While I have never been one to shun attention, I'm not posting the following as a "Look at me!" post. Instead, I would like to hear from Xarkers and other readers about how well I'm controlling my own representation. Let me explain:
This fall, I'm teaching a "First Year Writing Seminar" (small classes at Vanderbilt designed to introduce First Year Students to the college classroom while simultaneously focusing on writing. My course is going to use the television show "LOST" as a way to introduce students to a variety theoretical/critical tools that one employs in thinking about the production, distribution, and circulation of mass mediated texts/symbols/what have you.
Now, while the course uses the television show (and its variety of tertiary texts) as a way to understand theory and criticism, one always fears that the novelty of a college course which uses something like "Lost" (or Elvis or some other mediated phenom) will draw attention away from the intended purpose of the course. Moreover, when one teaches a course like this, one often gets local media attention (e.g., there will be a short article on the course next week in The Tennessean). What I'm trying to do is talk about the course in ways that either undercut or minimize the gimmicky idea of the course when I do these local interviews. My first attempt is with the public affairs officers at our University. You can see the article about the course, with a brief audio interview.
What would I like? Well, if you have the time (and I'll be sharing other stories about the course with you as well if others are published), I'd love to hear how successful I'm being in my attempts. As we all know (there are journalists afoot in these pages), any attempt to control representation is doomed to fail. But let me know what you think. Or heck, given my critique of Daniel's critique of critics, feel free to have at the idea of the course as well.
sounds intriguing ...
Posted by: Janet Edens | Tuesday, August 08, 2006 at 08:03
What kinds of high-level theories would these students be using, and where do I find a book that would help me learn them? Because I think I need to learn how to do systematic analysis, just to know how.
Enjoyed the audio interview, and I thought the press release delivered the "not-gimmicky-but-instructive" message well, as one would expect from a university press office.
A newspaper article should be expected to emphasize the novelty of this idea -- and, if you really score -- the creativity of the combination. What I'd expect as a baseline is that you'll get a "bright" writing style (breezy, casual, a little cute), a little bit of substance to go with the froth, your quote about how you can use it to study formal ideas about criticism, etc., and no more than about 12 column inches.
That's a win if you're looking for some exposure for the program. It's a strike against you if you see that kind of lightweight attention as harmful to your reputation, or if some anti-intellectual partisan seizes on it to make a case against loony professors teaching TV series instead of serious subjects, like Intelligent Design.
But I think you're doing fine with this, and that you're explaining yourself well. One suggestion: it doesn't hurt to have a tag line description for these kinds of things, a short-but-colorful response to some basic question that is so obviously quotable that the reporter uses it verbatim. This is particularly useful in TV.
Posted by: Daniel | Tuesday, August 08, 2006 at 16:01
Well, here is the link to today's Tennessean article. The guy did an OK job, as well as I would have hoped.
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060811/NEWS04/608110405
Moreover, the internet being what it is, I've already received about 20 different notes from people about the course. At any rate, if you want to see a bad picture of me and want to see how a "Higher Ed" journalist covered the story, have a go at it.
Posted by: jmsloop | Friday, August 11, 2006 at 11:46
Oh, come on John, that's not such a bad picture of you. You were just never that pretty to begin with. Unlike moi...
Posted by: Daniel | Friday, August 11, 2006 at 12:42
Hey gang:
A list of the Top Ten Moronic College courses. Guess who is number 1? I expect flowers and telegrams:
http://www.radaronline.com/features/2006/09/the_10_most_moronic_college_courses_in_america.php
Posted by: jmsloop | Friday, September 22, 2006 at 12:27
ooops. that's supposed to end with the_10_most_moronic_college_courses_in_america.php
Posted by: jmsloop | Friday, September 22, 2006 at 12:29
Thank goodness Radar didn't hear about the media criticism course you taught last winter. Remember? "The Anchor as Text: Reading the Visual Syntax of Expressions and Wardrobe in the Work of Anderson Cooper." Anyway, you've almost reached the pantheon of academic celebrity. We're all very, very proud.
By the way, here's a 24-character version of the 94-character web address John provided above:
http://tinyurl.com/les9f
Remember, you can always convert any long web address to a shorter one at tinyurl.com...
Posted by: Daniel | Saturday, September 23, 2006 at 18:50
Atlanta XARKERS (is that only Ben?): I'll be doing an interview with Radio Station Q100, Tuesday morning, Oct. 3 at about 8:15 AM. Listen in and see if I get ambushed.
Posted by: jmsloop | Thursday, September 28, 2006 at 18:41
I'll try to tune in. Put up a comment the day before to remind me, if you remember.
I don't think I've ever listened to Q100. Is it talk radio? Can I call in? I really hope its not the one with the billboards that say "Liberals Hate It!" Or maybe that would be fun.
Posted by: Ben | Thursday, September 28, 2006 at 22:36
I don't want this to come off as shameless self-promotion, but here is my interview with the campus tv station, again attempting to provide an apologia for the class. I'm slowly getting better at this:
http://www.insidevandy.com/drupal/node/1244/play
Posted by: jmsloop | Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at 16:48