MDST412-1/ENMC481H-1 (Schedule #305RP/3306D)
University of Virginia
Fall 2008
TR 9:30am-11am :: Clemons 322A
Mr. David Golumbia
Office: 449 New Cabell Hall
Fall 2008 Office Hours: M 12:30p-3:30p

Cyberspace, Race, Ethnicity

Cyberspace is most often depicted as an environment in which one can turn away from or avoid the most problematic "real-world" social conditions. This class starts from the presumption that, in fact, such escape is not possible. As such, the course examines the profound and to some extent covert connections between sociocultural representations of race and ethnicity and the formal and material organization of computers and the internet. We will look both directly at computer technology and also at representational media in which cyberspace, race, and ethnicity play determinative roles. We will address questions including the so-called digital divide, the provision of computing resources to people in the global south, racial ideologies, and technoscientific progressivism. We will focus special attention on movies and television programs where cyberspace and race or ethnicity are presented together; among those we will watch are the Terminator films; The Matrix; and Virtuosity. In addition we will read fiction (William Gibson's Neuromancer), graphic novels (Frank Miller's Ronin) and nonfiction that addresses questions of race and cyberspace together. We will also briefly look at some digital media in which race is at issue--especially games (World of Warcraft) and social networking websites (e.g., Facebook and MySpace). Students will write response papers, give oral presentations, and should be prepared to engage in sustained class discussion; a significant part of the grade will be based on a substantial final research paper or project. Restricted to juniors and seniors who have taken a prior Media Studies, English, or American Studies course, or by instructor approval. Under the ENMC481H rubric only, this course can fulfill the second writing requirement.

Required texts (available at UVa Bookstore; used editions are acceptable for all the books in this course)

• Primary texts
  • William Gibson, Neuromancer (novel, Ace, 1984)
  • Frank Miller with Lynn Varley, Ronin (graphic novel, DC comics, 1983)
• Critical texts
  • Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, Critical Race Theory: An Introduction (NYU Press, 2001)
  • Beth Kolko, Lisa Nakamura, and Gilbert Rodman, eds, Race in Cyberspace (Routledge, 2000; readings labeled RC in the syllabus are from this volume)

Media (on reserve in Robertson Media Center; you are responsible for viewing media in its entirety prior to the assigned class)

• Boost Mobile advertising campaign, "Where You At?" (2006-present)
• James Cameron. dir., Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
• Brett Leonard, dir., Virtuosity (1995)
• Steven Spielberg, dir., Minority Report (2002)
• Star Trek: The Original Series Episode 53 (Season 2, DVD 6), "The Ultimate Computer" (1968)
• Andy and Larry Wachowski, dirs., The Matrix (1999)

Reserve texts (in Robertson Media Center)

• Hilde G. Corneliussen and Jill Walker Rettberg, eds., Digital Culture, Play, and Identity: A World of Warcraft® Reader (MIT Press, 2008)
• Beth Kolko, Lisa Nakamura, and Gilbert Rodman, eds, Race in Cyberspace (Routledge, 2000)
• Rachel C. Lee, ed., AsianAmerica.Net: Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Cyberspace (Routledge, 2003)
• Lisa Nakamura, Cybertypes: Race, Identity, and Ethnicity on the Internet (Routledge, 2002)
• Lisa Nakamura, Digitizing Race: Visual Cultures of the Internet (University of Minnesota Press, 2007)

Texts from the internet

• Lisa Nakamura, "Talking Race and Cyberspace: Interview with Lisa Nakamura," Nettime mailing list, May 25, 2004

Assignments and Evaluation

Evaluation will be based on written exercises and course participation as follows:

• 3-5pp. papers (2): 20% each (total 40%). Two short papers on topics of the student's choice related to the course subject.
• Final 8-10pp. paper or project: 40%. The final paper will be on a topic of your choosing that relates to the course subject matter. In consultation with the instructor, students not taking the class for the second writing requirement may create a final project that is suitably analytical and related to the course subject.
• Participation, including all in-class work, your attendance and participation in discussion and in solo and group projects: 20%.
  

Policies

• This course is taught primarily via discussion. Your attendance and participation are vital to its success. A significant portion of your grade (20%) depends on your class participation. More than 2 unexcused absences will count against your final course grade. More than 4 unexcused absences results in automatic failure of the course, in accordance with College guidelines.
• No late work is accepted in this class. Work handed in late is automatically marked down one-third grade (e.g., a B becomes a B-) for each day it is late, and after one week becomes a failing grade for the assignment.
• You are expected to have done the primary reading and any other primary course assignments before the beginning of course each week.
• All work in this course is subject to the University's Honor Code. You may work in teams for some assignments, but all written work must be solely your own, and any reliance on published work must be properly cited.
• Final grades for the course will not be released until the entire class has submitted online course evaluations.

Week-by-Week Syllabus

Week 1. Introduction

• Tues Aug 26. Introduction
• Thurs Aug 28. Reading: Lisa Nakamura, "Interview" (Collab, also on web)

Week 2. The Ultimate Computer

• Tues Sep 2. Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Ultimate Computer"
• Thurs: Sep 4. Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Ultimate Computer"

Week 3. Ronin

• Tues Sep 9. Reading: Ronin, Chapters 1-3
• Thurs Sep 11. Reading: Ronin, Chapters 4-6; Ow, "Revenge of the Yellowfaced Cyborg" (RC, Chapter 4)

Week 4. Virtuosity

• Tues Sep 16. Virtuosity
• Thurs Sep 18. Virtuosity. Reading: Crane, "In Medias Race" (RC, Chapter 6)

Week 5. Critical Race Theory

• Tues Sep 23. Reading: Critical Race Theory, pp. 1-66
• Thurs Sep 25. Reading: Critical Race Theory, pp. 67-end

Week 6. Social Networking & Advertising

• Tues Sep 30. Facebook & MySpace. Reading: Silver, "Margins in the Wires" (RC, Chapter 8); McPherson, "I'll Take My Stand in Dixie-Net" (RC, Chapter 7).
• Thurs Oct 2. Boost Mobile "Where You At" campaign. Reading: Nakamura, "Where Do You Want to Go Today?" (RC, Chapter 2). .

Week 7. Minority Report

• Tues Oct 7. Minority Report
• Thurs Oct 9. Minority Report. Short paper 1 due by beginning of class.

Week 8. Reading Period

• Tues Oct 14: NO CLASS; Reading Day
• Thurs Oct 16: NO CLASS; paper preparation and discussions

Week 9. Judgment Day

• Tues Oct 21.Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• Thurs Oct 23.Terminator 2: Judgment Day; Chun, "Orienting the Future" (Collab)

Week 10. Neuromancer

• Tues Oct 28. Reading: Neuromancer, Chapters 1-12
• Thurs Oct 30. Reading: Neuromancer, Chapters 13-24

Week 11. The "Digital Divide"

• Tues Nov 4. Reading: Warschauer, "Language, Identity, and the Internet" (RC, Chapter 9); Lockard, "Babel Machines" (RC, Chapter 10)
• Thurs Nov 6 Reading. Sterne, "The Computer Race Goes to Class" (RC, Chapter 11). Short paper 2 due by beginning of class.

Week 12. Games

• Tues Nov 11. Reading: Sudan, "Sexy Sims" (RC, Chapter 5); Kolko, "Erasing @Race" (RC, Chapter 12)
• Thurs Nov 13. Reading: Langer, "The Familiar and the Foreign" (Collab); Nakamura, "Cybertypes" (Collab)

Week 13. The Matrix

• Tues Nov 18. The Matrix
• Thurs Nov 20. The Matrix. Reading: Nakamura, "The Social Optics of Race" (Collab)

Week 14. Thanksgiving Break

• Tues Nov 25: NO CLASS; paper discussions/preparation
• Thurs Nov 27: NO CLASS; Thanksgiving

Week 15. Summary

• Tues Dec 2. Summary and discussion of final paper topics
• Thurs Dec 4. Summary and discussion of final paper topics.

Final paper due by final exam time for this course: Weds Dec 10, 2pm. There is no final exam for the course.

Last updated August 25, 2008.