Department of English and American Studies University of Paderborn

Course Title: Irony and Popular Culture: Contemporary Canada Course ID: L.008.32455 Time: Winter 2012/13; Mon 2:00 c.t. 5:30 Location: P 1.5.08.2

Course Syllabus
This syllabus describes the policies and the procedures for this course. Please read it carefully.

I) Contact Information and Office Hours Lecturers: Lioba Foit, M.A. (PhD Candidate/Wiss. Mitarbeiterin GK Automatismen) Arnim Seelig, M.A. (PhD Candidate at McGill University, Canada/Visiting Lecturer) Email: ironicscience@uni.de Course website: PAUL Office hours: after class or by appointment II) Course Description and Goals The overall goal of this course is to provide students with accurate and up-to-date knowledge of aspects of Canadian popular culture, both anglophone and francophone, and to discuss in this context various forms and effects of irony. Students will practise to articulate their ideas in spoken and written English while correctly using concepts from influential intellectual frameworks for cultural analysis, which range from major critiques of the late capitalist entertainment industry to basic concepts of poststructuralism, postmodern philosophy and cultural theory. The official language of communication is English. This course is based on the hypothesis that Canadian culture can only be understood through a comparison with the USA, since Canadian self-conceptions often function qua imaginations of the USA as being mainstream and dominant while Canada is seen as secondary and alternative (i.e., as the bitch of the US). We will examine some of the common statements and attitudes to this effect that can be found in the public discourse and we will evaluate whether and how the usage of irony in Canadian popular culture is particular for concepts of Canadian identity and thus differs from the functions and effects irony has in US culture. In order to do so, we will read and discuss seminal theories on irony and popular culture, and we will analyze representations of themes that are relevant to this course in various media, such as in magazines, blogs, film, and television, especially in the mass media utilized by the music and fashion industries, but also in literature and art.

Irony and Pop Culture Winter 2012/13

Department of English and American Studies University of Paderborn

III) Teaching approach This course uses an approach that combines theoretic reflection with hands-on practical experience, which will be gained by drawing on realia, public discourse, and the iconography of pop culture. Classes will be conducted as a seminar, which means that generally sessions consist of a short introductory lecture, which is followed by class discussions of the readings and practical examples, and sometimes by student presentations. The lectures are structured around the readings and incorporate multiple media, such as materials from the World Wide Web and/or film excerpts. Active participation in discussions is expected. When doing the readings, please keep in mind that quality goes over quantity: the texts are usually not very long (20-40 pp. per session), so you will have time to read closely and think about what youre reading. All students are required to send an email to the teachers, no later than the day before each session, with either a question pertaining to the reading, or a point that you think is important about it, or a couple of keywords that summarize it. We will use these as a basis for discussion in class. IV) Assignments and Evaluation Methods Below is a list with the different assignments that you have to complete in order to obtain a Teilnahmenachweis (TN), a Leistungsnachweis (LN), or 3 credit points. Within your requirements (i.e., TN, LN, or 3 CP) you may choose one of various options of assignments. Please note that it is your responsibility to inform the teachers early enough of your choice and then stick to it. i) TN (not graded) or 3 Credit Points (graded) TN/3 CP Option 1: two short essays (500 words each) on assigned readings or on topics of interest related to the course, due before Christmas and at the end of the term; TN/3 CP Option 2: Presentation (ca. 45 min) on an assigned reading or on topic of interest related to the course. ii) LN (graded) LN Option 1: Term paper (3000 words); due Feb 15, 2013; LN Option 2: Creative project of a comparable size and a written report (500 words), to be carried out either individually or in a group and presented in the final class (Jan 21, 2013not Jan 29, as stated in the Vorlesungsverzeichnis and in PAUL!). All written assignments in this course must adhere to academic standards. They must be word-processed, using a 12-point font type like Times New Roman and doublespaced lines etc. Citation must be consistent and must follow an authoritative English style guide, such as the departments Style Sheet for Term Papers (posted on PAUL), the

Irony and Pop Culture Winter 2012/13

Department of English and American Studies University of Paderborn

Chicago Manual of Style (Author-Date, 15th edition), its Turabian version (7th ed.), or the MLA format (7th ed.). The following bibliographic entries are examples of acceptable citation, each one using the style that it references. University of Chicago. 2003. The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Turabian, Kate Larimore. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers. 7th ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2007. Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009. Print. Make sure to always use proper citation. Any form of plagiarism will be treated seriously and can result in failure of the course! V) Course Outline and Schedule Required reading is marked with an asterisk (*). Unmarked texts are optional reading they are either texts that are more fun and less theoretical than the required reading or they are recommended if you would like to further research the topic. Additional sources are listed at the end of this syllabus (see section IV), which you may explore for your presentation, final paper or project. However, of course you are not limited to the sources and may use your own. All the required reading is available online: you can download some of it as PDF documents from PAUL (posted there at least one week before the reading is due in class) and others you can access directly on the World Wide Web by clicking on the hyperlinks that are provided below. Some of the required reading is tentative, which means it may be changed as the course progresses, so that the class can develop themes together and organically throughout the term. The course topics are concentrations (Schwerpunkte), that is, although each session focuses on a particular area of study it will also partially cover materials and perspectives from other sessions, thus interweaving the different aspects of this course. For example, the early sessions cover mostly theory but will also incorporate a substantial amount of practical examples, and in the later sessions we will draw on the theoretical texts read in the earlier sessions in order to discuss Canadian music and cinema. Session 1, Oct 22: Introduction and goals of the course, methodology Session 2, Oct 29: Classical and contemporary theories of irony * Colebrook, Claire. Irony. London: Routledge, 2004. Print. Read ch. 1 (pp. 1-21)

Irony and Pop Culture Winter 2012/13

Department of English and American Studies University of Paderborn

& 8 (pp. 153-60). Ironic Porn Purchase Leads To Unironic Ejaculation. The Onion [Online] 35.44. 1 Dec. 1999. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.theonion.com/articles/ironic-porn-purchase-leads-to-unironicejaculation,1567/>. Session 3, Nov 5: Theories of popular culture * Jenkins, Henry, Tara McPherson and Jane Shattuc. Defining Popular Culture. Hop on Pop. The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture. Ed. H. Jenkins, T. McPherson, and J. Shattuc. Durham: Duke UP, 2002. 26-42. Print. Storey, John. What is Popular Culture? An Introduction to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. Ed. J. Storey. Athens: The U of Georgia P, 1998. 1-20. Print. Session 4, Nov 26: National identity and Canada * Carter, Adam. Namelessness, Irony, and National Character in Contemporary Canadian Criticism and the Critical Tradition. Studies in Canadian Literature / tudes en littrature canadienne 28.1 (2003): 5-25. Print. * Hutcheon, Linda, ed. Double Talking: Essays on Verbal and Visual Ironies in Contemporary Canadian Art and Literature. Toronto: ECW Press, 1992. Print. Read pp. 29-31. * Hutcheon, Linda. Irony's Edge: The Theory and Politics of Irony. London: Routledge, 1994. Print. (Excerpt) Session 5, Dec 10: Hipsters and Canadian indie * Greif, Mark, Kathleen Ross and Dayna Tortorici, eds. What Was The Hipster? A Sociological Investigation. New York: n+1 Foundation, 2010. Print. (Excerpt) * Hebdige, Dick. Subculture: The Meaning of Style. London/ New York: Routledge, 2002. First published 1979. Print. (Excerpt.) * Carles. RECAP + PHOTOS: The JUNO Awards are a Pure Celebration of Canadian Indie. Hipster Runoff. 2 Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://hipsterrunoff.com/tag/canadian-indie>. Smith, Russell: They've got plaid shirts and guitars. But don't call them hipsters any more. The Globe and Mail [Online]. 14 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theyve-got-plaid-shirts-and-guitars-butdont-call-them-hipsters-any-more/article536009/>.

Irony and Pop Culture Winter 2012/13

Department of English and American Studies University of Paderborn

Session 6, Jan 14: Canadian cinema and literature * Coupland, Douglas. Jpod: A Novel. New York: Bloomsbury, 2007. Print. (Excerpt) * Coupland, Douglas. Player One: What Is to Become of Us. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2010. Print. (Excerpt) * Ballard, James G. Crash. (1973) London: Vintage, 2003. Print. Introduction (pp. 4-6). Film excerpts shown in class: Crash. Dir. David Cronenberg. Perf. James Spader, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas. Alliance Communications Corporations, The Movie Network, Recorded Picture Company, Tlfilm Canada 1996. DVD. Juno. Dir. Jason Reitman. Perf. Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman. Mandate Pictures, Mr. Mud, 2007. DVD. Lars and the Real Girl. Dir. Craig Gillespie. Perf. Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider. Lars Productions, 2007. DVD. Shivers (They Came from Within). Dir. David Cronenberg. Perf. Paul Hampton, John Silver, Lynn Lowry. Canadian Film Development Corporation, Cinpix, DAL Productions, 1975. DVD. Session 7, Jan 21: Wrap-up, presentation of creative projects, and course evaluation. IV) Further Reading and Additional Sources (to be continued please feel free to participate, as we will post an open bibliography on PAUL.)
Literature (You may use any edition of the texts listed below.) Adorno, Theodor and Max Horkheimer. The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception. (1944) Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://marxists.org/reference/archive/adorno/1944/culture-industry.htm>. Beaty, Bart and Will Straw, eds. Canadian Cinema [Book Series]. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2008-2012. Print. Becker, Howard S. Outsiders: Studies in Sociology of Deviance. New York: The Free Press, 1963. Print. Benjamin, Walter, Michael W. Jennings, Brigid Doherty, Thomas Y. Levin, and E.F.N. Jephcott, eds. The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility, and Other Writings on Media. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard UP, 2008. Print. Coupland, Douglas. Marshall Mcluhan: You Know Nothing of My Work! New York: Atlas & Co, 2010. Print. Kierkegaard, Sren, Howard V. Hong, and Edna H. Hong. The Concept of Irony, with Continual Reference to Socrates: Together with Notes of Schelling's Berlin Lectures. Princeton, N.J: Princeton UP, 1989. Print. Madger, Jason. Montreal weekly Mirror to close, The Gazette. 23 June 2012. Web.

Irony and Pop Culture Winter 2012/13

Department of English and American Studies University of Paderborn 16 Oct. 2012. <http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Montreal+weekly+Mirror+close/6825594/story.ht ml#ixzz21CCJh1II>. McLuhan, Marshall. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print. 7-35 (ch. 1 and 2). Magill, R. Jay. Chic Ironic Bitterness. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 2009. Rasporich, Beverly. The New Eden Dream: The Source of Canadian Humour. Studies in Canadian Literature / tudes en littrature canadienne [Online] 7.2 (1982): n. pag. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://journals.hil.unb.ca/index.php/SCL/article/view/7986/9043>. Remington, Ted. Lars and the Real Girl: Lifelike Positive Transcendence. SAGE Open 1.1 (2011). Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://sgo.sagepub.com/content/1/1/2158244011408346.full.pdf>. Ross, Andrew. No Respect: Intellectuals and Popular Culture. New York: Routledge, 1989. Print. Schlegel, Friedrich. Dialogue on Poetry and Literary Aphorisms. Translated by Ernst Behler and Roman Struc. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1968. Print. . Philosophical Fragments. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1991. Print. Straw, Will. Pathways of Cultural Movement. Accounting for Culture: Thinking Through Cultural Citizenship. Eds. Caroline Andrew, Monica Gattinger, Sharon Jeannotte and Will Straw. Ottawa: U of Ottawa P, 2005. 183-197. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://strawresearch.mcgill.ca/pathways.pdf>. Flaherty, David H. and Frank E. Manning, eds. The Beaver Bites Back? American Popular Culture in Canada. Montreal: McGill-Queens UP, 1993. Print. Wagnleitner, Reinhold. No Commodity Is Quite So Strange As This Thing Called Cultural Exchange: The Foreign Politics of American Pop Culture Hegemony. Amerikastudien / American Studies Vol. 46, No. 3, Popular Culture (2001): 443-470. Print. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/41157668>. Film C.R.A.Z.Y. Dir. Jean-Marc Valle. Perf. Michel Cot, Marc-Andr Grondin, Danielle Proulx. Cirrus Communications, Crazy Films, 2005. DVD. Good Neighbors. Dir. Jacob Tierney. Perf. Jay Baruchel, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Diane DAquila. Park Ex Pictures, 2010. DVD. Websites (All accessed last on 18 Oct. 2012.) http://www.americanapparel.net The well-known international clothing retailer with roots in Montreal. http://cultmontreal.com Trendy Montreal culture blog. http://www.midnightpoutine.ca Hip Montreal blog with a weekly playlist podcast. http://www.montrealmirror.com Defunct cultural weekly, which was representative of Montreals subcultures and music scenes in the early 2000sinvestigating its history, cultural significance, and the reasons for its closing (and how this all relates to irony) could make for a great research project. http://www.vice.com/en_ca The well-known international lifestyle magazine founded in Montreal.

Irony and Pop Culture Winter 2012/13