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last.updated 1.19.09

Cybercultures & Postmodernism

Purpose

To establish a foundation for the course, we will discuss the meanings of "cyberculture," and the implications of its various definitions. Likewise we will discuss the concept "postmodernism" to consider the heuristics scholars often bring to the examination of cybercultural practices.

Graduate Level Writing: Presentation and Discussion

The instructor will introduce you to suggested practices for composing graduate level writing and field questions you may have about these articulated expectations.

Discussion I: Defining Our Terms–Postmodernism

As a class we will discuss the following questions:

• What questions did you have about the Faigley reading?
• According to Faigley, what are the three most useful ways of defining "postmodernism"? Why are these distinctions useful?
• Is postmodernism more useful as an end in and of itself? or a means to an end? Why?
• Faigley barely mentions digital writing. In what ways do you see his discussion about the teaching of composition relevant to the ways people compose texts on computers today?

Discussion II: Defining Our Terms–Cybercultures

As a class we first view a video of Andrew Keen's perspectives on the Internet and an entry into our discussion of cybercultures.

• What questions did you have about the Levy or Macek reading?
• What is Levy's argument about cybercultures? How does he define universal and totality to describe cybercultures?
• What is Macek's argument about cybercultures?
• How would you map the arguments presented by Keen, Levy, Macek, and the major scholars Macek reviews on a matrix with a x-axis that extends from ideological to neutral and a y-axis that extends from focused on the technology to extends beyond the technology.