In this section we’ll explore the way various narrative forms represent the intersection of death and technology, focusing particularly on horror. These representations include examples from fiction, film, and videogames.
Monday, January 14 (Week 1)
- Introduction to course guidelines and overview of the semester
Wednesday, January 16
- Ray Bradbury, “There Will Come Soft Rains” from The Martian Chronicles (1950), pages 205-211
Friday, January 18
- Alan Weisman, chapters 2 and 3 of The World Without Us (2007), pages 15-38
Monday, January 21 (Week 2)
- MLK Day – No Class
Wednesday, January 23
- Isabel Pinedo, “Recreational Terror: Postmodern Elements of the Contemporary Horror Film” from The Journal of Film and Video (1996), pages 17-31
- Tasha Robinson, “Modern Horror Films Are Finding Their Scares in Dead Phone Batteries” from The Verge (2018)
- Blog (Round 1): Group A
Friday, January 25
- Paul Tremblay, chapters 1-10 of A Head Full of Ghosts (2016), pages 1-60
- Blog (Round 1): Group B
- Postmodern Horror Snapchat project handed out
Monday, January 28 (Week 3)
- Chapters 11-14 of A Head Full of Ghosts, pages 61-101
- Blog (Round 1): Group C
- View The Exorcist (dir. William Friedkin, 1973) through the RLO Movie Channel
Wednesday, January 30
- Chapters 15-17 of A Head Full of Ghosts, pages 102-150
- Barbara Creed, “Woman as Possessed Monster” from The Monstrous-Feminine (1993), pages 31-42
- Blog (Round 1): Group D
Friday, February 1
- Chapters 18-20 of A Head Full of Ghosts, pages 151-201
- Postmodern Horror Snapchat Story due
Monday, February 4 (Week 4)
- Chapters 21-22 of A Head Full of Ghosts, pages 202-232
- Blog (Round 1): Group E
Wednesday, February 6
- Chapters 23-26 of A Head Full of Ghosts, pages 235-284
- Comparative Horror Analysis assigned
Friday, February 8
- Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, “Monster Culture (Seven Theses)” (1996), pages 3-25
- Blog (Round 2): Group A
Monday, February 11 (Week 5)
- Dead Set, episodes 1-2 (search for “Dead Set” on Netflix)
- Blog (Round 2): Group B
Wednesday, February 13
- Dead Set, episodes 3-5
- Kyle William Bishop, Introduction to American Zombie Gothic (2010), pages 9-36
- In-Class: Analyzing Dead Set clips
- Blog (Round 2): Group C
Friday, February 15
- Carly Kocurek, “Who Hearkens to the Monster’s Scream: Death, Violence, and the Veil of the Monstrous in Video Games” from Visual Studies (2015)
- Blog (Round 2): Group D
Monday, February 18 (Week 6)
- Ewan Kirkland, “Resident Evil’s Typewriter: Survival Horror and Its Remediations” from Games and Culture (2009)
- Blog (Round 2): Group E
Wednesday, February 20
- “Be Right Back” from Black Mirror (season 2, episode 1)
- In class: “Be Right Back” scene analysis
- Blog (Round 3): Group A
Friday, February 22
- “Be Right Back” continued
- Courtney Humphries, “Digital Immortality: How Your Life’s Data Means a Version of You Could Live Forever” from MIT Technology Review (2018)
- Comparative Horror Analysis due
Header: Still from “Be Right Back” (Black Mirror, Season 2, Episode 1)