Semester Schedule
Here is the schedule of what films we will discuss each time, and what reading is required for each meeting.
Click on the "Texts" link below to jump to a listing of the assigned books.
For Study questions and more information about each film, click on "Film Notes" at the end of this page.
Semester Schedule
Texts
Week 1: August 28 Introduction Week 2: September 4 Labor Day Holiday, no class Week 3: September 11 The Real, The Virtual and the Cinematic Films: Discuss Virtuosity (Brett Leonard, 1995)
and Johnny Mnemonic (Robert Longo 1995)
Week 4: September 18 The Transformed World Films: Westworld (Michael Crichton, 1973) Lecture: "Understanding Technological Metaphors" Week 5: September 25 Technology and Future Sports Films:Death Race 2000 (Paul Bartel, 1975) Readings: Caldwell "Introduction" in Caldwell Week 6: October 2 The Computer Threat Films:The Terminal Man (Mike Hodges, 1974) Readings: Claudia Springer, Electronic Eros, Intro & Ch 1 "Deleting the Body" Week 7: October 9 Dream Machines Films:The Stepford Wives (Bryan Forbes, 1975) Readings: Cockburn "The Circuit of Technology" in Caldwell Week 8: October 16 Computer Space Films:Tron (Steven Lisberger, 1982) Readings: Springer Ch 2 "The Pleasure of the Interface" Week 9: October 23 Animation and Special Effects Films: Selection from early computer animated shorts Readings: Springer Ch 3 "Virtual Sex" Week 10: October 30 Technology as Digital Adventure Films:Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991) Readings: Springer Ch 4 "Muscular circuitry" & Ch 5 "Digital Rage" Week 11: November 6 Digital Realities Films:The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998) Readings: Seiter "Television and the Internet" in Caldwell Week 12: November 13 Virtual Characters Films:Toy Story (John Lasseter 1995) Readings: Stephen King "the Word Processor (1983) *R Week 13: November 20 There is a World Inside The World Films:Ghost in the Shell (Mamoru Oshii, 1995) Readings: Springer, Ch. 6 "Men and Machine Women" Week 14: November 27 Surveillance: The Digital, the Viral and the Microscopic Films:Gattaca(Andrew Niccol, 1997)
Readings: Gomez-Pena "The Virtual Bario" in Caldwell Week 15: December 4 Course wrap-up Group presentations
Final paper due
Required texts: Class Reader: Theoretical texts for your research: Recommended texts:Semester Schedule
This week watch Virtuosity (Brett Leonard, 1995) and Johnny Mnemonic (Robert Longo 1995)
This week watch Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1926)
and Modern Times (Charles Chaplin, 1936)
Both films are available at the Media Services Library.
Futureworld (Richard T. Heffron, 1976)
In-class assignment
Rollerball (Norman Jewison, 1975)
Raymond Williams "The Technology and the Society" in Caldwell
John McDonald "Spectator Sport" (1950) *R
Ib Melchior "The Racer" (1956) *R
2 page paper due in class
Demon Seed (Donald Cammell, 1977)
Lewis Padgett "The Twonky" (1942) *R
Ray Bradbury "The Veldt" (1950) *R
Harlan Ellison "I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream" (1967) *R
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
Lester Del Rey "Helen O' Loy" (1938) *R
Ray Bradbury "Marionettes Inc. " (1949) *R
James Tiptree Jr. "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" (1975) *R
The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984)
Bill Nicholls "The Work of Culture in the Age of Cybernetic Systems" /Caldwell
William Gibson "Johhny Mnemonic" (1981) *R
Pat Cadigan "Pretty Boy Crossover" (1986) *R
Midterm exam questions handed out
Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)
Clips from The Lawnmower Man (Brett Leonard, 1992)
William Gibson Neuromancer
Midterm exam due
The Last Action Hero (John McTiernan, 1993)
Clips from: Twister (Jan de Bont, 1996)
Stone "Sex, Death and Machinery" in Caldwell
Pat Cadigan "Rock On" (1985) *R
Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze, 1999)
Sobchack "The Scene of the Screen" in Caldwell
John Varley "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank" (1976) *R
Philip K. Dick "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon" (1980) *R
Clips from Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)
Guest lecture: Michael Johnson from Pixar will talk on "Creating Virtual Characters"
2 page response paper due
The Matrix (Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski, 1999)
Kakoudaki "Pin-up and Cyborg" *R
Cunningham "Moral Combat and Computer Game Girls" in Caldwell
C. L. Moore "No Woman Born" (1944) *R
Final paper outline meeting
Clarke "Modernity Postmodernity and Reproductive Processes" *R
Fuchs "Death is Irrelevant" *R
Texts
John Thornton Caldwell, Electronic Media and Technoculture (2000)
Claudia Springer, Electronic Eros (1996)
William Gibson, Neuromancer (1984)
Contents are shown above with a *R.
The reader contains the assigned required stories and essays, and other supplementary material. It is available from the University Copy Service (corner of Channing and Telegraph, under the Parking structure).
Paul Virilio "Cataract Surgery: Cinema in the Year 2000"
Anne Friedberg "The End of Cinema: Multimedia and Technological Change"
H. Bruce Franklin "Visions of the Future in Science Fiction Films from 1970 to 1982"
Adele Clarke "Modernity, Postmodernity and Reproductive Processes ca. 1890-1990"
Cynthia Fuchs "Death is Irrelevant: Cyborgs, Reproduction and the Future of Male Hysteria"
Peter Fitting "The Lessons of Cyberpunk"
Mizuko Ito "Inhabiting Multiple Worlds: Making Sense of SimCity 2000 in the Fifth Dimension"
J. P. Telotte, A Distant Technology (1999)
Brian Winston, Media, Technology and Society (1999)
Contact the instructor: dk2244@yahoo.com