Just Looking ...

This is the title of Monday's lecture, and you DON'T HAVE TO COME! (no pun consciously intended). If for absolutely any reason (and you don't have to share the reason with me or Emma) you think you might be offended by the display of frontal nudity, the sex act, and examples of pictures that upset some religious people then you are within your rights and I encourage you to come instead on June 17 when I redo the same lecture without the images. In that case do let Emma know now, because if you don't the make up lecture will be cancelled.

Emma tells me that Harper's published an "offensive" issue with Art Spigelman's cartoons about the Holocaust along with the notorious "Danish cartoons." She was going to put a link to it on her blog, which is "According to Me" and is linked on your right.

Hi folks,

Just a message from your TA behind the scenes...

By now most of you will have received your proposals back and will know whether you should submit a revised version...

If you want to talk to me about your proposal (or your essay in general), I'll be available at SS566 tomorrow and Wednesday from 1-2pm. Or, you can email me to make an appointment...

As for the test, I should be getting that back to y'all next Tuesday...

1) The make-up Test 1 is on Thursday June 1, from 12-1 (after class), in the class room.
Only people who have provided us with acceptable documentation may take it.
2) In a continuing effort to serve you and protect you I have decided to lighten the reading load for Tuesday (May 30) so that: a) The Bourdieu reading is eliminated (if that bothers you because you've already read it, please vent by responding to this post), and b) the Andrejevic reading now stops at page 214 (i.e. the Conclusion is not included).
As I am getting ready for next week it occurs to me that to be successful with the material we'll do then you should make absolutely sure that after reading the material you are clear on how the following terms are used in the specific context of this course:
grand narrative, fetishism, uncanny, remainder (in a Lacanian sense). And when your read Andrejevic make sure you understand how he specifically uses globalized reflexivity and postmodern irony. Plus recall what Mitchell meant by double conscousness.

It's not that I'll test you on definitions of these terms - I won't. It's worse than that: if you don't get them you won't get the material as a whole. I would say that 15-25% fuzziness is OK after your first reading, because I'll be clarifying the material next week as we go on. But by the end of the week all who want an A should be crystal clear on the terms. Take some time to do research (the itnernet will probably do) on the meaning and use of each of the terms.

Accessibility Services requires dependable volunteer note-takers in this course for one of your classmates who has a disability. Those who are interested in assisting with this essential service will gain valuable volunteer experience. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer note-taker, please contact Accessibility Services in person at 130 St. George Street, Robarts Library, 1st Floor.

I read an article discussing how photography experts are developing new detection technology to determine whether a picture (say, on the internet) is truly authentic or just a fake. I’m sure that many of you have altered a digital photograph before (i.e. red eye reduction). However, this article talks about augmenting and “creating” pictures to the point where even photography experts cannot tell the difference between a real or fake picture. As Lance Corporal Ted Boudreaux (a U.S.A. Marine) found out during the summer of 2003 in Iraq, being able to make this distinction is important. Boudreaux wrote “Welcome Marines” on a sign, and took a digital picture with a boy holding that sign (both were smiling). Somehow, bloggers (the irony!) got a hold of this digital photograph, and skilfully changed the writing on the sign to say “Lcpl Boudreaux saved my dad and he rescued my sister!” and even “Lcpl Boudreaux killed my dad and he knocked up my sister!” Companies are now working on technology (i.e. digital watermarks) to prevent the creation of other phoney pictures (which consequently can cause major lawsuits).

We have already touched upon technology and its importance in class (McLuhan: “by continuously embracing technologies, we related ourselves to them as servomechanisms. That is why we must, to use them at all, serve these objects, these extensions of ourselves, as gods or minor religions”). In this scenario, there is a strong interplay between technology and image: the picture of a soldier with a boy is very powerful and influential; however, technology has enabled one to change the text on the picture, which also changed the meaning of it. So what happened to the meaning and desire of the picture when the text was changed??? What is the new desire of the picture? Initially, the picture may have possibly communicated a sense of peace or harmony between the two countries and/or between the Marine and the boy. The picture may have “wanted” or “desired” the viewer to feel this emotion. Changing the text (to the more negative comment above) probably made the picture want the viewer to feel as sense of hostility and disgust towards the Marine presence in Iraq. So we know the desire of the picture must have changed… how do YOU think it changed?

I think you will like this change. When I saw how few people thought they could explain Barthes to their brother or sister I decided we need to slow down a bit. I am going to stretch the Mitchell and Zizek topics all the way to the eve of the test (i.e. Thursday), and you won't have to read Baudrillard until this weekend (the reading will be discussed on Monday).
If you've printed out the reading list please replace it with the revised version now.

Do you listen to radio talk shows? It occurs to me that blogs are in many ways like those. Many people listen and a few phone in; meantime the host is like a DJ who is trying desperately to get people to come up and dance, though the ultimate audience are really those who are watching / listening.
Some people in the class still don't have an idea for a book review essay topic. I'm sure you'll find one if you just look and see all the exciting ordinary things around you ... But if you don't I suggest you consider writing about talk shows, or about blogs, or their mutual influence if any.

Hello,
I'd like to welcome everybody to ANT 323 now that we've started the course.
I'm trying to post a message as if I were a student. There may be some hassles at first but once you get a hang of it you'll be OK. To post your own blog, you'll have to register first, so click on "register" in the right margin. You'll have to wait to get an email that you're a member, and then do what it tells you to do.
Then when you want to post a message, click on "blog this" in the blue bar on top. Don't forget to change the message title in the "title" bar that shows up at the top of the blogger window. Otherwise your message will be called "Just Looking." Also it might be a good idea to delete that irritating first line with the code - you don't need it.
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TO ERR IS HUMAN. TO REALLY SCREW UP YOU NEED A COMPUTER. I have as you know eliminated the reading report requirement. However, it was still mentioned on the syllabus page (www.chass.utoronto.ca/~ikalmar/323/323.html) until some time ago. I took it off, so it should be fine now.
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A FAQ: Can I use the 2005-06 reading package? Some of the readings in that package will not be used this year, and there is a number of new readings. The new readings are almost all from the Mitchell book or online. However, there are new readings for May 30 on TV and the lecture on "Jews" on June 19. So use your judgment ... I asked for the relevant books to be on short term loan but I cannot guarantee that that has happened.