red9

So this week started off with a lot of positives. It also started off with some negatives. I’ve now fixed one of those negatives (by getting registered in one of my Economics classes). This however couldn’t pan out properly, so I’m now going through a huge hassle and probably won’t get into the 2nd class that I had to still get registered for. Going to go browse through some course catalogues tonight and see if I can find a new 5th course for this semester, or maybe just take 4. In other news, the book store line up is impossible, so waiting until Friday and trying to pirate as many of these books by then. Why pirate? Well, because my book tab is in excess of $600, which I find unacceptable.

On a brighter note…

This is the optional presentation topics from one of my classes, which can be done instead of an essay. If you remotely know me, you’ll get it.

Halo - September 25
Consider the role of humanity in the Halo videogame series. How do the game creators justify the escapist violence? Specifically, how do they de-humanize the targets of Master-Chief’s rampage in order to side-step the inevitable moral dilemma that arises from symbolic slaughter of living creatures? Conversely, what human characteristics do the creators deliberately embed within the villains and how do these characteristics actually enhance the gaming experience? Is this contradiction? Finally, explain the popularity of Halo, and what that popularity suggests about the humanity of the gamers themselves?

Star Trek - October 2
Consider the place of humanity in the overall Star Trek universe (Films and Television Series). How does Star Trek maintain the centrality of humankind amidst an expanded universe populated by innumerable other intelligent life-forms? How are we still somehow special, and what value is placed upon humanity within an expanded universe?

Star Wars Merchandise - October 9
Consider how the commercial juggernaut of Star Wars merchandising relates to the evolution of the Science Fiction genre. Focus specifically on things like collector culture, brand recognition (“look I’m wearing a Star Wars shirt! That makes me a Star Wars fan”) and audience participation (“I can make my own sequel where my Boba Fett doll fights your Chewbacca doll”) relate to the social and cultural attitudes surrounding SF. In comparison with world-building SF such as Foundation how does the world of mass-consumerism fit in and what effect does merchandising have on the overall evolution of the SF genre?

X-men Comics - October 16
Originally created by a pair of Jewish comics artists who had faced a lifetime of prejudice, X-men comics have continually utilized racial persecution as a central metaphor in a variety of circumstances. Draw out the different manifestations of this metaphor, and how the comics series has utilized racial figures and events such as the Holocaust, the American civil rights movement, the Jewish immigrant experience, the Rwandan genocide, Martin Luther King vs. Malcolm X, racial alteration through plastic surgery, or innumerable others. What attitudes are expressed toward race through X-men? What is the moral of the story?

Battlestar Galactica (newer version) - October 23
Unlike the original series, the new Battlestar Galactica incorporates female characters in a variety of different roles. What attitudes, overall, does the series express toward femininity in general? Does Number Six do anything to alter the traditional “femme fatale” archetype, or is she simply a sex object to draw in viewers? Is Starbuck a progressive representation of a female character or simply a masculinized woman? What about the president? How does her femininity contrast with the masculinity of the military leaders she competes with? Does the show establish a binary where politics are characterized as feminine, military order masculine? How does the recurrent theme of motherhood factor in, particularly within an apocalyptic/post-human context?

Radiohead – OK Computer - October 30
This is a very, very tricky one. Address the attitudes expressed toward technology in Radiohead’s 1997 album, OK Computer. You may focus on individual songs, or may look at the album as a cohesive concept. I am specifically interested in concepts of externalization and alienation and how technology accomplishes these things in the eyes of the band. Do not focus simply on the lyrics, but integrate the musical expression as well and the role that it plays in accomplishing specific emotional arguments (pathos) in simpatico with the singing. As a work of art, what is this album trying to express, and where does technology fit within that vision. Finally, consider whether or not this album qualifies as a Science Fiction text. If it does, why? If it doesn’t, what is it?

Reboot - November 6
The television series Reboot seeks to personify the internal workings of the basic computer system. Things that are traditionally considered lifeless and mundane are wholly animated and placed within an epic struggle between good and evil. How well does this construct hold together? What attitudes does Reboot take toward the computer system? Does the show attempt to valorize the computer, or does it simply use the computer as a gimmick through which to set the fantasy? Finally, what is the mission statement of Reboot? If it seeks to change the world on some small level, what specifically does it want to accomplish?

Kino’s Journey (Kino no Tabi) - November 13
Easily one of the most thoughtful anime series ever produced, Kino’s Journey plays off Steampunk concepts of localized history, and the philosophical aspect of technological advancement. Consider how the series utilizes geographical space as historical space. Kino travels from town to town. Some have developed super-intelligent cyborgs while others are still working on the basic principles of flight. What is the series trying to express through this sort of spatial/temporal arrangement? Why not just have Kino travel around contemporary Japan? Also, consider the incorporation of history and mythology throughout the series. Why does Kino relive key historical events? Simply put, where are we in Kino’s world? Define the nuances of Kino’s concept of “travel.”

Final Fantasy VII - November 20
Speaking of “thoughtful,” Final Fantasy VII may be the first video game to advance a complex moral philosophy. Sadly, I’m not interested in that at the moment. Consider FFVII within the context of SF fusion. How does the game incorporate various SF elements (from a variety of SF sub-genres) alongside concepts such as magic and mythology (traditionally held to be external from the SF genre)? How well does this fusion hold together, and if forced to classify the video game (which is exactly what I’m asking you to do now), does it lean more toward fantasy or SF and why?

Cowboy BeBop - November 27
In many ways, Cowboy BeBop defies definition. Let’s move beyond fusion here, though, and consider the role of cultural importation and utilization. Specifically, I am interested in how a Japanese series utilizes two American cultural artifacts (Jazz and the Western) as the key components in an anime? What happens to Jazz and the Western when filtered and reproduced through a Japanese cultural context? Is this distortion, homage, satire, or something that we don’t yet have a word for? Consider what happens to Pastiche as culture becomes increasingly global and less internalized. Where might this be a good thing and where might this be a bad thing?