritten or typed on the printout.) 1. According to Cobley, what are the features of modernist narrative (for instance, how does it differ from realist or traditional narrative)? 2. What are the features of a modernist self or identity? 3. In what ways does cinematic narrative differ from print narrative according to Cobley? What are some of cinematic narrative's features and techniques? 4. According to Cobley, what are some ways that cinema naturally expresses modernist ideas and attitudes? What are some examples Cobley uses, or that Cobley makes you think about?
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Day 18. Modernism and Cinema (Cobley C6) Process of Preparing for the Midterm ExamReview from Last TimeKant's private and public uses of reason Resources
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| W 3/12 | HomeworkReadCobley, Chapter 7 "Postmodernism" Copy, Write, Print, Bring inAnswer each of the following questions in a paragraph. Quote from the Cobley book at least once in each. 1. In what ways does the postmodern condition result from the saturation of everyday life by media (the "mediation" of life)? 2. In what ways does the postmodern condition result from changes in the material or economic nature of this era's society (a.k.a., Marx's "base")? 3. How do postmodernist attitudes and ideas about the past (or history) differ from either the modernist rejection of the past, or the older veneration of tradition? What are these attitudes and ideas? 4. How do the "grand narratives" or "metanarratives" that Cobley (via Lyotard) talks about differ from ordinary stories or narratives? In other words, what makes them "grand" or "meta"?
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DAY 19. Postmodernism Process of Preparing for the Midterm ExamPostmodernism"Real Dogs Have Fun, Mostly Inside"
Resources
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| F 3/14 | HomeworkBring all readings, handouts, and other material from the first half of the semester. |
DAY 20. FIRST-HALF WRAP UP Review Postmodernism"Real Dogs Have Fun, Mostly Inside"
Format of ExamSee the Exam Format Kinds of Things to Know for the Exam
Examples of Each Kind of Thing to Know
Literacy, Technology, and SocietyWhat ideas are most revealing, surprising, powerful, etc. in explaining the interplay of these three ideas, and in understanding the changes they have produced over history? GroupsFind an example of each kind of priority (not about Kant!) from one or more of our readings, handouts, discussions, lectures, etc. Be sure each of them ultimately is related to "Literacy, Technology, and Society" Using one of the question formats from the Exam Format handout, compose a question for each of the five priorities. Try not to make the quesitons too easy or too hard. Again, the question formats are:
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| WEEK OFF M 3/17 Spring Break |
Spring Break |
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W 3/19 Spring Break |
Spring Break | |
F 3/21 Spring Break |
Spring Break | |
| WEEK 9 M 3/24 |
HomeworkRepeat on Your OwnRepeat what we did in groups on Friday, but on your own with new examples: Find an example of each kind of exam-question priority (not about Kant!) from one or more of our readings, handouts, discussions, lectures, etc. Be sure each of them ultimately is related to "Literacy, Technology, and Society" Using one of the question formats from the Exam Format handout, compose a question for each of your five examples. Try not to make the quesitons too easy or too hard. Post to Moodle
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DAY 21. FIRST-HALF WRAP UP Event on Friday at 11:00Please join Writing Studies (Journalism and Professional Writing) students for a public presentation on writing and the performing arts in the digital era. "Personal Dispatches from the Front of the Digital Revolution"
How has the digital revolution changed the landscape for writers and content creators? Join Diane Adams (Director, International Falls Public Library) and Jeffrey Adams (Artistic Director, Icebox Radio Theater, http://www.iceboxradio.org/) for two eye-witness perspectives on living and working in a world where publishers, record companies and movie studios are giving way to Kindle, iTunes and Netflix.
Group Work
On the Midterm Exam Study Tree handout, write down three ideas, questions, problems, dilemmas, techniques, or solutions, etc. that seem prominent or useful to you from our readings about Literacy, Technology, and Society. Try to choose items that speak to the history, effects and consequences of "Literacy, Technology, and Society" and their interrelationships. Enter each item on your Study Tree, citing the page number Resources |
| W 3/26 | HomeworkStudy for the ExamBring
Don't Bother Bringing
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Day 22: MIDTERM EXAM |
| F 3/28 | HomeworkReadGeorge Orwell's 1984, pgs. 1- 104. Write a Paragraph Using 3 QuotationsWhat are some ways that the government controls society in 1984? Identify three quotations that help describe these methods and their effects. Write a long paragraph that uses the three quotations to answer the question. Print the paragraph and bring it to class.
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Day 23. 1984 1 Topics
Resources |
| WEEK 10 M 3/31 |
HomeworkRead1984 Book Two: pgs. 105- 224 Reading Questions:What kind of rebel is Julia? How does she differ from Winston in her rebellion? How does Orwell describe the paperweight? What does it represent to Winston? How does Orwell use it in the story? In what ways does war serve the Party's interests? |
Day 24. 1984 2 Julia as a RebelProlesResources
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April
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| W 4/2 | Read 1984 pgs. 225 - end Write:  Before 8:00 a.m. today, answer the following in the Moodle forum, "Orwell"1. Describe a way that Orwell's social and political satire still applies today, even to situations (and with technologies) he never imagined. Be sure to cite a particular quotation from the novel. 2. How does 1984 illustrate any idea from the theories of Marx, Ong, Kant, White, those in Cobley, or any other work or handout we've read? Cite a specific quotation from 1984 and a passage from one of these other sources. How can we use any of these ideas to explain what's gone wrong with the society in Orwell's dystopia? |
Day 25. 1984 (through the end) Resources Intellectual Postcards (Ideas Site) Nihilism The Real Room 101 base and superstructure |
| F 4/4 | Snow Day 2014
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| WEEK 11 M 4/7 |
HomeworkReadBridget Jones' Diary (all) Note Page NumbersCome to class with two passages (with page numbers) chosen to help answer the following questions. 1. If you found this book funny at all, let's think about its comic or satirical aspects. In general, what are we laughing at? Are there repeated objects of humor? What might Fielding be satirizing (criticizing) in this book? 2. What are some postmodern aspects or moments in this book? (See details from our handout and Cobley's chapter). 3. Bridget and her friends like to go out and indulge in what Bridget calls "drunken feminist ranting" (107). Is Bridget Jones' Diary feminist? anti-feminist? post-feminist? We've talked about how female gender identities in Dracula signal anxieties about the coming modernist age. What implications does Postmodernism have for gender identities in (more or less) our own time? |
Day 26. Bridget Jones' Diary 1Resources
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| W 4/9 | HomeworkWrite and Print Out1. Choose one passage (a paragraph to a page) from Bridget Jones' Diary which illustrates or suggests how the book might be "postmodern" in its style, subject matter, or meaning. Consult the the Posmodernism handout defining the 6 characteristics of postmodernism. From class activities, you should have notes written on the handout, keying certain quotations from Cobley's book to the handout's six items. 2. From the passage in the novel, identify several key words or phrases that exemplify its meaning as an example of postmodernism. 3. Write a preparation sheet of 250 words (1 page, double-spaced) which performs a close reading of these words or phrases and their role in the passage. What are the implications of Fielding's word choice or word order for postmodern issues? In the paragraph, be sure to quote Bridget Jones' Diary at least twice, and the Postmodernism handout (or Cobley's postmodernism chapter) at least twice.
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Day 27. Bridget Jones' Diary 2 Modernity, Modernism, PostmodernismMini-Lecture with drawings Ong's 38-Year-Old Wheat Farmer
Postmodernism: (R.D.H.F.M.I.)
GroupsHow does
register some of the social and psychological consequences of life in postmodern conditions? In your groups, each of you can make handwritten additions, corrections, and annotations of what you printed out. Feminism QuestionResources
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| F 4/11 | HomeworkPrint, Read, and Make Notes OnPrint, read and annotate Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics"Chapter Two" available from the Moodle site. Reading Questions: What points does McCloud make about the nature of "visual literacy" (in comics and graphic fiction). How about the hybrid literacy that results when visual and verbal languages are mingled together? Come in with 3-5 specific panels to point to that illustrate/make such points. Designate panels by page number, row, and column (41.1.2) Come in ready to discuss the key ideas about visual or hybrid literacy, to point to where and how McCloud "explains" those ideas (what's the right word?), and ways that McCloud's style of presentation reflects the principles that he's conveying.
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Day 28 Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics 1 Resources
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| WEEK 12 M 4/14 |
HomeworkPrint, Read, and Make Notes OnPrint, read and annotate Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics," Chapters 4 and 6, available from the Moodle site. If you wish, you can print multpile pages per sheet to save paper and printing costs. Post to MoodleIn the Moodle forum “Visual Styles,” post an image (as a visible image) and use McCloud’s critical vocabulary to analyze its visual style in a paragraph. How does the style affect the images meaning and effect? Be sure to cite the page, row, and column of the panel where McCloud discusses any critical terms you use. Resources That Might Be UsefulReading QuestionsFor each question on the Preparation Sheet for McCloud's Chapter 4 and 6, write down a page, row, and column number. Be preprared to discuss your choices.
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Day 29 Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics 2
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| W 4/16 | HomeworkReadRead Persepolis: all including introduction Post to 3 Moodle Forums Write about three such comparisons:
In each case, try to explain how the McCloudesque technique affects the meaning and feeling Satrapi achieves in the story at that moment. In other words, we want to see how McCloud's various techniques actually matter when it comes to a real narrative. |
Day 30. Persepolis 1 Close ReadingPossible subjects
Resources
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| F/18 | HomeworkBringBring to class your McCloud printouts, Persepolis, and 1984. Print Out and ReadPrint, read, and write comments on the pages of McCloud’s Chapter 3 (available from the Moodle site). You can print multiple pages per sheet if you want to save money and paper. Print and AnnotateThen Xerox/scan/print a single page from Persepolis and write annotations on the copy/printout that perform a "close reading" of the ways that Satrapi uses techniques of "closure" between or among panels to create meaning or effects in the reader's mind. Draw lines between details in the panels (or the spaces between) and your comments (which you can write on post-its or small pieces of paper taped to parts of the page which are not part of your analysis. Each of your comments should cite a page/row/column in McCloud (mostly from Chapter 3, but other chapters too as useful). Bring this printout to use in class and turn in. Make a Double-Entry ListMake a double-entry list of comparisons between 1984 and Persepolis: Winston and Marjane, Oceana and Iran, The Party and the Iranian Governmnent. List at least five details and specifics that are examples or these and other differences with page numbers from both works. Make Notes on the HandoutA Thought Question we will discuss: how are 1984 ahd Persepolis different in the ways they deal with the similarities you noticed? If Orwell is writing a “dystopian political satire,” then how do Satrapi’s different purposes (see the handout) account for differences between 1984 and Persepolis? Make some notes on the handout of your ideas. How does the contrast with Persepolis help you define what Orwell is doing in 1984? |
Day 31. Persepolis 2 Resources
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| WEEK 13 M 4/21 |
HomeworkFilm Literacy Exercise
Bring your page with you to class. |
Day 32. Film Literacy Four Parameters of FilmIntertextuality (Postmodernism)Resources
HandoutThe Tragic Wit of Psycho (Donald Spoto)
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| W 4/23 | HomeworkReadThe Tragic Wit of Psycho (Donald Spoto) Choose a particular theme or effect described by Spoto to look for as you watch the film Come in with several sheets of paper divided into four columns for taking notes on the four parameters of film: Cinematography, Editing, Mise en Scene, Sound. Be prepared especially to take notes on the narrative of the film (as opposed to the story or plot), paying particular attention to how the film's technique serves a meaning and effect that Spoto talks about (and the meaning and effect of the film generally). Essentially, we want to pay attention to how technique (narrative) is deployed not for its own sake, but for larger social, cultural, political, aesthetic purposes. |
Day 33. Psycho 1. How the Parameters of Film Are Used Together for Narrative Effect
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| F 4/25 | HomeworkPost to Moodle "Psycho 1"
Post to Moodle "Psycho 2"
1. Begin with something Spoto observes about Psycho. 2. Analyze... A. a scene, shot, or sequence in the film that illustrates and supports that observation.... B. Then, how that same scene, shot, or sequence illuminates something else Spoto says in the handout. Reply to Someone in "Psycho 2"Finally, respond to someone else's Moodle posting, calling attention to some connection or parallel between that posting and your own. In essence, we're using one piece or aspect of Psycho to enable us to see how two of the many ideas Spoto talks about work together in the film, which include:
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Day 34. Psycho 2: Time and Identification Review from Last TimeHow the Four Parameters of Film work together to create narrative meaning and effects. Homework (Psycho 3)Literacy Makes Identification Possible
Resources:Scene Run Times:
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| WEEK 14 M 4/28 |
HomeworkPost to Moodle's "Psycho 3" (Visual Analysis)
The commentary should perform a close reading of the effects achieved in those shots through cinematography and mise-en-scene (or perhaps the editing happening between those shots). You can find many scenes and shots from Psycho available online, especially at YouTube. Consider also applying some of specific critical terms and ideas from McCloud's discussion of visual literacy. To create the screen shots, follow the directions from my Techniques Site "Screen Shots." Try to size and select the screen shot so it is no wider than your hand (between 3 and 4 inches). Save the screen shots that your computer produces to your computer or a USB drive, and then follow the directions to upload the images to Moodle from there.
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Day 35. Psycho 3 Resources
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| W 4/30 | HomeworkRead and ThinkThe last three Moodle forums--Psycho 1, 2, and 3--have concerned:
Read through everybody's posts to the three Moodle forums and choose one idea, insight, example, or interpretation that strikes you as revealing something important or surprising about the film. Write and PrintWrite a long paragraph that combines ideas and examples to explain and further elaborate that idea, insight, example, etc. In your paragraph, try to illustrate your ideas and concepts with specific examples and details (particular shots, edits, camera work) from the film. Print your paragraph and bring it to class to consult during our discussion and then turn in. |
Day 36. Psycho 4 Shots
Themes
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May
| Homework | Topics | |
| F 5/2 | No Class Meeting
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| WEEK 15 M 5/5 |
HomeworkFindThink of an example of a movie, television show, novel, or song that makes or implies a reference to another movie, show, novel, or song. Try to pick an example in which that reference is "knowing"--that is, where the reference acts as a nod or nudge to the audience. Such nods are often shorthand for some understanding or point in the primary work. We'll call the example itself the "primary text," and the second work the "reference text" BringBring in a sample or example either
Be Ready to TalkBe prepared to describe your example and to explain what the reference in the primary work serves to suggest to the audience, or what that reference adds to the meaning or effects of the primary work. Also BringPlease bring your Cobley book. |
Day 37. Intertextuality and Augmented RealityKinds of Things to Know for the Midterm Exam
Kinds of Things to Know for the Final Exam
Review Postmodernism"Real Dogs Have Fun, Mostly Inside"
IntertextualityIntertextuality: the shaping of a text’s meaning by another text Augmented Realitythe experience of the real world when it is layered with media (example, Times Square) Resources
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| W 5/7 | HomeworkBring BackBring back to class the example of one text referencing another (intertextuality), which was the homework for last class meeting. If you posted to Moodle, you're fine. Bring Books and Materials:Bring Ong, Cobley, Bridget Jones, McCloud, Persepolis, your viewing notes from Psycho, and all your handouts. Write Two Short ParagraphsWrite two short paragraphs and bring them in on paper. In each paragraph, try to suggest how a critical idea from Ong, Cobley, McCloud, or one of the handouts might be applied to any the texts from the second half of the semester: Bridget Jones, Persepolis, Psycho, your examples of intertextuality, the Rally Monkey, etc. Note that your paragraph doesn't need to fully explain how the critical idea could be applied to the text (which might require a whole paper to develop) but only to identify the critical idea and to describe what aspect of the text it would be applied to. Try to explain why you chose to match that idea and the chosen aspect of that particular text.
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Day 39. Final Exam Prep and Wrap Up 1
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| F 5/9 | Day 40. Final Exam Prep and Wrap Up 2 |
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| Scheduled final time: Thursday, May 15, 2:00 |
Online FINAL EXAM via Moodle (open book, open note, 2-hour time limit) Complete the two-hour final exam via Moodle sometime between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. today.Remember to answer only three of the five questions. If you have technical issues during office hours, call the ITSS Help Desk at 726-8847. As a precaution, be sure to write each answer in text-editing software and save it in a file on your computer. After you have completed each answer, copy the text into that question's text box in Moodle. If you have problems with Moodle during the exam time, please copy the text of your answers into an email and send the email to me no more than two hours after the time you started the exam. If you are using Firefox and have trouble typing into a text box, use the handle grip in the lower right of the text box to enlarge it slightly. |