Course Description
This first year seminar studies video as a medium, particularly as it is utilized by women, people of color, lesbians and gays, grassroots activists, as well as other peoples who are under and/or mis-represented by dominant media. This class explores independent video production from historical as well as issue-oriented approaches. The history of video technology, from analog to digital, is studied with a focus on developments that made video an accessible and powerful tool for self-expression and political intervention. Issues around gender, race, class, and sexual politics are examined in relation to works from the above-mentioned communities. Bodies of work by individual makers and collectives are presented as case studies in how multiple issues can be addressed through singular oeuvres.

This is a Writing Intensive Course
This course, if completed successfully, will fulfill Pitzer's Writing Expression educational objective.  It is designed to help you, the first year student, develop a strong foundation in critical thinking (i.e., thinking in analytical ways about facts and ideas) and in writing within an academic discourse community comprising of faculty, fellow students, and an educated audience.  Practice in writing for an academic discourse community will prepare you for a wide range of writing, both in your other classes and beyond.  You will gain practice in academic argumentation (presenting a cogent and effective case for a position), as well as in creative expression.  You will develop and refine a set of intellectual tools that make effective college writing a smoother and easier task. All letter-graded assignments will receive written feedback from me. I recommend meeting with me during my office hours at least twice during the semester to discuss your assignments, as well as visiting Pitzer's Writing Center outside of class meetings for help and feedback on your writing assignments.

Pitzer Writing Center (Mead Hall 131)
Director: Paul Miller, Mead 131-B, x74321
Email: writing@pitzer.edu
Web site: http://www.pitzer.edu/offices/writing_center

Center Hours:
Sunday, 7 – 10 pm
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 10am - 12pm, 2 – 5pm, 7pm – 11pm
Thursday, 10am - 12pm, 2 – 5pm, 7pm – 10pm
Closed Fridays and Saturdays

Statement of Student Learning Outcome
By the end of this course, students ideally are expected:

• To acquire a sense of the history of video and basic knowledge of the social movementscovered in class;
• To be able to anaylze different media forms, including video art, experimental and avant garde films, documentary, feature narrative films, advertisements, and television;
• To be able to convey their ideas organized in a coherent and logical way, to comprehend and express multiple perspectives in both critical written arguments and in oral presentations as well as discussion;
• To be able to critically evaluate and interpret evidence, statements, and other information found within scholarly sources.
• To practice writing as a process that involves drafting, getting feedback from readers, and
  revising;
• To be able to work and learn in both individual and group contexts.

Class Definition of Diversity
Working Document Created 9/6/2011

Diversity is a concept that encompasses versatility and differences, but is not constrained to physical attributes like ethnicity or race, and also encompass a person’s sexuality, background, values, ideas, hopes, or pure thoughts.

Diversity is a global issue, and one that we constantly interact with, consciously and subconsciously. 

Diversity is a necessity, and can contribute positively to our well being, but it can also lead to prejudice, which categorizes people into unequal power relationships.  It is critical to keep in mind that in thinking about diversity, there are no absolute, black and white categories, and to recognize ambiguity and multiple identities. 

Diversity not only encompasses our individual differences, but also draws together those with similarities to promote a sense of community; a diverse community has not only diverse members, but also diverse leaders and decision makers.

Course Organization
Class activities include group discussion, student presentations, video screenings, writing assignments, and direct action. There may also be site visits and field trips, depending on our schedule and class size. Your participation in class activities will factor into your final grade. Throughout the semester, guest speakers, including film and video makers, media artists, programmers, etc., maybe invited to class and/or venues at the Claremont Colleges, so be prepared to attend out-of-class screenings.

Please turn off all cell phones and pagers during class. Absolutely no texting and similar activities allowed. Laptops can only be used for taking notes and for relevant web searches—no emailing and other cyber actvities not related to this class. These and other diversions are not acceptable during class time, and will lower your grade. 

Attendance
Attendance and participation of all classes is required. Do not miss class or arrive late! If you miss class 3 times without a proper excuse, (e.g. a doctor's note if you are sick) you fail the class. Absences must be cleared by me before or after (in case of emergencies only) the class you missed in order for it to not affect your final grade. Attendance is determined by when I take roll.

Class Participation
Your active, well-prepared participation in class discussions is essential to creating a dynamic (i.e. not boring!) learning environment. Although you will not receive a letter grade for class participation, it will figure into your final grade based on my observations.

We often study sexually explicit, political, and otherwise challenging material in this course. These are not included for shock value, but are legitimate investigations of controversial subject matters in media. You are certainly encouraged to explore difficult and complex subject matters in your work, and you should be prepared to consider these issues intellectually and emotionally. Our class is a safe space in which students can express their beliefs and opinions. You always have a voice, but please be respectful of others as well. Abusive language and behavior are not be tolerated. Open-mindedness is encouraged!

Class Assignments & Exams

All writing assignments must be double-spaced, typewritten or word-processed. Use a 10 or 12-point font, 1-inch margins. As students and scholars, you are expected to understand the basics of academic writing, including appropriate style, source documentation, etc. Reference to class readings are expected when the assignment specifies such requirements, as are citation of your sources. You are expected to make use of a standard citation format, such as the Chicago Manual or MLA-style, in documenting sources (see Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference, MLA Handbook or another style manual for specifics. All of these are available at the Huntley Bookstore for purchase, or at the Hannold Library for reference). Clarity of expression, accuracy, thoroughness, and neatness are among the criteria that will be evaluated. Proofread your essays carefully!

Hand your work in on time! Unless an extension is approved by myself in advance of the due date, your grade will be reduced by one letter grade (i.e. B to C) per class day your paper is late. Excessive tardiness could lead to no credit (i.e. and "F") for the assignment.

You are encouraged to meet with me individually during my office hours to discuss your assignments, your grades, and your overall performance in class. I am always open to suggestions and feedback!

Benjamin Shepard & Ronald Hayduk, eds., From ACT UP To The WTO: Urban Protest and Community Building in The Era of Globalization, Verso, NY, 2002.

Additional References (good sources for your research paper/project):
Most if not all of these titles are at the Honnold Library, if you want to purchase copies, go to amazon.com, half.com, etc .

Roy Armes, On Video, Routledge, NY, 1988.
Barbara Abrash & Catherine Egan, eds., Mediating History: The MAP Guide to Independent Video, New York University Press, NY, 1992.
Bad Object-Choices, eds., How Do I Look? Queer Film and Video, Bay Press, Seattle, WA, 1991.
Gina Dent, ed., Black Popular Culture, Bay Press, Seattle, WA, 1992.
Manthia Diawara, ed., Black American Cinema, Routledge, NY, 1993.
Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks, Grove Wiedenfeld, NY, 1967.
---, The Wretched of The Earth, Grove Wiedenfeld, NY, 1963.
Russell Ferguson, Martha Gever, Trinh T. Minh-ha, Cornel West, eds., Out There: Marginalization and Contemporary Culture, New Museum/MIT Press, NY, 1990.
Peter X. Feng, ed., Screening Asian Americans, Rutgers University Press, 2002.
Peter X. Feng, Identities in Motion: Asian American Film & Video, Duke University Press, 2002.
Coco Fusco, English is Broken Here: Notes on Cultural Fusion in The Americas, The New Press, NY, 1995.
---, The Bodies That Were Not Ours and Other Writings, Routledge, NY, 2001.
Roger Garcia, ed., Out of The Shadows: Asians in American Cinema, Olivares/Locarno Film Festival, 2001.
Martha Gever, John Greyson, Pratibha Parmar, eds., Queer Looks: Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Film and Video, Routledge, NY, 1993.
Darrell Hamamoto & Sandra Liu, eds., Countervisions: Asian American Film Criticism, Temple University Press, 2000.
John Hanhardt, Video Culture: A Critical Investigation, Peregrine Smith Books, NY, 1986.
Thomas Harding, The Video Activist Handbook, Pluto Press, London & Chicago, 1997.
Alexandra Juhasz, AIDS TV: Identity, Community, and Alternative Video, Duke University Press, Durham, 1995.
Russell Leong, ed., Moving The Image: Independent Asian Pacific American Media Arts, UCLA Asian American Studies Center and Visual Communications, Los Angeles, 1991.
Laura U. Marks, The Skin of The Film: Intercultural Cinema, Embodiment, and the Senses, Duke University Press, Durham, 2000.
Cherrie Moraga & Gloria Anzaldua, eds., This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, Kitchen Table Press, NY, 1981
Jose Munoz, Disidentification: Queers of Color and the Performance of Politics, University of Minnesota Press, MN, 1999.
Chon Noriega, ed., Chicanos and Film: Representation and Resistance , University of Minnesota Press, MN, 1992.
Michael Renov & Erika Suderburg, eds., Resolutions: Contemporary Video Practices, University of Minnesota Press, MN, 1995.
Ruby Rich, Chick Flicks: Theories and Memories of The Feminist Film Movement, Duke University Press, Durham, NC, 1998.
Ira Schneider and Berl Korot, Video Art: An Anthology, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, NY, 1976.
Anthony Smith, ed., Television: An International History, Oxford University Press, UK, 1998
Fatimah Tobing Rony, The Third Eye: Race, Cinema, and Ethnographic Spectacle, Duke University Press, Durham, NC, 1996.
Ella Shohat & Robert Stam, Unthinking Eurocentrism, Routledge Press, NY, 1994.
Jun Xing, Asian America Through The Lens, AltaMira Press, 1998.

* Your general performance in class including participation, non-letter-graded writing assignments, attendance and punctuality, except in the special cases listed above, such as if you have more than 3 un-excused absences.

Generally, outstanding ('A') students in this class have good attendance and completed all their assignments on time. They are consistently well prepared for class, and actively participate in and advance our discussions with pertinent information, questions, and observations. Their work demonstrate their awareness of the issues at hand, the historical context for the film and videos they are discussing, as well as their ability to articulate their observations and analyses in a clear and concise manner. Only letter grades are given out in this class.

Academic honesty - all work done for this course must be the original work of the student submitting it, and should have been undertaken exclusively for this course. No work done prior to this class maybe used to fulfill the class assignments.

Extra credit - Students are encouraged to attend screenings, conferences, lectures, exhibitions and web events related to this course. Write a 2 page (typed and double-spaced) report of the event or activity. Incorporate the event's relevance to the class as well as your personal responses to it. Proof of attendance is required (keep your ticket stubs, programs, etc.) Students are allowed two extra credit papers. Announcements for events of interest to this class are done in the first 5 mins. of each class.

* I try my best to make my grading criteria as clear as possible, and you are welcome to come and discuss your grades and your class performance with me. However, I only consider legitimate concerns, and be aware that your grade is as likely to go down as it is to go up after I reassess your assignment. I do not tolerate haggling, bribing, threats, and any other pointless arguments. I consider all aspects of your performance before I assign a grade, please respect my assessment as I respect your efforts.

Course Schedule:

Reading Assignment
"10-Point Plan for Video" by Vito Acconci, "You are Consumed" by Richard Serra, "I Use Video as a Knife by Willoughby Sharp, all in Video Art: An Anthology.
Video
Excerpt from UNDERTONE (1972) by Vito Acconci
Excerpt from BOMMERANG (1974) by Richard Serra
Additional Viewing
A totally whacky website on the history of video technology

Reading Assignment
The Cold War Origins of the Model Minority Myth by Robert Lee, in Orientals: Asian Americans in Popular Culture, Temple Univ. Press, Philadelphia, 1999, pp. 145-179.
Writing Assignment #3
For Thursday's class, research (anyway you want but please use verifiable sources!) 3-5 events or significant trends from the decade of 1940-1960 and compile a list. Your list should contain the date and place for these event, significant individuals involved, their names and why their involvement was significant, and why that particular event or trend is representative of the decade. If you want to show images in class, email them to me by Thursday morning and I will post them on the web site. This exercise is similar to creating an annotated bibliography in academic research.
Video & Film
Excerpts from GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER? (1967) Directed by Stanley Kramer
Excerpts from FLOWER DRUM SONG (1961) Directed by Henry Koster - time permitting

Reading Assignment
La Vie, Satellites, One Meeting—One Life by Nam June Paik, in Video Culture, pp. 219-222
Truth or Consequences: American Television and Video Art by David Ross, in Video Culture, pp. 167-178
Video
Early works by Nam June Paik, see clips from EDITED FOR TELEVISION
GLOBAL GROOVE (1973) 2 min excerpt from 28:30 mins, ELECTRONIC OPERA NO. 1 excerpt of Paik's contribution to the PBS special THE MEDIUM IS THE MEDIUM, broadcasted in the early 1970s.
Paik's video sculptures: 1 (TV Buddha), 2 (Piano Piece, 1993), 3 & 4 (TV Robots)
Excerpt from MEDIA BURN (1976) by Ant Farm & T.R. Uthco

Screening (Tuesday, 9/27, 7pm, SC230)
4 MORE YEARS (1972) by TVTV
ETERNAL FRAME (1976) by Ant Farm & T.R. Uthco

Thursday 9/29: 1970s, Video as Counter Culture

Reading Assignments
PerpiTube blog
Additional Reading
Learning From YouTube by Alexandra Juhasz

PerpiTube Symposium
Friday, October 21, 2011, 9AM –5PM
Broad Performance Space, Broad Center, Pitzer College
We will be attending the Symposium as a class

WEEK 9: 1980s, ESSAY TWO DUE
Tuesday 10/25: 1980s, Public Access and Video Activism

No Reading Assignments
Video
DOCTORS, LIARS, AND WOMEN: AIDS ACTIVISTS SAY NO TO COSMO (1988) by Jean Carlomusto and Maria Maggenti for the LIVING WITH AIDS public access TV show
Web Site
DIVA TV (Damned Interfering Video Activists)
ACT UP Oral History Project

Reading Assignment
"So Many Alternatives" The Alternative AIDS Video Movement by Alexandra Juhasz, in From ACT UP to the WTO, pp. 298-305
Images
KISSING DOESN'T KILL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
FASHION ABLE 1, 2, 3
Video
KISSING DOESN'T KILL (1990) PSAs by Gran Fury
Selected SAFER SEX SHORTS (1987-90) various directors, produced by GMHC
Excerpt from VOICES FROM THE FRONT (1992) by Testing the Limits
Excerpt from LIKE A PRAYER by DIVA TV (1991) by DIVA TV
THEY ARE LOST TO VISION ALL TOGETHER (1988) by Tom Kalin

Screening (Tuesday, 11/1, 7pm, SC230)
TESTING THE LIMITS, PART ONE (1987) by Testing the Limits
LIKE A PRAYER by DIVA TV (1991) by DIVA TV

Thursday 11/3: AIDS Demographics, Remembering ACT UP

Reading Assignments
On The Make: AIDS Activist Video Collectives by Catherine Saalfield, in Queer Looks, pp. 21-37
Interview with Carol Leigh, Juanita Mohammed in Women of Vision, pp. 197-222

Reading Assignments
Articles on Detournement by Guy Bedford, Gil J. Wolman, Rene Vienet, in The Situationist International Anthology, pp. 8-14, 55-56, 213-216
"Who's Doin' The Twist? Notes Toward A Politics of Appropriation," by Coco Fusco, in English is Broken Here, pp. 65-77
Video
IRAQ CAMPAIGN 1991 by Phil Patiris (1992)
Web Sites
Modern TV (Phil Patiris' web site)
Suggested Reading
Article on CBS attempt to censor Phil Patiris
Article on Fair Use
Suggested Viewing
INTRODUCTION TO THE END OF AN ARGUMENT by Jayce Saloum & Elia Suleiman (1990)
MEDIA KILLA by Matt MacDaniel (1992-98)

Thursday 11/24: Thanksgiving Holiday - No Class Meeting





WEEK 14: OPEN WEEK - VIDEO ON THE WEB?
Tuesday 11/29:
Thursday 12/1:

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