Tuesday
First, I want to talk about the assignment sheets a bit. Here’s some comments worth discussing:
I think your methods section does a nice job grounding a specific approach to the assignment–the idea of focusing on a public blindness. But what I would consider, as you think about the ME in MEmorial, is what specific event/person/idea allows you to see this blindness? Why/what do you see – have you experienced – that affords you a different perspective? What keeps others from seeing?
Remember that the critical question I asked people to address was what puts the ME in MEmorial. Why capitalize the ME? Ulmer is interested in juxtaposition–how does your specific experience of a person, idea, event, history, trauma, tragedy, victory, etc. juxtapose against the objective, generic, or traditional conception/representation of that person, idea, event, history, trauma, tragedy, victory, etc. What I hope you get a sense of at this point is that this requires two different kinds of research.
I get, given the fire and brimstone I spewed at the end of last class, why the MEmorial might appear as a critical project that seeks to highlight the flaws in humanity. And, honestly, I think that is what Ulmer is aiming for. But let me suggest that it doesn’t have to be that kind of project. I am not expecting “critique.” The project isn’t necessarily about pointing out how stupid or ignorant people (or “society”) is for believing / valuing / championing / supporting something. Rather, the project can also call our attention to another way of seeing something–a way of seeing that you ground in a unique personal perspective itself generated via unique personal experiences.
A note about format. As a technical/professional writer, style, format, and proof-reading are important. Whenever possible, use single-spacing. Use block paragraph format (rather than indented paragraphs). Use bold for headings (or use heading formats). Something like this: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/590/04/
Second, I want to talk about PechaKucha today. Here’s an example one on Roland Barthes’s concept of the punctum.
Here is a guide for creating a PechaKucha. It is worth a look.
