Tue. 9/5 Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility”

Imaginary Worlds Podcast, “1977”

In his “Theses on the Concept of History,” Walter Benjamin asks us to think about the ways in which historical narratives are (re)produced and consumed. (1) Who, for instance, are the victors of history; who gets left behind? (2) Who gets to define, label, and categorize time within the boundaries of history, and who does not? (3) How does dogmatism and ideology shape the frames through which we understand history? (4) How can we recover the lived, material experiences that are left out of history when it is only conceived of as progressive, or as marching toward some teleological end? (5) And, what is authenticity, and what are the mechanics of the constitution of perceived authenticity?

Ultimately, why might these questions be significant given our postcolonial focus on the Star Wars canon? While this is not a formal writing assignment, I would suggest preparing written comments (that may even include questions for further discussion) that you can rely upon during our conversation.

Thurs. 9/7 Edward Said, “Introduction” to Orientalism (.pdf pages 9-36).

Summary (required Writing Center consultation: www.mywco.com/vassar)

Summary writing requires that the reader separate main ideas from supporting details, thereby providing practice at finding the hierarchical structure of an essay. Moreover, it requires that readers suspend their own egocentrism, leaving out their own ideas in order to listen carefully to the author. For this assignment, you’ll craft a one page summary, which will be a restatement of the text’s main argument in your own words. You can write a summary, make an outline, or design a flowchart or a diagram of the reading. The purpose of this page is to help you understand as fully as possible the structure and details of Said’s argument. This page should help you recall the essay in some detail several weeks from now.

Your one-page summary (whatever form it takes) should illustrate that you:

• Understand the meaning. Look up words or concepts you don’t know so that you understand Wilde’s sentences and how they relate to one another.
• Understand the organization. Work through the text to identify its sections––single paragraphs or groups of paragraphs focused on a single topic. To understand how parts of a work relate to one another, try creating a reverse outline.
• Distill each section. Write a one or two-sentence summary of each section. Focus on the main point of the section, omitting example, facts, and other supporting evidence.
• State the main idea. Write a sentence or two capturing Said’s central idea.
• Support the main idea. Write a full paragraph (or more, if needed) that begins with the central idea and supports it with the sentences that summarize sections of the work. The paragraph should concisely and accurately state the thrust of the entire work.
• Use your own words. Re-create the meaning of the work in a way that makes sense for you and your reader.