|
course links
student
resources
response
papers on blackboard
(click on discussion board)
|
description
How have our understandings
of what is 'primitive' versus what is 'modern' been shaped? What is race,
and what does it mean to say that racial differences are contested, negotiated,
invented, and imagined? What roles have cultural forms and institutions
like photography, films, museums, and expositions played in shaping colonial,
ethnic, and national identities along these two axes? These are some of
the questions we will address this semester, in an attempt to build a
comparative and historical perspective on cultural identity and difference.
Our approach will be
both historical and cross-cultural, with readings from ethnographic and
historical case studies, and viewings of documentary and feature films.
We will also rely on social theory to develop critical perspectives on
the ways words, concepts, and images shape how people understand similarities
and differences between themselves and others.
goals
One of the central premises
of this class is that the ways we "see" people whom we regard
as "other" than ourselves are structured by frameworks of interpretation
connected to economic, social, and political forces. We will therefore
try to understand these structured ways of seeing, or practices of representation,
as configurations of words, concepts, and images that are contingent,
motivated, and socially constructed, rather than inevitable, irrefutable,
or natural.
In general, then, the
goal of the course will be to reflect critically on how identity and difference
are constructed, the uses to which they are put, and their political and
social consequences. In particular, we will raise questions about how
some of the 'mass' cultural institutions of contemporary life -film, museum
exhibits, world fairs, etc. - have emerged and operated, particularly
in terms of their effects on the formation of social identities. Our task
in this course will be to make these representations visible as practices,
as contingent and motivated human actions, producing identities and differences
that are invented, naturalized, negotiated, and contested.
More specifically, there
are five minimum goals:
- To define and explain
terms and concepts of constructionist theories that are useful for the
study of social difference and cultural representation.
- To identify and analyze
theses and arguments made by authors of works concerning historical/racial
difference in national in colonial/postcolonial contexts.
- To apply terms, concepts,
and principles in interpretive and problem-solving exercises.
- To generate an original
argument that synthesizes research of particular example of the representation
of identity/difference in a term paper.
- To conceptualize
and evaluate issues of cultural difference and representation from anthropological
and ethnographic perspectives.
The course is divided
into four sections. Each section will be taught through a combination
of lecture, discussion, and small group work.
- A brief (3 class
sessions) introduction to the course topics of historical and racial
distinctions, in order to introduce and problematize them.
- A short period (3
more sessions) building an analytical 'tool box' for our investigations.
That is, we will begin to familiarize ourselves with discursive and
semiotic perspectives on the representation of social difference.
- Case studies of the
construction of national identities. Applying theoretical insights from
the previous section, we'll look at a series of sites - museums, world
expos, photographic exhibits, films, television series - and try to
answer questions such as: How are social identities and differences
represented in these contexts? That is, how do texts and images come
together and produce particular meanings and values? Who is doing the
representing, and who is represented? Who is included in the nation
thus represented, who is excluded? What are the economic, political,
or social motivations of these representations? In each case, we'll
pay particular attention to the ways in which identity and difference
are constructed around historical (e.g., 'primitive' and 'modern') and
racial (e.g., 'white' and 'black') distinctions.
- Finally, we'll explore
another set of case studies in which we'll ask similar questions about
the construction of colonial/imperial and postcolonial identities.
requirements
and evaluation
The course requires
a significant commitment to reading, and many of the readings themselves
are challenging. As much as possible, we will strive to ground our discussions
in the concrete examples and case studies covered in each day's reading
assignment. Reading the assignments carefully and critically will therefore
be essential to your success in the class, and should be done before the
appropriate class periods. The lectures in this course will be aimed at
complementing the readings, expanding upon them and making them accessible.
You will not get the full benefit of the lectures or discussion if you
have not read the assigned articles or chapters beforehand. So it is crucial
that you come prepared.
preparation, leading
discussion, and participation (25% of grade):
The point of this course
is not just to absorb facts, but to gain practice in identifying and evaluating
the arguments and representations in the texts we read. As much as possible,
this class will take something of the form of a seminar, which is designed
to create a dialogue around the course materials, and thus enhance our
understanding of them. I like a very interactive class environment, and
appreciate every question and comment. Thus, rather than being the passive
subject of lectures, I expect you to participate actively and learn through
class discussions. Active participation includes:
- reading response
papers (10 %) By the end of the third week of the semester,
you will be assigned to a group with other students. Twice during the
session, each member of your group will be responsible for writing a
1-2 page response paper (typed and double-spaced). A response paper
will take as its starting point the readings during a specified class
period. These papers should synthesize/combine, compare and contrast,
or draw some other relationship between the readings. Papers may also
draw on previous readings outside the assigned block, but must first
address the assigned readings. No later than 5 pm. on the day before
your assignment is due (see schedule on web site), you should email
via attachment your response paper to the rest of the class. Each student
in the group should coordinate with the others members to avoid repetition,
so that, as much as possible, each writer addresses different aspects
of the readings.
- leading discussion
(10 %) Each group will also be responsible for leading discussion
during 2 class periods. When your group is slated to lead discussion,
each of you are required to read the response papers, and think about
the questions they raise, the links their authors might have made, other
articles they would relate to given issues, concepts, or examples, etc.
From this reflection, the group should then prepare to lead the class
discussion. This means that you will be expected to get us started -
offering some directions for us by briefly summarizing the text, identifying
important passages in the texts, and suggesting at least one question
(but more if you like) to begin our discussion. You're welcome to meet
with me in advance to discuss your ideas or get suggestions. Since this
is a team effort, all members will receive the same grade, or five possible
points for each discussion led.
- active engagement
(5 %) in the class includes talking and listening. Not everyone
can speak all the time, but I expect everyone to be an active part of
the conversation either as a speaker or as a listener. Generally, however,
you should find a way to participate regularly in the discussion. If
you have not contributed to the class for some time, you should expect
to be called on.
class attendance (10% of grade)
Because the course is
structured this way, attendance is absolutely critical. Chronic absences
will make it impossible to remain up to speed with the material and the
assignments. Attendance is therefore mandatory, and will be taken each
day.
in-class writing
/ quizzes (20% of grade)
There will be a number
of preparation-oriented assignments given during the course of the semester.
Generally, they will be short in-class interpretations or critiques, 1-page
writing assignments or worksheets due for the next class period, or quizzes
on broad topics from the day's assigned reading. Sometimes all I will
do is pass an attendance sheet around. These assignments cannot be made
up.
mid-term exam (20%
of grade)
A mid-term exam will
be given, to give you an opportunity to pull together what you have learned
by through the application of terms and concepts learned up to that point.
It will involve either a) a take-home exam focused on interpreting and
analyzing a given text or film, or b) an in-class exam structured in a
similar way. I will be specific about the format by the middle of September.
research paper (25%
of grade)
The research paper (10
- 12 pages) will be an opportunity for you to explore a topic of your
own interest that is related to the themes of the course. This will be
a session-long project, and the paper will be written in several steps.
The final version of your papers is due before our scheduled final exam
period. More information on this will follow.
note: for assignments
turned in late, 10% of your grade will be taken off for each day after
the due date. Grades will drop by one third (e.g., an A- will become a
B+) when the assignment is handed in past the first 15 minutes of class
and before 5 p.m. on the due date. All late materials should be handed
into my mailbox in 303 Alumni (above the box marked with my last name:
David).
summary of course
points:
ungraded assignments
and participation: 35%
10% Reading response papers
10% Leading discussion
5% Active engagement and participation
10% Attendance
graded assignments:
65%
20% In-class writing assignments / quizzes
20% Mid-term exam
25% Research paper
The grading scale for
this course is the following: 100-93 =A; 92-90=A-; 89-87=B+; 86-83=B;
82-80=B-; 79-77=C+; 76-73=C; 72-70=C-; 69-60=D; 59-0=F. Grades will not
be curved.
notes
on course requirements
attendance policy
You are allowed 1 unexcused absence, and all subsequent unexcused absences
will lower your attendance grade by one third of a grade. Lateness will
also be penalized if frequent: 3 late arrivals = 1 absence. Some of you
will need to miss class occasionally for excusable reasons (e.g., illnesses,
family emergency, etc.). Only absences with an official written letter
will be excused. If you miss an assignment due to an unexcused absence,
you can complete it with the usual 10% penalty.
As always, you are expected
to make up any work you miss during your absence with a peer first. If
you would like to discuss your peer(s) notes with me after you have read
them, please feel free to come to my office hours. I do not distribute
copies of my notes. In addition, if you have an assignment deadline for
the date you are planning to be absent, address it with me beforehand,
and we can attempt to make alternative arrangements. Otherwise, the above
lateness policy will apply.
honor code You
are expected to act in compliance with the University Honor Code on all
assignments, including your pledge on all written work to be handed in
for grades (for more info, see http://www.unc.edu/depts/honor/index.html).
Implied in the Honor Code is proper citation of your sources. Visit the
Writing Center if you are unfamiliar with how to fulfill this requirement:
tel. 962-7710, lower level of the Phillips Annex, http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb.
special needs
If you have any special needs (i.e., illnesses, specific learning style
requirements), please let me know as soon as possible, so that we can
discuss ways in which they can be accommodated.
required
texts
The following is on
sale at the Student Bookstore:
Hall, Stuart, ed. 1997.
Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices,
London: Sage.
All remaining readings
are available through Electronic Reserves (see the library's ER webpage,
http://eres.lib.unc.edu.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/default.asp).
Several of the films
we'll see are available for (re)viewing at the Non-Print Library:
Bender, Pennee. 1995.
Savage Acts. VHS, 30 min., New York: American Social History Project.
Breibart, Eric. 1994. A World on Display: The St. Louis World's Fair
of 1904. VHS, 53 min., Corrales, NM: New Deal Films.
Griffith, D.W. 1980 [1915]. The Birth of a Nation. VHS, 127 min.
Hollywood: Hollywood Home Theatre.
O'Rourke, Dennis. 1987. Cannibal Tours. VHS, 77 min. Los Angeles:
O'Rourke and Assoc.
|
