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Images Thanks To:
Glowing Rabbit:http://lightheartedviii.deviantart.com/art/Bluebell-288587564
Child with Rabbit: http://rabbitempire.org/rabbit-facts-for-kids
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Learn more at: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57598551/
Group Update
Our group (Myrna, Vita, Jonah, and I) is organizing “The Year of the Flood”‘s timeline in chronological order and cartography. We’ve decided to use ThinkPort, which is a timeline creating tool. We’ve also decided to chart Ren and Toby’s timelines separately at first and see if it’s logical for them to be organized side by side or even converge at some points: the time spent with the Gardeners and after they’ve found each other after the Waterless Flood.
For the mapping portion, we haven’t found a fantasy mapping platform that will allow us to create a digital map. Instead, we’ve decided to create a map that will resemble a board game and attach key events that happened at each location.
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Syllabus Updates and Assignment Submissions
Hi Everyone.
I continue to enjoy the development of your mural work and cannot wait to see your work tonight.
I wanted to map out for you what the rest of the semester will look like, since we are a little off track with the syllabus.
For the assignment that is due today, please use the electronic submission form. If you are submitting a paper, it’s pretty straightforward. If you are submitting a digital project, please submit the URL. This will help me, since all the submissions will be on one place and there will be no confusion between a typical post and this submission. Important: If you worked in a group, put the names of every person who should get credit in the name field on the submission form.
Now, the semester is quickly drawing to an end. Can you believe it? Here’s what I want to do with the time we have left:
Nov 14 (tonight): show and tell of digital projects. Brainstorming about final project site. Open discussion.
Homework: Paired blogging (will be explained in class)
Sophia and Jonah: Haraway
Myrna and Pranitha: Halberstam
Connie and Adrienne: Losse
Cynthia and Caroline: Butler
Nov 21: Build the final project shell site in class. Open discussion. Selection of FemTechNet Videos for online discussion.
Nov 28: No class, Happy Thanksgiving! However, you should continue to be in touch with your group and actively working on your final projects in the weeks between class meetings. Watch Sleeper, Alien and the selected FTN Videos.
Dec 5: Class discussion of films and videos. Workshop time for final project.
Dec 12: Finalize final project site.
Dec 19: Celebration Feast! Who wants to nominate some saints?
Year of the Flood: Second Response
Two recurring motifs in Year of the Flood are the environment and women. On face value these two might seem like two completely separate issues, but in reality they are actually very interrelated. Many feminist theorist argue that women inherently share a closer bond to nature than men. This is both defined by their physiology and their psychology. Rosser touched upon this in her piece that we read earlier in the year, stating that women live life with a more symbiotic, mutaulistic relationship to the environment, while men have a more confrontational relationship, constantly trying to conquer and use for their own gain.
In the same light, Ecofeminists argue that the oppression and destruction that the environment faces is very similar to the struggle of women in our society. (If you would like to learn more about ecofeminism here’s the wikipedia link, to no surprise, it is quite short: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecofeminism)
It then becomes clear why Atwood decided to tie the struggles of women in with the experiences of a fringe group of ecowarriors. This intersectionality adds depth to the story, and also further Atwood’s novel from that of just a feminist focused piece of literature to a larger statement on the relationship between women, technology, and the environment.
Group Project Update – 11/7
Hello everyone!
I’m getting the ball started on group project updates. On mura.ly, we have listed the God’s Gardeners (attaching Adam/Eve status, as well); the Saints, Celebrations, Hymns & Prayers (plus their page mentions); different beliefs and practices indicated by quotations taken from YOTF; other religious groups; and references to OUR modern day religion.
For the final project, we’ve created a Wikia page (link to be distributed at the end of semester)! Cynthia (me) will be in charge of creating separate wiki pages for each of the Adams and Eves (using imagery of their specialties) and the other God’s Gardeners. Sophia will be in charge of getting the prayers and hymns on soundcloud and later linking them to the wikipedia pages. Caroline and Liz will be in charge of the wiki pages for the various Saints and Celebrations.
If anyone has any suggestions, we’re opened to listening!
-Cynthia
Atwood at Queen College: Details
Hi Everyone,
I did call and speak with the box office at Queen College. Here’s what I learned:
1) Tickets are first-come, first-served and not available for pre-purchase. I was hoping that I might be able to buy tickets in advance for those who are committed to going.
2) If you are going, it is recommended that you arrive early. There will be a line.
3) Sadly, I am not able to go tonight because of a pre-existing commitment. If you are going, please email me. I will see if there is a way to offset ticket costs. And we will need a full report back!!!
MARGARET ATWOOD in NYC
Soo I was really excited when I found out that Margaret Atwood would be in NYC this Tuesday and thought I’d pass this along in case anybody else is as psyched as I am. She will be reading from her work and will also be interviewed by Leonard Lopate at Queens College this coming Tuesday, Nov. 12th at 7PM.
More info here:
Links and Info from Class 11/7/13
Below are the links for our course site, and some of the tools and resources discussed in class on 11/7/13.
Wikipedia:
Class wikipedia page. Please enroll (password: Atwood).
The Year of the Flood Wikipedia page, for review and thoughts about what edits we might make as a group.
Resources:
Bamboo Dirt (for other suggestions)
Reading Response
“As for writing, it was dangerous, said the Adams and the Eves, because your enemies could trace you through it, and hunt you down, and use your words to condemn you.”(pg. 5)
From the start this idea of words being used a tool for destruction floats around the book. As the novel progresses, we see a greater emphasis on the fear of technology and its ability to document everything you write as opposed to the safety of word of mouth. The Gardeners teach their children to memorize everything because writing devices aren’t eternal, and they teach them to be careful with their words because once its out there’s no getting it back, and this could be held against you.
When Lucerne takes Ren away from the Gardeners back to the HelthWyzer compound, we see through Ren’s experience a greater emphasis on this fear of words, but technology in specifically. Ren describes her experiences at the HelthWyzer high school and her fear of the technology and paper notebooks used. “I had a built-in fear of those: it seemed so dangerous, all that permanent writing that your enemies could find–you couldn’t just wipe it away, not like a slate.”(pg.216) This idea of technology being used as a tool for destruction reminded me of Professor Chun’s, “Habitual New Media” talk at Barnard. Professor Chun examined this exact concept of the anxiety that comes with technology, how every word we speak on the phone is out there in cyberspace, every item we put on our computers and delete isn’t actually deleted, every snapchat we send that “vanishes” after 5 seconds, can be retrieved. There is no privacy in technology, and while this is alarming, Professor Chun says it is also empowering. Technology gives us the ability to put words into cyberspace that are permanently embedded. You can choose the words you want to put out their and use them how you want. “You enemies can use writing against you, I thought, but also you could use it against them.”(pg.226). Writing doesn’t have to be used as a malicious tool, but it can. The fact that every single thing posted or visited leaves a digital footprint is a very powerful tool.
