Grades are posted!

All grades have been posted! Have a wonderful summer, folks!

May 7th – Study Session

On Wednesday, May 7th at 12:30 (for about 1 – 1 1/2 hours), I’ll be holding a study session for those interested in reviewing the major concepts/ideas we’ve covered this semester — to help you with the final exam. Your attendance is not required, but may help with the completion of the take-home exam. For those not present in class last Wed (April 30th), I handed out case study essays (and grades for both the essay and presentations). If you weren’t here to get it, you might want to at least drop by next Wed (May 7th) to pick it up. Email me with questions.

The final take-home exam is below. You MUST EMAIL me your final take-home exam by NOON on Wednesday, May 14th. DO NOT drop it off in my box, or I will not get it – it MUST be emailed. If you don’t get a response from me (within 6-12 hours) that I received your emailed exam, you are responsible for emailing me to check (and sending another copy), along with a copy of the original, date-stamped, email that you sent.

FINAL TAKE-HOME EXAM & Upcoming Case Study Presentations

Next week, April 30th, the following students will be presenting their case studies to the class:

• Corey G.
• Nick M.
• Janet P.
• Victoria & Cara
• Shannon F.
• Corbin B.
• Karli F.
• Andy M.

FINAL TAKE-HOME EXAMINATION:

I suggest that you all use the remaining two weeks to begin working on your final take-home exam, so that you are not overwhelmed at the end and in a rush. Your responses to the exam must be EMAILED to me (not posted on the blog) by Wednesday, May 14th at NOON, as a word attachment (typed, double-spaced with your name, etc. on upper left corner of first page).

The questions for the final exam are posted below:

Short Answer Questions:

Answer any five of the following sets of question below in approximately one paragraph each. All answers should be in your own words. Each answer counts for 5 points (for a total of 25 points).

1. What is theory, and why is it important to our understanding of culture?
2. In your own words, explain your understanding of cultural “signs.” Using your own example, explain how a cultural sign can have both implicit and explicit meanings.
3. Explain how democracy is an example of an ideology (do NOT tell me what democracy is, but rather HOW it is an example of an ideology). Be sure to consider the main elements inherent within the concept, ideology.
4. What is interpellation, and how does it work? Provide your own example of interpellation as you discuss the concept.
5. In class we discussed how meaning is never fixed. Using your own example, explain how a cultural artifact can have multiple meanings and/or change in meaning over time (even though the actual artifact itself never changes)?
6. What is hegemony, and how does ideology play a role in creating hegemonic societies?
7. How do individuals within the panopticon become agents of their own oppression? Provide an example.
8. What are some of the criticisms of the concept and/or practices of “multiculturalism”? Be sure to briefly explain the reasoning behind the criticisms.
9. What is fetishism, and how does it work to the benefit of advertising, ideologies, hegemony, or commodity culture, in general? Provide an example.
10. Does an author’s (or cultural producer’s) gender, class, ethnicity, sexual preference, etc. make any difference in the perception and making of meaning? Why or why not? Provide an example.

Long Answer Questions:

In no less than one full (double-spaced) page, and in your own words, answer two out of the following sets of questions. Each answer counts for 10 points (for a total of 20).

1. What does it mean to “read” a cultural artifact? What things would you consider when doing a cultural “reading”? Why?
2. Explain your understanding of the following sentence: “Gender is a social construction.” Provide an example, and be sure to explain the various ways in which gender, or our understanding of gender, might be constructed.
3. Who or what produces meaning? How and why? Be sure to use an example of your own when discussing how meaning is produced.
4. What does this following quote mean? “It is value, rather, that converts every product into a social hieroglyphic. Later on, we try to decipher the hieroglyphic, to get behind the secret of our own social products; for to stamp an object of utility as a value, is just as much a social product as language.” Be sure to respond to this in your own words and make connections to the relevant concepts we’ve discussed in class. Also, provide examples when discussing the ideas within this quote.
5. How might the term “American” be viewed or perceived depending on geography? Class? Political affiliation? Ethnicity or race? Why? How? Be sure to discuss some of the connections between your response and various concepts and theories we’ve covered in class (for example, how does your answer to this question speak to subjectivity, the production of meaning, ideology, power and identity, etc.).

Response to the film, FIRE, which we watched in class: Answer any two of the following questions for 15 points each (total of 30 points). Length is not as important as the quality of your response.

1. Which characters, within the film, FIRE, challenge social and cultural “defaults” (traditions, customs, and how? In what ways does this film disrupt hegemonic (dominant cultural) historical narratives?
2. Deepa Mehta, the producer of FIRE, was born in India and spent the first 23 years of her life there, but has spent the last 20+ years living in Canada, which calls up questions of “authenticity” – can Mehta accurately portray the lives of Indian women? Is there is some sort of authentic experience that only “real” Indian women can have access to? Why or why not?
3. In the film, Sita says to Radha that “there is no word in our language that can describe us, how we feel for each other.” What significance does that have to our understanding of the lesbian subject within Indian culture?
4. What symbols or signs do you see in the film that carry specific meanings? How are those meanings produced? How might they change within various contexts? Give examples of scenes from the film when discussing.

Reading of a Cultural Artifact:

Consider the following cultural artifacts/phenomenon. Choose one and conduct a critical cultural reading. In no less than two (double spaced) typed pages, discuss your understanding of your chosen image as it relates to any of the relevant concepts covered within this class (such as ideology, race, hegemony, commodities, fetishism, identity, power, signs, production of meaning, etc.). Be sure that you do not simply write something like “This is an example of ideology,” but thoroughly, thoughtfully, critically, and logically explain HOW and WHY your image relates to the concept/s you discuss.

Regardless of which image you choose to do a cultural reading of, consider some of the following questions below, which are offered as a guide to help you get started. You certainly do not need to try to answer all or even most of the questions, but be sure that you do consider a broad number of possible concepts when discussing your image.

* There is no right or wrong way of reading either image; rather, I will be assessing your ability to apply some of the concepts you have learned in this class to a critical interpretation of a cultural artifact or phenomenon.

* Your answer will count for 25 points.

1. What do you think the image means? How do you interpret this meaning? In other words, what signs suggest meaning and how?

2. What are both the implicit and explicit meanings within the image? And how might meaning change in differing circumstances (such as time, place, who is viewing it, who produced it, etcj.)?

3. What do you think is the purpose or function of the image? Explain.

4. If a commodity is obviously present, what is the commodity? How is it being sold? What ideologies are inherent within the image to help sell the product?

5. What, if any, symbols of power or hegemony are present within the image? Why and how?

6. How might context change the meaning? In other words, would the image mean something in one context and something totally different in another? How so? Explain.

7. In what ways might the image speak to race, class, ethnicity, or social status? What does it say about any of the above? How?

8. What assumptions are you making in your reading? And how might those assumptions change the actual meaning of the image?

9. Who carries more authority over meaning in either of the following images? The author/artist? The viewer? How so?

10. What, if any, historical context might be important to consider when attempting to “read” the image? Why?

Cultural Artifact/Phenomenon # 1:

Cultural Artifact/Phenomenon # 2:

For Wednesday, April 23rd

There is no reading or blog response assignment. Instead, begin to review the concepts we’ve read about and discussed this semester, in preparation for your final take-home examination.

The following people should be prepared to present their case study work to the class in a 10-15 minute presentation:

• Michael K.
• James G.
• Erik V.
• Justin D.
• Jackie S.
• Erica A.
• Catherine M.
• Julia V.

Assignment for Monday, April 16th

CASE STUDY ESSAYS DUE in class!!

No reading or blog assignment. We’ll discuss FIRE (so be prepared to consider the questions on the handout I provided — and have posted below), the Panopticon, and begin case study presentations.

FIRE: – questions to consider for class discussion next week (April 16th):

• What symbols or signs do you see in the film that carry specific meanings (explain what and how)?
• In what ways are ethnicity, sexuality, and gender “constructed” in this film?
• Who, within the film, is challenging social and cultural “defaults” (traditions, customs, and how? In what ways does this film disrupt hegemonic (dominant cultural) historical narratives?
• Mehta was born in India and spent the first 23 years of her life there, but has spent the last 20+ years living in Canada, which calls up questions of “authenticity” – can Mehta accurately portray the lives of Indian women? Is there is some sort of authentic experience that only “real” Indian women can have access to?
• What do you make of the fact that this film was made in English (with occasional subtitles of Hindu sprinkled here and there)?
• In what ways does Fire defy worthless and unhappy lives as the only option for so-called disobedient wives/women?
• In the film, Sita says to Radha that “there is no word in our language that can describe us, how we feel for each other.” What significance does that have to our understanding of the lesbian subject within Indian culture?
• The film, particularly in India, drew and incredible amount of criticism, vandalism (to theaters showing the film), and even death threats to the director. What does all of this (response/reaction) to the film suggest about the film’s theme, message, significance, and/or power?

Presentation Schedule

For this week’s assignment, please see post below.

As discussed in class, instead of having you all do NEW group case studies (and presenting those), I’ve decided to just have you present your current case study to the class (for the same grade percentage – 10% of your final grade). You’ll each be presenting your case, your findings, and your thoughts about your cultural artifact and/or phenomenon, using visual resources (images, websites, DVDs or CDs, videos, etc.). Your case presentation should be approximately 10-15 mins long. If you weren’t in class to sign up, I assigned you a date.

The schedule for each of your case study presentations is below:

April 16th:

• Stephanie V.
• Meghan M.
• Angelika L.
• Lyndsie K.
• Kristin F.
• Evan D.
• Andy M.
• Nick R.

April 23rd:

• Michael K.
• James G.
• Erik V.
• Justin D.
• Jackie S.
• Erica A.
• Catherine M.
• Julia V.

April 30th:

• Corey G.
• Nick M.
• Janet P.
• Victoria & Cara
• Shannon F.
• Corbin B.
• Karli F.

Response Assignment # 7

Please be sure to review the questions on FIRE that I passed out to you in class. We will finish watching the film next week, and then I will break you up into groups to consider the questions on the handout.

For next week, read/view the following:

• Brignall III, Tom. (2002) The New Panopticon: The Internet Viewed as a Structure of Social Control. Theory & Science, Vol. 3, Issue 1.

Consider the following questions – choose ONE SET to respond to:

1. What example of the panopticon (either a model or structure) can you identify within your own neighborhood? How does it control social behavior and interactions? Discuss, specifically, how your panopticon example utilizes structure, setting, technology, and/or people (employees, guards, and/or other authoritative figures) to survey a large group of people? In what ways does your example fit into the characteristics of the panopticon, according to the article and video? Be sure to reference the reading when discussing your example.
2. Why is the Internet potentially the most dangerous and/or powerful panopticon model? What examples can you specifically locate (other than those the reading makes reference to) that exemplify characteristics or elements of the panopticon? Some possible examples (there are many) include YouTube, MySpace, blog software, email providers, etc. How might the Internet, in general, and your example specifically, have an effect on your daily life? How does your example altar or affect your online behavior? Explain and describe, being sure to make reference to the reading.
3. Utilizing an example not already used in the readings, explain and describe how the panopticon connects with power. Within your model of a panopticon structure and/or model, who is in power? How do individuals within the panopticon become agents of their own oppression? How do corporations, businesses, institutions, and/or governmental entities justify their use of panopticon structures, models, and/or techniques? Make reference to your example and the reading.

Assignments for Wednesday, April 2nd

CASE STUDY PROPOSALS DUE online (POST HERE).

Also, please read/view the following for class discussion:

• “Differences,” p. 157-191, TT
• “There is No Unmarked Woman,” p. 499-504, SOL
• View: Ben Sharpa’s “Hegemony”

Response Assignment # 6

See Case Study Guidelines; please come into class next week with an idea or question you want to explore for your case studies.

For next Wednesday, March 19th, please read/view the following:

• “Brought to you B(U)Y: The Signs of Advertising,” p. 141-150. SOL
• “Media Culture,” p. 70-81, TT
• View: Jean Kilbourne’s “Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising’s image of women”

Instead of blogging, please bring a print ad to class next week (either from the web, a magazine, or newspaper, etc.), along with a typed response to the following questions (to be turned in). You should also be prepared to discuss the following in class, in response to your print advertisement:

1. What in the ad functions as a sign? How do these things function as signs? What are the implicit and explicit meanings inherent in these signs?

2. What cultural myths are present in your ad? What ideologies?

3. What basic “appeals” (according to our class discussion last week) does your advertisement use? How effective are these appeals?

Reading Assignment for March 12th

For next week, please read and watch the following and be prepared to talk about the readings in class. No writing assignment for this week. However, for those of you who are either behind in blog responses or want extra credit, I will give credit/extra credit for any postings.

Readings/Viewings:

• “Consuming Passions: The Culture of American Consumption,” p. 65-75, SOL
• Watch: “Mickey Mouse Monopoly: Disney, Childhood & Corporate Power”