Response Assignment #3

For next week, October 4th, please read/view the following:

Readings/Viewings:

• “Ideology,” p. 83-94, TT
• Lye, John. (1997) Ideology: A Brief Guide
• View: Hitler Speech (English Subtitles) and Martin Luther King “I have a dream” speech

Below are sets of questions. You must choose one of the sets to respond to, but be sure to answer all questions within that set. Please keep in mind what I discussed in class last week — make explicit connections between your thoughts and the readings; otherwise, your comments come across as just opinion. In what ways are your thoughts either informed by or reflect what you are reading?

1. Consider both the Hitler and King speeches you viewed on YouTube. Discuss some of the ideologies (or “natural” presuppositions) that you were able to identify as existing within both speeches. In other words, what larger doctrines, myths, beliefs, or ideas are presented (either implicitly or explicitly) within each of these two speeches?
2. How is interpellation (p. 44-48 in TT) at work in both Hitler and King’s speeches? How does the interpellation of those within the audience affect their subjectivity?
3. Describe, as best you can, the “American” ideology. Be sure to utilize quotes from the text. Does America have one overriding ideology or many dominant ideologies? How do the ideologies fit with the realities? Are (American) ideologies, as the chapter seems to suggest, more myth than reality/truth? Explain.

 

BOOKS ARE IN THE BOOKSTORE!!

Hi folks, I’ve spoken with the manager of the bookstore, and both books ARE in the bookstore and have been for several days, so those of you who haven’t gotten copies yet need to go in and buy them ASAP, because much of the materials we’ve covered (and in the readings) WILL be on the final exam. I know it’s a pain going in there several times, but it is as much your responsibility to ask the bookstore people when copies are coming in as it is mine. If you still need to purchase either of these books, you need to go to the back desk in the bookstore and ask for them. There are more than enough copies available.

 

“Black People, They’re Just Like Us!”

Thought you all might be interested in this . . . from New York:

We don’t know how we missed this. Apparently Bill O’Reilly had dinner with Al Sharpton recently at Sylvia’s in Harlem and had a big aha! moment. Turns out black people are pretty much the same as white people!” READ MORE . . .

 

For this Thursday, Sept. 27th

For this coming Thursday:

• If you haven’t already, be sure to respond to Response Assignment #2.
• Read/view the materials below – though you will not have to do a blog response. However, be sure to read/view carefully, so you are prepared to discuss in class.

Readings/Viewings due this Thursday:

 

“Subjectivity,” p. 35-50, TT

View: Interpellation Slide Show and International Signs and Misinterpretations

“Legal Alien” by Pat Mora

• Also, below is a list of students expected to do their first in-class case study, so be sure that you are prepared to discuss a cultural artifact that is illustrative of any of the readings from either last week or this week.

September 27th: Larry Bowen, Dwight Osborne, Whitney Hoffman, Hope Lockett

• For information on what is expected of those doing their in-class case studies, click here.

And, as always, please email me with any questions.

 

Critical Encounters Event – TOWN HALL FORUM

Below is information on an upcoming event that is part of this year’s Critical Encounters, for those of you who are interested. I’m going to start posting some of the events that are relevant to this class on the blog (so you might have to scroll down sometimes to see your upcoming response assignment). Anyone that attends any of these events can write a response (under the post about the event) for extra credit. Just be sure to give us a basic overview of the event and how you believe it was relevant to anything we have been studying.

TOWN HALL FORUM

Wednesday, September 26, 2007
5:30 pm
Conaway Center
1104 S. Wabash, First Floor
FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Critical Encounters and the Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media co-host a Town Hall Forum to begin a layered and complicated discussion engaging our ideas, perceptions and knowledge about poverty and privilege.

The panelists will include activists and civic and community leaders, whose professional and personal work is directly related to these broad issues from a variety of perspectives, including: justice, equity, access, health, education, employment, faith, economic development, and participation.

Featured Panelists to include:

Marca Bristo
President and CEO, Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago

Reverend Doris Green
Director of Community Affairs, AIDS Foundation of Chicago

Richard L. Jones, Ph.D.
President and CEO, Metropolitan Family Services

Ngoan Le
Vice President of Programs, Chicago Community Trust

Douglas Mann
President, Global Business Assist

Moderated by
Shanita Akintonde
Professor, Marketing Communication, Columbia College Chicago

The mission of Critical Encounters and the goal of this program is to foster engaged discussions which serve as catalysts to generate new knowledge and understanding, begin to create shifts in attitudes and perceptions, and encourage civic activism.

 

Response Assignment #2

* please note new page on blog (above in green border tabs) that indicates schedule of individual case studies. First one is next week by Hope.

For next Thursday, September 20th, please read/view the following:

• “Reading,” p. 21-34, TT
• “Culture,” p. 51-69, TT
• Grimm Brothers’ Little Red Riding Hood
• David W. Boles (blog entry) “Is the Confederate Flag a Racist Semiotic

Consider the following questions, though feel free to also write about anything else that takes your attention. Please provide examples of whatever you discuss, from readings/viewings, class discussions, and/or your own examples from contemporary culture. Be sure to also enter into a discussion with your classmates, as you did before.

1. When considering a particular cultural artifact, how do you determine who/what produces meaning? Provide your own example, or utilize the story of Little Red Riding Hood to further discuss the production of meaning.
2. Provide an example of your own from contemporary culture that illustrates how the relationship between signifier/referent and its signified is arbitrary, as suggested in TT. Explain and discuss.
3. According to Jacques Derrida, there is no meaning outside of context, nor is there any “final context.” What does this mean? What example can you provide that helps to further illustrate this idea?
4. How is identity (individual and/or community) formed? Is there such a thing as an “American”? If you had to explain to an alien that you were an American, how would you explain this identification? What is problematic about the term “American”?
5. Argue for or against the Confederate Flag as a racist semiotic. Be careful not to sink into opinion only; back up your thoughts with quotes from the texts, logic, and/or other examples.

   

6. Consider the image to the lower right. What do you think the artist is trying to convey (what meaning)? Explain. Does this painting appear to be sexual and/or political? How so?

 

Response Assignment #1

Hello all — the readings/viewings due for next week are as follows:

• “Why Theory?” p. 1-9, TT (Theory Toolbox)
• “Popular Signs: Or, Everything You Always Knew About American Culture (but Nobody Asked)”, p. 1- 15, SOL (Signs of Life) — handed out in class, but the book is now available in the bookstore for purchase.
• View: Encode This Decode That

Please consider the following questions (below) as you read. You do not have to answer any specific set of questions listed below, and you are also free to write about something else that takes your attention, but your discussion about each reading should be thoughtful and critical, paying particular attention to the themes or major ideas presented within both readings.

Be sure to address BOTH readings, and also engage in a discussion with your student colleagues. Do not merely repeat what another student writes, but rather discuss your own thoughts as they relate to those of others. When appropriate, be sure to provide examples, either textual or contextual (examples outside of the readings). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me.

1) What examples can you provide, personal or otherwise, in which the use of theory might prove useful? Explain why.

2) In what ways do the readings emphasize some of what we discussed in class? What new ideas or thoughts are presented that were not discussed in the last class?

3) After reading the Introduction to Popular Signs, in what ways do both artifacts presented in our last class (Santa Pug and the Vejigante statuette) potentially blur the boundaries between high and low cultures?

4) What is your understanding of “signs” of culture? In other words, what is a “sign” and what do signs mean for our understanding of culture/s? What examples might you provide that are not provided already by the text?

5) Explain what you believe is the significance of the title “Encode This Decode That” after watching the video. How does the video relate to the readings and/or discussions we had in class?

* Again, if something else takes your attention that you would like to discuss, please feel free to do so. I might interject comments of my own as responses are posted, to help you blog and share ideas with others.

 

Welcome to the Blog

Students: Welcome to the Introduction to Cultural Studies Class Blog!

Every week, you will be expected to blog here. Assignments for response will be posted weekly (with the exception of weeks in which essays or presentations are due). Please respond to each assignment by clicking on the “comments” link (until someone posts the first comment, it’ll read “no comments”). The assignments will vary – between responses to your readings, class discussions, various cultural artifacts, and so forth. So be sure that you check this blog before each and every class!

I expect you to also engage your fellow classmates in discussions. Be sure to read the comments that precede yours so that you are not merely reiterating a point that has already been made, but are rather adding to, enriching, and expanding the discussion that is taking place.

I am more concerned about quality of writing than quantity. In other words, I will not ask that you write a certain length or amount, but am rather more interested that your responses are critical, thoughtful, and relevant to that week’s topic.

In order to receive credit, you must put your first name on all posts and enter the email address to which you want to receive your grades for each post. I respond to all posts via email to whatever email address you enter, with grades, so be sure to enter the email address you use most often.

Adding additional resources and comments will be looked upon favorably, when the time comes to turn in final grades, and could be particularly useful for those who may need an extra boost at the end of the semester (hint, hint). HOWEVER, adding websites and resources WILL NOT replace your required weekly journal responses. If you are experiencing problems with this online discussion board, please inform me immediately.

* If, after your first or second posting, you do not see your blog post right away, it’s because it has probably gone into moderation (for me to approve), so don’t panic. After a few postings, the blog will then begin to automatically accept your posts without the need for moderator approval.