LIT 6857 Sec. 17DF Cultural Studies Movements

Reading (and Watching) 1984: A Return to the Scene of the Postmodern

ProfessorPhillipWegnerWednesday6-8(12:50-3:50p.m.)Turlington4112 Office:Turlington4115OfficeHours:Thursday,1-3p.m.;andbyappointmentPhone: 294-2813;Email: pwegner@ufl.eduhttp://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/pwegner/home.htm

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ThetitleforourseminaristakenfromMichaelNorth’slandmarkstudy,Reading1922:AReturntotheSceneoftheModern(1999).North’sbookoffersanexperimentinreadingtheextraordinaryrangeofworksreleasedintheyear1922—includingT.S.Eliot’sTheWasteland,LudwigWittgenstein’sTractatusLogico-Philosophicus,ClaudeMcKay’sHarlemShadows,VirginiaWoolf’sJacob’sRoom,andJamesJoyce’sUlysses—as“alimitedtestcaseininvestigatingtherelationshipbetweenliterarymodernismandthepublicworldofwhichitwasapart.”Inthisseminar,weshallperformasimilarexperimentfortheliteraryandculturalsituationofpostmodernism,takingasourfocusworksreleasedinthebanneryearof1984.ThatyearsawnotonlythepublicationofsuchkeytheoreticalstatementsasFredricJameson’sessay,“Postmodernism,or,theCulturalLogicofLateCapitalism,”thespecialSocialTextdoubleissue,“The60sWithoutApology,”theEnglishtranslationofJeanFrançoisLyotard’sThePostmodernCondition:AReportonKnowledge,andtheposthumouspublicationofthesecondandthirdvolumesofMichelFoucault’slandmarkHistoiredelasexualité,butalsoanextraordinaryrangeofnovelsandfilmsbyestablishedfiguresandthedebutworksofotherswhowouldbecomevitallyimportantintheyearstofollow.Theyear1984alsoresonatedinthelargerculturalcontextinanotherway,asitwasthesettingofGeorgeOrwell’sgreatColdWarfantasy,NineteenEighty-four(1949).ManyoftheworksreleasedinthatyearalsodirectlyreferenceandrespondtoOrwell’smasterpiece,markingthedistanceofcurrentrealitiesfromOrwell’sown.TextsKathyAcker,BloodandGutsinHighSchoolMartinAmis,MoneyJamesCameron(director),TheTerminatortheCoenbrothers(director),BloodSimpleBrianDePalma(director),BodyDoubleSamuelDelany,StarsinMyPocketLikeGrainsofSandDonDeLillo,WhiteNoiseLouiseErdrich,LoveMedicineMichelFoucault,TheHistoryofSexuality,Vols.1-3WilliamGibson,NeuromancerFredricJameson,Postmodernism,or,theCulturalLogicofLateCapitalismJimJarmusch(director),StrangerThanParadiseMilanKundera,TheUnbearableLightnessofBeingJeanFrançoisLyotard,ThePostmodernCondition:AReportonKnowledgeJayMcInerney,BrightLights,BigCityMichaelRadford(director),NineteenEighty-FourJohnSayles(director),TheBrotherfromAnotherPlanetRidleyScott(director),AppleMacintoshcommercialStudentswillberesponsibleforprocuringcopiesofthemajorreadingsforthesemester.Filmsandshortertextswillbemadeavailableasthesemesterprogresses.

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AimsandMethods1.Fullpresenceineveryspatial,ontological,existential,andintellectualsenseoftheword,aswellasactiveandengagedparticipationintheseminardiscussions.Givenyourpresencehere,IassumethatallofyouarelookingforwardasmuchasIamtohavingtheopportunityforaseriousandcarefulengagementwiththesetexts.Thus,themostgeneralexpectationthatIhaveforthissemesteristhatallofyouintendtoreadtheseworks,andtodosoinaresponsibleandrigorousfashion,andinaspiritofgoodfaithandintellectualcamaraderie.Iwouldaskthenthatyoumakeeveryefforttoengagein,touseamuchabusedterm,adialoguewiththeseworks,beingattentivetotheirrespectivevoices,acknowledgingtheirparticularhistoricalandotherwisecontingentbeingsintheworld,andfinallyworkingtoimaginehowwetodaymightbestretooltheinsightsandmodesofanalysisoftheirvarious“unfinishedprojects.”Inthisway,Ihopethatwewilldevelopamuchmorecomplexandprofitableunderstandingofboththepowerandoriginalityoftheseargumentsandtraditions.2.Inordertofacilitateandenrichourdiscussionoftheseworks,Iwanttoaskeachofyoutoberesponsibleforintroducingandsituatingeachweek’sreadings.AsIimagineallofourworkfundamentallytobeacollectiveproject,youwilldothisingroupsoftwoorthree,witheachgroupbeingresponsibleforthereadingsontwodifferentoccasions.Eachgroupwillbeaskedbothtoprovideabriefintroductiontothematerialandtoserveasgeneral“experts”onthereadingsforthatweek.Yourgroupcantakeavarietyofapproachestothistask:youmaywanttohighlightsomeofthecentralissuesthereadingsaddress;brieflyoutlinetheirmainarguments;notethewaystheyengagewithwhathascomebefore;placetheminhistorical,intellectual,andpoliticalcontexts;noteconnectionstootherpractices;giveoverviewsofsomeofthesecondaryreadingsontheseworks;offersomequestionsfordiscussion;providecreativeillustrationsandapplicationsofthethesis;andsoforth.Ionlyaskthatyoukeeptheopeningcommentsbrief(15minutesmaximumtotal)sothatwecanbeginourgeneraldiscussionassoonaspossible.Ialsohopethatyourgroupswillcontinuetoworktogetherthroughoutthesemester,sharingideas,givingsupport,discussingresearchprojects,enjoyingcocktailhours,andotherimportanttasks.Iwillbeveryhappytomeetwithyourgroupbeforehandtosuggestsomesecondaryreadingsanddiscussapproachesandtactics.3.Someeventsofspecialnotethiscomingterm:First,thesecondpartofthesymposium,“ImaginingClimateChange:ScienceandFictioninDialogue,”organizedbytheScienceFictionWorkingGroup,willtakeplaceonFebruary17-18.Secondly,theEighteenthAnnualConferenceoftheMarxistReadingGroupwillbeheldMarch10-12,withkeynoteaddressesbySusanBuck-Morss,ChrisPavsek,andKristinRoss.Finally,the13thAnnualConferenceonComicsandGraphicNovelsisscheduledforApril8-10.Astherewillbeagreatdealofdiscussionrelevanttoourclass,Iwouldliketoencourageallenrolledstudentstoconsiderattendingsomeofthesessionsandevents,ortakingtheopportunitytopresentyourownworkattheseconferences.

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4.Forthemajorwrittencomponentofthecourse,Iwillaskeachofyoutodevelopanindependentresearchprogram,whichwilltakeoneoftwoforms:eithera)twoshorteressaysof10-15pagesinlengthexaminingthequestionsorissuesraisedbythematerialinmoredepth,ordrawingconnectionsbetweentheseworksandotherareasofinterest;or,b)amajorcriticalresearchprojectofsome25-30pagesinlength.Theaimofthelongerprojectwillbetoproduce:1)asustainedengagementwithsomeoftheworkswediscussinclass;2)afurtherindependentexaminationoftheissuesraisedbytheworkwehavelookedat;3)adiscussiondrawinguponsomeoftherecommendedsecondaryoradditionalreadings;or4)anoriginalreadingofanotherotherwork–beitliterary,theoretical,filmic,architectural,cultural,digital,virtual,orotherwise—deployingtheconceptsandmodelsweelaborateduringthecourseofthesemester.Iwouldalsoliketoaskthatall3rdyearPhDstudentsplantopursueoptionb,withthegoalofproducinganessaythatwillserveeitherasthebasisofadissertationchapterorapublishableessay(orevenboth).Iaskeachofyouwhochoosethissecondoptiontoturninadetailedpaperproposal,completewithbibliography,aboutamonthbeforethepaperisdue.Ifyourequireadditionaltimetoworkonthisproject,Iamhappytoallowyoutodoso.However,inordertoavoidextendingthecourseindefinitely,Iexpectthattheprojectwillbecompletedbytheendofthesummerterm;workturnedinafterthattimeshouldnotexpecttoreceiveextensive(ifany)comments.GradingCriteriaAttendanceandParticipation:25%Grouppresentations:25%Seminarpaper:50%UFPolicyStatements1.StudentswithdisabilitiesrequestingaccommodationsshouldfirstregisterwiththeDisabilityResourceCenter(352-392-8565,www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/)byprovidingappropriatedocumentation.Onceregistered,studentswillreceiveanaccommodationletter,whichmustbepresentedtotheinstructorwhenrequestingaccommodation.Studentswithdisabilitiesshouldfollowthisprocedureasearlyaspossibleinthesemester.2.UFprovidesaneducationalandworkingenvironmentthatisfreefromsexdiscriminationandsexualharassmentforitsstudents,staff,andfaculty.FormoreaboutUFpoliciesregardingharassment,see:http://hr.ufl.edu/manager-resources/policies-2/sexual-harassment/3.UFstudentsareboundbyTheHonorPledge,whichstates,“We,themembersoftheUniversityofFloridacommunity,pledgetoholdourselvesandourpeerstothe

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higheststandardsofhonorandintegritybyabidingbytheHonorCode.OnallworksubmittedforcreditbystudentsattheUniversityofFlorida,thefollowingpledgeiseitherrequiredorimplied:“Onmyhonor,Ihaveneithergivennorreceivedunauthorizedaidindoingthisassignment.”TheHonorCode(http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honor-code/)specifiesanumberofbehaviorsthatareinviolationofthiscodeandthepossiblesanctions.Furthermore,youareobligatedtoreportanyconditionthatfacilitatesacademicmisconducttoappropriatepersonnel.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorconcerns,pleaseconsultwiththeinstructorinthisclass.4.Studentsareexpectedtoprovidefeedbackonthequalityofinstructioninthiscoursebycompletingonlineevaluationsathttps://evaluations.ufl.edu.Evaluationsaretypicallyopenduringthelasttwoorthreeweeksofthesemester,butstudentswillbegivenspecifictimeswhentheyareopen.Summaryresultsoftheseassessmentsareavailabletostudentsathttps://evaluations.ufl.edu/results/.5.ContactinformationfortheCounselingandWellnessCenter:http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/Default.aspx,392-1575;andtheUniversityPoliceDepartment:392-1111or9-1-1foremergencies.

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TentativeSchedule

1.January6FredricJameson,“TheCulturalLogicofLateCapitalism”(Ch.1ofPostmodernism,or,TheCulturalLogicofLateCapitalismand“Periodizingthe60s”(fromTheSixtieswithoutApology)

2.January13Jameson,Postmodernism,continued

3.January20DonDeLillo,WhiteNoise

4.January27MichaelRadford(director),NineteenEighty-Four;RidleyScott(director),AppleMacintoshcommercial;MartinAmis,Money

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5.February3MichelFoucault,TheHistoryofSexuality,Vols.1-36.February10MichelFoucault,TheHistoryofSexuality,Vols.1-3,continued

7.February17JeanFrançoisLyotard,ThePostmodernCondition:AReportonKnowledge

8.February24MilanKundera,TheUnbearableLightnessofBeing

9.March2–NOCLASS(SpringBREAK)10.March9SamuelDelanyStarsinMyPocketLikeGrainsofSandandJohnSayles(director),TheBrotherfromAnotherPlanet

11.March16Gibson,Neuromancer

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12.March23JamesCameron(director),TheTerminatorBrianDePalma(director),BodyDouble

13.March30JayMcInerney,BrightLights,BigCity

14.April6KathyAcker,BloodandGutsinHighSchool

15.April13LouiseErdrich,LoveMedicine

16.April20theCoenbrothers(director),BloodSimpleJimJarmusch(director),StrangerThanParadise