RTF 331T Spring 2001! Sandy Stone, Instructor! Wei Yeh, T.A.!
Sandy: sandy@actlab.us, 471-8489 Wei: slowdog@actlab.us
This course deals with the traffic in the boundaries between mainstream, "legitimate" science and spoonbending, psychic surgery and utter charlatanism -- the realm of "Weird" Science, the hotly contested liminal universe where the real action is and where imagination counts as much as experiment. The course is divided into theory (discussion) and practice (making). For the theory discussions we will ask questions such as: What makes science science? How do we differentiate between kinds and qualities of sciences? How are scientific facts and truth claims constructed and contested? Who polices the boundaries? For the practice -- which is most of class time -- we invoke the Convergent Media Prime Directive that theory flows from the act of making, rather than the other way around. We will make stuff -- things that make concrete and visible the nature and qualities of science, non-science and Weird Science. The stuff you make can be in any form: sound, video, computer animation, collage, sculpture, assemblage, performance, you name it. I expect humor, irony, uncommon approaches and bizarre techniques. We will provide you with technical assistance where practicable, but this course does not necessarily teach complete technical skill sets; you can easily get those at ACITS or elsewhere.
Some classes will begin with a discussion period, seminar period, or film. Most classes will be in studio format -- we will jam, then you will make stuff or research making stuff while I offer comments or suggestions. This means you will spend most of your time making stuff. During studio time my function is that of advisor rather than lecturer; Wei and I will assist, critique, and be available for consultations and questions. There are no written tests. Instead, you will produce a series of projects on the Weird Science theme...four in all. Two are for practice, two are part of your grade.
Grading!
Class participation 20%
Midterm presentation 25%
Final presentation 40%
Journal 15%
Total 100%
In addition to your project you must submit documentation, i.e., a version of the project in web-ready form, so we can link it to the ACTLab web page. Argh!! No grade will be issued until this requirement is satisfied.
Journal! You are required to keep a journal of your notes, thoughts on theory, ideas, etc. You turn it in at the end of the semester. Your workbook gives me some sense of how you think about the course and how your ideas evolve over the semester. It takes the place of written midterm exams or mini-projects. The method is simple: If you have an idea for a piece of work, or a sketch or drawing, note it down. If you find a useful idea or photo or a saying from a magazine, paste it in. At the beginning of the semester I'll show you my workbooks to give you a sense of what I'm looking for.
A basic tenet of Convergent Media is that theory and methods emerge from practice. Roughly, that means we make stuff first and then develop methods of studying or describing it later. Our theory is implicit in our acts of making. The purpose of this is to open up the concept of theory to include descriptive frameworks which are not grounded in predicate language (English or any of the Romance languages, for example). But since you can't escape language, we'll talk about how this praxis fits into current philosophical discourses and why they do what they do.
Good Lord!! End of semester cleanup! You leave the ACTLab in the same condition in which you found it at the beginning of the semester. No grades will be issued until this requirement is fulfilled. If one person doesn't do their job, no one gets a grade -- i.e., all classes are responsible for the workspace and you are responsible for each other.
Texts! Available from Amazon.com or your friendly local bookstore.
Steven Shapin and Simon Shaffer: Leviathan and the Air-PumpEverything else is available online.
Films! We are combing the planet for the very worst Weird Science features, and from time to time we will show one in class.
Calendar! Because of the nature of the work, it is not always possible to know precisely when a particular topic will be discussed; below is the approximate order. If a name is listed for which no corresponding reading is indicated, it means that I'll start off the discussion with a mini-lecture on the person or event and you should have punched it in to Google or similar search engine before class.
Week 2: Free-for-all (start reading Leviathan and the Air-Pump), Aristotle, Heraklitus
Week 3: Viewing last semester's projects; Boyle and Hobbes discussion
Week 4: Boyle and Hobbes wrap-up (Start reading Science in Action); First mini-projects
Week 5: The construction of scientific facts; Bruno Latour and the Strong Programme
Week 6: Latour continued; Leary
Week 7: Midterm project
Week 8: Wilhelm Reich, Anton Mesmer (and Erikson), Lysenko
Week 9: Velikovsky, Rhine (Start reading The Cancer Cure That Worked!)
Week 10: Royal R. Rife, the Spectro-Chrome and other subtle vibration machines, Heironymus, Drown, Delawarr, and other psi machines
Week 11: Freud, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Curanderas, Second mini-projects
Week 12: Tesla, crop circles, spoon bending, divination (Start reading Nobel Dreams)
Week 13: Spirit mediums, hauntology, crop circles, pyramid theories, Surrealist Anthropology
Week 14: Particle physics, genomics, Big Science, Free-for-all
Week 15: Good Lord!!-choke!- Final projects!!
The Fine Print!
Regarding Scholastic Dishonesty: The University defines academic dishonesty as cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, falsifying academic records, and any act designed to avoid participating honestly in the learning process. Scholastic dishonesty also includes, but is not limited to, providing false or misleading information to receive a postponement or an extension on a test, quiz, or other assignment, and submission of essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor. By accepting this syllabus, you have agreed to these guidelines and must adhere to them. Scholastic dishonest damages both the student's learning experience and readiness for the future demands of a work-career. Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. For more information on scholastic dishonesty, please visit the Student Judicial services Web site at http://www.utexas.edu/depts/dos/sjs/.
About services for students with disabilities: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY.
About the Undergraduate Writing Center: The Undergraduate Writing Center, located in the FAC 211, phone 471-6222, offers individualized assistance to students who want to improve their writing skills. There is no charge, and students may come in on a drop-in or appointment basis.
Warning: This class may contain explicit descriptions of, or may advocate simulations of, one or more of the following: Nudity, satanism, suicide, sodomy, incest, bestiality, sadomasochism, adultery, murder, morbid violence, paedophilia, bad grammar, deviate sexual conduct in a violent context, the use of illegal drugs or alcohol, or offensive behavior. But then again, it may not. Should your sensibilities be offended at any time, you are free to leave the classroom without penalty provided that you notify either the instructor or teaching assistant when you do so.
Do not bend, fold, spindle or mutilate. May be hazardous to your health. Not recommended for children. Do not purchase if seal has been tampered with. Not responsible for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect, error or failure to perform. May be too intense for some viewers. Batteries not included. For recreational use. An equal opportunity employer. Some settling of contents may occur during shipping. Use only as directed. No other warranty expressed or implied. No postage necessary if mailed in the United States. Substantial penalty for early withdrawal. Slightly higher in California. Keep away from fire or flame. Any rebroadcast, reproduction, or other use of this game without the express written consent of Major League Baseball is prohibited. Please keep your hands and arms inside the car while ride is in motion. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Contestants have been briefed before the show. Do not write below this line.