Understanding Social Media

Professor: Fahmid Haq  

Course Number: ARTS 208

CRN Number: 10681

Class cap: 22

Credits: 4

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    10:10 AM - 11:30 AM New Annandale House

Distributional Area:

AA  Analysis of Art   

Crosslists: Experimental Humanities

Doing social media projects practically and analyzing their role critically are two main objectives of the course. This course will raise some critical question that evolve around social media which will include – surveillance and privacy, labor, big data, misinformation, cyborg and cyberfeminism. Topics will include the socio-historical perspectives regarding technology and society, the nature and characteristics of different social media such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, snapchat and more, big data capitalism and imperialism, civic engagement through digital platforms, mainstream media’s compelling realities to be more ‘social’, misinformation, racism and right-wing authoritarianism in social media, the role of social media influencers, branding and social media marketing and an exploration for a true social media. The course will draw from a broad range of social theory including communication and cultural theories, political economy and media anthropology to critically evaluate the impact of social media on human relationships, activism, branding, politics, news production and dissemination and identity formation. Theoretical notions such as hyperreality by Jean Baudrillard, network society by Manuel Castells and digital labor by Christian Fuchs will be discussed in the class. As ‘prosumers’, students will create social media projects and analyze some trendy cases evident in different platforms.

Technology, Humanity & the Future

Professor: Krista Caballero  

Course Number: ARTS 240

CRN Number: 10540

Class cap: 22

Credits: 4

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    10:10 AM - 11:30 AM OSUN Course

Distributional Area:

AA  Analysis of Art   

Crosslists: Experimental Humanities; Human Rights

In both theory and practice, this course is designed to explore the intersections of technology, justice, and creative practice. One of our central lines of inquiry will be: How might technology be utilized in ethical and just ways to (re)imagine our human cultural practices and resulting ecological impact? In approaching this question, we will consider ways that artists and community activists are pushing boundaries to both critically and creatively address the future of technology and issues relating to identity and privacy, data sovereignty and governance, e-waste and rare earth mining, deepfakes and AI. Key theoretical texts from scholars such as Felix Guattari, Safiya Umoja Noble, Hito Steyerl, Gregory Cajete, Shannon Mattern, Lev Manovich, and Lisa Nakamura will ground our exploration alongside a series of guest lectures by a diverse group of artists, scholars and activists across the OSUN network. Through readings and discussions, this course will explore technology across historical periods and how past forms help shape our current moment. Students will also work intensively to develop creative projects that blur boundaries between physical and digital media, integrate field-based research, and experiment with interdisciplinary practices of making. This is an OSUN Online Class, taught online and open to Bard students and students from OSUN partner institutions.

Beyond Bollywood: Mapping South Asian Cinema

Professor: Fahmid Haq  

Course Number: ARTS 314

CRN Number: 10682

Class cap: 15

Credits: 4

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    1:30 PM - 2:50 PM Olin 302

Distributional Area:

AA  Analysis of Art   

Crosslists: Experimental Humanities; Film and Electronic Arts

South Asian Cinema is nearly synonymous with Indian Cinema to the international audience, though other South Asian countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal have developed strong film cultures too. The objective of the course is mapping the cine profile of the South Asian countries and examining Bollywood’s hegemonic presence in the region. This seminar course will study some cases across a range of South Asian Cinema cultures by exploring their common as well as different cultural backgrounds, historiography, and sociopolitical realities. Topics will include both historical and contemporary cinematic practices in South Asian countries such as the Partition of India in South Asian Cinema, cinematic representation of the Liberation War of Bangladesh, Bollywood’s cultural influence in other South Asian countries, portrayal of Kashmir in Indian cinema, diasporic Indian cinema and ‘other Bollywood’ cinema. Films by directors such as Raj Kapoor, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Anurag Kashyap from India, Zahir Raihan, Alamgir Kabir and Tareque Masud from Bangladesh, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Shoaib Mansoor from Pakistan, and Lester James Peries from Sri Lanka will be studied closely.

The Belly is a Garden

Professor: Vivien Sansour  

Course Number: ARTS 310

CRN Number: 10683

Class cap: 10

Credits: 4

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      8:30 AM - 11:30 AM Avery Film Center 338

Distributional Area:

PA  Practicing Arts   

Crosslists: Experimental Humanities; Human Rights

Inspired by the Palestinian saying El Batin Bustan (The Belly is a Garden) this course explores bio-cultural diversity and the question of being of the earth and part of its diverse terrains. Fundamental questions we will explore are: How can biodiversity and human diversity be paths to wellbeing? How can humans understand themselves as nature’s co-creators? This course is designed as an experiential journey using multiple forms, including original texts, discussion, guided fieldwork directed by faculty, nature walks, in class writing exercises, and group workshops. Students will work in consultation with the professor on individual self-directed projects throughout the semester. These projects will be presented at the end of semester to the combined class of AQB and Annandale. The projects will all require some form of field research such as conducting interviews, gathering site related natural material for possible installations, photography, oral histories, film, among others including performance art. Students will engage in hands-on, outdoor activities such as cooking, planting, and possibly seed or crop harvesting with discussions of key texts grounding our interdisciplinary investigation. In an attempt to deconstruct colonial forms of being we will be exploring ourselves as living beings navigating a global landscape that is both in crisis and in constant transformation. How do we relate to the soil beneath our feet? How are we informed by other living beings in our surroundings? Between the question of settler and Indigenous how can we better understand ourselves, and our place in the world, while engaging in collaborative designs of new possible futures? As an OSUN Network Course, students will have the opportunity to participate in shared online events and conversations with students at Al-Quds Bard College, Palestine but the majority of the semester will be in-person on Bard’s Annandale Campus.