MONA LISA OVERDRIVE Science in Art & Culture Fall 2014 Syllabus

Amy Cook (biology) Julie Levin Russo (media studies) cooka@evergreen.edu russoj@evergreen.edu phone: 867-6027 phone: 867-6046 office: Lab 1 3065 office: Sem II C2104 office hours by appt. office hours by appt.

catalog: http://evergreen.edu/catalog/2014-15/programs/

monalisaoverdrivescienceinartandculture-10773

Moodle: http://moodle.evergreen.edu/course/view.php?id=5820 Check regularly for handouts and updates!

Over the course of fall and winter quarters, we plan to explore the many meanings of "science": how do scientists and non-scientists define it, and what choices do artists, writers and media creators make about how to interweave science with storytelling and aesthetics? We will undertake this journey by navigating a conceptual double helix that bridges introductory life science and introductory media studies (analyzing film, television, and new media). At the center of our program will be an investigation into how research and ideas about the nature of life have been shaped by media technologies and representations, and vice versa. We will look at these issues from multiple perspectives, and you should come prepared to engage with unfamiliar and challenging material. We have no prefigured answers to the questions we will encounter, but rather look forward to pursuing them with you. We will practice what it means to be a community of learners in which we can look to one another for insight, questions, and encouragement. Readings You should purchase or rent the following books (or e-book versions), which are available at the Greener store:

▪ Biology: A Guide to the Natural World (5th edition) by David Krogh (publisher: Benjamin Cummings) [textbook - fall + winter]

▪ The Media Studies Reader edited by Laurie Ouellette [textbook - fall + winter] ▪ What Is Life? Investigating The Nature Of Life In The Age Of Synthetic Biology by Ed Regis ▪ Letters To A Young Scientist by E. O. Wilson ▪ Jurassic Park (novel) by Michael Crichton

Other readings on the syllabus will be posted on the Moodle site as digital files (PDFs). It is your responsibility to bring copies of the assigned texts to seminar. You may print out hard copies or determine an appropriate application for reading and annotating them on your computer or tablet.

Program Expectations and Learning Goals Through, lectures, workshops, screenings and assignments students are expected to:

• refine their college-level reading and writing skills, • refine their research skills, • gain an understanding of basic principles of media studies, • gain an understanding of basic principles of introductory biology, • explore creative modes of inquiry in these areas, • develop their capacity to learn and problem solve independently, and • refine their ability to do interdisciplinary work, including finding the ties between these disciplines

and how each informs the other. To earn full credit, you must turn in all assignments on Moodle by the deadline, regularly come to class prepared and participate in all program activities, and submit a final portfolio of your work for the quarter. Read the Covenant at the end of this document for more on program policies and responsibilities. Handouts on assignments will include specific guidelines but, in general, your written work should conform to the following format:

• typed with right and left margins that are at least 0.8 inches wide • line spacing that is at least 1.5 • the first page should have your name, the title of the program, your seminar leader's name, and

the date at the top left • essays should have a title • cite any sources using endnotes or MLA format

READING/SCREENING SCHEDULE WEEK 1 read by Thursday AM

▪ What Is Life? (book) [recommended as summer reading] ▪ "Dramatizing Science" + "Entrepreneurial Popularization" from Science on American Television

by Marcel Chotkowski Lafollette (pp. 43-58, 155-170) PDF ▪ Bio Chapter 1 - Science as a Way of Learning (13 pgs)

screening materials [Tuesday]

• "The Animators of Life" (2010) http://nytimes.com/video/science/1248069334032/the-animators-of-life.html

• Drew Berry: Animations of unseeable biology (TED 2011) http://youtube.com/watch?v=WFCvkkDSfIU

[Thursday] • Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980), "One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue" (episode 2) [55 minutes] • Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014), "Some of the Things That Molecules Do" (episode 2) [43

minutes] • Nova - Origins: How Life Began (2004) [55 minutes]

music video of the week Symphony of Science - The Greatest Show on Earth! A music video about Evolution http://youtube.com/watch?v=wxDOpAM2FrQ WEEK 2 assignments Text Analysis workshop Tuesday; part 1 of assignment due Thursday AM read by Tuesday AM

▪ George Lipsitz, "Popular Culture: This Ain’t no Sideshow" (Ouellette pp. 45-55) ▪ "Film and Television," "Marxist Theory and Science Fiction," "Feminist Theory and Science

Fiction," "Science Fiction and the Life Sciences" in The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction (pp. 79-95, 113-136, 174-185) PDF

read by Thursday AM ▪ Bio Chapter 2 - Fundamental Building Blocks (11 pgs) ▪ Bio Chapter 3 - Life's Components (18 pgs)

screening materials (until 4:30)

• The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) [79 minutes] • The Blob (1958) [82 minutes] • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1998), "Far Beyond the Stars" (S6E13) [42 minutes]

music video of the week charmax, "Space Girl" - http://youtube.com/watch?v=a-y8BjwzJSo WEEK 3 assignments part 2 of Text Analysis workshop due Tuesday AM; Sci-Fi workshop Thursday PM read by Tuesday AM

▪ Walter Benjamin, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" (Ouellette pp. 105-116)

▪ "Scientific Looking, Looking at Science" in Practices of Looking (pp. 347-387) PDF read by Thursday AM

▪ Bio Chapter 4 - The Cell (22 pgs) ▪ Bio Chapter 5 - Plasma Membrane (11 pgs) ▪ short story TBD

screening materials (until 4:30)

• Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer (1974) [59 minutes] • Side by Side (2012) [98 minutes] • selections from "The great train robbery & other primary works"

music video of the week counteragent, "She Blinded Me with Science" WEEK 4 assignments Sci-Fi Writing and Analysis assignment due Tuesday AM Media Analysis workshop Tuesday AM; assignment due Friday AM Media Arts workshop Thursday PM - turn in your GIF in class read by Tuesday AM

▪ Chapters 1-3 of American Cinema / American Culture (pp. 1-60) PDF ▪ "Souls on Ice" (excerpt: parts I-IV) from Black Frankenstein by Elizabeth Young (pp. 159-197)

PDF

read by Thursday AM ▪ Bio Chapter 6 - Energy Intro (11 pgs) ▪ Bio Chapter 7 - Vital Harvest: Deriving Energy from Food (14 pgs) ▪ Bio Chapter 8 - Photosynthesis (10 pgs)

screening materials • Frankenstein (1910) [16 minutes] • Frankenstein (1931) [71 minutes] • Blackenstein (1973) [87 minutes]

music video of the week Janelle Monae, "Many Moons" - http://youtube.com/watch?v=EZyyORSHbaE WEEK 5 assignments individual conferences Thursday and Friday afternoon; essay topic/outline due at conference read by Tuesday AM

▪ Stuart Hall, "The Work of Representation" (Ouellette pp. 171-196) ▪ Ella Shohat and Robert Stam, "Stereotype, Realism, and the Struggle over Representation"

(Ouellette pp. 205-226) ▪ Stuart Hall, "Who Needs Identity?" (Ouellette pp. 351-362) ▪ bell hooks, "The Oppositional Gaze" (Ouellette pp. 466-475)

read by Thursday AM

▪ Bio Chapter 21 - Viruses, Bacteria, etc. (19 pgs) ▪ Chapter 4 of Parasite Rex PDF ▪ Nature Futures: "The Lucky Ones" by Andrew David Thaler" + "Tuberculosis bacteria join UN" by

Joan Slonczewski PDF ▪ CDC's Zombie Preparedness guide -

http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101-zombie-apocalypse/ screening (until 4:30)

• Night of the Living Dead (1968) [95 minutes] • 28 Days Later (2002) [113 minutes]

music video of the week re: Your Brains (music by Jonathan Coulton, machinima by spiffworld) - http://youtube.com/watch?v=BjMiDZIY1bM WEEK 6 assignments Biology midterm exam Thursday PM read by Tuesday AM

▪ Ien Ang, "On the Politics of Empirical Audience Research" (Ouellette pp. 443-457) ▪ Jack Bratich, "Amassing the Multitude: Revisiting Early Audience Studies" (Ouellette pp. 476-

491)

▪ Tania Modleski, "Mass Produced Fantasies for Women" (Ouellette pp. 31-44) ▪ section on The Fly from The Biology of Science Fiction Cinema (pp. 58-65) PDF ▪ Sidney Perkowitz, "Scientists as Heroes, Nerds, and Villains" from Hollywood Science (pp. 167-

195) PDF read by Thursday AM

▪ Letters to a Scientist by E.O. Wilson (book) screening

• The Fly (1986) [96 minutes] • Fringe (2009), "Power Hungry" (S1E5) [42 minutes]

music video of the week The Dandy Warhols, "I Am a Scientist" - http://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLugZtPvaSDXTldJZNsaByJBaueUTL8Yzc WEEK 7 assignments complete essay draft due for peer review activity Thursday PM read by Tuesday AM

▪ Lynn Spigel, "The Domestic Economy of Television Viewing in Postwar America" (Ouellette pp. 131-143)

▪ Anna McCarthy, "From Screen to Site" (Ouellette pp. 144-155) ▪ Nick Couldry, "Liveness, ‘Reality,’ and the Mediated Habitus from Television to the Mobile

Phone" (Ouellette pp. 254-259) ▪ Sarah Banet-Weiser, "What’s Your Flava: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture" (Ouellette

pp. 379-393) read by Thursday AM

▪ Bio Chapter 9 - Genetics (12 pgs) ▪ Bio Chapter 10 - Meiosis (13 pgs) ▪ Nature Futures: "War of the Roses" by Polenth Blake + "Variants" by João Ramalho-Santos PDF

screening

• The Twilight Zone (1961), "It's a Good Life" (S3E8) [25 minutes] • The Munsters (1964), "Walk on the Mild Side" (S1E3) [25 minutes]

+ clips from "Family Portrait" (S1E13) [color] • My Living Doll (1964), "Boy Meets Girl?" (S1E1) [25 minutes] • Land of the Lost (1974), "The Sleestak God" (S1E2) [27 minutes] • Better Off Ted (2009), "Heroes" (S1E2) [22 minutes] • Futurama (1999-2013), "Leela and the Genestalk" (S7E22) [22 minutes]

music video of the week The Buggles, "Video Killed the Radio Star" - http://youtube.com/watch?v=W8h5OEivJdA

WEEK 8 assignments final essay due Thursday PM read by Tuesday AM

▪ Herbert Schiller, "The Corporation and the Production of Culture" (Ouellette pp. 265-274) ▪ Michael Curtin, "On Edge: Culture Industries in the Neo-Network Era" (Ouellette pp. 275-287) ▪ Baretta Smith-Shomade, "Eyes Wide Shut: Capitalism, Class and the Promise of Black Media"

(Ouellette pp. 56-70) ▪ Michael Z. Newman and Elana Levine, "Legitimating Television" (Introduction to Legitimating

Television, pp. 1-13) PDF read by Thursday AM

▪ Bio Chapter 11 - Mendel (18 pgs) ▪ Bio Chapter 12 - Chromosomes (10 pgs) ▪ Bio Chapter 13 - DNA (9 pgs)

screening

• The X-Files (1995), "Humbug" (S2E30) [42 minutes] • Dark Angel (2000), "Prodigy" (S1E7) [42 minutes] • Battlestar Galactica (2006), "Downloaded" (S2E18) [42 minutes] • Orphan Black (2013), "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" (S1E10) [42 minutes] • fan videos

music video of the week Daft Punk, "Harder Better Faster" (scene from Interstella 5555) - http://youtube.com/watch?v=gAjR4_CbPpQ

+ THANKSGIVING BREAK +

WEEK 9 assignments research assignment due Tuesday PM read by Tuesday AM

▪ Thomas Leitch, "Literature versus Literacy" and "Postliterary Adaptations" in Film Adaptation and Its Discontents (pp. 1-21, 257-279) PDF (or library online access)

▪ Jenkins, Henry. "The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence." International Journal of Cultural Studies 7, no. 1 (March 2004): 33-43. PDF

▪ Derek Johnson, "A History of Transmedia Entertainment" - http://spreadablemedia.org/essays/johnson/

▪ Abba, Tom. "Hybrid Stories: Examining the Future of Transmedia Narrative." Science Fiction Film and Television 2.1 (Spring 2009): 59-75. PDF

read by Thursday AM ▪ Bio Chapter 15 - Biotechnology (17 pgs) ▪ Bio Chapter 32 - Animal Development (10 pgs) ▪ Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park (novel) [assigned as summer reading]

screening

• Jurassic Park (1993) [127 minutes] • Walking with Dinosaurs (1999), "Death of a Dynasty" (episode 6) [30 minutes] • gameplay from Jurassic Park video games

WEEK 10 assignments Biology final exam Tuesday AM Independent Research Project due Thursday PM Thursday AM

▪ concluding integration ▪ introduce Winter Break reading: Neuromancer by William Gibson

PROGRAM COVENANT MONA LISA OVERDRIVE

Covenants at Evergreen serve as learning agreements between faculty and students that support the intellectual growth of all our members. The process of shared learning requires each of us to thoughtfully and rigorously engage with the ideas, information, and analytical perspectives of our program. This covenant outlines the ways in which Mona Lisa Overdrive functions as a learning community, and explains program policies as well as faculty and student responsibilities toward each other. It is intended to help us ensure a supportive, conducive environment where we can collaborate to enhance each others' learning, challenge each other intellectually, and trust each other enough to honestly voice opinions in a respectful and civil manner. Good faith compliance with this covenant is an academic requirement of this program. It is seldom easy to question one’s preconceived notions, old habits of thought and ways of doing things, and intellectual limits. Evergreen classrooms should always be safe, but not necessarily comfortable spaces. Personal and intellectual growth often occurs as a direct result of experiencing discomfort in the classroom. Consequently, one of the greatest challenges of membership in a learning community is to stretch oneself beyond perceived comfort zones in order to fully understand and appreciate history, society, identity, the environment, and other features of what it means to inhabit this world. You are expected to abide by Evergreen’s Student Conduct Code and the Social Contract, which you can (and should) read at http://evergreen.edu/studentaffairs/studentconduct.htm and http://evergreen.edu/about/social.htm. Expectations of Students Students understand that this is a full-time integrated program and that they will receive full academic credit if they complete all the assigned work on the date it is due. We expect you to respect the time and planning we have put into the program. This means that you read the books, do the assignments and come to class prepared. Such preparation includes bringing with you all materials (readings, paper, writing instruments, etc.) necessary for participation in activities for each class. Remember that you are not given credit, you earn it. Note that a credit hour carries the expectation of three hours of work per week for ten weeks; this includes about an hour of class time and about two hours for all your reading, thinking, writing, creative work, etc. The official math is that 16 credits equates to 40 hours of work per week – a full time and rigorous schedule. These are additional expectations of students:

• arrive ON TIME and well-prepared to begin the work of each class; commit to learning from each assigned text, activity, and class meeting; and take responsibility for becoming a contributing member of the group

• use high academic standards in preparing all papers, projects, seminar contributions, and classroom presentations

• submit assignments ON TIME; you will not receive credit for late work without permission from the faculty or written documentation, such as from a health practitioner; if assignments are not completed on time, faculty can decide to reduce credit, grant an incomplete, or award no credit

• document fully any ideas or material directly used from research, and be fully aware that presentation of the work of others as one’s own is plagiarism, a serious offense that will be treated in accordance with the provisions of the Social Contract

• treat any guest speakers or field trips in the community with respect (you, or another Evergreen student, may end up working with these people or places so make a good impression)

• keep the faculty informed of any academic problems or difficulties • check your Evergreen email account regularly • submit a complete portfolio of academic work at the end of each quarter, including a typed self-

evaluation • submit an evaluation of at least one faculty member in the online system (you will have the option

to share this before your conference or after credit is posted) • attend an Evaluation Conference with faculty at the end of the quarter; failure to attend a

conference will result in loss of credit Regular attendance is a vital aspect of program expectations. Students should sign their respective seminar faculty’s attendance sheet at the beginning of each class, and will be considered late once faculty have picked up those sheets. If you know in advance that you will be absent, you need to let us know in writing as far ahead of time as possible. Six or more absences over the course of a quarter will result in a loss of credit. For the purposes of this attendance policy, faculty will make no distinction between “excused” and “unexcused” absences. Please note that excessive tardiness will count as absence. (Note: We will be having class on Friday afternoon on November 21st so do not make plans to leave early for the Thanksgiving Break.) One of the particularly valuable skills that you should develop in college is problem-solving. We can provide you with ideas about where to find resources or support, but we expect you take the initiative to interrogate the material, seek out the answers to your questions, and learn how to address problems. This applies to both the program work and issues outside the classroom. Here are some campus resources that can be helpful to you in your academic career: The Writing Center on campus is available to help any student with any writing project. We encourage you to take advantage of its resources and staff in the form of individual consultations, workshops, or online guidelines. It is located in the front of the library, and you can find more information here: http://evergreen.edu/writingcenter/ The QuaSR (Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning) Center provides tutoring and support for math skills: http://evergreen.edu/mathcenter/ Students with disabilities or particular needs should contact Access Services (867-6348 / TTY 867-6834) for information about the resources the college offers. Specific accommodations are made based on the documentation you provide, and it is your responsibility to initiate the process. Please do so as early as possible, as accommodations are not retroactive. http://evergreen.edu/access/eligibility.htm You can contact Academic Advising at any time for help with navigating Evergreen's curriculum: http://evergreen.edu/advising/ There are numerous online resources available on the Evergreen Library website (http://library.evergreen.edu). Remember that there are also excellent resources in the actual library, not least of which is actual librarians who can offer answers and guidance.

Expectations of Both Students and Faculty

• create a safe atmosphere for open discussion and maintain an inquiring attitude toward the material

• treat all individuals with kindness and respect, especially when disagreeing • be willing to admit ignorance, to experience discomfort, and to make honest mistakes, since often

these are the beginning of learning • cultivate sensitivity to and respect for all differences among us, including gender, ethnicity,

culture, race, class, age, sexual orientation, disability, and religion • acknowledge that racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and other forms of

institutionalized oppression exist everywhere, and that one mechanism of their perpetuation is our systematic misinformation about members of various groups

• be sensitive to different styles of participation in making space for others, and avoid singling out individuals as spokespersons for particular groups

• be willing to examine the assumptions that come from our own cultural, political, and religious backgrounds

• act with regard to ecological integrity, respect, and community well-being, both here on campus and when visiting communities; act as careful stewards of our greater campus home

• be aware of your own attention if using electronic devices during class sessions; stay focused on class activities and do not text message/check email/use social media during our meetings

• never use or be under the influence of alcohol or drugs (including marijuana) during any program functions, including at any time during field trips and community visits – students who violate this will be dismissed from the program

Both students and faculty agree to discuss any interpersonal conflicts arising in our learning community directly with those involved. If a grievance is still unresolved, bring it to a meeting first with seminar faculty, then the faculty team, and finally, if necessary, with a mediator agreed upon by both parties (such as an academic dean). In some situations, and particularly in grave situations, students may feel uncomfortable with face-to-face encounters. In such cases, the college offers a range of support services. Among these are the Grievance Office (x6891), Access Services (x6348, V/TTY: 360.867.6834), Counseling Center (x6800), First Peoples’ Advising (x6467), Housing (x6132), Conflict Assistance, Resources & Empowerment (CARE) Network (x5291), and Sexual Assault Prevention Office (x5221). Each of these offices can refer you to additional support services. Students and Faculty are also required to implement all other college policies related to equal opportunity and access to a safe, healthy learning environment. All of these policies can be read at http://evergreen.edu/diversity/policies.htm.