Monday
August 29, 2011
You walk into the room, bright-eyed and bushytailed, and are
immediately assaulted with a barrage of eye-bourne delights and
shocks--this includes meeting "Billy and Soapy" from an old good
hygiene film;
an introduction to the class; the rules of engagement. It also
includest: the televisual
toolkit (word for the day: ANALYSIS); Jon Klassen and Dan Rodrigues eye/allegory cinematic art; maybe a taste of Michael
Powell's PEEPING TOM; maybe a taste of Buñuel y Dali's UN CHIEN
ANDALOU; introductions of your stalwart crew of "eye doctors," bianca,
alex, devina, and mason, props, surprises, shocks, distractions, and a
harangue or two... Be sure to bring to class your utterly taxing eyeASSIGNMENTnumero_Uno... print this out and fill it out! poof! you are all done!
|
 Wednesday
August 31, 2011
You walk into the big room as early as you can as at
10:57am I am going to be re-screening AN EYE FOR ANNAI, the rather
amazing animated short created by Dan Rodrigues and Jon Klassen as a
film/art school project--a quality (if small) stream of the video is here.
You also walk into the room with TWO, yes TWO, written, typed, and
printed questions you have written based on your careful, critical
reading of the first 70 to 100 pages of Zarate and Appignanesi's
FREUD FOR BEGINNERS. What kinds of questions? Imagine that
you are a graduate student (just like Alex Boyer, Devina Sindhu, Mason
Schoen, and Bianca Batti,  your
amazing crew) and that your evil professor (lazy, distracted, and
cruel--you can see him there to your right) makes you come up with
questions for the students that will not put the class to sleep.
They must be clever, even salacious, but not so bad that they get
the prof in trouble--he's tenured, the pig, but still circumspect.
Type these two questions and bring them to class for today.
Oh, and if you forgot it or just added the class, be sure to bring you eyeASSIGNMENTnumero_Uno. |
|
|
Monday
September 5, 2011
Fall SPRING BREAK....
you are OFF!
Have a blast..... and read YOUNG VALIANT on the side...
|
Wednesday
September 7, 2011
You enter PG 153 having completed YOUNG VALIANT by Oliver Mayer in your THE HURT BUSINESS volume.
more to come...
|
|
|
EXTRA-CREDIT eyeSUPERCHARGER for
THURSDAY NITE @ 8pm at the CENTRO CULTURAL DE LA RAZA in Balboa Park!
For Map/Info/Etc....hit the image there to your right....
 The
EXTRAcredit eyeSUPERCHARGER sign-in sheet will be at the sales table
for San Diego State University Press..... look for this logo by the
book sales table at the Centro Cultural and sign the special page!
poof! eyeSUPERCHARGER credit is yours!
UPDATE
To receive an excused
absences EXTRAcredit eyeSUPERCHARGER, all you have to do is show up and
sign in; for "blown-quiz" insurance EXTRAcredit eyeSUPERCHARGER,  you
are going to have to write a one-page (typed, double-space) analysis of
one of the artifacts from the MEXTASY exhibit; be sure to get there a
little early to enjoy the art show! This writing assignment is
due WEDNESDAY, September 14, 2011; turn it in to me before the big
lecture class! |
|
|
|
Monday
September 12, 2011
 Walk
into class Monday having read the introduction to Tex[t]-Mex AND the
first 15 pages or so of the RITA HAYWORTH chapter; additionally, take
the time to read this tumblr-posting in the eyegiene ARTkive: {click on the face for the link} or if that does not work, here is the direct link.
How we look and how we perceive others LOOKING at us, can have a
dramatic impact on our PSYCHE--the 'eyes shaping the I' sort
of speak....Keep that in mind as you read and as we screen Orson
Welles' and Rita Hayworth's LADY FROM SHANGHAI in class Monday and
Wednesday! Be sure to bring your books to class as we may have a
quiz
next Wednesday!
 |
Wednesday
September 14, 2011
Finish
the chapter of Rita Hayworth (aka Margarita Carmen Cansino) in the
Tex[t]-Mex
volume; in the bighouse, PG 153, we will continue to screen Welles
peculiar cinematic mini-epic; as you watch the film, consider the
various metamorphoses and transmogrifications that the actress Rita/Margarita
is subject to--in the film, of course, but in her life as well.
|
|
|
Monday
September 19, 2011
Our last day with Rita Hayworth--review the chapter in Tex[t]-Mex;
additionally, come to class with discussion questions based on your
reading of the film!
 |
Wednesday
September 21, 2011
jumpcut WEDNESDAY
...a
very special interruption, a truly surprising interception.... today we
jump from Orson Welles' striking cinematic/sinematic EYE/I to the world
of post-Beckett minimalist existential theatre as Will Eno's THOM PAIN
enters our peculiar seminar room through the singular acting of Adam
Brick and direction of Kristianne Kurner. While bluehairs and other
devotees of theatre in North County are paying upwards of $36 to see
this unique show straight from the boards off Broadway in Manhattan,
you get to see it for $2 stuffed into an envelope.
Here's how it works.... read up on the play from these (one, two, or three)
or other internet sources you find on your own. Take an envelope and
place two ONE DOLLAR bills in the envelope (NO CHANGE, PLEASE). On the back of the envelope
put your name, 220.__ section number, and the name of your section
(Just as you would on an in-class quiz). This is your lab fee for the
day (and a 34 buck discount just for being a cool SDSU undergraduate).
On the front of the envelope, draw or paste/tape images inspired by the description of the play you found in one, two, or three or in your own researches.
At the front of the room TODAY will be eight
shopping bags decorated with the names of the eight sections of our
class (shopping bags or boxes as your FABULOUS GTAs will be bringing
their choice of receptacles). Drop your envelope in the proper bag/box and POOF, your attendance for the day will be registered.
Very cool colleagues of yours have suggested that the entire class
dress in classy black garb to make our thespian guests feel our love,
so please do dress to impress.
What does this have to do with an "introduction to literature" or with
"eyegiene" or with "permutations of subjectivity"?????? You'll
have to come to know.
NOTE: the show begins with a sequence in absolute darkness, so WORK
HARD to get to the room early and if you get there late, don't worry
about dropping your envelopes in the bags till AFTER the
performance..... |
Monday
September 26, 2011
Change of pace today! Our tour of Eyegienic terrain hits overdrive with
the miraculous canvas
visions of Frida Kahlo--read the first half of the Kettenmann volume as
we leave Rita Hayworth and turn to the work of FRIDA KAHLO; read the
1st half of the KAHLO volume as well as the 1st half of the
Hernandez/Kahlo Chapter in Tex[t]-Mex.
Pay close attention as you 'read'/'see' Kahlo's canvases to how
Frida "captures" the gaze of her viewers; in a sense, RITA HAYWORTH was
born to be consumed by the eye/I and Orson Welles, in LADY FROM
SHANGHAI, goes out of his way to seductively frame Hayworth in this
fashion; Kahlo, alternatively, presents us with an other/othering
series of representations. One where the "Latina" body embodies the
gaze and does not merely serve as an object (abject?) for the consuming
eye's pleasure.
 |
Wednesday
September 28, 2011
Finish the Kahlo book AND the Kahlo/Hernandez chapter in Tex[t]-Mex. ALSO--late! here is a link
to the biography of Frida Kahlo by Gilbert Hernandez talked about in
the chapter... In class we will talk about the female gaze and
subjectivity as evidenced here in KAHLO's BROKEN COLUMN....
 and counterpointed here opposite in a somewhat hygienically sanitized Playboy "Pet" photo from 2008.
|
Monday
October 3, 2011
Read the first 101 pages of FIGHT CLUB by Chuck Palahniuk; in class we
will talk about the novel and also begin to screen the movie by David
Fincher.
 EXTRA CREDIT! SHAKESPEARE IS IN THE HOUSE!!! |
Wednesday
October 5, 2011
Keep reading the novel--up to p. 136. More screenings in class with discussion...
also
Today you will receive
what you have been waiting for! The PROMPTS for, brace for it.....
I/EYE Mindscribe Festival numero UNO (aka 3- to 5-page critical
essays); this FIRST writing challenge is due, IN CLASS, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2011. LINK
EXTRA CREDIT! SHAKESPEARE IS IN THE HOUSE!!!
|
Monday
October 10, 2011
Finish FIGHT CLUB, the novel
|
Wednesday
October 12, 2011
Big discussion day.... Palahniuk versus Fincher, Palahniuk via Fincher; Fincher via Palahniuk
 |
Monday
October 17, 2011
The first few minutes of class will conclude our screening of FIGHT
CLUB! We will have a brief discussion of Fincher and Palahniuk before
we dive into the equally rich image-saturated space of comics!
Walk into class having carefully read, examined, perused, pondered, and
devoured ART SPIEGELMAN's BREAKDOWNS. Spiegelman's knowledge of graphic
narrative, illustration, comics theory, etc is sublime--but he is also
a gifted writer. These paired skills in the semantic and the
semiotic, with words and images, will test our abilities as readers and
seers, as consumers of prose fiction and pictures.
Please do note! Art Spiegelman's book deals with explicitly and
disturbingly ADULT issues/ideas--especially those regarding print
culture, the adult magazine business, and human sexuality. While
you are free to read the WHOLE book, the pages you are responsible for
in this seminar are: "Breakdown"--the first 20 pages or so BEFORE
the thick laminated "facsimile" cover' plus the following individual
short pieces: "Auto-destructo," "Intro," "Maus," "Prisoner on the Hell
Planet," "Real Dream," "I Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Real Dream,"
and "An Afterword."
Please do note! Comics are easy to read; meta-comics by Art Spiegelman, are not. Take your time looking at the images--compare them to regular comics, to classic EC comics (Spiegelman's bible), to Mad Magazine, to Wacky Packages stickers (he worked on these for years) and to his cover work for THE NEW YORKER.
|
Wednesday
October 19, 2011
We will continue our discussion of Spiegelman as you recover from your
all-nighter finishing your essay. (Do try NOT to pull an
all-nighter!)....
Please do note! Art Spiegelman's book deals with explicitly and
disturbingly ADULT issues/ideas--especially those regarding print
culture, the adult magazine business, and human sexuality. While you
are free to read the WHOLE book, the pages you are responsible for in
this seminar are: "Breakdown"--the first 20 pages or so BEFORE the
thick laminated "facsimile" cover' plus the following individual short
pieces: "Auto-destructo," "Intro," "Maus," "Prisoner on the Hell
Planet," "Real Dream," "I Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Real Dream,"
and "An Afterword."
Please note: Comics are easy to read;
meta-comics by Art Spiegelman, are not. Take your time looking at the
images--compare them to regular comics, to classic EC comics (Spiegelman's bible), to Mad Magazine, to Wacky Packages stickers (he worked on these for years) and to his cover work for THE NEW YORKER.
ACK! it is due: I/EYE Mindscribe Festival #1 (aka 3- to 5-page critical essay)
|
Monday
October 24, 2011
Begin Screening PEEPING TOM*, by Michael Powell, in class. A remarkable
and banned, controversial thriller from the UK, Powell's meditation on
photography, childhood trauma, fetishism, violence and more represents
a watershed moment in 20th century film history. And, not incidentally,
provides a key contribution to our ever-expanding notion of Eyegiene in
film, literature, photography, art, and more.
With the screening of Powell's opus, we will also begin our readings in
Freud's BEYOND THE PLEAUSURE PRINCIBLE. You are ENCOURAGED but
NOT REQUIRED to read the translator's preface by Gregory Richter, pages
37 to 47; the same goes for the introduction by Todd Dufresne (however,
if you do intend to read Dufresne, you may want to read him last).
Required reading? p. 51 to 73--please make sure you have the BROADVIEW
edition translated by Richter and edited by Dufresne.
*PLEASE DO NOT CHECK OUT THE COPY IN LOVE LIBRARY AS THAT IS THE ONE I AM GOING TO USE IN THE CLASS!!!!!
|
Wednesday
October 26, 2011
In class, we will continue to screen and discuss Michael Powell's
uncanny meditation on photography, cinema, psychology, and violence--here's a brief interview with Powell
you may find diverting.! Read pages 73 to the bottom of page 87 in BEYOND THE PLEASURE
PRINCIPLE; if you get distracted by the challenging prose, break out
Zarate and Appignanesi's FREUD FOR BEGINNERS to ease the pain!!!!! |
Monday
October 31, 2011
SURPRISE HALLOWEEN LECTURE....
‘Tis the season for all things ghoulish and fearsome—so
what better day of the year is there to discuss ZOMBIES than Halloween?
During today’s class, we will explore the historical context and
trajectory of the zombie, taking into consideration three
types—the voodoo zombie, the midcentury zombie (a la George
Romero) and the modern zombie seen today. We will also be placing the
zombie in conversation with some of the other texts and themes from our
class (if zombies could converse, that is…which they
can’t…so they’ll probably just moan a lot),
including the grotesque, hygiene/eyegiene, the fractured/tattooed
psyche, subjectivity, and more. As such, in order to prepare yourselves as zombie experts, please come to class today having viewed Night of the Living Dead (available in its entirety on Youtube) and having read the excerpt from The Walking Dead (provided here in pdf format ).
And also, coming to class in a costume is strongly recommended
(especially if you want to dress up as a zombie)! Get ready to talk
about braaaaains!
|
Wednesday
November 2, 2011
For reading, walk into class having FINISHED
Beyond the Pleasure Principle--as you read, try to adapt and apply
Freud's theory to your screening of Powell film. In seminar, we will
discuss both POWELL and FREUD, even as we prepare for LIVELY...
 ALSO Read the first 58 pages of Penelope Lively's THE PHOTOGRAPH. Please don't come to the big room without your books....
--------------------------------------
Brace for it, it is here: your email in-box should have already received the prompts for I/EYE Mindscribe Festival #2, your second major essay of the EYEGIENE experience. hit this image for the PROMPTS...
 |
Monday
November 7, 2011
Read page 59 to 147 in THE PHOTOGRAPH...
|
Wednesday
November 9, 2011
Walk into class having finished THE PHOTOGRAPH--in class we will have
our YOU'RE THE PROFESSOR session, be prepared to talk about what you
view to be the most pivotal moment in Penelope Lively's novel.
|
Monday
November 14, 2011
Enter class having read all of OLIVER MAYER's BLADE TO THE HEAT from
THE HURT BUSINESS anthology... read/screen the photographs in "A
Mayer Family Album," pages 78-81; read the script for BLADE TO THE
HEAT, pages 82-113 (the glossary on page 136 should prove useful); the
supporting materials from pages 114 to 137 will also make your reading
have more of a punch..... that's a pun! (and not a good one!)
|
Wednesday
November 16, 2011
BLADE TO THE HEAT lecture/AUTHOR VISIT???
I/EYE Mindscribe Festival #2 due today IN CLASS... |
Monday
November 21, 2011
THANKSGIVING WEEK
Catch up on your reading!
 |
Wednesday
November 23, 2011
THANKSGIVING WEEK
Have a great holiday!
*In this
illustration, included here to herald and embrace holiday cheer, do
please ignore the horrible ironies afoot, viz,, Snoopy's buddy
Woodstock's oblivious joy hovering above the cooked remains of his
fellow avian brother! |
Monday
November 28, 2011
 With
the days of turkey, pumpkin pie, familia, friends, and joy behind us
and with the days of fat men in red suits offering us gifts on the
horizon, we turn our eyes to Haruki Murakami's AFTER DARK; take it home
with you over the holidays so that you have read the first 200 pages or
so when you walk in the room at 11am Monday morning; WRITING ASSIGNMENT:
between pages 160 and 200, some very curious things happen in the
novel. Transcribe what YOU view to be the MOST important 3 or 4
sentences you run across in these pages--in literature-land, we call a
selection likes this "a passage."
Then, type out a 250 word (1-page, double-spaced, typed) micro-essay
wherein you cleverly and with your best literary style JUSTIFY the
selection of that passage. We will have the bags ready at the front of
the class to receive your micro-masterpieces. Also, remember--don't sit
in the last two seats at the end of the long rows on either side of the
classroom.... they have been electrified!
|
Wednesday
November 30, 2011
Finish your reading of AFTER DARK, and read ALL the ROCKET SAM and BIG TEX short stories in the Chris Ware ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY book!
|
Monday
December 5, 2011
CHRIS WARE ACME NOVELY LIBRARY and Mini EYEGIENE REVIEW for the Final...
|
Wednesday
December 7, 2011
I/EYExam_finalCHALLENGE
(aka, "the FINAL")
|
|
