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PI42012 – THINKING FILM
(Tutor TBC)
Thinking Film explores the many ways in which film can be said to be not only an entertainment medium, but also a philosophical one. We will read a variety of philosophers on film (such as Zizek, Deleuze, and Cavell) and consider them in light of historical and contemporary examples.
Background Reading:
Falzon, Christopher., Philosophy Goes to the Movies. (Routledge 2002)
Litch, Mary., Philosophy Through Film (Routledge 2002)
Mullarkey, John., Refractions of Reality: Philosophy and the Moving Image. (Palgrave 2009)
PO42001 – GENDER, POWER AND SEXUALITY
(Dr Richard Dunphy)
This module aims to introduce students to a rapidly expanding area of the social sciences - critical studies on gender and sexuality. Inspired by important recent and contemporary research in feminist studies, critical theories of masculinity, gender relations, lesbian and gay studies, and sexual politics, the module treats gender and sexuality as social constructions which need to be explored, analysed and understood in a critical way.
The module draws upon a multi-disciplinary literature and spans debates within, and issues of relevance to, political science, sociology, history and cultural studies. The primary focus is on British society with some comparative reference to other societies.
Recommended Texts for purchase:
Richard Dunphy., Sexual Politics: an Introduction (Edinburgh University Press, 2000). Students are recommended to purchase their own copy. Copies will be stocked by John Smith and Son.
Another very good book for this module is Jeffrey Weeks, Janet Holland and Matthew Waites (eds), Sexualities and Society: a Reader (Polity, 2003). This is the best ‘alternative’ purchase if you don’t wish to buy my book!
Also very good to purchase, but not quite making it into the category of ‘module text’ because of its very broad range of topics is Richard Parker & Peter Aggleton (eds), Culture, Society and Sexuality: a Reader, second edition (Routledge 2007). This is a personal favourite of mine.
Three of the best recent books I have read personally are:
Cordelia Fine., Delusions of Gender: the Real Science Behind Sex Differences (Icon Books, 2010)
Sylvia Walby., The Future of Feminism (Polity Press, 2011)
Momin Rahman, & Stevi Jackson., Gender and Sexuality: Sociological Approaches (Polity Press, 2010)
So read a bit of Hegel today (Phenomenology of Spirit) but need to finish that. I think I'm about halfway through, but it's fairly shortish. Only doing a couple chapters after all.
Then I need to read Knox's interpretation of Hegel's conception of 'The Family'.
Mills.
And Lloyd.
Today I had to sort out some things. Had a doctor's appointment (it went well, got some painkillers for my bad back), had to do some money stuff, got my grade back for my art this semester (I got a B2!!!). So, the studying proper today will start after tea.
I'm not sure yet if I should go into the library (8-10?) or just stay here. I think I'll get more studying done in my room because I won't need to account for 'travel time' but it'll mean reading some of the stuff online, which can get really annoying.
Also the keyboard on this computer is REALLY acting up, but if it's just reading it should be okay.
A B2... I am so proud of myself (if it's okay to be proud of yourself). This is the first good mark I've got at art college. Working with film seems to be really paying off. I feel like for the first time I can properly express my ideas visually.
But I don't have time to think about it. Got so much revision to do. Last reading to finish off tomorrow (odds and ends like the last bits of irigary) and then it's NOTE TAKING TIME. Woop, woop. That's the best bit - collecting the quotes and info. I'm so psyched.
Friday's going to be terrifying, but I really am doing everything I can. I hope it's enough.
Hegel. Hegel, hegel. Hegel. Hegel. Hegel.
Ana
x
So I finished reading 'Feminist Interpretations of Antigone'.
And yesterday I read 'Antigone's Claim' by Butler, and The Three Theban Plays all the way through.
I'm going to take out Irigaray's 'Speculum', Lacan's 'The Ethics of Psychoanalysis', Hegel's 'Phenomenology of Spirit', and Butler's 'Bodies that Matter'.
I need to get more money out so that I can print the Mills 'Hegel's Antigone' which is like £1.30. I printed some other stuff on the reading list out but I'm not sure I'll have a chance to read them. Damn. Waste of money.
If I have time I want to read the Mills, Lloyd ('The Man of Reason'), and the Alison Stones (Luce Irigaray and the Politics of Sexuate Difference, and 'Hegel's Philosophy and Feminist Thought: Beyond Antigone' which is on the uni's electronic texts database).
I am terrified about this exam. It's such a short play and it's a finite course (I mean, it's a three hour exam after all!) but I still feel a lot of pressure. I wish I'd concentrated more on my academic stuff this year. Oh, I'm so torn.
I just need to ignore everything else until Friday (Ahhhhhhh friday!!).
:S
I've never studied anything so hard. It's difficult to focus on it.
Also it's production week at the magazine which I normally love, but every second I'm thinking 'I'm not revising for the feminism exam' and it's stressing me out.
I mean. I've got about half a concept for Ettinger and the rest is just a vague misunderstanding. Something about borderspaces, and being and 'I' and a 'non-I' at the same time. I think there was something about merging during sexual intercourse, which is cool, but I can't seem to find it again.
There's some really interesting stuff about mother/infant incest - in the sense that the mother and the unborn infant are merged in the womb. That's page (204). She references Julia Kristeva which I haven't read. I'm not sure I should. She's in the course book but I don't think we mentioned her (although I didn't go to all the lectures so maybe I just missed that, in which case I should revise her).
I miss. I miss revising with people. That logic exam where Caitlin and I locked ourselves in my room in student halls for four days and just revised logic and had sex. Or the philosophy of science exam which was the same thing but in her room in student halls.
Or the mind, matter, and language exam where our whole philosophy crew booked out a room in the main library and had a revision sesh.
Or how I met Greg, because we were both frantically trying to memorise the frege for that same philosophy of language exam.
Or back at school in the little library at harris with fiona, lauren, amr, eve...
There are always courses where you have more friends than others, but I wish I had someone to revise with. I wish I knew this course better.
I... feel a bit pretentious. As in, one who operates on pretense. It's not like I enjoy being shallow or ignorant, more that I prefer to sample a little bit or everything rather than specialise. If you had to wait until you were an expert on a topic before you talked about it you'd never get anything done.
But I feel bad. My criticism of the APCP lot is that they don't know what they're talking about, but I don't either.
I haven't done any work today at all. The boys left at 9pm. It's now 11.30pm. I've just been hanging about on the internet. I was going to watch some T.V. but I seem to be too lazy to do that.
I've been rather full of self-loathing lately. It may be tied to moving back home. I've failed to be financially independent. I'm not mature enough. I am not an adult. Four years and my finances are in a mess. -£830 on the credit card, -£2500 on the debit, I don't even know how much student loan debt. And what's it been worth?
Okay, that's not fair. I've learnt a lot so far at university. Of course I feel ignorant - I'm an undergraduate. I'm 21. I know fuck all.
Just. Like always, I wish I was brilliant.
But I'm not. I'm sitting alone at 11.30pm too lazy to turn on the T.V.
Poor kid.
There was an exhibition there a number of years ago. It was Nisunen Gronlund (Tommi Grönlund and Petteri Nisunen, an artist duo from Helsinki). One piece 'The Music Box' really affected me. I was thirteen or fourteen.
(I'm on the left).
Today I sat on the floor and watched one of the video pieces and thought "God, I wish I was alone. I wish I enjoying myself with my friends. Actually engaging with this environment instead of pretending to look at it while looking to see who was here."
If I'd been doing my job I would have found the curator (who interrupted an interview I was doing at another exhibition yesterday and so would presumably have given me five minutes of his time) and had him explain the wonderful way the central video pieces had been hung in the middle of the main space. It reminded me of... well a quick Google search reveals it was actually the same artists a couple years ago. Talbot Rice Gallery in Edinburgh. 2009.
If I'd been doing my job I'd have found Jane and Louise Wilson and talked to them. If I'd been doing my job properly I would have made it to their lecture on Wednesday morning. I'd have been able to arrange some sort of interview. I could have re-watched the work from 2009.
Yesterday I talked to an exciting photographer who works here. I was hoping to run into him tonight, but I was worried I didn't have explicit press photography permission and didn't want to make a scene and be found out as the fake I obviously am.
How the night could have gone. I could have been there early, having done an interview with the artists earlier in the day. We'd have been chatting, them, the curator, and I. People would have drifted in and introductions would have been made. When the other press people arrived I would have been able to hang out with them. Get little comments and things from the public, when one of my art tutors arrived with her young kids I would have felt more confident saying hi. I would have asked the guy with the light brown beard what he did. I'd have said hi to the guy from the student tv crew that I'd seen THAT AFTERNOON.
Yes, I could have done all these things.
Look at me in that photograph. How safe I look. How trusting. I want to wrap her up and take her to a poetry reading, introduce her to a nice girl, have a drink with her.
But I don't want her to grow up to be an art critic. I want her to be happy. There's no love in nights like tonight.
Lonely people standing in the dark being seen.
.
.
.
.
Our Castle
The sea. Cold. Always cold even in summer.
Standing waist deep in the water
Smoking a cigarette.
The beach at Broughty Ferry.
There’s an ice-cream shop.
The buses finish so early.
Been thinking about what an Independent Scotland would mean to me.
It's weird. It makes you feel MORE lonely, cause you don't know who you're speaking to.
I wish I could disable Facebook, blogspot.
But then why trust one corporation and not another.
Also, I've never deleted Facebook.
You know I think I'm going to put the kettle on, make some tea, and do some writing.
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