How to prepare for class:
- READ THE THREE PIECES in our course Dropbox folder for 9/19/2012. I wish for these readings to continue pushing at our understandings of how (writing) technologies articulate with other of our practices and institutions — and with our understandings of who we are and what we can do, alone and together. (For context, you might also do a Google search on each author.) The readings this week are:
- Walter Benjamin’s “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” First published in 1936, this writing has been highly influential in the development of media studies: It is one of the first writings in which changes in communication technologies are aligned with changes in our understandings of ourselves and culture. If you have not read this piece before, then Benjamin’s writing might take some effort to get used to: it is not a crisp dry academic argument. Nonetheless, Benjamin is arguing that we need to understand how the development of cinema — out of painting and then photography — shifts the relations between audiences and a work of art and so shifts political possibilities. As you read, look for how Benjamin discusses those relations: What happens to audiences as art becomes more movable and becomes mass produced? What is lost and what is gained? (Be careful not to interpret Benjamin’s argument as being only negative: He is seeking what is possible in the changes.) Also as you read, keep in mind the time in which this piece was written, with continuing industrialization and clouds of war growing over Europe; consider also that Benjamin was informed by Marxist theories, which sought to give workers ownership of their working processes and its productions; in class we will discuss why this matters to Marxist thought.
- A selection from Lev Manovich’s book, The Language of New Media, published in 2001. Please read pages 43-98. This book has also been highly influential—and highly criticized—in new media studies (and helped start the area of “new media studies”). In the pages I ask you to read Manovich offers his understanding of how new media developed historically, connected to cinema, war technologies, and writing. I ask you to read this to gain still another perspective on how we might understand the history and articulations of our communication technologies, as a further way of contextualizing “writing” in our time. (Note that the pdf I am giving you is the uncopyedited manuscript, and so you will find typos and odd grammatical constructions; also note how interesting it is that this book was produced through a process of traditional manuscript production, which we will discuss.)
- An odd little essay on paper, focusing (eventually) on Walter Benjamin’s use of paper. By Davide Giuiato, the essay, “Paper and Poetics” was published in the journal “Configurations,” which publishes articles on relations among science, technology, literature, and the arts. The article is translated from the German, and is written in a style that might seem a little odd for you. Do not feel that you have to “nail” his argument; instead, look for any descriptions of how one’s use of paper (as an exemplary writing material) articulates with what and how one writes. Consider this article one example of how one can think about the physical materiality of our writing “tools” and the writing that we do.
- On your blog, write a post about your current understandings of how writing and writing technologies entwine. Consider “writing” broadly here as not only what you do when you sit down with pen and paper and keyboard and screen; consider “writing” as a cultural practice that we value for its functions and its social positioning. Consider how available writing technologies shape how and what YOU write and teach. (Although this should be informal writing it should be coherent and shaped so that others can understand your main thoughts-for-now.)
- With another in class, compose a wiki post on the readings. I have listed below the people I would like to work together to produce wiki posts (I’ve made the choices randomly). Please start a new wiki post titled with the reading and the author; the wiki post should summarize the reading (a paragraph is fine; if you want to write more, please do) and then ask several questions that would help us discuss the readings in terms of our class’s larger purposes.
- Ash & Keegan: Benjamin
- Matt & Peter: Manovich
- Kristin & Molly: Giuiato
- Finally, please put about 15-20 minutes into our class wiki. If there are separate pages on the same topic, please combine them into one entry. If a topic seems to you to beg for a bit of thickening in light of class conversations and readings, have at it. Similarly, add a page and topic if conversation or reading suggests it. Just step over that fear of editing others’ words and do it.
All the blog and wiki posts are due no later than 5pm on September 18; this gives us all time to read each other’s thoughts and to prepare.
Thanks!
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