MediaandMaterialityfromMarxtoBarad
CSPT500/600|JenterySayers|UniversityofVictoria
Tuesdays,1:30-4:20pm|jentery.github.io/cspt500/
Inrecentyears,artistsaswellastheoristshaveengagedinaformof“new
materialism,”wherebyagencyisunderstoodasanentanglementofmatter,
media,andmeaning.Oneeffectisarefusaltoreducematterormediatoastatic
state.Likelanguage,materialityisdynamic,evenifitisrarelyperceivedor
describedassuch.Anothereffectistorethinkwherewelocateintentorhowwe
thinkaboutcausalityinthefirstplace.Informedbynewmaterialism,thisseminar
surveyscriticaltheoryfromKarlMarxtoKarenBaradtoidentifyhistoricalstress
pointsinthearticulationofmediaandmaterialitysincethe1850s.Oursurveywill
accountforhowthesetwotermshavebeensituatedinvarioustheoriesof
agency,fromhistoricalmaterialism,semiotics,andsymptomaticreadingtomedia
archaeologyandagentialrealism.
Aims
Ourapproachtothisseminarwillassumenoconsensusaboutwhat,exactly,
“media”and“materiality”are.Instead,wewillstartwithaconversationabout
therelevanceofthetwotermstoday.Whataretheirsettingsandpolitics?How
aretheyintertwinedwithcreativeandcriticalpractice?Howdotheyoperatein
relationtootherterms,suchasephemerality,pleasure,object,subject,
interaction,justice,art,andagency?Towhateffectsonourlived,socialrealities?
Followingthisconversation,wewillsurveynumerouspublications(fromMarx
forward)togivethepresentsometexture.Eachweek,wewilldiscussworkby
pairsofauthorsarticulatedaroundtwokeywords.Thisapproachwillnotfollowa
strictchronology(e.g.,readingtheoldestworksfirst);however,historywill
matter.Wewillnottreatthereadingsasideassomehowdetachedfromthe
particularsofsituationorexperience.Instead,wewillinterpretthetextsathand
withattentiontotheconditionsinwhichtheywerewritten.Whentimepermits,
wemayalsogroundourstudiesinexamplesfromareassuchasexperimental
media,art,anddesign(i.e.,areaswhereapproachestomediaandmaterialitydo
notmanifestasessaysormonographs).Tothisend,eachweekoftheschedule
includesacasestudyfordiscussion.
Asweproceed,youwillwritesevenresponsepapers,whichwillcomprisea
portfoliothatyouwillreviseattheterm’send.Bythatend,youshouldhavea
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granularsenseofhowmediaandmaterialityhavechangedovertime(especially
withrespecttoquestionsofagency),andalongthewayyoushouldgain
experiencewithwritingandtalkingaboutcriticaltheory.Ialsohopethatseminar
discussionsandresearchwilltranslateacrossaspectrumofscholarlywork,from
writing,teaching,andarchivalresearchtopolicy,ethnography,andmedia
production(dependingonyourownmethodologiesandmotivations).
Extensiveexperiencewithcriticaltheoryisnotrequiredforthisseminar.I
encourageyoutoaskforcontext,definitions,orexplanationswheneverthe
seminarfeelsasifit’smovingtooquickly(ortooslowly).Suchgesturesare
especiallyimportantincourses,suchasthisone,thatareanchoredin
interdisciplinarymethods.Weshouldbehonestandopenaboutwhatwedon’t
know,andweshouldlearnfromtheknowledgeothersbringtotheseminar.We
shouldalsoaccountforwhatweassumeortakeforgranted,includingourbiases
andprivileges.Ifyou’recuriousaboutadditionalmaterialcorrespondingwiththe
seminar,thenfeelfreetocontactmewithrequestsforrelatedreadingandthe
like.I’mhappytochatmoreandpointyouindirectionsofpotentialinterest.I’m
alsohappytohearrecommendations,sopleasesendthemmyway.
Assignments
Thisseminarisbasedonaportfoliomodelofresearch,whereyouwrite
throughoutthetermandreviseyourworkattheend.Italsoincludesabrief
presentationandafacilitationofseminardiscussion.Belowisadescriptionofthe
assignmentsandhowtheywillbeassessed.Pleasenotethattherequirements
aresubjecttominorchangesastheseminarprogresses.IfIdomakeachangeto
anyoftheassignments,thenIwillnotifyyouinwritingandwellinadvance.
Theportfolioisessentialforpassingthecourse.Failuretosubmitatleastfive
responsepaperswillresultinafailingNgrade(calculatedasa0foryourGPA).
Pleasealsonote:Idonotpostmarksoutsidemyoffice,andIdonotuse
plagiarismdetectionsoftware.
Portfolio(threemarks,each25%offinalgrade)
Iamaskingyoutodevelopaportfolioofsevenresponsepapersoverthecourse
oftheseminar.Eachresponsepapershould:
• Besomewherebetween450-and500-words-long,
• Useacitationstyleofyourchoice(MLA,APA,Chicago/Turabian,Harvard),
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Engagewithtwoworksbydifferentauthors,
• Bepolishedandfocused,withconcisetreatmentsofcriticaltheory,
• Avoidfrequentquotationandinsteaduseclearlydeliberateselectionsof
textualevidence,
• Brieflyexplaintherelevanceofthetwoworksinyourownwords(including
ashortsummaryofkeyarguments,wherenecessary),
• Refrainfrommuchcomparisonbetweenthetwoselectedworks(e.g.,
“WhileXargues,Yasserts…”),
• Insteadofcomparison,stresswhythedifferencesoroverlapsbetweenthe
twoselectedworksmatter(e.g.,thesocialorculturalimplicationsoftheir
differences,thecommonassumptionsmotivatingtheirarguments,the
effectsofsharedlogicsordefinitions,orthetendenciesofsimilarstylesand
methodologies),
• Whereapplicable,articulatethetwoassignedworkswithakeyword,which
allowsyoutoconcentrateonparticulardimensionsoftheauthors’writing,
• Notmakeanoriginalargumentorclaim,butratherstageaconversation
betweenthetwoworksand,wherehelpful,includesomeimportant
questionsthatemergefromtheirdialogue(considerthesequestions
futureslinesofinquiryforyouorothers),
• Besubmittedelectronically,priortotheseminarmeetingdedicatedtothe
twotextsathand(onlyonepapermaybesubmittedeachweek),and
• Berevisedatleastonce,withtrackchanges(orthelike)enabledforour
mutualreference.
Sixofthesesevenresponsepapersshouldbeaboutassignedtexts.Iwillassess
threeofthemduringthemiddleofterm(between18Octoberand25October;
25%ofyourfinalgrade)andthreemoreduringthelastweekofclasses
(between29Novemberand2December;25%ofyourfinalgrade).
Yourseventhresponsepaperisdueby19December.Itshouldaddressaspecific
gapinthecourseoutlinebyidentifyingtwoauthorswhowerenotincludedbut
whoseworkcontributestoourdiscussions.Forthisparticularpaper,Irecommend
selectingonepublication(orexcerpt)byeachofyourtwoauthors.Thisway,you
don’ttackletoomuchforashortresponse.Ofcourse,thisparticularpaper
requiresresearchbeyondtheassignedreading.However,throughouttheseminar
Iwilldedicatetimetodiscussinggapsinthecoursematerial.
•
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Sincewehavetwelveseminarmeetingsbutonlysixresponsepapersdue
between13Septemberand29November,youdonotneedtowriteapaperfor
eachseminarmeeting.However,Iencourageyoutotakecarefulnotesasyou
readandbringthesenoteswithyoutomeetings.
By19December,youshouldsubmitreviseddraftsofyourfirstsixresponse
papers,togetherwithyourseventhresponsepaperandabriefstatement(250500words)definingboth“media”and“materiality”withparentheticalreferences
toauthorswe’vereadthisterm.Together,yourbriefstatementandseven
responsepaperswillcomprisethefinaliterationofyourportfolio(25%ofyour
finalgrade).Forthebriefstatement,youmaywanttoreadafewentriesin
RaymondWilliams’sKeywordsaswellasentriesinprojectsinspiredbyWilliams.
Iwillassessyourresponsepapers,withfeedback,accordingtothisrubric:
• 90-100=A+:Papersinthisrangeareespeciallysophisticatedand
perceptivepiecesofworkthatmakeanoriginalcontributiontoscholarly
thinkingaboutaparticulartopic.Withelaboration,theycouldbepublished
inanacademicjournal.
• 85-89=A:Papersinthisrangeareperceptiveandoriginal,butmayrequire
substantialrevisionforpubliccirculation.Theycouldactascorematerial
foraconferencepresentation.
• 80-84=A-:Papersinthisrangeareadequateatthegraduatelevelwith
regardtotheresearch,presentation,andqualityofcontent.
• 77-79=B+:Papersinthisrangehavesignificantflawsinsomeareas,but
theystillmeetgraduatestandards.
• 73-76=B:Papersinthisrangearemarginallyacceptableatthegraduate
level.
Throughouttheterm,Iencourageyoutomeetwithmeoutsideofseminarto
discussyourwritingandportfolio.
Presentation(15%offinalgrade)
Iamalsoaskingyoutogiveabriefpresentationduringtheterm.Your
presentationshould:
• Provideabriefinterpretation(nomorethanthreeminutes)ofanassigned
reading,includinghowitapproachesmediaandmateriality,togetherwith
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yourresponsetothereading(e.g.,itsassumptions,whereit’spersuasive,
andwhatquestionsitraises),
• Includeone(andonlyone)questionyouhavefortheseminaraboutthe
textathand(wewillwritethisquestionontheboardforreference
throughouttheseminar),and
• Notincludeslides(toreduceyourworkloadbutalsotreattheseminar
morelikeaconversation).
Thepresentationswillusuallyoccuratthebeginningofseminarmeetings.Atthe
startoftheterm,I’llaskyoutosignupforadateandtext.Presentationswillbe
assessedaccordingtothisrubric:
• 90-100=A+:Presentationsinthisrangeareincrediblycompellingandeven
memorable.Theypromptotherstoaskquestions,andtheyspark
conversationaboutaconcretetopicemergingfromthetextsathand.They
donotvisiblyrelymuch(ifatall)onreadingapreparedtext.Theirstructure
istangibleandeasytofollow.
• 85-89=A:Presentationsinthisrangedemonstratewhatwaslearnedfrom
thereadingandprovideclearevidenceofthatlearning.Theyprompt
otherstoaskquestions,andtheysparkconversationaboutaconcretetopic
emergingfromtheseminar.Theydonotvisiblyrelymuch(ifatall)on
readingapreparedtext.Theirstructureistangibleandeasytofollow.
• 80-84=A-:Presentationsinthisrangedemonstratewhatwaslearnedfrom
thereadingandproviderecognizableevidenceofthatlearning.They
promptotherstoaskquestions.Theydonotvisiblyrelymuch(ifatall)on
readingapreparedtext.Theirstructureistangibleandeasytofollow.
• 77-79=B+:Presentationsinthisrangedemonstratewhatwaslearnedfrom
thereadingandproviderecognizableevidenceofthatlearning.Theydonot
visiblyrelymuch(ifatall)onreadingapreparedtext.
• 73-76=B:Presentationsinthisrangedemonstratewhatwaslearnedfrom
thereadingandproviderecognizableevidenceofthatlearning.
Youwillreceivethemarkforyourpresentation,withfeedback,duringtheweek
youconductit.
Facilitation(10%offinalgrade)
Finally,I’maskingyoutofacilitateaseminardiscussionwithme.Yourfacilitation
shouldinclude:
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Youractiveroleinconversationaboutalltextsathand,promptingand
addressingquestionstokeepthediscussiongoing,
• Frequentattentiontothetextathand,pointingpeopletospecificremarks
andargumentsintheworkswe’restudying,
• Buildinguponthepresentation(s)givenbyothersduringtheseminar
meeting,and
• Takingnotesandthelikeontheboardorviatheprojector,ifyouwish.
Youshouldnotfacilitateonthesamedayyoupresent.Atthestartoftheseminar,
I’llaskyoutosignupforadate.Presentationswillbeassessedaccordingtothis
rubric:
• 90-100=A+:Facilitationsinthisrangepromptotherstoaskquestions,and
theymaintainconversationaboutconcretetopicsemergingfromthetexts
athand.Theyareanchoredinthetextsathand,andtheyrelyasmuchon
listeningastheydoonspeaking.Theydocumenttheconversation(e.g.,on
theboard)asitemerges.
• 85-89=A:Facilitationsinthisrangepromptotherstoaskquestions,and
theymaintainconversationaboutconcretetopicsemergingfromthetexts
athand.Theyareanchoredinthetextsathand,andtheyrelyasmuchon
listeningastheydoonspeaking.
• 80-84=A-:Facilitationsinthisrangepromptotherstoaskquestions,and
theymaintainconversationaboutconcretetopicsemergingfromthetexts
athand.Theyaddressthetextsathand,andtheyrelyasmuchonlistening
astheydoonspeaking.
• 77-79=B+:Facilitationsinthisrangepromptotherstoaskquestions,and
theymaintainconversationaboutgeneraltopicsemergingfromthetextsat
hand.Theyaddressthetextsathand.
• 73-76=B:Facilitationsinthisrangepromptotherstoaskquestions.They
addressthetextsathand.
Youwillreceivethemarkforyourfacilitation,withfeedback,duringtheweekyou
conductit.
Pleaseletmeknowifyouhaveanyquestionsorconcernsaboutanyaspectof
theseassignments.
•
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Policies
Belowarethepoliciesfortheseminar.
LateSubmissions
Barringexceptionalcircumstances,Iwillnotacceptyourresponsepapersafter
theduedate.Belatedpaperswillnegativelyinfluenceyourfinalmark.Also,Iwill
notcommentonentriessubmittedaftertheduedate.
Absences
Weeklyattendanceingraduatecoursesisexpected.Ifyoumustbeabsentfroma
courseforaseriousreason,thenyoushouldcontactmebeforethemissedclass.
Casesofcontinuous,unexplainedabsencewillresultinapenaltytoyourgradeor
yourineligibilitytocompletethecourse.Attendanceandactiveparticipationin
discussionsandworkshopsarepartoffulfillingthecourserequirements.
Laptops
Laptopsarewelcomein(butnotrequiredfor)theseminar.
Extensions
Noextensionswillbegivenexceptinextreme(andverifiable)circumstances.
Thesecircumstancesincludereasonsofhealthandextenuatingcircumstances,
suchasdeathofafamilymember.
LearningClimate
TheUniversityofVictoriaiscommittedtopromoting,providing,andprotectinga
positive,supportive,andsafeworkingandlearningenvironmentforallits
members.StudentsandfacultymembersareexpectedtoadheretotheUVic
humanrightspolicy.Youshouldalertmeimmediatelyifyouhaveanyquestions
aboutthispolicyanditsapplication,orifyouhaveconcernsaboutcourse
proceedingsorparticipants.
AcademicIntegrity
StudentsareexpectedtoadheretotheUVicacademicintegritypolicy.Violations
ofthispolicywillresultinafailinggradeforthegivenassignmentandmay
additionallyresultinafailinggradeforthecourse.Bytakingthiscourse,you
agreethatallsubmittedassignmentsmaybesubjecttoanoriginalityreview.Ido
notusesoftwaretodetectplagiarisminessaysoranyotherassignments.
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Accessibility
Studentswithdiverselearningstylesandneedsarewelcomeinthiscourse.In
particular,ifyouhaveadisability/healthconsiderationthatmayrequire
accommodations,pleasefeelfreetoapproachmeand/ortheResourceCentrefor
StudentswithaDisability(RCSD)assoonaspossible.RCSDstaffisavailableby
appointmenttoassessspecificneeds,providereferrals,andarrangeappropriate
accommodations.Thesooneryouletusknowyourneeds,thesoonerwecan
assistyouinachievingyourlearninggoalsinthiscourse.
Email
Withtheexceptionofholidaysandweekends,Irespondtoyouremailswithin
twenty-fourhours.
Acknowledgments
TerritorialAcknowledgment
WeacknowledgeandrespecttheSonghees,Esquimalt,andWSÁNEĆpeopleson
whosetraditionalterritoriestheUniversityofVictoriastandsandwhosehistorical
relationshipswiththelandcontinuetothisday.
AcknowledgmentofInfluence
IwouldliketothankCarolynAllen,KateCummings,andShannonMattern,whose
pedagogyandcoursesinfluencedthedesignandcontentofthisseminar.
ContactMe
ThisseminarmeetsTuesdays,from1:30until4:20pm.MyofficeislocatedinCLE
D334,andmyofficehoursthistermareTuesdays,11amuntil1pm,orby
appointment(MondaysandFridaysarebest).
[email protected].
Schedule
Wk1|13Sept|MotivationsfortheSeminar
Whyaseminaronmediaandmateriality,now?
Read:Benjamin,“ThesesonthePhilosophyofHistory”(1940/74)
Casestudy:Parker,ColdDarkMatter:AnExplodedView(1991)
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Wk2|20Sept|Machines+Fabrication
Wherearework,labour,andaction?
Read:Marx,fromNotebookM(1857)andtheFragmentonMachines(1858);
Arendt,fromTheHumanCondition(1958)
Casestudy:Molleindustria(2003-)
Wk3|27Sept|Style+Estrangement
Whyrhythmsratherthanimagesorartifacts?
Read:Simmel,fromThePhilosophyofMoney(1900/78);Shklovsky,“Artas
Device”(1917)
Casestudy:Boym,16-SecondArt(n.d.)
Wk4|4Oct|Visibility+Textuality
Fromacttofield?Fromexpressiontonetwork?
Read:Merleau-Ponty,“EyeandMind”(1961/93);Barthes,“FromWorkto
Text”(1971/77)
Casestudy:GrigarandMoulthrop,Pathfinders(2013-)
Wk5|11Oct|Description+Practice
Whetherandhowtountietheknots?
Read:Foucault,fromTheArchaeologyofKnowledge(1971/72);Williams,
fromTelevision(1975)
Casestudy:Maire,TheMemoryCone(2010)
Wk6|18Oct|Eros+Power
Suppressedorsharedexperiences?Throughwhichmechanisms?
Read:Cixous,“TheLaughoftheMedusa”(1975/76);Lorde,“Usesofthe
Erotic”(1978/84)and“TheMater’sToolsWillNeverDismantletheMaster’s
House”(1979/81)
Casestudy:cárdenas,“ShiftingFutures”(2015)
Due:Portfolio(firstthreeresponsepapers)
Wk7|25Oct|Bodies+Boundaries
Innerandouterworlds,butforwhom?
Read:Kristeva,fromPowersofHorror(1982);Butler,fromGenderTrouble(1990)
Casestudy:Bachzetsis,Private(2016)
MediaandMateriality|10
Wk8|1Nov|Breaks+Textures
Whatmakesacutoraffordsafeeling?
Read:Moten,fromIntheBreak(2003);Sedgwick,fromTouchingFeeling(2003)
Casestudy:Scott,Untitled(1991)
Wk9|8Nov|Memory+Indexicality
Howdoesephemeralityendure?Howdomediapoint?
Read:Chun,“DidSomebodySayNewMedia?”(2006)and“TheEnduring
Ephemeral”(2008);Doane,“TheIndexicalandtheConceptofMedium
Specificity”(2007)
Casestudy:Dean,AsYetUntitled(1992-95)
Wk10|15Nov|Things+Things
Istheresuchathingasunmediatedthings?
Read:Grosz,“TheThing”(2001);Brown,“ThingTheory”(2001);Appadurai,“The
ThingItself”(2006)
Casestudy:ArakawaandGins,ProceduralArchitecture(1994-2008)
Wk11|22Nov|Systems+Differences
What’sbetweenlayersandsequences?
Read:Debray,fromMediaManifestos(1994/96);Krauss,fromAVoyageonthe
NorthSea(1999)
Casestudy:Lee,Transformers:ThePremake(2014)
Wk12|29Nov|Situations+Entanglements
Howarematteranddiscoursealsoagency?
Read:Haraway,“SituatedKnowledges”(1988);Barad,“Posthumanist
Performativity”(2003)
Due:Portfolio(threemoreresponsepapers)
Thefinalportfolio(sevenresponsepapersplusabriefstatement)isdueby19
December.