Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2020 - ENGL 484W D100

Topics in Media, Culture and Performance (4)

Class Number: 3802

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 11 – Aug 10, 2020: Mon, Wed, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Aug 14, 2020
    Fri, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
    Location: TBA

  • Prerequisites:

    One 300 division English course, or permission of instructor. Reserved for English honours, major, joint major and minor students.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Investigates and theorizes the relation of literature and media (manuscript, print, visual, aural, electronic, and/or oral) within their cultural and/or performative contexts. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Students with credit for ENGL 484 may not take this course for further credit. Students who obtained credit for English 484W prior to Summer 2015 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.

COURSE DETAILS:


ENGL 484W - #MeToo Era Fiction: Relationships on/with the Internet

Course Description: In December 2017, two problems of reading in the Internet age converged into a single entity: “Cat Person,” a short story by Kristen Roupenian published in The New Yorker. The first short story to ever go viral, it illuminated a socially widespread inability to read in the Internet era: many interpreted Roupenian’s work as another piece of on the nose social commentary or another #MeToo personal essay, when it was really a work of fiction requiring nuanced interpretation. The second failure of reading is captured in the story itself, in its portrayal of the gender relations between Margot and Robert and their mutual misreading of each other. This course asks: are these two failures of reading related?

To some degree, the Internet makes gender relations easier to navigate, enabling communication at a safe distance or the vetting of potential partners through Google search. Yet, in other ways, the Internet makes gender relations more complicated, such as men performing as feminists online while being misogynists IRL, or what Clint Burnham calls "the fundamental ambiguity in communication," particularly between men and women, "that has been exacerbated with online and social media" ("The Tony Clement scandal shows all texting is sexting") due to the radical compression of communicative intent into likes, emojis, blocks, swipes, etc. In all of this course’s texts, gender relationships—understood as our ongoing reading and interpretation of each other—in the Internet era will be tackled from different angles and through different forms of art: mostly short stories and novels, but also poems and film. We will study how the artists of these works generate stylistic innovations in order to accomplish the highly difficult task of both representing contemporary relations between women and men—including their often hidden power dynamics—as well as the Internet’s effect on them.

Grading

  • Creative Digital Response (300 words) 10%
  • Short Essay and Revision (4-5 pages) 25%
  • Partner Presentation (15 minutes + 10 minutes of discussion leading) 20%
  • Final Essay and Proposal (8 pages) 35%
  • Participation 10%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Tao Lin, Taipei
Mira Gonzalez, I Will Never be Beautiful Enough to Make Us Beautiful Together
Caroline Kepnes, You
Tony Tulathimutte, Private Citizens

*additional readings will be available online

Department Undergraduate Notes:

IMPORTANT NOTE Re 300 and 400 level courses: 75% of spaces in 300 level English courses, and 100% of spaces in 400 level English courses, are reserved for declared English Major, Minor, Extended Minor, Joint Major, and Honours students only, until open enrollment begins.

For all On-Campus Courses, please note the following:
- To receive credit for the course, students must complete all requirements.
- Tutorials/Seminars WILL be held the first week of classes.
- When choosing your schedule, remember to check "Show lab/tutorial sections" to see all Lecture/Seminar/Tutorial times required.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN SUMMER 2020

Please note that all teaching at SFU in summer term 2020 will be conducted through remote methods. Enrollment in this course acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.