32210
Lecture
WiSe 16/17: Postmodernism
Mary Ann Snyder-Körber
Comments
What is the postmodern? Proposed answers include, but are not limited to, the end of history, grand narratives, and "magic" in the world as well as the condition of late capitalism, fundamental irony, and perpetual play. This course is devoted to exploring the question (and answers) of the postmodern. To this end, sessions consider postmodernism from the vantage points of history and theory along with a range of cultural and literary forms. Key theoretical analyses such as Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation (1981), Jean-François Lyotard's The Postmodern Condition (1979), and Fredric Jameson's Postmodernism (1979) will be an important focus as will the relation of the postmodern to the "ground zeros" of global war and the Holocaust. We will also look at postmodernism in terms of the visual arts (particularly pop art), music (from the compositions of John Cage to popular forms such as punk and hip hop), architecture and the built environment (Las Vegas and Los Angeles), and, not least, literary experimentation. The course offers the opportunity to look at authors commonly connected with the postmodern such as John Barth, Donald Barthelme, Richard Brautigan, E.L Doctorow, Joseph Heller, Thomas Pynchon, and Kurt Vonnegut. However, a further aim of the course is to consider authors at the fringes of this overwhelmingly male and rather pale canon such as Kathy Acker, Gloria Anzaldua, and Ishmael Reed.
In terms of structure, lectures will alternate with more in-depth discussion sessions. Thus, please come prepared to read and interact with a variety of materials!
For preparation, I recommend acquiring and reading through the theoretic texts by Baudrillard, Jameson, and, most especially, Lyotard.
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16 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Wed, 2016-10-19 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-10-26 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-11-02 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-11-09 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-11-16 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-11-23 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-11-30 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-12-07 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-12-14 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-01-04 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-01-11 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-01-18 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-01-25 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-02-01 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-02-08 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-02-15 16:00 - 18:00