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... CRITICAL CULTURAL STUDIES JESSICA M. F. HUGHES, PH.D. l MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY l SPRING 2022 CC BY-SA Image description: Illustration of poet Amanda Gorman by Kate DeCiccio for Amplifier Arts We the Future campaign. In front of a stylized fern print, Gormana young, Black woman with a short afro wearing a yellow flower in her hair, blue earrings, and a pencil behind her earholds a book whose cover reads THE TYRANT FEARS THE POET. A caption in the top left corner proclaims WE THE FUTURE WRITE OUR OWN LIBERATION and AMANDA GORMAN is printed in the bottom left corner. OBJECTIVES Cultural studies bring theory, critique, philosophy, and communication together in ways that are insightful and contextual. This semester we will focus on generational identity, new technologies, capitalism, school, work, depression, anxiety, disability, survivorship, activism, and care. At the end of this class, you will: 1. 2. 3. 4. Understand the place of histories, lived experience, and imagination in thinking and writing about cultural matters. Be aware of various critical approaches for understanding everyday life in the contemporary world. Draw upon the realms of the personal, the popular, and the conceptual to creatively and ethically engage with issues that shape the contexts you inhabit and your sense of their possibilities. Develop critical awareness of the interconnection between communication and culture. Critical Cultural Studies (Hughes, 2022) 2 REQUIRED MATERIALS o o o o o Feed by M. T. Anderson (2002, Candlewick Press, $2-10) Free at https://pbsreading.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/2/19924975/feed.pdf Audiobook at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATwEwRFuZsA Kids these days: The making of millennials by Malcolm Harris (2017, Little, Brown, & Co., $3-14) Care work: Dreaming disability justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (2018, Arsenal Pulp Press, $10-16) Consistent access to D2L & the Internet Additional readings, course content, and class activities will be accessed online. Notebook for class and reading notes YOUR PROFESSOR [prof intro] [prof photo] Image description: STUDENT HOURS (DROP-IN OFFICE HOURS, NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY) [student hour schedule] CONTACT INFO Email: Office phone: Cell phone: CC BY-SA Critical Cultural Studies (Hughes, 2022) 3 COURSE POLICIES Image description: A cartoon of Aretha Franklin shows a black line-drawing of the singers head and shoulders and raised right hand pointing upward. Under the cartoon is the word RESPEKT in pink lettering. Cartoon by Elise Jakobsen licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 GROUND RULES Our goal is to build a class community grounded in mutual respect. This means: o developing a community where all members feel valued and secure, o appreciating the diversity of viewpoints and learning styles in our class community, and o valuing the contributions of peers as well as instructors. You are asked to communicate from a place of respect in the classroom and in online course spaces. We will have a class conversation about what this means and what communication in our class ought to look like and achieve. Respecting others perspectives and contributions does not necessarily mean agreeing with them. Please do not hesitate to question or disagree or express your thoughts or critiques. COMMUNITY CARE You are invited to practice community care in this class. This means supporting community needs and doing what you can to enable all community members to succeed. Some examples of community care include o o o o o o o o contributing your notes and reading response to the class sharing notes, class highlights, ideas for assignments, or thoughts on readings with classmates extending grace/patience/understanding to other community members wearing a high-quality (preferably N95 or KN95, not just cloth) mask over your nose and mouth inside places outside your home and especially in campus buildings and throughout every class. (The non-profit www.projectn95.org sells vetted masks without markup, and also distributes high quality masks to communities in need. See Effectiveness of mask wearing to control community spread of SARS-CoV-2 for data demonstrating that masks significantly reduce the spread of COVID.) getting vaccinated and boosted if youre able practicing the Swiss cheese defense (see below) to reduce your exposure to COVID zooming into class if youre not feeling well quarantining if youre exposed to COVID CC BY-SA Critical Cultural Studies (Hughes, 2022) o 4 isolating if you get ill Image description: An illustration of the Swiss cheese respiratory virus pandemic defense, a strategy for recognizing that no single intervention is perfect at preventing spread. The illustration shows 10 slices of yellow cheese with holes in them lined up in front of an icon of a person in a mask. On the left are Personal Responsibilities: physical distance, stay home if sick, masks, hand hygiene, cough etiquette, avoid touching your face, and if crowded limit your time. On the right are Shared Responsibilities: fast & sensitive testing & tracing, ventilation, outdoors, air filtration, govt messaging & financial support, quarantine & isolation, and vaccines. Green virus particles enter the column of cheese slices on the left and some are travel through holes, but none reach the person behind the cheese defenses on the right. Underneath the illustration a caption reads each intervention (layer) has imperfections (holes). Multiple layers improve success. Work by Ian M. MacKay from https://figshare.com/articles/figure/The_Swiss_Cheese_Respiratory_Virus_Defence/13082618?file=25233461 CHILDREN IN CLASS If youre a parent or guardian and unable to access childcare, youre welcome to bring your child(ren) to class. If you come to class with your kid(s), please sit toward the door to enable easy bathroom and hallway breaks. UNIVERSITY RESOURCES & POLICIES FOOD SECURITY [information about where students can access free food] ACADEMIC, TECHNICAL, WELL-BEING, & PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS CC BY-SA Critical Cultural Studies (Hughes, 2022) 5 [information about supports and resources on campus] FINANCIAL SUPPORT [information about grants (e.g., textbook assistance), funding, and scholarships] Image description - Maslows hierarchy of needs, a multi-colored triangle separated into five levels that illustrates the idea that basic needs must be satisfied before higher order needs can be met (the base of the triangle supports the top). The base consists of Physiological needs: breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion. Next comes Safety needs: security of: body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health, property. Then Love/belonging needs: friendship, family, sexual intimacy. Then Esteem needs: self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, respect by others. Self-actualization needs are at the top. They are morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts. "File:Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.svg" by Binksternet is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 ACCESSIBILITY IF YOU ANTICIPATE OR ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTIES PARTICIPATING OR DEMONSTRATING LEARNING BECAUSE OF ANY ASPECT OF THE COURSE OR THE CLASSROOM OR D2L, PLEASE CONTACT THE INSTRUCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO DISCUSS ACCOMMODATIONS AND/OR MODIFICATIONS. NOTE THAT WHILE THIS IS DIRECTLY APPLICABLE TO STUDENTS WHO ARE REGISTERED WITH LEARNING SERVICES, YOU DO NOT NEED TO DISCLOSE A DISABILITY OR PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION TO DISCUSS MODIFICATIONS AT ANY TIME. [university accommodations policy] TITLE IX [information about the resources that are available to victims of sexual violence and the reporting of sexual violence on campus and university Title IX statement] ACADEMIC HONESTY & STUDENT CONDUCT [brief statement on ethical conduct, plagiarism, and university student code] ACADEMIC APPEALS CC BY-SA Critical Cultural Studies (Hughes, 2022) 6 [information about academic appeals] MEETING LEARNING OBJECTIVES Grades for this class assess the following components: 1. 2. Participation (class discussions, readings and reading quizzes, class activities, presentations) Writing assignments (discussant response, short essays) Image description - Meme showing a kitten leaping through a bright green field of clover flowers in the sunshine, framed by the words "the feeling you get when you submit an assignment." ATTENDANCE [class attendance policy] & CLASS ACTIVITIES Participation can take many forms. Challenge yourself to complete all of the forms of participation listed below this semester. Voice - Share your perspective with classmates. Reading - Read and annotate assigned materials. & Doing - Complete activities and homework. < Memory - Take notes. Review. N Question - Ask questions. Discuss and evaluate possible answers. Mutual aid - Give insight, time, resources, constructive feedback, food, etc. to a classmate. Skillshare - Share a specific skill and instruct someone else in that skill. x Failure - Make mistakes and reflect on what you learned. Creation - Make a meme, cartoon, poster, zine, Twitter thread, video, podcast, quizlet, or other web content or research creation. Creations can explain something covered in class, recommend outside sources, synthesize concepts, evaluate theories, or analyze artifacts. Your voice and your perspective are valuable! Your experience as a lifelong communicator and human are sources of great knowledge! CC BY-SA Critical Cultural Studies (Hughes, 2022) 7 Your participation in this class is very important. When you take part in class activities, you do the work of learning. When you share your perspective, you push your own and others thinking forward. IN ORDER FOR US TO FULLY BENEFIT FROM THE WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE IN OUR CLASS, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT EVERYONE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATES. MEDIA To meet learning objectives in this class, you must engage with readings and apply ideas from readings to critique cultural commonplaces. Class discussions and activities will help you achieve these goals. We will also watch films, listen to podcasts, and consume other media (e.g., content pages, art, websites, and social media). Attend to these media with the same scholarly focus you bring to assigned readings. You are expected to take notes (e.g., mindmap, outline, doodle) on course content. These notes will not be collected, but they are a key component of the scholarly practice youre asked to cultivate this semester. ! CLASS NOTE-TAKER DUTIES You are asked to take notes for the class on TWO days. When its your turn to take notes 1. Come to class ready to actively listen. 2. Take notes (may be handwritten or electronic, drawn or written, mindmapped or outlined) on all key take-aways and central concepts discussed in class. 3. Upload your notes in PDF or .doc format in the Class Notes folder using the following name format: DDMMYY_Topic (e.g., 020222_rest as resistance) If you have note-taking accommodations, talk to me to discuss alternative assignment options. SHORT UN/ESSAYS Everyone is asked to write two short un/essays and deliver a 5-6 min. presentation on one of them. Un/essays can take the form of an essay (3-4pp.), zine (5-10 pp), podcast or video (5-10 min). Assignments will evolve out of readings and class discussions. You are asked to bring in at least two outside sources in your un/essays. If an un/essay does not meet base-level expectations, you will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit it. ) READING RESPONSE PRESENTATION You are asked to serve as a discussant for ONE class. As discussant, you will be expected to 1) Do all the reading, thoroughly. Take good notes. 2) Deliver an engaging 5-7 min. presentation that is critical/reflective of the days assigned reading and draws connections between prior class conversations and current events/conditions. 3) Share your reading notes and presentation outline or script with the class. 4) Actively participate in class discussion about your assigned reading. Pose and respond to questions and draw connections to prior readings, others comments, and your own experience/knowledge. CC BY-SA Critical Cultural Studies (Hughes, 2022) h 8 FINAL REFLECTION At the end of the semester, you will be asked to reflect on your experiences and assess the knowledge and critical skills you developed in this class. COURSE SCHEDULE The agenda below is tentative. You are responsible for keeping up with the schedule and noting any schedule changes. DUE DATES You are asked to complete readings assignments prior to class on the days they are due. Additional activities will be assigned in class. [late work policy] The following schedule may be subject to change. It is your responsibility to keep track of due dates communicated in class and on D2L. WEEK TOPIC DAYS & DATES 1 Introductions M - NO CLASS c Reading: syllabus c Assignment: Syllabus annotations c Finish D2L module 1 by [due date] What are critical practices? W - Syllabus feedback & ground rules F (ONLINE) - Semester planning M What does it mean to be critical? W Critical concepts F (ONLINE) Identifying power structures M Radical imagination c Finish D2L module 2 by [due date] 2 3 W Pleasure & rest as resistance 4 What is culture? F (ONLINE) Doing critique M Taking a cultural perspective W Digital culture COURSEWORK DUE c Reading: Power matters (Allen, 2011) o Discussant(s): c Reading: Why social movements need the radical imagination (Khasnabish & Haivan, 2014) o Discussant(s): c Listening/reading: Tricia Hershey on rest as resistance (for the wild, 2022; link to podcast; link to transcript) o Discussant(s): c Finish D2L module 3 by [due date] c Reading: Digital culture and social media (Poepsel, n.d.) o Discussant(s): CC BY-SA Critical Cultural Studies (Hughes, 2022) 5 Feed (Anderson, 2010) 6 F (ONLINE) Cultural studies c Finish D2L module 4 by [due date] M c Reading: Part 1: Moon o Discussant(s): W c Reading: Part 2: Eden o Discussant(s): F (ONLINE) c Finish D2L module 5 by [due date] M c Reading: Part 3: Utopia o Discussant(s): c Reading: Part 4: Slumberland o Discussant(s): c Finish D2L module 6 by [due date] W 7 8 9 Un/essay presentations F (ONLINE) Writing workshops M c 7 presentations: W c 6 presentations: F (ONLINE) c Submit un/essay #1 by [due date] SPRING BREAK NO CLASS c Rest & recharge Kids These Days (Harris, 2017) M c Reading: Introduction - Ch. 1: Danny Dunn and the homework machine o Discussant(s): c Reading: Ch. 2: Go to college o Discussant(s): c Reading: Ch. 3: Work (sucks) o Discussant(s): c Finish D2L module 9 by [due date] c Reading: Ch. 4: The feds o Discussant(s): c Reading: Ch. 5: Everybody is a star o Discussant(s): c Reading: Ch. 6: Behavior modification o Discussant(s): c Finish D2L module 10 by [due date] c Reading: Conclusion Final word o Discussant(s): c Reading: Difference and other important matters (Allen, 2011) o Discussant(s): c Finish D2L module 11 by [due date] W F (ONLINE) 10 M W F 11 M W - Difference F (ONLINE) 12 9 Care Work (PiepznaSamarasinha, 2018) M W c Reading: Preface - Ch. 1: Care webs o Discussant(s): c Reading: Ch. 2-3 & 6: Crip emotional intelligence Making space accessible is an act of love for our communities & Crip sex moments and the lust of recognition CC BY-SA Critical Cultural Studies (Hughes, 2022) F (ONLINE) 13 M W F (ONLINE) 14 Floating Week of Reflection (can be moved anywhere in the semester at class discretion) Un/essay presentations 15 10 o Discussant(s): c Reading: Chs. 7 & 9: Cripping the apocalypse & Prefigurative politics and radically accessible performance spaces: Making the world to come o Discussant(s): c Finish D2L module 12 by [due date] c Reading: Chs. 11 & 14: F the triumph of the human spirit & Prince, chronic pain, and living to get old o Discussant(s): c Reading: Ch. 16: For badass disability justice, working class and poor-led models of sustainable hustling for liberation o Discussant(s): c Reading: Ch. 19: Crip lineages, crip futures: A conversation with Stacey Milbern o Discussant(s): c Finish D2L module 13 by [due date] M W F (ONLINE) M W F (ONLINE) FINALS M c Submit un/essay #2 by [due date] [final exam day & time] c Make up presentations and round robin reflection c Final reflection & participation log due by [final due date] GRADES Grades for this class will be based on a contract grading system. What this means is that you can 1. 2. 3. look at the checklist requirements for specific grades, decide in advance what grade you wish to earn in the course, and do the things you need to do to earn the grade you want. You will receive feedback but no letter grades on assignments. If a response does not meet base level expectations, you will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit the assignment. We will write a final grade contract together as a class. CC BY-SA Critical Cultural Studies (Hughes, 2022) 11 Image description: An infographic by Arley McNeney (Cruthers) that reads Why contract grading? Fairness: Reduces grading bias and gives students of different experience levels an equal chance to do well. Puts the focus on feedback: In the workplace, no one will give you a B-, but you will be expected to use feedback to improve your work. Rewards effort and risk taking, which you need to improve your writing. It also gives you the agency to customize the course to your interests. To the left of the first point is a scale. To the right of the second point are two overlapping talking bubbles. To the left of the last point is an illustration of a person hiking uphill. [sample grading contract from a prior semester] CC BY-SA  ...