IML 295: Race, Class and Gender in Digital Culture
Units: 4.0
Spring 2020—Thursdays 13:00 – 15:50
Location: SCI L105
Course Website: iml295.com
Instructor: Kiki Benzon
Office: SCI 101G
Office/Skype: by appointment
Email: kbenzon@cinema.usc.edu (48 hrs. response)
Skype Handle: kiki-benzon
Teaching Assistant: Szilvia Ruszev
Email: ruszev@usc.edu
Course Description
This course examines the historical and cultural contexts of race, gender, and class and their influence upon and expression within our ever-expanding (post-)digital environment. The class is geared toward undergraduate students who are interested in developing a foundational understanding of these dynamic and contested spaces and discourses. As with most Media Arts + Practice courses, students will put into “practice” the concepts and theories we encounter in critical readings and in our analyses of films, television shows, online content, and other media-rich artifacts. Using a range of digital modalities, students will produce a set of creative works that critically engage with the problematics of diversity, difference, intersectionality, and power. Our deliberations and creations will be enriched by guest practitioners working at the intersection of cultural politics and the digital arts.
Learning Objectives
- understanding of the fundamental discourses on gender, race, and class in relation to historical, political, and economic narratives and counter-narratives
- awareness of how these discourses inform contemporary political discourse, particularly in online and digitally inflected environments
- competency in web design, video editing software, DIY apps, and media-rich authoring tools
- participation in online discussions and interventions related to gender, race, class, sexuality, identity, social stratification, and corporatism
- educated imaginings of digital futures through films, literature, and critical theory on posthumanism, cyberpunk, and digital diaspora
Technological Proficiency and Hardware/Software Required
It is recommended that students have access to a laptop computer for time spent in the classroom; we will, however, in most classes be using no personal computing devices. Bring pen and paper.
Required Readings and Supplementary Materials
Readings will be available on the course website, iml295.com. Required films and television shows will be screened in class; for other viewing assignments, students will normally be given a choice of works, to allow for different or limited access to video content. As occasional video content, apps, etc. may be required, and in lieu of purchasing course textbooks, students should budget about 30$ for expenses.
Description and Assessment of Assignments
Students will submit at least five critical comments (20%) to the course website, iml295.com; comments (300-400 words) should be posted by noon on the day before class (i.e., Wednesdays). The five comments that earn the highest grades will be counted toward the 20% total mark. The comments should present an analysis of arguments/ideas communicated in the week’s reading assignments. Assigned viewing and anecdotal material may be integrated, but the assigned readings should be central to the commentary. Worth 4% each, comments will be evaluated in terms of their clarity, accuracy, critical engagement, and intellectual verve.
In the short paper (25%) you will offer a critical argument and analysis on a subject related to themes and ideas in the course. You will choose from a set of paper topics that will be provided several weeks before the paper is due. Papers should be 1200-1500 words in length and adhere to MLA, APA, or Chicago style for research papers.
Later on in the term, students will give a digital disruption presentation (10%) in the pecha kucha format. This will involve identifying a specific website, individual, collective or other kind of online presence that has (successfully, in your estimation) used the affordances of digitality to resist a particular cultural problem related to race, class, or gender.
A major deliverable for the course is the collaborative media-rich zine (35%). Students will work in groups over about two months to design and fashion a digital zine around a theme related to race, class, or gender. As is the “convention” in an unconventional genre, the form and features of the zine can be “raw,” but the use of multiple media forms is a requirement.
Participation (10%) will be based on the student’s level of engagement with ideas and themes in the course, as demonstrated by thoughtful and constructive contributions to class discussion and questions posed to one another and guest speakers. Through peer critique, students will gain experience scrutinizing and commenting on each other’s work in thoughtful and constructive ways. Students can also participate by responding to peer entries on the course website, bringing to our attention course-related events or resources, or anything else that will extend our understanding of cultural politics and digitality.
Assessment of Assignments
| Assignment | % of Grade |
| Digital Disruption | 10 |
| Short Paper | 25 |
| Critical Comments (5) | 20 |
| Collaborative Media-rich Zine | 35 |
| Participation | 10 |
Assignment Submission Policy
Assignments submitted after the deadline will be subject to a one letter-grade penalty per day late.
Grading Timeline
I will endeavor to return graded assignments within two weeks of submission; this may take longer if I am away at a conference.
Attendance Policy
MA+P classes depend on group work and in-class critique, which makes attendance crucial. You are expected to be present for every scheduled class session. If you must miss a class, please be sure to get any notes and assignments from a classmate so you do not fall behind.
Students are allowed two absences before a reduction in grade. Tardiness or leaving class early for (0 to 15 minutes) will be considered ½ an absence. Missing more than 30 minutes of a class is considered an absence. After your second absence, each additional absence will lower your final grade by 5%.
Grading Scale
| Grade | % |
| A | 95-100 |
| A- | 90-94 |
| B+ | 87-89 |
| B | 83-86 |
| B- | 80-82 |
| C+ | 77-79 |
| C | 73-76 (minimum passing grade for MA+P majors) |
| C- | 70-72 |
| D+ | 67-69 |
| D | 63-66 |
| D- | 60-62 (minimum passing grade for USC) |
| F | 49 and below |
Course Schedule
The following weekly schedule is subject to change. Please consult the course website, IML295.com, for the most current information, assignments and due dates.
Week 1: January 16
| Topics | introduction to the course and ourselves |
| Screening | Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) 110 min. |
Week 2: January 23
| Topics | identity, intersectionality, digital culture |
| Prepare | Slack, Jennifer Daryl and J. Macgregor Wise. “Identity Matters” and “Challenging Identity.” Culture and Technology. Peter Lang, 2005. 149-172.
Baer, Hester. “Redoing feminism: digital activism, body politics, and neoliberalism.” Feminist Media Studies. 16.1 (2016): 17–34. |
Week 3: January 30
| Topics | transmedia, social media, activism |
| Prepare | Johnson, Hayley. “#NoDAPL: Social Media, Empowerment, and Civic Participation at Standing Rock,” Library Trends. 66.2 (Fall 2017): 155-175.
Visit http://www.priyashakti.com/about/ ; http://invisiblechildren.com/ ; https://www.civicimaginationproject.org/ |
Week 4: February 6
| Topic | cybernetic capitalism, corporatization, power |
| Prepare | Dyer-Witherford, Nick. “Circulation.” Cyber-Proletariat: Global Labour in the Digital Vortex. Toronto: Pluto Press, 2015. 81-101.
Watch The Corporation (Jane Akre et al, 2004) OR Requiem for an American Dream (Noam Chomsky / Peter Hutchison, 2015) OR Hypernormalization (Adam Curtis, 2017) |
| Screening | Sleep Dealer (Alex Rivera, 2009) 90 min. |
Week 5: February 13
| Topics | algorithmic bias, facial recognition software |
| Prepare | Safiya Noble, “A Society, Searching,” Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. NYU Press, 2018. (Chapter One)
Buolamwini, Joy and Timnit Gebru, “Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification.” Proceedings of Machine Learning Research. 81. (2018): 1–15. |
Week 6: February 20
| Topics | online communities, polarization |
| Prepare | Everett, Anna. “’Have we Become Post-Racial Yet?’ Race and Media Technologies in the Age of President Obama.” Race After the Internet. Lisa Nakamura, ed. Routledge, 2012. 147-167.
Khazon, Olga. “The Tech White Power Used to Go Viral.” The Atlantic. Nov 12, 2016. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/11/how-white-power-went-viral/507473/ |
Week 7: February 27
| Topics | gender, technology, industry |
| Prepare | Hicks, Marie. “De-Brogramming the History of Computing.” IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. 35.1 (2013) 88–87.
Conger, Kate. “Exclusive: Here’s the full 10-Page Anti-Diversity Screen Circulating Internally at Google [Updated]” Gizmodo. August 5, 2017. |
| Screening | “Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency.” (s01e08, 2014) 29 min.; “The Lady.” (s02e04, 2015) 28 min. Silicon Valley. (HBO, 2014-) |
Week 8: March 5
| Topics | cyberpunk, “high-tech Orientalism” |
| Prepare | Chun, Wendy. “Orienting the Future.” Control and Freedom: Power and Paranoia in the Age of Fiber Optics. MIT, 2006. 171-246. |
| Screening | The Ghost in the Shell (Mamuro Oshii, 1995) 85 min. |
| Deliverable | short paper due (25%) |
Week 9: March 12
| Topics | collaborative media-rich zine |
| Prepare | read/experience selection of zines |
| Activities | group work |
Week 10: March 19
Spring Recess – No Class
Week 11: March 26
| Topics | coalition-building, black lives matter |
| Prepare | Hooker, Juliet. “Black Lives Matter and the Paradoxes of U.S. Black Politics: From Democratic Sacrifice to Democratic Repair.” Political Theory 44.4. (2016): 448–469.
Watch I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck, 2016) OR 13th (Ava DuVernay, 2016) (both on Netflix) |
Week 12: April 2
| Topics | digital disruptions |
| Prepare | TBA |
| Activity | digital disruptions pecha kucha talks (10%) |
Week 13: April 9
| Topics | interactive media, games, representation |
| Prepare | Bertozzi, Elena. “Marking Territory: Grand Theft Auto as a Playground for Masculinity.” Social Exclusion, Power, and Video Game Play. David Embrick et al. eds. 2012. 3-22.
Shaw, Adrienne. “Do You Identify as a Gamer? Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Gamer Identity.” New Media & Society. 14.1 (2012): 28–44. Play or watch a few Let’s Plays and/or playthroughs of Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar Games, 2013) |
Week 14: April 16
| Topics | extraction and labor in media production and consumption |
| Prepare | Crawford, Kate and Vladan Joler. “Anatomy of an AI System: The Amazon Echo As An Anatomical Map of Human Labor, Data and Planetary Resources.” AI Now Institute and Share Lab. (September 7, 2018). https://anatomyof.ai/ |
Week 15: April 23
| Topics | wearable technologies |
| Prepare | Granny-Francis, Ann. “From extension to engagement: mapping the imaginary of wearable technology.” visual communication. 7.3 (2008): 363–382.
Elman, Julie. ‘“Find Your Fit”: Wearable technology and the cultural politics of disability.’ new media & society. 20.10 (2018): 3760–3777. |
Week 16: April 30
| Topics | group presentations collaborative media-rich zine (draft) |
| Activity / Deliverable | group presentations collaborative media-rich zine (draft) (10%) |
Finals Week
| Deliverable | collaborative media-rich zine due (25%) |
ACADEMIC POLICIES
Diversity Statement
Diversity and Inclusion are foundational to the SCA community. We are committed to fostering a welcoming and supportive environment where students of all identities and backgrounds can flourish. The classroom should be a space for open discussion of ideas and self-expression; however, SCA will not tolerate verbal or written abuse, threats, harassment, intimidation or violence against person or property. If students are concerned about these matters in the classroom setting they are encouraged to contact their SCA Diversity and Inclusion Liaison, http://cinema.usc.edu/about/diversity.cfm; e-mail diversity@cinema.usc.edu. You can also report discrimination based on a protected class here https://equity.usc.edu/harassment-or-discrimination/.
Academic Conduct
Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Part B, Section 11, “Behavior Violating University Standards” https://policy.usc.edu/scampus-part-b/. Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university policies on scientific misconduct, http://policy.usc.edu/scientific-misconduct.
Statement on Fair Use
Fair use is a legal principle that defines certain limitations on the exclusive rights of copyright holders. MA+P projects are produced with fair use doctrines in mind using its four pillars: (1) the purpose and character of use, (2) the nature of the copyrighted work, (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole, and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. Generally speaking, this means you must only use as much of a copyrighted work as is necessary to make your point, and you must cite your sources accordingly.
Citation Guidelines
We assert that work produced in our classes is covered under the Doctrine of Fair Use. In order to make this claim, however, all projects must include academically appropriate citations in the form of a References section, which covers all sources, in order to receive a passing grade. The References section is either included in the project itself or as a separate document, as appropriate. For citation purposes, we follow Kairos Journal of Rhetoric, Technology and Pedagogy style guide; Kairos uses APA format, which is slightly modified and whose general guidelines and specific examples may be found here: http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/styleguide.html#apa
Computer Code
Computer code is often shared and reused. This is appropriate in a MA+P course unless otherwise directed by the assignment. If you do use code, you should attribute it. Please follow these protocols from MIT which call for placing a comment in one’s code with a URL to the original source, a note if it was adapted, and the date of retrieval: https://integrity.mit.edu/handbook/writing-code
Research
Need to do research but don’t know where to start? Searching for a book, article, or data to support your argument? Not sure how to cite a source in your bibliography? Ask a librarian!
Research help is available:
- In person and by phone, chat and email at Ask a Librarian
- Through research guides and FAQs
- By contacting your subject librarian
Disruptive Student Behavior
Behavior that persistently or grossly interferes with classroom activities is considered disruptive behavior and may be subject to disciplinary action. Such behavior inhibits other students’ ability to learn and an instructor’s ability to teach. A student responsible for disruptive behavior may be required to leave class pending discussion and resolution of the problem and may be reported to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs for disciplinary action.
Support Systems
Student Health Counseling Services – (213) 740-7711 – 24/7 on call
engemannshc.usc.edu/counseling
Free and confidential mental health treatment for students, including short-term psychotherapy, group counseling, stress fitness workshops, and crisis intervention.
Student Health Leave Coordinator – 213-821-4710
Located in the USC Support and Advocacy office, the Health Leave Coordinator processes requests for health leaves of absence and advocates for students taking such leaves when needed.
https://policy.usc.edu/student-health-leave-absence/
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1 (800) 273-8255 – 24/7 on call
Free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Services (RSVP) – (213) 740-4900 – 24/7 on call
Free and confidential therapy services, workshops, and training for situations related to gender-based harm.
Office of Equity and Diversity (OED) | Title IX – (213) 740-5086
equity.usc.edu, titleix.usc.edu
Information about how to get help or help a survivor of harassment or discrimination, rights of protected classes, reporting options, and additional resources for students, faculty, staff, visitors, and applicants. The university prohibits discrimination or harassment based on the following protected characteristics: race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, genetic information, and any other characteristic which may be specified in applicable laws and governmental regulations.
Bias Assessment Response and Support – (213) 740-2421
studentaffairs.usc.edu/bias-assessment-response-support
Avenue to report incidents of bias, hate crimes, and microaggressions for appropriate investigation and response.
The Office of Disability Services and Programs – (213) 740-0776
Support and accommodations for students with disabilities. Services include assistance in providing readers/notetakers/interpreters, special accommodations for test taking needs, assistance with architectural barriers, assistive technology, and support for individual needs.
USC Support and Advocacy – (213) 821-4710
Assists students and families in resolving complex personal, financial, and academic issues adversely affecting their success as a student.
Diversity at USC – (213) 740-2101
Information on events, programs and training, the Provost’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, Diversity Liaisons for each academic school, chronology, participation, and various resources for students.
USC Trojan Food Pantry
https://campusactivities.usc.edu/trojan-food-pantry/
Any currently enrolled USC student who does not have a dining hall meal plan or whose plan’s swipes have been fully used and is experiencing a food emergency/food insecurity qualify for the services of the Trojan Food Pantry.
USC Emergency – UPC: (213) 740-4321, HSC: (323) 442-1000 – 24/7 on call
dps.usc.edu, emergency.usc.edu
Emergency assistance and avenue to report a crime. Latest updates regarding safety, including ways in which instruction will be continued if an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible.
USC Department of Public Safety – UPC: (213) 740-6000, HSC: (323) 442-120 – 24/7 on call
Non-emergency assistance or information.
PLEASE NOTE:
FOOD AND DRINKS (OTHER THAN WATER) ARE NOT PERMITTED IN ANY INSTRUCTIONAL SPACES IN THE CINEMATIC ARTS COMPLEX
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