• Naked Space: Spring 2004 Syllabus

• Reading Assignments:

  • Undergraduate, advanced reading

    1. Fifth draft Not so sure about this one because wonderwoman stands out. I'd like to tone her down. I don't have time for this. You guys have to get started putting your ideas together. Does anyone on campus know how to turn the Saville painting into background without letting the edges run over as they do here? In otehr words, help, I don't know what I'm doing. jeanne Link added March 30, 2004.

       Added Thrusday, April 1, 2004: How does this modern work by Julian Opie fit into the Naked Lady of the Mud Flaps issue?

    2. Added March 6, 2004. Searching for Couches Real and Metaphoric: An analysis of Visual Sociological Data Could you look around your own family and locate furnishings that provide history and links from your family's past to the present? Could you send each other photos and stories even if you can't cart the furniture around for memories?

    3. Added March 6, 2004. Defining Conservatism Using an article from the Forward (English edition of the venerable Yiddish socialist newspaper from New York.), we look closely at the definition of conservative. There are also sources listed from a Google search on concervative (right) vs. progressive (left)

    4. Added March 3, 2004. Driving Without Sleep: A Crime? Put up a whole piece on the importance of sleep and driving. Considered sleep deprivation as criminal negligence in driving, and explored the complications of such a move. Also whole piece on the role of the infrastructure in our perception of "tiredness." Suggestions on how to develop as a project.

    5. Added February 29, 2004. The Photo Essay and the Culture of Communication. This is an example of an interactive photo essay presentation on the internet and in live venues. They may be in San Francisco at the IVSA in August. Would like to have Naked Space submit project for that venue; deadline is March 15, 2004. Contact jeanne immediately. E-mail. or try 323-876-1389.

    6. Added February 29, 2004. Abstract Art and Meaning and Expression This piece makes the argument for a kind of interpassivity in which the art stands on its own. Discussion questions included.
    7. The Banana Split Story on theory and nutrition. Explaining theory tools.
       
    8. Dramatization of Racial and Creation Issues. This lecture deals with the affect created by such discussions (Director Sherin's bag is packed and he's outta there.). That affect alone suggests that we're dealing with informal norms and many unstated assumptions that need to be stated before healing can begin. Lecture nowhere near complete yet, but offers you a chance for input.
    9. Image as Thought and Afterthought: Reconsidering the Visual Substance of Social Research by Jon Wagner, former President of International Visual Sociology Associatioin. Discussion of abstract of his speech, with emphasis in fitting our exhibits into the association's patterns.
    10. Added February 25, 2004. The Surprising Abiding Opposites Essay on living with opposites up tomorrow. Essay from the Exhibit Itself up.
    11. Added February 26, 2004. Monarch Butterflies and Rescuing Their Habitat A wonderful example of an actual project in Michoacan, Mexico, that invites your participation AND would work wonderfully for a project in our spring exhibit.
    12. Thinking Positively and the Other This is a backup of a NY Times Magazine article on thinking positively in order to overcome obstacles, including illness. I'll get up an essay on it soon. I'm hopin that you will begin to see that "thinking positively" has as many perspectives as "being a grumpy, nasty person." I'd like to see this developed into a project for the exhibit.

  • Graduate reading, with theory and project discussion

    Added April 16, 2004: Motivation Includes references you should recognize to Rotter, Maslow, Baudrillard, etc. Pretty readable. Good reference. Backup. Select Mm from the Index and then scroll to Motivation.

    Added April 16, 2004: The Hawthorne defect: Persistence of a flawed theory By Berkeley Rice. “Like other hallowed but unproven concepts in psychology, the so-called Hawthorne effect has a life of its own.” Backup

    Hawthorne Effect Supported Like Whorf's Language as a cloak, this research shows more than one perspective.

    Added April 16, 2004: The Symbolic Approach to Physical Environments Discussion questions up soon. jeanne

    1. Added February 28, 2004. Friendship in Social Theory. I've added this to the graduate section only because the inclusion of friendship and social theory is new for us. But it's such a major issue that some of you may want to work on it for a project. Lecture up soon; but there are some great sources you may want to start with. jeanne

    2. Added February 28, 2004. WochenKlauser: Activist Art Fits with Beuys and conceptual art.

    3. Interpassivity and Interactivity This is a backup with original source URL of an article by Robert Pfaller. I'll upload a lecture, schedule discussions, and would like to see this interpreted in a project in the exhibit.

    4. Added February 26, 2004. On understanding Beuys and Art as Expression Lecture up soon. See also on Beuys

    5. Added February 28, 2004. Art Transformed by Understanding and Cynicism More on conceptual art, including a New Zealand artist who tried to capture religious faith in his art. timely as Mel Gibson's Passion is just coming out.

    6. Added February 27, 2004. Ideology and Social Theory Lecture and sources. Discussion questions up soon.

• Class objectives:

  • See Syllabus for Naked Space Exhibit Class, Spring 2004

• Reading Assignments:

  • Added April 11, 2004: Comparing Durkheim and Marx Study module for M.A. qualifying exams in theory.

  • Added April 2, 2004. Have question on Durkheim and Marx from Mary Conner.

    Question: how to compare Durkheim's and Marx concerns with society. how does each view inequality differently?

    jeanne's quick answer: Mary, Thanks for reminding me. I need more time to hunt for the theory stuff I did last semester. But a quick answer to your question is that Durkheim saw social stratification and inequality as natural results of society, and he wasn't to worried about them. He was just interested in figuring out social indicators, the better to understand society. Marx, on the other hand, was terribly frustrated by inequality and what he considered exploitation of those who have not by those who have. Marx looked beyond the figures and social indicators to the real people whom he believed should rise up in revolution against the exploitations.

    Does this help? jeanne

  • Added April 11, 2004: Micro and Macro Sociology Study Module for M.A. qualifying exams in methods.

  • Added March 21, 2004 Deviance and Conformity Suggestions for a project on deviance. See also: Interpassivity and Depression, since I find that the degree of engagement with the exterior world has great effect on both deviance and depression. More details later. jeanne

  • Added March 3, 2004. Driving Without Sleep: A Crime? Put up a whole piece on the importance of sleep and driving. Considered sleep deprivation as criminal negligence in driving, and explored the complications of such a move. Also whole piece on the role of the infrastructure in our perception of "tiredness." Suggestions on how to develop as a project. Follow the discussion questions for information on methodology.

  • The Banana Split Story on theory and nutrition. Explaining theory tools. Read especially for the comparison of Durkheim, Weber, and Marx. E-mail any questions.
    

  • Added February 27, 2004. Ideology and Social Theory Lecture and sources. Discussion questions up soon. Look for parallels in what this tells us about our methodology.

• Class objectives:

  My specialties include classical and modern theory, methodology, statistics, feminist theory, social theory (including philosophy), law and social justice, and different approaches to research and to understanding Others and the social world in which we live. Most of our prep classes consist of my answering questions for you, as best I can, given my perspective of social theory and research. I prefer to spend some of our time giving you an actual chance to write out answers in order to discourage memorization. Comprehensive exams leave you considerable room to innovate and be creative. Memorizing texts is a poor study habit and a risky approach to the actual stress and anxiety of the exams. The worst exams I've ever graded showed clear signs of someone memorizing textual material. If you need specific topics explained or covered, it would be both good and considerate to let me know. jeanne

Notes:

Jeanne and Pat are not on campus full time during the Spring Semester. The only courses available are the Spring 2004 Naked Space Exhibit (Soc. 395) and the Graduate Comprehensive Exam Preps. Jeanne plans to be on Wednesdays, afternoon and early evening. Pat may have a slightly different schedule. We'll post schedules as soon as we talk to everyone.

E-mail is the best way to reach me, especially now that my ISP is fixed. The phones aren't fixed yet, but they are next on the list. I caught an awful virus on the way home, and still sound horrible, though I'm sure I'm not contagious anymore. Once I realized there was nothing much I could do about either the ISP or the virus, I went to sleep with my two kitty cats and had a wonderful vacation. See you soon, and we'll make up for lost time. jeanne