OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will be able to define the words allegory, analogy, metaphor, and symbol.
2. Students will be able to explain multimodality and articulate the concept by way of using various sources of media on the internet to convey a specific message.
3. Gain a deeper understanding of differing world views and perspectives through
research into various memes, graffito, and various online works of visual and
aural artistry.
4. Students will learn proper citation for images, music, and text when icorporating these items on web pages and blogs and will display, by virtue of proper usage, that they understand copyright and fair use doctrine.
1. Students will be able to define the words allegory, analogy, metaphor, and symbol.
2. Students will be able to explain multimodality and articulate the concept by way of using various sources of media on the internet to convey a specific message.
3. Gain a deeper understanding of differing world views and perspectives through
research into various memes, graffito, and various online works of visual and
aural artistry.
4. Students will learn proper citation for images, music, and text when icorporating these items on web pages and blogs and will display, by virtue of proper usage, that they understand copyright and fair use doctrine.
Procedure: (Reading of The book Ubik is in the background of this entire unit)
1. Begin the unit of study by posing the essential question: What are the various methods that artists, writers, and musicians convey political, social, religious, and economic messages through their work?
2. Next should come a brief discussion on several examples of memes. The discussion should include a solid definition of the term meme as well as an explanation of how it is being applied to the examples that are shown.
a. Wikipedia definition: A meme ( /ˈmiːm/; meem)[1] is "an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."[2] A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can
be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes in that they self-replicate, mutate and respond to selective pressures.
b. Dictionary.com definition: meme /mim/ Show Spelled [meem] noun a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes.
3. Students watch the Dramtic Chipmunk Youtube video.
2. Next should come a brief discussion on several examples of memes. The discussion should include a solid definition of the term meme as well as an explanation of how it is being applied to the examples that are shown.
a. Wikipedia definition: A meme ( /ˈmiːm/; meem)[1] is "an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."[2] A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can
be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes in that they self-replicate, mutate and respond to selective pressures.
b. Dictionary.com definition: meme /mim/ Show Spelled [meem] noun a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes.
3. Students watch the Dramtic Chipmunk Youtube video.
First Sequence:
3. As a NING will be used throughout the year as a medium through which students will be responding to class and Lit circle readings, session one should end with students being assigned to research a meme on the kinternet. Students will need to come up with a legitimate meme (that meets the criterea in the definitions above), and will need to provide a link to the work on the NING. It will also be required to
a. name the artist, (fulfilling the objective of attribution)
b. Include a brief analysis of the important aspects of the image or sound file.
c. Speculate on what the artist was trying to say through the piece.
(A follow up piece to this assignment is that students are required to post a response to at least two of their classmates postings. This will help ensure that all students feel that they have an audience for this assignments and that there is a sense of urgency to actually DO the assignment and not just wait until the last moment and throw up some random image).
a. name the artist, (fulfilling the objective of attribution)
b. Include a brief analysis of the important aspects of the image or sound file.
c. Speculate on what the artist was trying to say through the piece.
(A follow up piece to this assignment is that students are required to post a response to at least two of their classmates postings. This will help ensure that all students feel that they have an audience for this assignments and that there is a sense of urgency to actually DO the assignment and not just wait until the last moment and throw up some random image).
second Sequence:
4. Students will watch Exit Through The Gift Shop. This video does not have to be viewed in it's entirety; several segements that showcase the important parts of the film can be showcased. This will probably consume the bulk of two class periods. The full version of the film can be made available online.
5. Students will be asked to post to the NING concerning questions of what it means to "sell out" and whether or not they think Thierry, Banksy, or the other artists featured in the film are guilty of this. Posts should attempt to describe why these artists do what they do and if the students agree with it or not. Again, part of this assignement is to respond to at least two classmates' posts. This should get a discussion going that is larger than just the concept of street art and will hopefully provide a springboard for the third sequence in that students have a strong desire to express their opinions.
5. Students will be asked to post to the NING concerning questions of what it means to "sell out" and whether or not they think Thierry, Banksy, or the other artists featured in the film are guilty of this. Posts should attempt to describe why these artists do what they do and if the students agree with it or not. Again, part of this assignement is to respond to at least two classmates' posts. This should get a discussion going that is larger than just the concept of street art and will hopefully provide a springboard for the third sequence in that students have a strong desire to express their opinions.
Sequence Three:
6. Turn the energy from the NING discussion on Gift Shop into an analysis on Ubik.
a. What might the half-life represent in today's terms? The internet? Social media? The alienation imposed by consumer culture and the never-ending quest for "more"?
b. How about Ubik itself? What is up with the need to obtain this product to save one's self, and why does it keep reverting to an older an older form? What does it mean when Runciter finally appears and gives it to Joe Chip?
c. Define allegory, analogy,metaphor, and symbol. (It is up to you how in-depth into Ubik or whatever text you are using, but the main idea here is to clearly show the students how the above terms are used to artistically convey a meaning through the use of painting a picture wither with words, music, image/video.
7. Introduce students to different online meme makers like
http://www.howifeelwhen.net/
http://knowyourmeme.com/
http://memegenerator.net/
http://memebase.cheezburger.com/
a. Assignement is to post a meme on the NING that syas something about one of the themes of the book (Ubik in this case), an independent reading from Lit circle, or another approved topic that was touched on during the NING discussion. ( The latter depends on how engaged the students were during Sequence Two).
a. What might the half-life represent in today's terms? The internet? Social media? The alienation imposed by consumer culture and the never-ending quest for "more"?
b. How about Ubik itself? What is up with the need to obtain this product to save one's self, and why does it keep reverting to an older an older form? What does it mean when Runciter finally appears and gives it to Joe Chip?
c. Define allegory, analogy,metaphor, and symbol. (It is up to you how in-depth into Ubik or whatever text you are using, but the main idea here is to clearly show the students how the above terms are used to artistically convey a meaning through the use of painting a picture wither with words, music, image/video.
7. Introduce students to different online meme makers like
http://www.howifeelwhen.net/
http://knowyourmeme.com/
http://memegenerator.net/
http://memebase.cheezburger.com/
a. Assignement is to post a meme on the NING that syas something about one of the themes of the book (Ubik in this case), an independent reading from Lit circle, or another approved topic that was touched on during the NING discussion. ( The latter depends on how engaged the students were during Sequence Two).
Sequence Four:
1. Students will comment on one anothers (at least two classmates') submissions. Criterea will be that same as in Sequence Two; they will have to identify images that are used, speculate on why they are being used, and speculate also on the statment that the artist is attempting to make. (The students need not make any radical political, social, or religious stamtment with these memes. They just need to show that they understand how image text and or music can be combined to convey meaning. They need to show that they understand multimodality).
2. The main assignment here will be to create a web page on the NING that contains the students sample meme, students' analysis of classmates' memes, and a small writing assignment that ties together Ubik and Gift Shop.
a. In the written assignment portion, students should discuss how themes and events in Ubik relate to the transformation that Thierry makes in Gift Shop when he becomes Mr. Brainwash. Was there ever a deeper meaning to the street art or was it just graffiti? Does Thierry's transformation indicate that his "art", and by extension all of the others' works, is all just Ubik?
b. It may be interesting to include outside sources in this paper. Artists' personal statements and/or critics remarks. This could be a requirement or extra credit depending on the group and their writing ability.
2. The main assignment here will be to create a web page on the NING that contains the students sample meme, students' analysis of classmates' memes, and a small writing assignment that ties together Ubik and Gift Shop.
a. In the written assignment portion, students should discuss how themes and events in Ubik relate to the transformation that Thierry makes in Gift Shop when he becomes Mr. Brainwash. Was there ever a deeper meaning to the street art or was it just graffiti? Does Thierry's transformation indicate that his "art", and by extension all of the others' works, is all just Ubik?
b. It may be interesting to include outside sources in this paper. Artists' personal statements and/or critics remarks. This could be a requirement or extra credit depending on the group and their writing ability.