Monthly Archives: January 2015

Your First Essay (HUM415)

At 8 pm on Tuesday your first essay is due to ilearn. Barring a catastrophic event no late papers will be accepted. The prompt is located on the course information page.

The purpose of the assignment is to

1. assess your level of reading comprehension and academic writing

2. establish a firm theoretical foundation for the study of the culture of contemporary capitalism

3. nudge the unmotivated into either dropping the class or shaking off their lethargy.

I am asking you to provide a précis of the articles by Harvey and Hall (which can be found in the hardcopy reader from Dragon Printing and on the HUM415READER page).

To see what I mean by a précis, click on the following link:

http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/Students/Handouts-Guides/Guides-%28What-Are-You-Writing-%29/Academic-Writing/Precis.

Consult the Paper Guidelines page for specific information on format and an explanation of my grading rubric.

Any questions? Please address them to the comments field of this post.

What is American…? (HUM225)

… I asked. And you responded, “American is…”

“… anything made or produced specifically in America.”

“…a term for the cultures that exist in NA. However American in terms of ethnicity can apply to North and South America.”

“… living in the US  under American laws and government systems. America is a melting pot of cultures and different traditions and values. America was influenced by Christian ideals, however you have the freedom to have other views. (guns, food, beauty, money)”

Continue reading →

What is Crime…? (HUM303)

… I asked. And you wrote, “Crime is…”

“… anything not sanctioned or permitted by the laws of society– though the definition is not black and white.”

“… breaking the law and there is usually a victim involved.”

“… an illegal action committed intentionally or unintentionally that causes harm, grief, havoc, or distress amongst others.”

“… from pg. 18 of The Kite Runner: ‘Now no matter what the Mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft… When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness… There is no act more wretched than stealing, Amir.'”

“… an action that is considered wrong or an action that brings punishment as a result.”

“… a person hurting another person, or disturbing or destroying their property.”

“… an action or series of actions taken by an individual or (organized) group of individuals that defies/ does not comply with the established laws of a sovereign state.”

“… injustice.”

 

Images of Crime (HUM303)

If you go to “Supplemental Resources” on the course information page you can find links to crime images such as this one by Javier Arcenillas:

A "sicario" is pointing Luis Esteban in the neck asking for his money back.

A “sicario” is pointing Luis Esteban in the neck asking for his money back.

One of the questions we’ll be asking in days to come is to what extent a still image can function as a narrative.

Essay One, etc. (HUM303)

Your first major writing assignment is due in electronic format to ilearn by 8pm on Tuesday 2/3. Barring exceptional (and documented) circumstances, no late papers will be accepted. As I said in class, this assignment is intended to fulfill several functions:

1. Frankly, to encourage unmotivated students to drop the course.

2. As a writing diagnostic.

3. To build a solid theoretical foundation for our primary project: the study of the relationship between culture and history through the lens of crime fiction and “crime in literature.”

Continue reading →

Responses (HUM415)

I’ve pulled a few responses to the prompt I gave you on Tuesday– “What is capitalism?” You might consider whether or not you agree with some of these definitions (and, crucially why/not).

Capitalism is…

“…one of the many types of government where money has big influences on things.”

“…an economic system which relies on the free market and supply & demand in order to create economic growth.”

“…a term used for a society with no maximum to how much you can make or own.”

“…government stuff.”

Continue reading →

From My Notes (HUM415)

One of the ideas that I wanted to get across on Tuesday was that culture doesn’t simply “reflect” the world in a direct, unproblematic manner– i.e., as mere “content”. In any case, “reflection” is just a metaphor. It’s a way of saying that culture acts like a mirror. But why can’t it act as a prism or a pistol or a sponge?

Cultural forms are historical. To read form (i.e., to engage in formal analysis)  is to suggest that the how of a text is as important as the what of a text.

This notion is something like what Zizek has in mind when he argues that Children of Men functions according to the principle of anamorphosis. It’s by looking from an odd angle– focusing on the background of the visual field rather than the foreground– that the socio-political “truth” of Cuaron’s film becomes apparent. In order to understand this fully we need to know a few film terms, such as mise-en-scene. But there are other formal elements in play here as well: framing, camera movement, sound, etc.

Finally, tomorrow we’ll watch this remarkable film text by Mark Boulos:

Reader (HUM225/ HUM303)

I sent this as an email this morning.

 

Hi,

The course blog is analepsis.org. Everything you need to know is there. Look at the tabs at the top of the page for the syllabus, the electronic version of the reader, and the course filmography. The Passport tab contains directions for your first graded assignment. This is an easy A.

I want you to bring hard copies of every reading we discuss in class. You can print out the reader in your own time or buy a bound hardcopy at Dragon Printing at 450 Taraval off of 19th. If you’re headed toward Geary it is on the right.

http://www.dragonprintingsf.com

Truth told buying the bound hardcopy is probably the cheaper option unless you have access to a free printer.

1st Contact (HUM415)

I sent this as an email to the accounts listed on ilearn. Send questions to the comments field of this post please.

Hi,

The course blog is analepsis.org. Everthing you need to know is there. Look at the tabs at the top of the page for the syllabus, the electronic version of the reader, and the course filmography. The Passport tab contains directions for your first graded assignment. This is an easy A.

I want you to bring hard copies of every reading we discuss in class. You can print out the reader in your own time or buy a bound hardcopy at Dragon Printing at 450 Taraval off of 19th. If you’re headed toward Geary it is on the right.

http://www.dragonprintingsf.com

Truth told buying the bound hardcopy is probably the cheaper option unless you have access to a free printer.

The bookstore notified me that it may be difficult to get a copy of David Hawkes’s Ideology (2nd ed.) initially. There is a pdf version of that text on the Free Books page of the course blog but, again, you’d need to print it out.

On Thursday I will give you a “pop” quiz and you’ll do group work. I hope to see you there.

sc