ENGL W3980 - Cyberculture/Popular Culture

Institution:

Columbia University in the City of New York

Subject:

Description:

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor. (Seminar). This course will use a wide range of print texts and films to explore the intersections of cyberculture, popular culture, and postmodern critique. Taking as our starting point the questions how or whether the new media have changed our understanding of poular culture, we will look at genres such as cyberpunk, hyperfiction, fan fiction, computer games and their narrative off-shoots (graphic novels; machinima) as well as novels and films that illustrate the process of remediation: the cycling of different media through one another. Topics include the representations and cultural meanings of the cyborg, the prevalence of techno-orientalism, the creative potential of transformative play and transformative works, and the role of the internet in the creation of a new form of "folk" culture. Texts will include fictions by William Gibson, James Triptree Jr., Philip K. Dick, Neal Stephenson, Lev Grossman; films such as Blade Runner, Ghost in the shell, The Matrix, Run Lola Run; and essays by Bruce Sterling, Donna Haraway, Frederic Jameson, Roland Barthes, Jean Baudrillard, Scott Bukatman, Wendy Chun, among others. E-mail Professor Silver (brs2134@columbia.edu) by noon on Wednesday, November 16th, with the subject heading, "Cyberculture seminar." In your message, include basic information: your name, school, major, year of study, and relevant courses taken, along with a brief statement about why you are interested in taking the course.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.columbia.edu

Phone Number:

(212) 854-1754

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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