Response Assignment #5

Readings/Viewings for next week:

• Engle, Gary. “What Makes Superman So Darned American?” (744-752) Signs of Life
• Watch: “Superman Tribute,” “Wonder Woman Spin Transformation,” and “Catwoman Attacks”
• Brennan, Jake. “Celebrities Who Aren’t Really Celebrities,” (729-733) SOL
• Watch: “I Got a Crush . . . on Obama”

1. After watching the Obama video and thinking about how this political figure has become a bit of an American icon himself, explain how Barak Obama might embody our society’s most basic desires. What does our popular interest in Obama potentially say about our society? Is his popularity strictly based on political motivations? Explain. Also, after reading “Celebrities who aren’t really celebrities,” how do you think the media has contributed to Obama’s celebrity status (explain HOW)?

2. Consider one of your favorite icons. Search for a couple of websites that highlight that icon (whether an official or unofficial fan site). Consider the way the images are presented, the website is constructed, the key words and phrases present on the site, the colors, etc. and explain how those websites (and many of those elements) help contribute to the “image” or “myth” of that icon. Also, after reading “Celebrities who aren’t really celebrities,” explain how do you think the media has contributed to your celebrity’s status (explain HOW)? When responding to this set of questions, please be sure to include the URL (or website address) of at least two websites that you visited, so we can go visit them, as well, and visually see what you are talking about.

3. Do you agree or disagree with Engle’s suggestion that Superman raises the American immigrant experience to the level of religious myth? Why or why not?

Response Assignment #4

Readings/Viewings for next week: Please note that I’m giving you a choice between reading from TT or the document that I’m sending to you (scanned from another book). I wanted to give you all a choice, considering that not everyone disliked the Theory Toolbox. Please do read the guide, though — it’s a nice and short summarization of the concept.

• Lye, John. (1997) Ideology: A Brief Guide
• “Ideology,” p. 83-94, TT AND/OR Handout on Ideology from Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice – I’m emailing this document to all of you, so please check your email.
• 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 make explicit connections between your thoughts and the readings/discussions. 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.

FYI – Diversity AWARD!

Blog assignment for next class is below this post — but just FYI:

The Office of Multicultural Affairs is in the midst of accepting applications for their Diversity Award, worth $5,000 and is renewable for continuing students. They are trying to encourage as many students to apply for this award as possible. Applications are online or can be found at the Office of Multicultural Affairs, which is located in the 623 S. Wabash Building, on the third floor.

Response Assignment #3

Readings/Viewings for next class:

• “Subjectivity,” p. 35-50, TT
• View: Race: The Floating Signifier and International Signs and Misinterpretations
• “Child of the Americas” by Aurora Levins Morales (handout) and “Legal Alien” by Pat Mora.

This time, I want you to do a cultural reading of one of the two poems, thinking about subjectivity/subject concepts presented in the reading. In what ways might either character be a “subject”? In what ways do either “subject” (character) convey or carry the sense of being “subject to”? How do we begin to understand these main characters (the “I” in the poem) in reference to “preexisting social conditions and categories”? In what ways do either character (in either poem) reject or succumb to social stereotypes? how so?

You don’t have to answer all those questions; you can approach either poem in whichever way you want, as long as you make explicit connections to the ideas and concepts within the reading on “Subjectivity.”

Response Assignment #2

For next Wednesday, February 13th, please read/view the following:

• “Reading,” p. 21-34, TT
• “Culture,” p. 51-69, TT
• 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.

1. When considering a particular cultural artifact, how do you determine who/what produces meaning? Provide your own example, or utilize the image below (at the very bottom) to discuss.
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? What do you see here in this image that is reflected within the readings?

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 last 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, give an example of a cultural artifact that potentially blurs the boundaries between high and low cultures? Explain how your artifact does this.

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 Your Class Blog!

Students: Welcome to the Introduction to Cultural Studies Class Blog! Click here to view your syllabus and course description (a permanent link is posted under “Blogroll” on the side).

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.