Postmodern Theories and Texts

Postmodern Theories and Texts

Objectives and Requirements

What is postmodernism? What has Forrest Gump to do with the novel, The French Lieutenant's Woman, or the TV wall to do with JFK assassination or the internet? Are we in an age of neo-conservatism, or facing an unprecedented revolution of our thinking and reading habits?

This course studies important theories on postmodernity (postmodern conditions) and postmodernism (such as those of Jameson, Lyotard, Baudrillard, Hutcheon, J. Butler, Laclau and Mouffe), and then apply the theories to postmodern texts. The postmodern "texts" can range from novels, poems, plays, architecture, music videos, films, to the hypertexts in internet. While we will cover a wide scope of postmodern texts, you are encouraged/required to choose your own focus.

The issues to be dealt with are:

1. The relationships (conflicts and intersections) between postmodernism on the one hand, and feminism, Marxism and postcolonialism on the other: Is postmodernism to be rejected as non-critical and imperialistic? Or do we need to examine which kinds of postmodernisms are strongly critical of dominant ideologies and which are complicit with them?

2. Postmodern history: Is historical representation possible, and how?

3. Postmodern parody and pastiche: why are these styles so dominant？ Are they playful or--back to the first question--critical?

4. Postmodern culture in Taiwan:

blind imitation or "mimicry" of Western cultures, or something Taiwanese is emerging?

Our theory textbook will be a reader of articles chosen from the online bibliography. 後現代理論與文本

本課研究談論後現代社會政治文化、文學現象的理論（理論家如：Jameson, Lyotard, Baudrillard, Hutcheon, J. Butler, Laclau and Mouffe）。然後運用在各種後現代文本上（如小說、電影、建築、攝影、音樂錄影帶、電腦網路等）。所探討的課題有：

１。後現代文體之一－－諷擬（parody）--有嬉戲還是批判？

２。後現代主義是複製、強化、或批判後資本主義、帝國主義

３。後現代主義的歷史觀

４。後現代主義與女性主義、馬克思主義的關係

５。台灣的後現代主義

Requirements and Grading Policy

A. Attendance and Participation:

1. 不遲到、不缺席‧

2. Reading, active thinking and discussion. (If there is no lively discussion in class, we will require weekly short reports by every member in the class.)

B. Writing:

(Journal and Participation -- 20%; Two Reports -- 20%; Term Paper -- 60%)

3. 1 40-min formal Report --on a theorectical text we read.

30-min report + 10-min discussion; Typed Outline Required.

(PhD students should use a whole hour.)

4. 1 short (10-min) observation/analysis --bring in one postmodern text of your own choice (British, American or Taiwanese) and discuss it in relation to the theories we read in class.

5. Online journal (The no. of journal is negotiable.)

MA students taking two credits -- 5
MA students taking three credits and PhD student -- 10

6. Final paper (15-20 pages) analyzing a text (postmodern or not) using a postmodern theory or from a postmodern perspective.

Proposal due in the mid-term week.

以上規則可以討論，一旦同學同意，必須遵守。

Postmodern, Post-Industrial, Post-Marxist, Post-Feminist, Post-Martial Law...