The "Students-Only" Webspace

SIGNIFIER: On Tuesday, it was ME! I have dark hair (very dark brown, except for those strands of gray that Michael *oddly* does not have - hmmmm . . . wonder how he does that?), extremely pale face, hair so curly that it could almost pass for Jerri-Curled with the right amount of hair lotion (although lately he's straightened his), a special red jacket covered with zippers and raised to the elbows, black flood pants, Bass Weejuns, white socks, the dance moves (if somewhat awkwardly presented (it's HARD to do in those loafers: really).

Anyway, I was DOING the signifying on Tuesday, when I donned the "Michael Jackson" signifying tools [and used those that were already available [hair color, pale skin, etc]. I was, as African American slang puts it, "signifying." (Although that word slang word has richer meaning than just the academic one. It is not necessary to go into it here.) I was the SENSORY IMAGE of the sign "Michael Jackson." But I was NOT, of course, the referent Michael Joseph Jackson, born August 29, Gary Indiana (with, his mother reported, "a funny shaped head). I was born three and half weeks later in Queens, New York. The signifiers, are nevertheless, pretty much the same.

Pop culture (and art) are all signs and NO referents.
SIGNIFIED: What is signified is the MEANING "Michael Jackson" has or had in different contexts: from time to time, culture to culture, and even from person to person.
By the way, in 1993 and '94, the police dept. of L.A. and sheriff's dept. of Santa Barbara Counties. along with their respective D.A.'s offices, WERE indeed interested in the referent and his activities. All WE knew, though, is what we read in the papers and saw on TV, even about that. (Juries have the same problem; they are confronted ONLY with signs, not referents. They are NOT to pay attention to any evidence they come across outside of the courtroom, even though it may get to the "truth" of a case. The court is interested only in the truth as it exists in courtroom-delivered signs, not in factual truth.
On very rare occasions, an individual will be declared "factually innocent," which is vastly different from "not guilty." It means the person really didn't do it; in this case, the referent: the real crime, sneaks into a courtroom. This is, though, a very rare happenstance.

STUDY GUIDE BELOW:

Study Guide: (Almost) Last Addition --

The last week will have an objective quiz on Tuesday, and a critical analysis on Thursday. These are not final exams -- just classroom exercises. They are, though, worth a significant portion of your grade, and I will be there to help you every step of the way. As Dr. Bedell originally planned for the course (and I decided to maintain), there will be no final exam. I will be "uptown" - right near Cedars-Sinai Medical Center that week for my dad's surgery, and it will be difficult to reach me until I get back home. If you have a make-up that still hasn't been turned in (with permission to wait this long, of course), please do so on Tuesday, Dec. 4, so that I can have it safely at home and not in the hotel with me. The critical essays, will be in the hotel, and they will be under lock and key. (Unlike our fun-loving ex-Pres. Bill Clinton, who once lost a whole classful of papers when he was a young law professor, I do not lose papers. Fear not. But I'd rather have the make-ups at home so as not to cause confusion, and to put them in the proper stack of papers for computer grade entry.)

For the critical essay on Thursday, Dec. 6: you can choose one (or a combination, if you feel you can handle it) of four (4) methods to critically analyze the cultural object of YOUR CHOICE. (You get to play critic. Remember Lester Bangs's advice to the young rock writer: "be honest, and be merciless." You can, have some mercy, if you so choose, but above all, DO be honest and tough-minded with your cultural object. Remember: culture MATTERS! It can help change the world, in my view. But that's just my view; if you can take that argument apart, fine.) You may, additionally, incorporate some of the concepts introduced earlier in the semester, but you must use one of these four: 1) The Effects approach (which suggests that children, teens, and even some adults are blank slates upon which all sorts of media mayhem (violence as well as "positive messages" - whatever those are) write their nasty deeds), 2) the rock critical approach, which is really myth-symbol analysis (which, in turn, is really the American Studies approach -- American Studies-style critics try to find literature, film, or music that symbolizes "America" or American themes): the web site should have a link to an example of this sort of writing, or I will simply read some of it to you in class to refresh your memory - and to excite the critical imagination, 3) Cultural Studies, which incorporates an eccentric reading of Marx and an emphasis on power relations in society into a critique of culture, and 4) Signs, structuralism, and semiotics (and maybe a little post-structuralism). This we will do on the day we return (Tues., Nov. 27). It will be only a BASIC run-through of this approach, and I WILL NOT expect sophisticated expertise. We will have a log of that day's notes on this site after class. I don't know how much I can or want to cram into an hour and fifteen minute class. I had hoped for two days, and was shocked to find that we got the WHOLE week of Thanksgiving off. It blew a hole through my plans for two days on semiotics and structuralism, but we'll get enough in for you to use it in your analysis and for you to understand the concepts for future use in other contexts. If you just get the basic ideas of these approaches (and, if you think you can pull it off, you may combine approaches or compare and contrast -- the analysis is very flexible because I want it to be a lot of fun for you when you write it and for me when I read it! So, don't worry; I will make sure the study guide is available from any computer in the world with a 'net connection. The guide will be on paper if I can get it too you on time, at least in time for the critical analysis. The concepts on the last quiz should be straightforward, and I am at the desk at your disposal the whole time. DO NOT RUSH. Take your time, especially with the first one. Don't try to impress others by rushing out. It's not impressive, and only hurts your chances at a good grade. So please, stick around and feel free to ask me to clarify any question. If I think a question is unfair (and you will have to use e-mail this time to make your cases; if I get enough well-argued cases about a certain question, I'll toss out any "wrong" answers, as before). As for the essay: well, just have fun and ENJOY and BE PASSIONATE about your subject and about your argument.

There will also be a "surprise" announced in class on Tuesday; it will involve a sort of "reward" for the very best critical analysis in the class. If it's a tie, of course, both will be recognized and treated as such. Your particpation will only be with your permission, but it has . . . uh, something to do with electronic publication. I will say no more. (As I am the editor of the electronic publication in question, do not worry about spelling or grammar errors in your blue book. The most important thing is that you use your own words, thoughts, and insights for the analysis; this is what will make it great. In class (do not write with "publication," electronic or otherwise in mind; write for the classroom exercise ONLY), I expect you to use ONLY your own words, warts and all. Bring a dictionary if you are, like me and so many other folks, a chronically lousy speller; and use the best grammar you know how to use, and no more or less than that -- I DO NOT TAKE POINTS OFF FOR GRAMMAR OR SPELLING, SO USE ONLY YOUR OWN WORDS, except for quotations that are properly attributed to their source); I also wear an editing cap work in a different capacity. If you do not wish your work to be edited or altered in any way before its journey to worldwide exposure, you may also specify that.

There's no reason you can't start writing notes for the essay before you come to class because it's open note and open book -- you can bring anything you want (excepting noisy electronic devices like headphones or clicky keyboards [most keyboards are somewhat clicky, so can the idea of bringing a laptop unless it is COMPLETELY silent]), but you must USE YOUR OWN WORDS. That's all I ask. I don't penalize grammar or spelling. (And I used no spell checker while writing the final version of this GIDE. {JOKE} {Oh, for those as crummy at spelling as I am, it's "guide," of course. My point here is that while you should hone your writing skills so that you express yourself as clearly as possible, spelling, and to a lesser extent, grammar, do NOT indicate any surplus or lack of intellectual prowess. If you're grammar is really poor, you're going to have a hard time conveying your ideas to others on paper; if that's a problem, you should make it a priority to work on it and do whatever is necessary to improve it.}

This is the basic outline for both the 20 question quiz and the critical analysis. No additional substantive material will be added. There is no final exam, and the analysis is not a final exam. These assignments are worth no more or less than the other previous two. The only difference is that if you miss these last tests, you will need an exceptional reason and will have to take an incomplete if the reason is acceptable. You need to contact me 48 hours BEFORE these tests (because I am leaving for Cedars-Sinai Hospital for my father's surgery as soon as class lets out on the last Thursday of the regular semester. As I said, there will be no exam, so I will not be here on exam week. I will not even be at home, so all you can do is phone the office. I will probably check my messages, but things will be so hectic at that time (the surgery is the following morning, starting at 5 AM check-in) that I can't promise that I will be able to do so until things have settled down. It will be BEST to contact me BEFORE the exam with whatever serious emergency befalls you or a first degree family member. (No: "Granny" is not a first degree family member unless she raised you, and in any case, that's a tacky way of speaking of a recently passed parent-surrogate, so please don't flippantly say, as one student actually did a few years ago, "Granny died." I gave her the slack anyway for her late paper and accepted it, but I waited until she called [rather than the scribbled note on her faxed paper - you get the idea].) "OLD" Study Guide: for mid-term quiz and written blue book essay
Mini-Xtra Credit Assignment - Due Oct. 2, Tues., after the Holiday.
There was no class on Thurs., Sept. 27, due to the Yom Kippur holiday.

THURSDAY TEST INFORMATION:On Tuesday, we will have a FULL review of all material on the first quiz (an objective mult. choice-true/false quiz with 20 questions). If it's not covered in the study guide and review, you will not be tested on it. If I accidentally include a question that was not covered, it will expunged from the test and you will NOT be responsible for it. As with all major tests, this one is a quarter of your grade. If you have a serious emergency, you must contact me within 48 hours of the exam (except for the last quizzes: with those, you must get in touch with me BEFORE the exercises, not after, since I won't be available for a week due to the family emergency that I explained to the class), AND (at the end, try to provide this via FAX, or drop off a photocopy of it at the office: put it in my box) provide adequate, up to date, and COMPLETE DOCUMENTATION of your emergency, signed off by a physician or member of the Clergy (with contact information on these individuals who signed - I need a phone number and address, so it would be best to have your doctor use his prescription pad, and to remind him to date it and give some detail as to why you were too ill to make it to class; as for Clergy, I'd like to know both the phone number and address of the House of Worship and the name and official position of the Cleryperson, so the documentation can be verified). I don't mean to make too big a deal about this, but you know how exam time can be. It can be very stressful and some folks like to try to get out of it. Believe me, any make-up will not be worth the time and trouble compared to just taking the test. It will be easier, and it will be over, and you'll be much happier. I can almost promise that. If, though, you DO have a real and legitimate emergency, and absolutely cannot come, we will come up with a back-up plan, or at the end, you would have to take an incomplete. I will only give "I"'s under EXTREME circumstances, so it is MUCH better to do the work in class and get it over with.

A FULL study guide for the first part of the class is posted at the address "OLD" Study Guide: for mid-term quiz and written blue book essay

The point here is that in this very diverse society - diverse in terms of class, race, sexuality, gender, age, and other factors -- no single set of characteristics can work. I missed its importance to the essay because, frankly it didn't interest me nearly as much as his initial description of how he watched Batman with his parents at the age of 7. His description parrallels mine almost identically, and this is what pulled me in, and this is what I took as most significant. Not being a gay man, I could not see Batman through his eyes until I really forced myself to look. And this is the problem with looking at "popular" culture as one culture. It is not. Lester Bangs, the great rock critic featured in the film Almost Famous once said "we will never agree on anything as we agreed on Elvis." Boy, was he wrong! Who is this "we" who agreed so readily? Lots of people despised Elvis; in fact more people probably hated him, for DIFFERENT REASONS, than there were those who liked him! Bangs simply doesn't get it. I refer you to a song by the group "Public Enemy." "Elvis was a hero to most; he didn't mean {expletive deleted} to me." Bangs just didn't know. Doesn't make him any kind of "bigot," but it does expose his assumption that young (the "baby boomers," when he wrote this), middle class white culture was the ONLY one worth taking into considerarion. This is something you need to think about when you write your essays.

Go to this slide show on "power" as it is usually defined by the great theorist Max Weber and his followers (and I count myself among those who admire his model of power relations, bureaucracy, authority, and the difference between rational and irrational social action):

Power Slide Show
PLEASE use the latest version of Internet Explorer (at least those above versions 5.x) to properly view the show. Netscape requires a special "plug-in" to see the show properly (or at all), and you may not get all the advantages, such as the notes in the bottom frame (which can be moved up and down, using your cursor.) Any technical questions, please come to my office, and I'll show you how to use it! If you can't do that, e-mail me and I will try to answer all your questions that way! Another way is to leave your phone number (and a convenient time to call) in an e-mail so that I can call you to help you as you navigate the slide show. We will have several of these - and much else - throughout the semester, so get on board now!

1. I appreciate your input and help; please try to do it the right way
2. Put the suggestion in a sealed envelope, EVEN if you have something wonderful to say you'd like to see a lot more of.
3. Put the suggestion in my box in the office. Do not leave them around on tables, please.
4. I'd prefer, regardless of whether the suggestion is of a positive or negative nature, for you to TYPE your suggestion. I don't want you to use this to, how shall I say? - well, heck, to "suck up" to the instructor. I want you to feel free to vent, if necessary, but you can try to make the critique as constructive and helpful as possible by offering alternatives that you'd like. I won't do everything that's requested, but your suggestion will do many things: it will let me know the class better as a class; it will make it a better, more student-oriented class, and it will make the class a democracy rather than a dictatorship. It is my class; I do set the tone and structure - BUT, you WILL have a voice in how this class works, and that voice will be accorded serious attention. I ask my students to respect me, so I think it only fair that I respect your needs and desires as well. So really, this is OUR class, not just "mine," and not just yours, but OUR class, and together, we're going to make it as great as it can be! I never want you to forget this class. I want it to stand out for you as one of your warmest memories of Cal State Fullerton. So, any input you can offer is welcomed.
5. Do try to be polite. Not all classes, remember, are quite this democratic - and this is an experiment in making them more so. Help to make this a success. Try not to kick around the process by allowing legitimate venting to turn into a forum for letting out all bottled up feelings. Once you tell me something, I WILL get the message and I will act on it in one way or another to make the class better. There's something you may not know: sometimes I do things in class for reasons you don't know. Feel free to ask me WHY I do something with which you may or may not agree. That would be TREMENDOUSLY helpful to this process. In other words, there is often a "method to my madness." {Hey! It's an just an expression.) :-)
6. Do NOT let this stop you from developing NAMED (and FACED!) mentoring relationships with me!!! Visit me in my office, often. I want to get to know YOU. E-mail me; many students are already making me a vertitable expert on the band "Tool" {grin} as well as a number of other pop cultural concerns. If you have a personal problem, let me know, and I'll try to refer you to help and assistance. This has already taken place with a few students who will forever remain nameless (in any public forum). (Warning: story coming on . . .) I'm here for ONE reason; I love working with students. I had a couple of choices late this summer, and I chose YOU over petty disagreements that I now realize weren't worth the time, effort, or the chance on missing out on what is most important. Teaching (or rather, helping other people to learn) is my high, my drug, my happiest thing to do in life. So, when you need me, choose me; I'm here. This is what I like to do; don't be afraid to ask me about just about anything and I'll tell what I know. Hey, I may not know, but I'll tell you that, too. I'll also tell you where to go to look for more information from those who do know. If anyone, regardless of their degrees, ever implies that they've learned everything there is to know; be afraid, be very afraid. Because nobody ever does. And that's the truth. (Apologies to Lily Tomlin.)
7. Slightly off-topic, but typos will happen on websites. Let me know at your discretion as to their importance.

Section 001: GRADES
Section 005: GRADES

Listing of web addresses:

http://www.csulb.edu/~mkuroiwa/
http://www.csulb.edu/~ckealoha/
http://www.csulb.edu/~angoras/
http://www.csulb.edu/~rgreen/
http://www.csulb.edu/~plobos/
http://www.csulb.edu/~dulloaz
http://www.csulb.edu/~rramire5/
http://www.csulb.edu/~jmacias2/
http://www.csulb.edu/~msanche3/
http://www.csulb.edu/~mwalsh2/test.html
http://www.sgvpunk.com/poverty/
http://homepages.msn.com/studentunion/familystructure/
http://www.angelfire.com/nt/batteredchildren/
http://7thheaven.acmecity.com/church/252/group.htm

Final World Wide Web Project Instruction Sheet. This is VERY IMPORTANT! These are your official instructions for the final project.
Demonstration Web Page. Use this as a template for your own page, if you like. Just remember to upload a different picture! (And refer to the name of YOUR picture, of course.)