Instructor: Professor Kristine Diekman
Time: Wednesday, 6-8:45pm
Place: ACD 102
Office: Craven 6132
Phone: x4188
Email: kdiekman@mailhost1.csusm.edu
Office hours: Wed., 4-5 pm
Course description:
In this course, we will be investigating a broad range of artistic,
technological, cultural and historical practices related to media including
video art, television, photographic processes, film, digital media, and
hypermedia. The aim of this course is to introduce to students, who have
an interest in a cultural studies, film, video or new media, ideas surrounding
these practices and to generate discourse about the role of media in art
and society. The class will combine lectures, screenings, group discussion,
on-line research, student research and presentations. This is a course
in which you will be asked to use your analytic and critical skills to
write and talk about media.
Assignments:
Each student will be required to research and present a topic related
to the course material. Your choice of topic will be made with the approval
of the instructor. Your presentation may take the form of an essay/oral
presentation, a hypertext, a multi-media presentation, a website,
video or film, or performance. You as presenters will be grouped in panels
with which you will present your research. Please think carefully about
the medium in which you would like to present your research. It is absolutely
imperative that you consider your skills, resources and time. The presentation
should last approximately 15:00. If you have any questions concerning what
medium you should use, please make an appointment with me. These presentation
will take place the last four weeks of class.
All other assignments are due on the day they are listed, unless otherwise indicated.
Grading is as follows:
30% class participation, discussion and attendance including preparation
of reading for discussion
30% writing assignments
40% Final presentation, including your participation in the presentations
of others
Attendance and participation:
This is an upper division course with a high level of self-direction
and preparation. You must attend each class and complete all readings in
order to effectively participate. The syllabus is subject to change. If
you miss a class, it is your responsibility to contact a fellow student
or the instructor to determine what material was covered and what is due
for the next class. Do not call me to tell me you will not be in class.
You should email me, with your name in the subject field of the email.
If you miss four classes, you will be asked to drop the course or will be failed. Attendance is recorded at the beginning of each class with a sign-in sheet which is kept on file. You may not sign in after the class has begun. Don't forget to sign in--it is the only record I have of your attendance.
Reading assignments:
Primary readings are in the course reader which is in the Aztec bookstore
under the title of the course and instructor name. Other handouts will
be given to supplement the course reader. Reading assignments are due on
the day listed unless otherwise indicated.
Class 1, September 2
Introduction
In this introductory class, I will give an overview of the history
and significance of the moving image, the role of representation and models
of visuality. I will also introduce some of the themes of the class.
Video screening: "Behind the Iris", Greg Barsamian
Assignment #1: In today's class, I will introduce the notion of
visual control through the architecture of the panopticon. During the coming
week, note or document instances of surveillance in your own life. Be especially
aware of how the panopticon works as a system of visual control or punishment.
Have these ready for discussion and to be turned in next week.
Class 2, September 9
Colonialism: Privilege of the Gaze
Required reading: Spurr, David. "Surveillance, Under Western Eyes." The Rhetoric of Empire, Colonial Discourse in Journalism, Travel Writing, and Imperial Administration. Duke University Press, 1993. 13-27
Discussion: What are the tropes or conventions discussed in this reading through which we see or represent other cultures or people? How are the conventions present in your everyday life? What are some of the solutions the author suggests to break with "objectivist models" of experiencing other cultures and people?
Slide presentation and screening:
"Dia de la Independencia", Alex Rivera and Lalo Lopez; a coming attraction
parody.
"Sans Soliel", (excerpt), Chris Marker, France; travel film
"Morayngava", Vincent Carelli and Virginia Valadao, 17:00, 1997; collaborative,
interactive communication
Class 3, September 16
Introduction to Feminist Film Theory: The Male Gaze
"Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" is considered a seminal essay
in the formation of psychoanalytic and feminist film theory. In this class
we will discuss some of the most important ideas embodied in the Mulvey
essay and its relation to the preceding topic.
Required reading: Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.", 1975. Screen Magazine
Discussion: How is the gaze "male"? Why does Mulvey use psychoanalysis to understand filmic representation? How does camera technology work to bind us the image? How does she suggest we disrupt this powerful gaze?
Screening: "Rear Window", Alfred Hitchcock
Writing Assignment: Compare these three essays: Mulvey, Laura.
"Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"; John Berger, Ways of Seeing,
Chapter 3; Spurr, David. "Surveillance, Under Western Eyes." Due September
23, next class.
Assignment #2: During this class I will hand out Chapter 3 from the
book Ways of Seeing, by John Berger. In this essay he explains the ways
in which the conventions used in Renaissance paintings of the "nude" effect
the visual representations of women today. Your assignment is to compare
all three essays ("Under Western Eyes", "Visual Pleasure in Narrative Cinema"
and Chapter Three from Ways of Seeing). How is visuality as a tool of power
and control discussed in each? How does the person being seen become
an object of sight? Ultimately, what effect can this have on those who
are seen as objects? What are the ways suggested to break with these objectifying
models of representation? What is your solution to problem of "the gaze"?
This paper should be approximately 4-5 pages in length. Use quotes from
all three readings to create your argument.
Class 4, September 23
Signs of Resistance: Female Transgression
What is transgression? Why is transgression an important strategy to
oppose systems of power? Why do transgressive acts sometimes feel taboo,
uncomfortable or objectionable?
How can video artists transgress the boundaries of the camera or the
gaze?
Screening:
"Hey Baby Chicky", Nina Sobell
"Vital Statistics of a Citizen", Martha Rosler
"Spy in the House that Ruth Built", Vanalyne Green
Required reading: Laura Kipnis. "Female Transgression." Resolutions.
University of Minnesota. 333-345.
Class 5, September 30
Signs of Resistance: Cultural Resistance
Using Teshome Gabriel's essay on black cinema, we will entertain the
notions of "nomadic aesthetics" and how they are a sign of resistance to
mainstream Hollywood film while viewing work from African American filmmaker,
Julie Dash, Australian Aboriginal filmmaker, Tracey Moffet, and African
documentarian, Cesar Paes.
Required reading: Teshome H. Gabriel, "Thoughts on Nomadic Aesthetics and Black Independent Cinema: Traces of a Journey." Out There: Marginalization and Contemporary Cultures. MIT Press, 1990. 395-410.
Discussion: What are the characteristics of "nomadic" or "traveling" aesthetics? List its attributes. Merata Mirta has a quote on the bottom of page 401 which suggests that film is "memory pictures." How can you understand the work we will be viewing today in those terms?
"Daughters of the Dust", (excerpt), Julie Dash, U.S.
"Bedevil", (excerpt), Tracy Moffet, Australia
"Angano..Angano..Tales from Madagascar", Cesar Paes, Africa
Class 6, October 7
Blurred Boundaries: Documentary
An introduction to the documentary genre including verite, re-enactment,
propaganda and ethnographic work.
Screening:
I. Ethnographic histories:
A. "Nanoock of the North", Robert Flaherty, 1922 (excerpt)
B. "En Chien Delicioux", Ken Feingold
II. Cinema Verite:
A. "Near Death", (excerpt) Frederick Weisman
III. Re-enactment
A. "Thin Blue Line", (excerpt) Errol Morris
IV. Formal Appropriation
A. "Man Bites Dog", Remy Belvaux
Class 7, October 14
Nationalist Propaganda and Fascist Aesthetics
In this class, we will study how high art and notions of aesthetics
were employed in Nazi ideology and propaganda. We will also discuss spectacle
and simulation in relation to "Triumph of the Will".
Screening: "Triumph of the Will", 1933, Leni Reifenstahl
Class 8, October 21
Special Screening of "Hyenas"
"Hyenas", by Djibril Diop Mambety, transposes a story by a Swiss writer
into an African setting. It explores the socio-politcal contradictions
of contemporary Africa though a hybrid style which asks viewers to examine
their ways of seeing and reacting to African issues.
Discussion: What is the role of music in this work? How does it differ from western sound tracks or even musicals? Compare the film to Tracey Moffet's "Bedevil" or Julie Dash's "Daughters of the Dust". What are the similarities? Finally, can you apply any of the ideas in the essay "Thoughts on Nomadic Aesthetics and Black Independent Cinema: Traces of a Journey" to this film? What is the role of fantasy throughout?
I will not be present during this class. Please sign in. Someone will be there to play the video and take the sign in.
Assignment #3: Write a short two page response to the film using the above questions (under "discussion") to help you organize your response. Email your writing to me before the next class.
Class 9, October 28
The Technology of Memory
In this section we will explore the relationship between moving images
and the society
or culture in which they were produced and received. In this section
we will study the relationship between important public images seen on
T.V. and how these have influenced national consciousness and private experience,
as well as cultural memory and historical discourse. We will look at three
images cited in Sturken's essay and trace the production of images surrounding
those events. We will conclude by looking at the full length video by Rea
Tajiri in which she explores the relationship of memory, representation
and historical discourse surrounding the incarceration of Japanese Americans
during WWII.
Required reading: Marita Sturken. "Camera Images and National Meanings." Tangled Memories. University of California Press, 1997. 19-43
Screening:
Excerpts from the Zapruder film, "JFK", "Eternal Frame", "Case of Rodney
King", "Natural Born Killers"
Screen in full: Rea Tajiri, "History and Memory"
Class 10, November 4
Camera, Technology and War
"The immediacy and perceived truth of the visual image, as well as
film and television's ability to propel viewers
back into the
past, place the historic film genre in a unique
category. War
films--including antiwar films--have established
the prevailing
public image of war in the twentieth century."
This section also includes an overview of camera technology as it has
developed for war time use and representation of war not only through film,
but also video technology.
Required Reading: Paul Virilio, "A Traveling Shot over Eighty Years." War and Cinema
Screenings: Include excerpts from "The Longest Day", "Saving Private Ryan", "After the War, Bill Moyers", television footage from Vietnam war, and documentation after the bombing of Hiroshima.
Class 11, November 11
Virtual Reality
In this section we will discuss virtual reality and how it used in
art and the construction identity. Work by various contemporary artists
will be presented. We will also discuss how virtual technologies may become
the new moving image.
Required reading: Turkle, Sherry. "Constructions and Reconstructions of the Self in Virtual Reality.", Electronic Culture, Technology and Visual Representation. Ed. Timothy Druckery. Aperture. 354-365.
Screening:
Excerpts from "Synthetic Pleasures"
"Why Cybraceros?", Alex Rivera and Lalo Lopez, 5:00
Class 12, November 18
Hypertextuality and the New Narrative
In this section we will cover two important topics related to post-modern
cultural production: one is the hypertext or new narrative strategies which
are immersive and interactive; the other is a challenge to the notion of
plagiarism and ownership.
Required reading: Critical Art Ensemble. "Utopian Plagiarism, Hypertextuality, and Electronic Cultural Production." The Electronic Disturbance. Autonomedia, 1994. 83-101
Discussion: What is the history of copyright? Can you explain why the
title of the essay contains the word "utopian"? What is recombination and
how do you experience this in your life? Why do we give such high status
to work which is "original"? What are the functions of reproductions in
any culture?
Class 13, November 25
Final Presentations
Class 14, December 2
Final Presentations
Class 15, December 9
Final Presentations
Class 16, December 16
Final Presentations