Week 9
Vehicle Strand: Postmodernisms
In this first part of the class we consider the key concepts and defining
features of postmodernism. We discuss the question of cultural hierarchies,
looking at Superman,
Pride and Prejudice,
McFly, The
Sun, Shakespeare,
Bach, and a range of different
texts. We then look at postmodernism in teen drama and the horror genre,
focusing in particular on Buffy
the Vampire Slayer, and at postmodernism and cyberculture.
Required Reading: Branston and Stafford
(2003), Ch. 14: 'Postmodernisms' (note that this is in the 3rd
edition).
Environment Strand: The Rear-View Mirror
In this second part of the class we consider McLuhan's notion of the rear-view
mirror, one of the means by which we engage with new and unfamiliar technologies
and media. We go on to discuss the
suggestion that McLuhan himself is a technological determinist who privileges
the power of technologies over individual human control.
Optional Reading: McLuhan and Fiore, 1967,
pp. 22, 63, 68, 74-75, 81, 94.
Optional Reading: Levinson, 1999, Ch.14.
Module Forum
Topics under discussion in the Module Forum this week
include intertextuality in film and TV, sex organs within The
Matrix, examples of technologies seen through a rear-view mirror,
and the issue of technological determinism.
For more information on the Module Forum see the section on Assessment in
the Module Handbook.
Before the Next Class You Need To...
(1) Read Branston and Stafford (2006), Ch.
9: 'Advertising and Branding'.
If you're stuck or confused, post your problem on the forum or .