W E E K - 2 - A S S I G N M E N T S

Or the assignments which are due next week:

1. Read Walter Benjamin's "The Work Of Art In the Age Of Mechanical Reproduction". Post a question about the text before next Sunday. I will post the text in the postal shortly.

2. Bring in suggestions for events we should go to this fall.

3. Post on the blog a comment on Das Boot by Wolfgang Petersen. Respond to the pace of the film, its length, the physical (somatic) effect it had on you as you watched as well as how you felt about the protagonists of the film. Two sentences max please.

4. Bring in the assignment we started in class. Minimum one image, please take into consideration all the information you got about the subject you are representing (not only race and class, music and film favorites may bring in interesting tensions in your images). You may bring in a digital file or a print. First week is the hardest. Good luck. If you have any questions e-mail me.

T H E + R U L E S

Adolf Hitler 1932 election poster

This class is a seminar. Each week you will present on the readings assigned, following the presentation with textual discussion (through Derrida’s concept of textual analysis). The presentations will be done through praxes: example(s) chosen by you to aid the understanding and discussion of the readings. The object of praxes can be a literary text, dance, architecture, situation, anything really (I encourage praxes outside boring conventional art examples, please have in mind that we do not like to be bored so make it good).

PRAXES SHOULD CONSIDER BOTH THE TEXT AND OBJECT OF PRAXES --the object you choose as practical context should test the strength/weakness of theory/critique assigned by choosing something that complements what author considers (it should complement beyond mere illustration- by opposition, binary, allegory, etc.; praxes should demonstrate creative theorizing through connecting disciplines).
Praxes should not be longer than 10 minutes. Total presentation time and discussion should connect to other reading discussion and should not last more than 45 min.

Procedure around presentations should look something like this:

1. Print the text.

2. Read the text.
How to read:
NOTE WHEN IT WAS WRITTEN
DO NOT READ FAST, DO NOT READ ONCE
WORK WITH THE TEXT- FROM THE TEXT

3. Think and seek praxes.

4. Post a 400-word response on the class blog before noon the day before the class you present on (Sunday). Watch your peers respond with questions (everyone who is not presenting has to post a question before the class session on the same blog).

5. Make a presentation.

6. Present.

7. Feel relief. Sleep well.