New final paper procedures:
Final papers/projects for LTEL155B (San Francisco) must be turned on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, BETWEEN 4-7PM, in KRESGE 321. (Alternatives to this date, room, or procedure must be worked out with and approved by your TA via email or in person.)
If you have made special arrangements with me, please verify that I've received your paper after you send it - I will send confirmation notes by email.
Thanks again for your work this quarter. Good luck with your projects!
sc
Dec 6, 2008
Dec 1, 2008
December in SF
Merry December, gang. It's section season!
Section will meet this Thursday.
7:30pm, Oakes Acad 102.
(No responses due this week)
Since your final papers are due a week from Tuesday, let's use the meeting to
1.) do some solid workshopping of drafts, arguments, theses, creative works, etc.
2.) swap interests, approaches, obsessions related to San Francisco and the quarter's themes.
There are a few of you who are nearing the final stages of your projects. It would be great if you folks could prepare a brief discussion/performance/reading/etc. of your work.
In that spirit, please bring one or more of the following to the meeting and be prepared to talk about what you're working on:
+ Draft
+ Thesis and outline
+ Lists of passages
+ Creative works
+ Statements of poetics
Thanks, and see you soon. Hope you had an excellent few days off.
sc
Section will meet this Thursday.
7:30pm, Oakes Acad 102.
(No responses due this week)
Since your final papers are due a week from Tuesday, let's use the meeting to
1.) do some solid workshopping of drafts, arguments, theses, creative works, etc.
2.) swap interests, approaches, obsessions related to San Francisco and the quarter's themes.
There are a few of you who are nearing the final stages of your projects. It would be great if you folks could prepare a brief discussion/performance/reading/etc. of your work.
In that spirit, please bring one or more of the following to the meeting and be prepared to talk about what you're working on:
+ Draft
+ Thesis and outline
+ Lists of passages
+ Creative works
+ Statements of poetics
Thanks, and see you soon. Hope you had an excellent few days off.
sc
Nov 24, 2008
"Taking Over"
A play in NY just opened, tackling issues of gentrification in Brooklyn. Another example of creative intervention...
Nov 20, 2008
Tripping in the hollows - writing and section updates
Thanks for your patience with the topics, folks...I do hope you've been enjoying shenanigans with Wittman Ah Sing, with the anti-hollowness energies of Solnit.
*Update on section: we will meet in the flesh the week we get back from the holiday.*
**Proposals: I will continue to comment on proposals over the next few days, but if you have immediate questions, send me an email.**
You can take till next Wed., 11/26 for this next post on Solnit and/or Kingston.
Write a response on at least one of the following topics:
+ Identify a perplexing passage, chapter, or character in Tripmaster Monkey and do a close reading to try and get at the tensions within. The idea behind this topic is to find a way to navigate the polymorphic, meandering currents of the text. Does this style have anything in common with other texts we've read? How does style function here, and what purpose does it serve?
+ How does one describe Wittman Ah Sing?
+ Find a side reference in Kingston or Solnit and draw out its significance in the work. Can you find other details to deepen the connection? Post links or secondary sources to your blog. Your selection could be a passing literary or cultural reference in Tripmaster Monkey, for example, or a social/artistic movement mentioned in Solnit.
+ What sorts of visions of San Francisco do Kingston and/or Solnit present? What do they perceive to be the current state of San Francisco, and what is to be done next? (Note: easy-out answers like, "Kingston imagines an SF without racism" or "Solnit imagines an SF without consumer greed" will be sacked.)
+ Connect a key component of Solnit's discussion in Hollow City with one or more scenes, interactions, characters, etc. in Tripmaster Monkey. Does Solnit's reading of present day San Francisco connect with Kingston's novel written thirty years prior?
*Update on section: we will meet in the flesh the week we get back from the holiday.*
**Proposals: I will continue to comment on proposals over the next few days, but if you have immediate questions, send me an email.**
You can take till next Wed., 11/26 for this next post on Solnit and/or Kingston.
Write a response on at least one of the following topics:
+ Identify a perplexing passage, chapter, or character in Tripmaster Monkey and do a close reading to try and get at the tensions within. The idea behind this topic is to find a way to navigate the polymorphic, meandering currents of the text. Does this style have anything in common with other texts we've read? How does style function here, and what purpose does it serve?
+ How does one describe Wittman Ah Sing?
+ Find a side reference in Kingston or Solnit and draw out its significance in the work. Can you find other details to deepen the connection? Post links or secondary sources to your blog. Your selection could be a passing literary or cultural reference in Tripmaster Monkey, for example, or a social/artistic movement mentioned in Solnit.
+ What sorts of visions of San Francisco do Kingston and/or Solnit present? What do they perceive to be the current state of San Francisco, and what is to be done next? (Note: easy-out answers like, "Kingston imagines an SF without racism" or "Solnit imagines an SF without consumer greed" will be sacked.)
+ Connect a key component of Solnit's discussion in Hollow City with one or more scenes, interactions, characters, etc. in Tripmaster Monkey. Does Solnit's reading of present day San Francisco connect with Kingston's novel written thirty years prior?
Nov 18, 2008
"hollow city" riffs
I've never been to the Fly Bar, but they do have a pretty glamorous web site, complete with images and a blurb on the "vibe"...
Saint John Coltrane Church used to be down the street, now it's here.
What other exorcisms to perform?
Saint John Coltrane Church used to be down the street, now it's here.
What other exorcisms to perform?
Nov 17, 2008
Proposals due Tues.
Reminder: write ups/proposals for final projects are due Tuesday. PLEASE ANSWER THE "PROMPT QUESTIONS" (at the bottom of the handout below) and post on your blog.
To reiterate, I don't expect you to have everything mapped out in your proposal, but you should have a pretty clear idea of directions you will head in. The areas that are less clear will be good places to focus your energies.
As always, feel free to come talk to me about ideas or questions. sc
To reiterate, I don't expect you to have everything mapped out in your proposal, but you should have a pretty clear idea of directions you will head in. The areas that are less clear will be good places to focus your energies.
As always, feel free to come talk to me about ideas or questions. sc
Nov 10, 2008
Dharma Bummin
This week's writing piece: Dharma Bums
Explore one/more of the following questions:
+ What IS a Dharma Bum? How does it relate to the Beats/beatitude? Point out illustrative passages.
+ Does Dharma Bums offer cultural critique, and how does it do so, as compared to other SF works we've encountered?
+ Reflect on the Japhy Ryder and Ray Smith characters. What are their central characteristics? How do they compare/contrast with one another as SF/counter-cultural figures?
+ Comment on the mixing of spiritual traditions in the novel: is there a particular spiritual practice being championed? What does it look like for Japhy? for Ray?
+ What other thematic connections do you see here, with the other SF texts we've read?
"It was a great new feeling to be able to jump from rock to rock..." (ch 12)
Final Project: Topics
This handout will be distributed later this week, but it'd be a good idea to read it over and begin collecting ideas:
LTEL155B: Regions of the United States—San Francisco (Fall, 2008)
FINAL ESSAY TOPICS & PROCEDURES:
As announced at the beginning of the class, the final paper will consist of a “research” essay, ranging in length at around 8-10 pages, and in the form of critical (or creative) analysis with footnotes and bibliography where appropriate.
The main topic will be to pick any “San Francisco” author, site, institution, genre, social community, film, or cultural phenomenon and discuss some of the cultural, geopolitical, and social dynamics making this object a distinctive expressive phenomenon. Group projects will be allowed, and each person will receive the same grade for what is presented as the final project. To choose topics, you can use your personal experience, historical background, research, imagination, and conceptual and critical skills; we will be open to any projects that touch upon some materials and themes discussed in the class and apply them to SF urban space and culture in some informed and interesting way.
A) To get started on this, you will need to provide a one-page outline of your proposed topic and discuss it with your TA as you begin to work on it. You will need to describe this topic in a one-page written or email statement to your TA: Jessica, Stephanie, Eireene, or Jonathan will set the specific deadline for this one-page outline for your section. (If you do a creative project, you will need to provide a one-page description of what you are aiming to achieve, some techniques used, and SF authors and materials drawn upon as model or source.) Please see the suggested “prompt” questions below for help on “getting started.”
B) Your typed, footnoted, and proofread essay will be due in Humanities Steno Pool office mailroom by 4PM on Tuesday, December 9. [Please note: there will be no final exam for this course, so you need to do a good job on the final essay! If you want to get this written work back, please submit a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your final essay. Otherwise, you will have to arrange to get it back from RW or your TA during winter quarter in 2009. Late paper submissions will be downgraded for lateness.
Whatever topic you decide upon, make sure that you have some kind of compelling “thesis” and that you back up this interpretation with details/quotations from the relevant texts and have a title for your work.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The following are possible essay topics, although you can define a topic or focus upon one that is of particular interest to you (see topic “g” below:
a) Focusing upon two or more works or authors, define some recurring “theme,” image, subject matter or problem that, in your own terms, ties these works together and has been an important part of the “San Francisco literature” materials you have read in this course.
b) Present an interpretive reading of one or more movies set in San Francisco: What are some of the key themes and conflicts as portrayed in the movies, and how are these resolved? What kind of racial conflicts, gender dynamics, and social hierarchies are shown? How are the city spaces of San Francisco uses in the movies? How do the history, values, and social energies of San Francisco get reflected and expressed in the movies? (If you want to write a convincing reading, it would help to do some research into the production history, interpretations, and reviews of the movie.)
c) How do one or more of the writers read for the course express a counter-cultural or “Beat” vision of what Gray Brechin calls “the San Francisco contado”? Or, another way to approach this topic: what are other angles of vision or works that might be used to critique or supplement the imperial-capitalist contado vision of Brechin’s Imperial San Francisco?
d) How does an author we have not read or may have just alluded to in this course (for example, Kenneth Rexroth, Jack Spicer, Diane Diprima, Michael McClure, Robert Gluck, Gary Snyder, Michelle Tea, Lew Welch, Lenore Kandel et al) distinctively express the literature and geo-material history of San Francisco? (You will need to connect this author to some works read or critical frameworks discussed in the class.)
e) Pick a social movement, neighborhood, or institution in San Francisco—Haight Ashbury hippie movement, rock music scene, Castro, City Lights Books Store, San Francisco Poetry Center at SF State, performance works of Margaret Cho or Frank Chin—and describe some of the values, goals, and expressive forms of this phenomenon.
f) Pick any one essay from Relocating San Francisco or San Francisco Stories, and use this as a critical starting point to discuss or reflect a movement, work, art form, neighborhood, or some SF social, art, or literary movement you are interested in. For example, create your own “meta-tourist” narrative for a tour of San Francisco.
g) Define your own distinctive “SF” topic and, as you do so, make sure to consider and come to terms with the “prompt” questions below. (Please discuss the suitability of this topic with your TA.)
*Whatever topic you pick, here are 5 “prompt” questions each student should consider as you begin to define your topic and approach to writing on a SF subject:
a) What is the topic you are interested in pursuing and why?
b) How does this topic relate to San Francisco materials or frameworks read for the course? Which of the readings are particularly relevant to this topic?
c) What are some of the other materials you will need or want to read and/or inter-connect to cover this topic?
d) What is your provisional “thesis” (hypothesis) at this point concerning this topic and these materials?
e) What problems or limitations do you anticipate in pursuing, framing, researching, and writing on this topic?
LTEL155B: Regions of the United States—San Francisco (Fall, 2008)
FINAL ESSAY TOPICS & PROCEDURES:
As announced at the beginning of the class, the final paper will consist of a “research” essay, ranging in length at around 8-10 pages, and in the form of critical (or creative) analysis with footnotes and bibliography where appropriate.
The main topic will be to pick any “San Francisco” author, site, institution, genre, social community, film, or cultural phenomenon and discuss some of the cultural, geopolitical, and social dynamics making this object a distinctive expressive phenomenon. Group projects will be allowed, and each person will receive the same grade for what is presented as the final project. To choose topics, you can use your personal experience, historical background, research, imagination, and conceptual and critical skills; we will be open to any projects that touch upon some materials and themes discussed in the class and apply them to SF urban space and culture in some informed and interesting way.
A) To get started on this, you will need to provide a one-page outline of your proposed topic and discuss it with your TA as you begin to work on it. You will need to describe this topic in a one-page written or email statement to your TA: Jessica, Stephanie, Eireene, or Jonathan will set the specific deadline for this one-page outline for your section. (If you do a creative project, you will need to provide a one-page description of what you are aiming to achieve, some techniques used, and SF authors and materials drawn upon as model or source.) Please see the suggested “prompt” questions below for help on “getting started.”
B) Your typed, footnoted, and proofread essay will be due in Humanities Steno Pool office mailroom by 4PM on Tuesday, December 9. [Please note: there will be no final exam for this course, so you need to do a good job on the final essay! If you want to get this written work back, please submit a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your final essay. Otherwise, you will have to arrange to get it back from RW or your TA during winter quarter in 2009. Late paper submissions will be downgraded for lateness.
Whatever topic you decide upon, make sure that you have some kind of compelling “thesis” and that you back up this interpretation with details/quotations from the relevant texts and have a title for your work.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The following are possible essay topics, although you can define a topic or focus upon one that is of particular interest to you (see topic “g” below:
a) Focusing upon two or more works or authors, define some recurring “theme,” image, subject matter or problem that, in your own terms, ties these works together and has been an important part of the “San Francisco literature” materials you have read in this course.
b) Present an interpretive reading of one or more movies set in San Francisco: What are some of the key themes and conflicts as portrayed in the movies, and how are these resolved? What kind of racial conflicts, gender dynamics, and social hierarchies are shown? How are the city spaces of San Francisco uses in the movies? How do the history, values, and social energies of San Francisco get reflected and expressed in the movies? (If you want to write a convincing reading, it would help to do some research into the production history, interpretations, and reviews of the movie.)
c) How do one or more of the writers read for the course express a counter-cultural or “Beat” vision of what Gray Brechin calls “the San Francisco contado”? Or, another way to approach this topic: what are other angles of vision or works that might be used to critique or supplement the imperial-capitalist contado vision of Brechin’s Imperial San Francisco?
d) How does an author we have not read or may have just alluded to in this course (for example, Kenneth Rexroth, Jack Spicer, Diane Diprima, Michael McClure, Robert Gluck, Gary Snyder, Michelle Tea, Lew Welch, Lenore Kandel et al) distinctively express the literature and geo-material history of San Francisco? (You will need to connect this author to some works read or critical frameworks discussed in the class.)
e) Pick a social movement, neighborhood, or institution in San Francisco—Haight Ashbury hippie movement, rock music scene, Castro, City Lights Books Store, San Francisco Poetry Center at SF State, performance works of Margaret Cho or Frank Chin—and describe some of the values, goals, and expressive forms of this phenomenon.
f) Pick any one essay from Relocating San Francisco or San Francisco Stories, and use this as a critical starting point to discuss or reflect a movement, work, art form, neighborhood, or some SF social, art, or literary movement you are interested in. For example, create your own “meta-tourist” narrative for a tour of San Francisco.
g) Define your own distinctive “SF” topic and, as you do so, make sure to consider and come to terms with the “prompt” questions below. (Please discuss the suitability of this topic with your TA.)
*Whatever topic you pick, here are 5 “prompt” questions each student should consider as you begin to define your topic and approach to writing on a SF subject:
a) What is the topic you are interested in pursuing and why?
b) How does this topic relate to San Francisco materials or frameworks read for the course? Which of the readings are particularly relevant to this topic?
c) What are some of the other materials you will need or want to read and/or inter-connect to cover this topic?
d) What is your provisional “thesis” (hypothesis) at this point concerning this topic and these materials?
e) What problems or limitations do you anticipate in pursuing, framing, researching, and writing on this topic?
Nov 5, 2008
"The Princess of Nebraska"
In case any are interested, I think it's worth mentioning this film by Wayne Wang again (it was brought up in class a couple of weeks ago). The storyline is set in San Francisco and touches on issues of gender, identity, twenty-something life/coming of age, and transnational movements between U.S. and Asia. The full film is available here:
Nov 4, 2008
Breather
Nice job making it through the midterm, everyone. No writing piece required this week, but as always, post as you wish.
Dharma Bums is up next, on Thurs...much reason for excitement...
Do also start thinking about what interests you for a final project: more soon.
Dharma Bums is up next, on Thurs...much reason for excitement...
Do also start thinking about what interests you for a final project: more soon.
Nov 3, 2008
visions of successful midterms
Hope your preparations have been fruitful, gang. Here are some mostly common-sense suggestions for success tomorrow, and a few words on what we'll be looking for:
Keep in mind: Since you've had time to work in advance with the questions, it will be crucial to build details and organization into your writings. In other words, know your way around the materials, and make sure you can write specifically on the topics.
I. Poem Interpretation
You'll likely be shifting between general and specific modes of discussion: balance. Point out quotes and interpret them to get at your ideas. Connect interpretations with the larger problems. Rule of infinite goodness: close read, close read, close read... Aim for 3-5 pages.
II. Identifications
Key is PRECISION. The more sharp and accurate your details, the more points you'll earn (i.e. show me you really know what the item is, rather than provide a loose list of related information). Correct, but less-than-relevant details will reel in fewer points.
III. Essay
Thorough + engaged + organized. Aim for 3-5 pages of *quality* prose and specific details. Leave out general statements and assumptions. Include a thesis (where you tell me the point of your essay), use analytical language, and use your organizational powers.
(blue books, blue books, blue books, blue books...)
Good luck with it all -- see you soon.
Oct 31, 2008
Snyder in The New Yorker
New Gary Snyder poem, featured in The New Yorker profile mentioned in class, for your enjoyment...
Oct 27, 2008
Prep-fest: section on Thurs.
Section meets this week
Oct. 30, at 7:30pm, Oakes Acad. 102.
Midterm next week means this be....ta da!...our own counter-cultural Prep Fest week.
Bring you, questions, texts, clever study strategies, summaries...
And then, think bluebooks and well-inked pens...
Oct. 30, at 7:30pm, Oakes Acad. 102.
Midterm next week means this be....ta da!...our own counter-cultural Prep Fest week.
Bring you, questions, texts, clever study strategies, summaries...
And then, think bluebooks and well-inked pens...
Writing, the fourth
...just before November...
Here are the options for your next writing piece. Please note the notes which trail them:
1. On "Alcatraz Is Not An Island"...
PBS.org has developed a useful site featuring the film and Native American issues in San Francisco. To deepen your study of Indian stakes in the region, do a reading of the website (other sites also welcome) and write a piece focusing on an issue, artwork, or aspect of the Alcatraz events. Since Alcatraz is the site of other San Francisco histories, you could also include research/information on those histories alongside the Indian histories.
Click here to access the PBS/Alcatraz Is Not An Island site.
Note: your piece needs to go beyond simple praise (i.e., "This was an excellent and important film"), criticism, or summary of the film/events. Go for a specific topic that expands purposefully on the narrative of the film.
2. On Gary Snyder...
Select an essay from A Place In Space and write a piece on its implications as an ecological/poetic/SF-regional intervention. In other words, what specific practices or ways of thinking does Snyder call for, and why? What problems does he see, and what are the ways to approach those problems? Quotes and close, careful readings of the text are always good bets here.
Note: take care not to let your reading fall into easy generalization. Snyder, at times, can seem very simple and "Zen"/universal -- and he is in many ways. HOWEVER, he's anything but casual. How can you read the piece so you can understand the depth of Snyder's points? Use your piece to work through his thinking and the specifics of the ideas.
As always, if you need ideas on how to approach the readings and develop questions, I'm happy to offer suggestions.
sc
Here are the options for your next writing piece. Please note the notes which trail them:
1. On "Alcatraz Is Not An Island"...
PBS.org has developed a useful site featuring the film and Native American issues in San Francisco. To deepen your study of Indian stakes in the region, do a reading of the website (other sites also welcome) and write a piece focusing on an issue, artwork, or aspect of the Alcatraz events. Since Alcatraz is the site of other San Francisco histories, you could also include research/information on those histories alongside the Indian histories.
Click here to access the PBS/Alcatraz Is Not An Island site.
Note: your piece needs to go beyond simple praise (i.e., "This was an excellent and important film"), criticism, or summary of the film/events. Go for a specific topic that expands purposefully on the narrative of the film.
2. On Gary Snyder...
Select an essay from A Place In Space and write a piece on its implications as an ecological/poetic/SF-regional intervention. In other words, what specific practices or ways of thinking does Snyder call for, and why? What problems does he see, and what are the ways to approach those problems? Quotes and close, careful readings of the text are always good bets here.
Note: take care not to let your reading fall into easy generalization. Snyder, at times, can seem very simple and "Zen"/universal -- and he is in many ways. HOWEVER, he's anything but casual. How can you read the piece so you can understand the depth of Snyder's points? Use your piece to work through his thinking and the specifics of the ideas.
As always, if you need ideas on how to approach the readings and develop questions, I'm happy to offer suggestions.
sc
Oct 23, 2008
midterm moving
As announced in class, the midterm is moving to: Tuesday, Nov. 4.
To prep., we will gather for section next week: Thursday, Oct. 30.
Bring questions, insights, study ideas...
sc
To prep., we will gather for section next week: Thursday, Oct. 30.
Bring questions, insights, study ideas...
sc
Oct 21, 2008
No. 3 - going after the imperial
Here's your task for the next writing piece:
As you've noticed by now, no doubt, Brechin's work is teeming! To help sink your teeth into some of its major themes - and more importantly, to work on how to think about SF - write on one (or more!) of the following:
1. Brechin (Brautigan, too) is interested in statues, buildings, urban landmarks. He talks about their symbolisms - stories which endure, sometimes becoming myths - as well as the other histories which have been lost or paved over...
Could a group like ours intervene in the forgetting of history - something which endures to this day? Methinks yes! For this week, then, select a San Francisco statue, building, urban landmark - if you're unfamiliar with the area, do some searching online. Choose a landmark that we have not treated in class, or one that is not discussed extensively in the text (so no Ben Franklin), - and do some Brechin moves. Try and find the official histories, and then, unofficial histories. What stories exist about this landmark? What have we forgotten? Then in a piece of ORIGINAL prose - describe what you think are the important details to understand when approaching the landmark today. Connect to Brechin's analysis of "imperialism" where possible...this will help prep. you for later writing assignments. And it'll make your blogging credits glimmer.
There's tons of material on the Internet. Use the web, your knowledge, and other sources.
On your posts, include links to online sources...another beauty of this group!
2. Brechin includes several advertisements and artworks to accompany his discussion of imperial San Francisco. As is the case today, advertisements tend to reflect dominant or at least popular attitudes at the time. Do a close reading of one of the ads included in Imperial San Francisco, and make specific links to Brechin's discussion (beyond simply saying - "this is a case of imperialism"). What is Brechin's point here? How do the components of the ad illustrate the particular aspect of imperialism Brechin is analyzing in that section? What ideas are being communicated? Who is communicating them? And what are the consequences of spreading such ideas to the masses? This exercise is designed to get us thinking about the ways media can play a key role in shaping popular thought...
I'm excited about this week's responses...onward, and all my hopes for revealing searches!
Oct 16, 2008
"Milk"
Hey gang. So, a 30 year-old San Francisco story is soon to be resurrected on the silver screen by Focus Features. Murder, gender/politics, San Francisco...these never get tired, but even so, why do you think this story in particular has been chosen for a second life on the screen? Why are we interested in this type of story right now?
here's a link to the scoop from the NY Times.
here's a link to the scoop from the NY Times.
Oct 13, 2008
Writing piece, no. 2
Get ready for Brautigan, Brechin, and more, folks!
We're in for the psychedelic, tales of power, thinking ecological, and further exorcising the idea of San Francisco as "the gentlest of American cities," (as Jan Morris writes on the back of Imperial San Francisco).
But first, some information on the famed Fleet Week, and the Blue Angels performance this weekend. Anyone go? For those who didn't make it, some random (maybe) images: well-stocked souvenir stands, hordes of people - porting maps, children, ghiradeli ice cream cones - along the water, navy garb, chowder bowls.... No matter what your attitude is on this type of scene, twas another face of our city.
All this to say, as we keep traipsing through moments and movements in the city's history, what about the stuff going on today? What ARE the faces of the city these days, and how do they inform your idea of San Francisco, in addition to the post/Beat movements, and the geopolitical activity we'll see in Brechin's text? Anyone care to comment here?
Ok then, to writing piece, no. 2, due Thursday, Oct. 16.
Please write on at least one of these general topics:
1. Select a poem or passage from the Brautigan text. Do a close reading of the passage, noting elements of its style, themes, tones, etc. Then, connect your observations to concepts we've been pondering in class: counter-culture, the Beat movement, contado... What makes this work revolutionary? What sort of San Francisco does it envision?
2. What are some of the major contributing factors to the construction of a San Francisco "periphery", according to Gray Brechin? Name and reflect on key events and what sorts of movements had to happen for San Francisco to come into being. Are there patterns in the way the city is constructed - for instance, in terms of exclusion, power distribution, or domination? How might the idea of "imperial San Francisco" set the stage or leave a legacy for some of the literary works we've been reading?
And remember to include a question. The ones submitted last week were quite provocative.
Of course, if you have other questions/ideas that spin off of these topics, bring those in to your writing too.
More as we get deeper into the discussion...stay tuned.
Meanwhile - bring a jacket: "The morning fog...may chill the air...I don't care"
-sc
We're in for the psychedelic, tales of power, thinking ecological, and further exorcising the idea of San Francisco as "the gentlest of American cities," (as Jan Morris writes on the back of Imperial San Francisco).
But first, some information on the famed Fleet Week, and the Blue Angels performance this weekend. Anyone go? For those who didn't make it, some random (maybe) images: well-stocked souvenir stands, hordes of people - porting maps, children, ghiradeli ice cream cones - along the water, navy garb, chowder bowls.... No matter what your attitude is on this type of scene, twas another face of our city.
All this to say, as we keep traipsing through moments and movements in the city's history, what about the stuff going on today? What ARE the faces of the city these days, and how do they inform your idea of San Francisco, in addition to the post/Beat movements, and the geopolitical activity we'll see in Brechin's text? Anyone care to comment here?
Ok then, to writing piece, no. 2, due Thursday, Oct. 16.
Please write on at least one of these general topics:
1. Select a poem or passage from the Brautigan text. Do a close reading of the passage, noting elements of its style, themes, tones, etc. Then, connect your observations to concepts we've been pondering in class: counter-culture, the Beat movement, contado... What makes this work revolutionary? What sort of San Francisco does it envision?
2. What are some of the major contributing factors to the construction of a San Francisco "periphery", according to Gray Brechin? Name and reflect on key events and what sorts of movements had to happen for San Francisco to come into being. Are there patterns in the way the city is constructed - for instance, in terms of exclusion, power distribution, or domination? How might the idea of "imperial San Francisco" set the stage or leave a legacy for some of the literary works we've been reading?
And remember to include a question. The ones submitted last week were quite provocative.
Of course, if you have other questions/ideas that spin off of these topics, bring those in to your writing too.
More as we get deeper into the discussion...stay tuned.
Meanwhile - bring a jacket: "The morning fog...may chill the air...I don't care"
-sc
Oct 10, 2008
comment on!
Blog links are live, and you're invited to comment!
Please try and spread out your comments so that we don't end up with twenty comments on a single post, and zero comments on twenty posts. Ideally, each writing piece would have at least two comments by Thurs. I'm not expecting this to be mathematically perfect, but see what you can do to help keep things even for the group.
Before you get back to Reclaiming SF (now available at Literary Guillotine), Brechin, and various forms of trout, have a look your link to make sure all's dandy and functional - if not, send Stephanie a note.
Stay tuned for details on next writing piece - I'll have something posted by Monday.
In the meantime, if you want to watch Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAbtg9dz5P0
Enjoy! sc
Please try and spread out your comments so that we don't end up with twenty comments on a single post, and zero comments on twenty posts. Ideally, each writing piece would have at least two comments by Thurs. I'm not expecting this to be mathematically perfect, but see what you can do to help keep things even for the group.
Before you get back to Reclaiming SF (now available at Literary Guillotine), Brechin, and various forms of trout, have a look your link to make sure all's dandy and functional - if not, send Stephanie a note.
Stay tuned for details on next writing piece - I'll have something posted by Monday.
In the meantime, if you want to watch Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAbtg9dz5P0
Enjoy! sc
Oct 6, 2008
Ferlinghetti, Ginsberg, Brautigan...
Hi, C Slugs...
Here it is: list of possible topics for Thursday's post. You have the option of selecting your own topic this week, but the ones below may be useful to consider early in the quarter.
- What further "contado" links can we draw in the poems of Ferlinghetti or Ginsberg? Illustrate this through a close reading of poem(s). What does SF look like in these poems?
- How do Ferlinghetti and Ginsberg differ in their depictions of SF and its contado(s)? What are some examples?
- Both poets are interested in "extremes." What conflicts do they depict, and how (if at all) do the poems attempt to deal with the conflicts?
- Comment on the figure of the Beat (see Peters) and/or Ferlinghetti, bohemian entrepreneur. What questions were they most concerned with? What sort of attitude did they have towards the academy, elite cultures?
- How do the poems balance between accessibility and artfulness?
- You could also write on Brautigan, if you like to live on the edge. Stay tuned for possible topics.
Also remember to include at least one question at the end of your post.
Bits and pieces:
Nothing due on Tuesday (but additional posts are most welcome)
No comments due on Thursday - only the post. We'll begin marking comments next week.
Any comments/suggestions (blog name, pictures, etc.) would be grand -- you can email Stephanie or leave comments here. In the meantime, stay tuned for updates. You'll also get an e-mail when anything significant arises.
...to the stars!
Oct 2, 2008
Come on in!
Welcome to the group blog for LTEL 155B, SECTION C (Th 7:30-8:40)!
Please check back frequently for writing assignments, announcements, and other goodies.
Please check back frequently for writing assignments, announcements, and other goodies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
