End of the First Quarter

The first quarter of graduate school is over, my final papers have been turned in and my stress level somewhat reduced. I shared the first three weeks of each class previously to give you a taste of my classes. If you have any interest in either please let me know, I am more than willing to share.

Summary of the Quarter:
I LOVED my Debord class. It spurred numerous quality conversations with friends, family and co-workers. It completely changed my life for the better. I hope to stay in touch with new friends and Professor Winston is truly an amazing woman. It was the most positive experience I have had in a long time, and this class confirmed that I am doing the right thing, following this literature thing for myself rather than business for my career.

My other class was ok. I enjoyed the readings, and will be looking into some new authors to explore for pleasure. I did finally open up a little in class and meet a few people, I am sure I will see them again as I progress in the program. In the end, I disappointed myself with this class. For our first paper, I wrote a B paper, and got the deserved B. I have been beating myself up about it ever since, and turned myself into a basket case trying to outdo myself for the final paper-- but still convinced that in my professors mind I am nothing more than a B student. *sigh. Had the class had more direction, or focused on a more concrete set of ideas, I think I could have been more interested and thus been able to write a decent paper, as it was, I still have no idea what the class was about.

I am looking forward to next quarter, which starts in 2 weeks. I'm enrolled in a class about the Beat generation and one about Dante's Inferno. Both should be interesting. Look for more soon.

Week 3: Globalization

Topics this week:

1960's Haight-Ashbury
The Doors
Theory of Simulacra and Simulation
The Parallax View

This should have been one of the most interesting classes in the world. As someone who is highly interested in cultural icons, there symbols and the interesting ways in which they enter our lives, I couldn't wait to jump in. But, frustration was the primary outcome.

I am frustrated with this class because we never make a point. We talk. Everyone talks. My notes are a mixture of "notes to self", thought bubbles, tally of how my times my professor mentions Bob Dylan (5 last week, 2 yesterday) doodles and word webs. Everyone says a lot of very interesting highly intelligent words, but never really says anything. I sit there convinced that it's all an elaborate hoax. Everyone is just speaking in circles, with extensive vocabulary, to accomplish nothing but impress upon everyone else that they are highly evolved intellectual beings. The urge to stand up and scream, "SERIOUSLY?!" is almost overwhelming. As a result I sit there silent. I will probably fail in participation points. But, this occurred to me....

We read an essay entitled, "The White Album" by Joan Didion -- great read, highly suggested! in which she describes an anti-climatic moment while witnessing The Doors record in a studio. She describes each member as a regular person, includes chit chat about this and that, nothing of any importance. She describes how they all have to wait on Jim Morrison to show up, but once he does no one acknowledges the fact that he has finally arrived. Eventually, she gives up and leaves with the sense that they would be there forever, doing nothing but being regular people.

Iconic image of Jim Morrison

Then, we watched a clip of The Doors performances during which the spirit of sex, drugs and rock-n-roll was at it's peak; Jim Morrison being arrested on stage, people protesting their lyrics, fans attacking him. You know, what you think of when you think of The Doors. What you see when you think Jim Morrison (bet it's the picture above, and some black leather pants)

I thought of how this plays into the theory of the symbol becoming the reality over the actual  reality. (the symbol of The Doors as a band vs. the members of the band as people) The clip of The Doors, wild and crazy, on drugs, being pure rock-n-roll, is what is reality to me (having not lived during this time period-- ) and I wish we still had it.

I enjoy the music of The Doors, and find Jim Morrison an interesting cultural iconic character. I enjoy the cultural and historical relevance of Morrison, just as I do The Beatles, Elvis and Michael Jackson. And I wonder what has happened to this type of cultural relevance. Are we left with Britney Spears and Katie Perry. (let's hope not)

This should have been a profoundly interesting class.

Week 2: Globalization & Culture

This week we read:
Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49
Fredric Jameson, Chapter 1: Postmodernism
Dwight Eisenhower, " Farewell Address"

Interesting ideas from the reading:
Eisenhower: I read this, 1961 Farewell Address in which Eisenhower warns us (the American people) of the dangers of what he refers to as the " military industrial complex". He expresses a warning of the great power and responsibility having this large military will warrant. As I read this address, I couldn't help but relate this to the Doomsday System/fall out shelter discussion from my other class. It is interesting that Eisenhower, a formal general, is warning us of the growth and power of the military. Also interesting, the time period of his address signifies a change in the use/size of the military. Previously, it had been reactionary, building as needed during conflict. At the time of his address, it had become a new, complex prepared in advance. In my lifetime-- our military forces have always been this way.

Jameson: I ran out of time, and couldn't finish this chapter of extremely dense reading. But I did get a few good points that I will be using for future readings for this class and others. Historical context is important for reading of literature, analysis of art, film etc. This is one of the "commandments" of literature analysis. Jameson explains that for a work of literature to be understood, you must look at it in the time period of it's creation to fully understand it. (this becomes relevant via example below.)

Pynchon: I truly enjoyed The Crying of Lot 49. It is one of those novels I have been aware of, and meaning to read for quite some time, but hadn't quite gotten to yet. It is the story of a woman who sets out on an adventure to discover many mysterious circumstances, and conspiracy of a post delivery system. While the novel is well known for its themes deeply enveloped in the concept of entropy, among other ideas, what stood out to me was the stamp/post delivery conspiracy. This, using the historical context of the late 60's (Jameson commandment) can be understood when the fact that the use of zip codes in the US had just been established, and people were concerned with the surveillance of their lives. Perhaps part of Pynchon's novel was meant to parody the current concern. (or maybe it was pastiche, but that is an entirely different, long topic.)

Week 1: Globalization & Culture

And so we begin digging into this broad idea of globalization and culture and what the relationship between the two is, and why, and what made the world change. We spent the first class discussing the broadness of the topic, getting to know our professor, and each other.

Now the work begins. We will be studying the effects of globalization and culture through various forms of cultural/art production including short novels, film and politically related essays/speeches with some forms of music, art etc mixed in. We are focusing our study in the time period of 1973 to the present.

This should be an interesting experience. And, a good pairing with my other (Debord) class.

Plus, I get to watch The Empire Strikes Back as a homework assignment.

Winter Quarter: January 3, 2011

My first quarter of classes begins January 3, 2011. Below is a summary of the two courses I will be taking.  I am focusing my studies on an individualized plan of study. My interests lie mostly in comparative and world literature, though I also look forward to the opportunity to explore American and British Lit (excluding *hopefully the Bronte's).


Topics in Comparative Literature: Guy Debord and the Internationale Situationniste

This course is an introduction to the work of Guy Debord and the Internationale situationiste, which is often credited having played a significant part in triggering the near-revolutionary events of Mai '68. With others in the IS, Debord developed a radical understanding of the relation between art and politics in the cultural revolution he aimed to provoke. Debord was a prolific composer of tracts, articles, reviews, books, memoirs, and films, and students will also read work by others in the IS including Bernstein, Vaneigem, and Viénet. The students and teacher may also have video screenings outside of class at a time to be determined on the first day. All work is in English. Counts toward the Comparative & World Literature specialization.

Special Topics in Literature: Globalization and Culture This course takes as its subject the proposition that "globalization" is a paradigm or episteme within which individuals interact differently with one another and with cultural production itself. We will consider 1973 a key marker in this transition into "globalization" because of a number of important changes in financial markets, technologies, and geopolitical history. If forms of cultural production such as the novel and the feature length film dominated the 19th and 20th centuries through the 1970s and had (according to social scientists) an important role in developing concepts of nation, empire, etc., what does the epistemic shift into globalization tell us about the role of literature and culture in the digital age? What happens to the novel and the feature length film after 1973, cultural forms now putatively anachronistic? The course introduces and examines theories of globalization and culture, as well as related fields (postcolonial theory, poststructuralist literary theory, postmodernism), in order to grapple with these and related questions. Along the way, we study films and read captivating works of fiction produced since 1973, both on their own terms and for instructive lessons on how to understand that elusive and ever changing present we find ourselves in. Literature and films from the U.S., Europe, North Africa and the Middle East (all readings in English or English translation). Counts toward the American Literature and the Comparative & World Literature specializations.