Hi everyone,
As we continue with Pattern Recognition this week, you could focus on one of a number of things for your thread:
— You might consider some of the themes, issues, events, etc. that come up in this third section of the novel and look at them in relation to an example from the real world of popular culture, bringing that second piece into view on the blog to show us what one might suggest or show us about the other.
– You might look at a moment or piece of culture from this part of the novel through the lens of one of the theorists we’ve read, and see what other kinds of culture that inspires you to think about.
– You might follow a theme or issue and see how it develops now that the novel is starting to pick up momentum and move towards concluding events.
Whatever you decide to do, keep in mind that your thread should add to or respond to the material from last week or take things in a different directions — don’t just repeat what last week’s posters said without saying anything different or new.
As a reminder, your post to start a thread should be 300-400 words long, and is due before class on Tuesday. You must give the rest of the class direct access to the artifact you choose in your post—embed it in your post so that we can all see exactly what you’re talking about.
Your post to start a thread should be something like an online response paper: although it does not have to be quite as formal as a full paper, it should work with the material analytically and thoughtfully, making direct, close references to the texts and quoting where appropriate. Do not just summarize the reading and/or the pop culture artifact you choose to post on. Think critically about how they relate, and make a case for how the artifact you’ve chosen illuminates and exemplifies the concepts from the reading.
Lastly, don’t forget that your post should appear as its own separate post, rather than as a response or comment to this one — that way everyone can find it easily.
If you’ve got any questions, feel free to email me. I look forward to seeing what you all come up with!
Mr. Benzon
