COMM 2P20 - Nov - Instructor: Sarah Matheson ([email protected]) Office: Scotiabank Hall, PDF

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Summary

Instructor: Sarah Matheson ([email protected])
Office: Scotiabank Hall, 332, ext: 4395
Office Hours: Mondays 11:00am-Noon, Thursdays 1:00pm-2:00pm

Meeting Times: Lecture/Lab: Thursdays 9:00am-12 Noon, AS 203
Seminar Time: See Timetable for days and times

Description

COMM 2P20   

11/21/2013

Course Evaluation Reminders:  Last assignment due next week at beginning of lecture  Remember to include a copy of your chart, a signed academic integrity pledge and receipt from turnitin.com  Assignment #2 will be returned in your last seminar

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Little Mosque on the Prairie  Significance of post 9-11 tensions  Directly addresses cultural differences and the ‘Islamophobia’ that exists in the USA post 9-11  Reaction and response to previous depiction of Islam in the media 

Challenging stereotypes and dominant representations of Muslims in popular culture: o Self-representation o Demystification  open house to learn about aspects of Islam 

educational moments – initiate a peaceful connection between the two communities

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building bridges across communities o challenging the “othering” of Muslim culture (Edward Said and “Orientalism”:  non-western culture as “other”  complicating the US-Them binary:  “culture clash” narratives  locating intolerance and misunderstanding on both sides  uses comedy to spoof those attitudes  uses humor to draw attention to how ridiculous the attitudes are – extreme attitudes are made fun of 

emphasize the diversity in the Muslim community

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emphasizing universal themes, bridge building, compromise, cooperation and community

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What is Postmodernism? 

Highly conflicted term

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Many strains of post-modern theory No agreement in terms of what it is and how to describe it Architecture, film, tv, music, etc.; used to describe broad social, political, psychological changes

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1. Periodizing Concept:  describes an historical epoch or time period  late capitalism; latter part of the 20th century  globalization, new technologies  describes a new era marked by economic, political and technological changes

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2. Philosophical Position/Stance  questioning and decline of “grand narratives” or “metanarratives”  grand o history, science, religion; used to provide stability and organize our understandings of the world o decline in the power of metanarratives o philosophical stance 

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Jean-Franciois Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition (1979) o Rejection of concepts such as universal truth, progress, etc. o Loss of faith in metanarratives

3. Style, Aesthetic, Sensibility  A. Depthless Culture o Post-modern culture is one dimensional, flat, represents surface and style o Explosion of codes and images; celebration of spectacle 

B. Bricolage

o Borrowing and juxtaposition of previously unconnected styles, images, signs, etc. o Mixing of styles (past and present), mixing or blurring of genres 

C. Breakdown of distinction between high and low culture o Traditional boundaries between high ad low culture  Traditional boundaries between high and low, commercial culture and art collapse

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D. Intertexuality o How a text may reference, quote, cite or allude to another text o Irony, playfulness, irreverence

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E. Reflexivity o Acknowledgement and foregrounding of the text’s own construction o Drawing attention to its own status as a cultural text o Self-awareness – playful self-reference

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F. History/Nostalgia Film o Interested in the past; quoting things from another time o Frederic Jameson: “a cannibalization of the past”; always looking back o Recycling of the past; history as a collection of images, myths, and cultural stereotypes (style, fashion, music) o “cultural schizophrenia” (past-present-future collapse)

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Jean Baudrillard:  Simulacrum: “An identical copy without an original”  Collapse of distinction between simulation and the real collapse  Left with what he calls “hyperreal” 

It’s not that we can’t see difference, it’s that the difference doesn’t matter

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Meaning and Critique in Postmodern Popular Culture 

Pastiche vs. Parody (Jameson):

o Imitation or mimicry of other styles and genres o Different in that a parody as ridicule or mocking; pastiche as “blank parody” – neutral practice o Signifies the end of originality – rehashing of the past o Depthlessness; style over substance o Loss of a sense of history o Reinforces capitalism (vs. critiques, resists)   

Some Things to Think About with Donny Darko

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How can we situate Donny Darko in the nostalgia Style and pop culture of the 80’s

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Mixing of genres (pastiche) Style and narrative suggest post modern aesthetic Undermines traditional narrative conventions – How?

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Refuses some of the typical teen film – no clear resolutions What is being critiqued?

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