Syllabus

Imagery and Culture

Spring 2013

Tuesdays + Thursdays 10:00 - 11:20pm Bradley Hall 313

Department of Arts, Culture and Media – Rutgers University

Professor Doris Caçoilo

Office hours by appointment in Bradley Hall 316

doris *at* gaiastudio.org

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course students will be introduced to key issues and theoretical approaches in the study of media images, culture, technology and societal effects. This course examines multiple approaches to understanding media and culture, including ways in which imagery affects perceptions of race, gender, consumer behavior, politics, social roles and identity. It explores imagery in the context of popular culture, television, film and art.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to critically examine the impact of media on past and contemporary societies. Students will develop the ability to create thoughtful and engaging projects and writing assignments. In addition to a rigorous reading schedule, students are required to write various projects for the class blog and sustain continued research and writing throughout the course.

Students are expected to use theory, criticism and philosophy to understand contemporary media, culture and art. Feedback from classmates is a valuable resource for the improvement of student writing and work. Critiques and discussions allow us to share our projects and analysis of the readings with others and express our intentions and interpretations. Class participation is essential and mandatory.

Class sessions will be divided into presentations and class discussion of the readings. Presentations will address both theoretical and analytical issues related to media literacy, history of mass media, representation and mass culture. Students are responsible to be prepared for class, read all assignments on time and post all writing and projects to the blog, paying attention to technical and aesthetic presentation as well as thoughtful and well-developed content.

READINGS There are no required texts. Various weekly reading assignments will be assigned and linked on the blog and posted on Blackboard. The full reading schedule will be distributed on the blog. Readings are due each week. All readings are REQUIRED unless otherwise stated.

CLASS PARTICIPATION For each reading you must prepare two questions and two quotes or passages from the readings for class discussion. Several students will be called on in each discussion and you must have these prepared for each reading.

BLOG You must consult the class blog daily to check for announcements, readings and to post your assignments. The blog is crucial to the course and completion of the requirements. You MUST have access to the blog to complete assignments, readings, post work and comment on students’ posts.

TWITTER You must create a twitter account (if you do not have one already) we will share links and comments with each other using the class hashtag #imgcult13

REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETION OF THE COURSE

Four writing assignments published to the blog as well as a two-part semester project will be developed during the semester. Students must also complete all readings and participate in class discussions. Students must complete all assignments thoroughly and on time.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance is required. Attendance is taken at the beginning of each class, and will be considered when determining the final course grade. Absences affect your participation grade. More than four (4) absences will result in an 'F' (failure) for the class. No exceptions. Class begins on time, so you must be punctual. Lateness, leaving early or leaving class unexcused for an extended period of time will also be recorded. Two of these instances will count as one absence. You must bring documentation to class and hand in to me for any absences to be excused.

You are required to make up any and all work that is missed if you are absent. Notify the professor if you will be absent. As work will not be accepted late, please contact the professor to hand in work on time!

GRADE POLICY

All assignments must be finished and handed in on time to receive a passing grade for this course.

30% 4 blog posts (6pts, 8pts, 8pts, 8pts)

40% semester project

10% group presentation

20% attendance/participation (Contributions to class discussion, on the class blog + attendance)

NOTE: BACK-UP your work frequently, even as you are working on the projects. Write and edit your posts locally before uploading them to the web. No excuses!

The Rutgers Writing Center, located on the first floor of Bradley Hall, can provide very useful guidance, including writing tutors. It is highly recommended that every one visit the center as they are developing their essay. To encourage this visit, extra points will be given to those who provide documentation of their work with the center. The Center's online address http://www.andromeda.rutgers.edu/~nwc/index.html

Plagiarism Plagiarism is a very serious academic offense which will result in penalties ranging from reduction of class grade to failure in the course. Plagiarism occurs when the ideas, images, and words, published or unpublished, of others are presented as one's own without citing the original source. Plagiarism also occurs when the papers, research, or creative works of another person are presented as one's own work. “The sources from which one derives one’s ideas, statements, terms, and data must be fully and specifically acknowledged in the appropriate form; failure to do so, intentionally or unintentionally, constitutes plagiarism. Violations of academic integrity may result in failure in the course and in disciplinary actions with penalties such as suspension or dismissal from the College” (1999-2000 Undergraduate Catalog, p. 43). For the University's policy on plagiarism please read the Rutgers-Newark Student Handbook, PAGE 189, available on-line at: http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml

SCHEDULE

******PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE******

 ALL READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE SPECIFIED IN CLASS AND ON THE CLASS BLOG

All readings for each class will be listed on the class blog every week. It is the student’s responsibility to check the blog for required readings and assignments. All readings can be found on Blackboard, online (linked from the blog) or otherwise specified on the blog.

If you ever have questions or concerns about the schedule, due dates, changes or anything else please ask me after class or e-mail me: doris *at* gaiastudio.org

Week 1:     1/22 T - Introduction and discussion. Set up students on the class blog.

                        1/24 Th – What is Culture? What is Image? – The Big Picture Readings Due: John Berger Ways of Seeing Ch 7 on Blackboard. Blog review, twitter tutorial. Baratunde Thurston’s “There’s a Hashtag for That” video

Week 2:      1/29  T – Cultural Criticism – Analyzing Images: Art and Media Readings Due: Visual Guide to bell hooks check the blog for any additional readings. Discussion session.

                    

*Last day to drop (1/29) and add (1/30)

                    1/31 Th – Cultural Representation Readings Due: Barbara Kruger, Remote Control, Arts and Leisures and Lucy Lippard Doubletake on Blackboard check the blog for any additional readings. Discussion session.

                        INTRODUCTION Mini Post Due
                        Groups assigned

Week 3:     2/5 T – The Crowd- representation and the masses. Readings due: Gustave LeBon,    Introduction, The Crowd review all previous readings. Discussion session.

                       

                    2/7 Th – Identity, Image and Society Readings Due: Guy Debord Society of the Spectacle (Chapter 1) online check the blog for any additional readings. Discussion session.

                        Group 1 presents
                       

Week 4:     2/12 T – Signifying Race, Class, Gender Readings Due: bell hooks Representations of Whiteness in the Black Imagination and Stuart Hall from Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices and check the blog for additional readings. Discussion session.
      POST 1 Due

                        Group 2 presents

2/14 Th – Signifying Race, Difference and “Otherness” Discussion session. Readings Due: Melissa Harris-Perry Crooked Room and Stuart Hall from Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices on Blackboard and check the blog for additional readings. Discussion session.

                       

Week 5:     2/19 T – NO CLASS 

                       

2/21 Th – Gender and Culture: Femininity Discussion session. Readings Due: Susan Douglas, Where the Girls Are, The Oppositional Gaze, bell hooks and John Berger, Ways of Seeing Ch2 on Blackboard and check the blog for additional readings. Discussion session.

                       

                        Group 3 presents

                         

Week 6:     2/26 T – Gender and Culture: Femininity/Masculinity Discussion session. Readings Due: Judith Butler Performative Acts and Gender Construction and bell hooks Understanding Patriarchy and Feminist Manhood and check the blog for additional readings.

                        Group 4 presents

2/28 Th – Gender and Culture: Masculinity  Discussion session. Readings Due: Michael Kimmel, Introduction: Misframing Men and check the blog for additional readings.

Week 7:     3/5 T – Media Support Industry-Advertising Discussion session. Readings Due: Jean Kilbourne Cutting Girls Down to Size, Naomi Wolf Culture on Blackboard and check the blog for additional readings due. 

                      

   

                

3/7 Th – Media Support Industry-Advertising Discussion session. Readings Due: Gloria Steinem, Sex, Lies and Advertising, Anthony Cortese Constructed Bodies, Deconstructing Ads Sexism in Advertising on Blackboard and check the blog for additional readings.   Group 5 presents

                       

Week 8:     3/12 T - Disneyfication: toys, stories, fantasy and identity Discussion session. Readings Due:  Henry Giroux Animating Youth: the Disneyfication of Children’s Culture online and check the blog for additional readings. 

                        Group 6 presents

3/14 Th – Review for Midterm Presentations POST 2 Due

     

Week 9:     3/19 T – NO CLASS – Spring Break J

3/21 Th – NO CLASS – Spring Break J 

Week 10:     3/26 T – Midterm Presentations

                    –Proposal, Draft Bibliography and Resource List due for Semester Project on the blog and print copy handed in + (2 minute) presentation to the class

                        3/28 Th – Midterm Presentations

Week 11:     4/2 T – Media Ownership Discussion session. No Readings Due.

                       

4/4 Th – Media Ownership: News Media Discussion session. Readings Due: FreePress Media Ownership Policy and Women in Media Fact Sheet both online and check the blog for additional readings. 

                        Group 7 presents

Week 11:     4/9 T –Alternative Media Discussion session. Readings Due: Debra Zimmerman and Women Make Movies by Judith Redding and Victoria A. Brownworth

                        check blog for additional readings.

                        Group 8 presents

                   4/11 Th- Alternative Media Discussion session. Readings Due: check blog for readings. POST 3 Due

Week 12:     4/16 T- Art and Activism: Resistance Discussion session. Readings Due: bell hooks, Art is for Everybody check blog for readings on Blackboard.

                       

    Group 9 presents

4/18 Th- Art and Activism: Resistance Visitor Alana Kakoyiannis
 No readings due – work on your semester projects.

Week 13:            4/23 – SEMESTER PROJECT PRESENTATIONS – all projects posted to the blog

                        4/25 – SEMESTER PROJECT PRESENTATIONS

Week 14:            4/30 T - SEMESTER PROJECT PRESENTATIONS

                        5/2 Th - SEMESTER PROJECT PRESENTATIONS

FINAL:            5/14 T  8:30 -11:30am – Final Class Meeting TBD

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS

*Posts 1-4

Students must develop researched responses to readings and discussions in class. Each post will be specific to the topics covered in class at that time and will be explained during class. Students are responsible to write and edit these posts as well as illustrate them and successfully post them to the blog.

*Group presentation

Create a presentation that illustrates the readings for that day. You can choose to focus on one particular theme, reading or theory or give a general overview of themes covered. Presentations should be organized, clear and engaging and should include a visual component in addition to an exciting interactive presentation. All students in the group must participate. These should be 7-10 minutes. The presentations should spur discussion within the classroom. Presentations should end with a question or questions posed to the class. MAKE IT AWESOME! Presentation summaries must be posted to the blog. Every student will present once throughout the semester.

*Semester Project – Creating Your Own Media: A Cultural Intervention

 2-parts: Midterm and Final

Based on the discussions and projects presented in class and on the blog, please create a short piece of media which focuses on a social (or political) issue to specifically address the role of media, technology, audience, owners and media makers. Ultimately your project should 1) Be publically visible. Provide clear criticism of a specific narrative or aspect of popular culture 3) encourage its audience to shift their perspective and take social action. These will be published to the class blog and presented in class.

The assignment can take many forms: Essay with embedded images. Video- music, documentary, performance, Researched article or extensive slideshow with captions or narration (think NYTimes), Magazine/Zine, Interactive Web Project/Site

*You must create a post on the blog for your final project. This will include a link to your project, a summary and explanation, images and or videos. You will present using/from your post - this will be much easier. ALL projects must be posted to the class blog and resource lists and summaries printed and handed in to me. Projects in print such as: papers, zines etc must be physically handed in to me. I have invited guests to attend our final presentations.

FINAL PROJECTS

Please be prepared to present your projects to the class in approximately 5-7 minute presentations. Visuals are a must. Feel free to bring physical props and handouts if appropriate.

**You must create a POST for your final project - a link to your project, a summary, images and or videos. You will present using/from your post - this will be much easier.

ALL projects are due on the blog and resource lists and sumaries handed in to me. Print projects, papers, zines etc must be physically handed in to me.

Checklist:

-summary on the blog along with images and any videos

-link to your project (including pdf projects)

-presentations (5-7 minutes) will be from your blog post or linked directly from the post PLEASE TEST THIS BEFORE ARRIVING IN CLASS

-projects must be handed in to me with resource list/bibliography in addition to preparing the above for the presentations.

-I will invite guests to attend our final presentations.