Samuel G. Collins
Li-318A, x43199
scollins@towson.edu
www.towson.edu/~scollins
Office Hours:
Mondays, 1-3 p.m.
Wednesdays, 1-3 p.m.
class description:
At its inception in the late 18h century, American Studies included the search
for the purported "national character" of the newly formed United
States. "What then is the American, this new man?" asked de
Crèvecoeur in 1782. Later commentators looked to immigration, the frontier,
individualism and adaptability as essential, national characteristics. Today, of
course, "American exceptionalism" could just as easily be defined
through negative qualities. The United States is, as of 2005, the most obese
country and the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases; among industrialized
countries, the U.S. shows the largest gap between rich and poor, has the highest
number of uninsured people and executes the most prisoners. Per capita,
gun-related deaths in the U.S. exceed Brazil and Mexico, are approximately twice
that of Northern Ireland, three times that of France and fourteen times that of
England (Associated Press, 4/171998).
However, a truly anthropological understanding is inimical to such essentialist definitions of culture, whether critical or self-aggrandizing. Instead, this course considers the United States as a concatenation of real and imagined geographies crossed by overlapping networks of immigration, globalization and transnationalism. That is, the United States is more than the sum of its geopolitical borders; it exists in the practices and experiences of people and institutions abroad as well as within the U.S., in the proliferation of global culture, in the impact of U.S. foreign policy, in the resentments and aspirations of a world population variously impacted by the "American century."
In the course of this class, students will examine "American culture" in a distinctly anthropological way, from the bottom up. By developing a simulated society linking together classes at multiple universities, students will not only have an opportunity to develop their own online community, but will also reflect on the emergent characteristics of a networked, telematic world riven by powerful inequalities but also teaming with possibilities for new forms of community and identity. Fittingly, the end of the class will explore future dimensions of power and culture and will seek to plot a middle-ground between uncritical, utopian evocations of a technocratic world and dystopian prognostications.
Since students are expected not only to critically analyze American culture, but also to act as informants via the cultural simulation (Solsys) this class demands a high degree of engagement in both individual- and group environments.
About Solsys
Solsys is a social and cultural simulation of a future, space-faring society
played out in a Multi-User Dungeon (MUD). The simulation was developed by
Professor Reed Riner at Northern Arizona University in 1989, and has since been
enacted 11 times. In Solsys, students adopt fictional (but plausible) roles and
personas and construct the parameters of their assigned colony (L-5). After
designating teams, roles and the history of the colony, students then interacts
online with each other and with other classes at other universities, each of
which has also developed a contemporaneous colony.
required readings:
The following texts are available in the campus bookstore:
Kilgore, De Witt Douglas (2003). Astrofuturism. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Terranova, Tiziana (2004). Network Culture. Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press.
Recommended readings:
NASA webpage on "Orbital Space Settlements."
Class Assignments:
1). Homework (Extra credit): Includes reports on readings, acting as team leader
and extra work during the simulation.
2). Presentation #1 (oral and written): A group presentation involving aspects
of L-5 germane to your team’s mission. 25 pts.
3). Presentation #2 (oral and written): An introduction to your persona,
including name, physical description and job description. 25 pts.
4). Scenario (February 21): Through a series of online discussions on our
class’s "Blackboard" site, students will develop a plausible scenario leading to
the establishment of an L-5 colony. Grading will include both the finished
product (the class scenario) and the online debate/discussion. 25 pts.
5). Participation (ongoing) and Journal (May 9): Students will
recount efforts in building the simulation and participating in the class in a
weekly journal due at the end of class and will additionally be graded according
to their participation in discussions both in- and out of class. Participation
grades will be based on student self-reporting and on numerical "footprints"
left online by student personas, expressed as a "number of commands."
Journals should include specific entries demonstrating online participation,
construction, etc. 50 pts.
6). Analysis Paper (May 9): Students will critically analyze their participation
in the L-5 project, reflecting on the simulation as a mirror for cultural and
social life in the contemporary U.S. A style sheet specifying sections to
be included will be disseminated after Spring Break. 50 pts.
7). Final Exam (May 17): A short battery of questions evaluating knowledge of
different configurations of power and knowledge in emergent, American culture.
25 pts.
class grading:
A 186+
A- 180-185
B+ 174-179
B 166-173
B- 160-165
C+ 154-159
C 146-153
C- 140-145
D+ 134-139
D 120-133
F <120
class schedule:
1st Week: Introduction to the course and explanation of syllabus.
(1/26-1/28) What is Anthropology?
--Organization of Teams.
2nd Week: Race, Gender and American Anthropology
(1/31-2/4) Assigned Reading: Kilgore, 1-48.
--Introduction to L-5.
--Introduction to MUD-based simulation.
Film: Silent Running.
February 3: Change of Schedule Period Ends
3rd Week: Utopia, Dystopia and Alternative Futures
(2/7-2/11) Assigned Reading: Kilgore, 49-110.
--Report #1
--Building in a MUD
4th Week: Building the Scenario
(2/14-2/18) Assigned Reading: Kilgore, 111-185.
--Report #2
5th Week: Building the Scenario #2
(2/21-2/25) Assigned Reading: Kilgore, 186-238
--Scenarios due on February 21
6th Week: Taking It Online.
(2/28-3/4)
Assigned Reading: Terranova, 1-38
7th Week: The Network Society
(3/7-3/11)
Assigned Reading: Terranova, 39-72
Film: Virtual Friends
8th Week: Postmodernism
(3/14-3/18) Assigned Reading: Terranova, 73-97
Film: Wag the Dog (1998, Barry Levinson)
9th Week: SPRING BREAK
(3/21-3/25)
10th Week: Critical Theory and Media
(3/28-4/1) Terranova, 98-130
11th Week: Knowledge and Power
(4/4-4/8) Assigned Reading: Terranova, 131-157.
Film: Manufacturing Consent
April 6: Last day to withdraw with a ‘W’; last day to change pass/fail and audit options.
12th Week: Analyzing Virtual Communities--Formations of Self and Other.
(4/11-4/15)
13th Week: Analyzing Virtual Communities--Culture
(4/18-4/22)
14th Week: Virtual Communities and Cultural Critique
(4/25-4/29)
Film: TBA
15th Week: Alternative Modernities/Globalizations
(5/2-5/6)
16th Week: Scenario Wrap-Up
(5/9-5/11)
--Papers and Journals Due on May 9.
Last Day of Classes: May 12
Final Examination: May 17, 10:15-12:15 pm
notes
1. Although exams and graded work will remain as stated above, I may have to
change different readings or films on the syllabus throughout the semester. I
will, in any case, try to give you ample warning of any syllabus changes.
2. Each student is required to review and understand the University's rules regarding cheating and plagiarism (Towson University
Undergraduate Catalog, Appendix F). Neither will be tolerated in my class and
will result in a flunking grade.
The faculty of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Criminal Justice take a strong stand against Academic Dishonesty of all forms. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any class. It includes, but is not limited to, any form of cheating or unapproved help on an exam or academic exercise, copying someone else’s written work without citation, presenting fabricated information as legitimate, any unauthorized collaboration among students, or assisting someone to cheat in any way. All students have the ethical responsibility for doing their own work. A student who is uncertain about whether or not something constitutes academic dishonesty in a particular class has the obligation to see their instructor for clarification. Consistent with university policy, the minimum penalty for academic dishonesty in any form is determined by the individual faculty member in each class, and may consist of “a reduced grade (including “F” or zero) for the assignment; a reduced grade (including “F”) for the entire course,” or other options as stipulated in Appendix F of the Undergraduate Catalog. Students who are charged with academic dishonesty must remain enrolled in the course and cannot withdraw. Instructors who make the determination that academic dishonesty has occurred will notify the student in writing of the finding, the penalty, and the process for appeal. The same written notice will be forwarded
3. Students with learning disabilities should register at the Disability Support
Services Office.
explanation of grading
Consistent with University policy, the following grades will be assigned
according to the designated criteria:
A: A superior performance surpassing assigned work in unique and novel ways and
integrating diverse ideas from a wide range of sources in addition to those
discussed in class.
A-
B+
B: Excellent work surpassing the expectations of the assignment and
demonstrating initiative
and a willingness to move beyond the basic requirements of the assigned work.
B-
C+
C: Satisfactory work meeting all basic requirements of the assignment.
C-
D+
D: Work in some way less than satisfactory. Although conforming to basic
requirements in some way, the completed work is nevertheless not a coherent
response to the
assignment.
F: A profoundly unsatisfactory performance which doesn't meet
the intent of the assignment at any level.