California State University, Northridge
College of Arts, Media, and Communication
Department of Communication Studies

Christie Logan, Ph.D.

COMS 301: Performance, Language, and Cultural Studies

Spring 2008

Assignment Guidelines

Writing: Mechanical & Stylistic Competence: Students are responsible for proper spelling, grammar, usage and syntax in all written assignments. If you need help in these areas, I urge you to use the services of the Writing Lab of the Learning Resource Center located in the Student Services Building, room 408. Workshops and individual tutoring are available free to all CSUN students. All written assignments except for in-class Free Writes will be graded on mechanics.

See also What Grades Mean for my criteria for written assignments.

All papers and presentations should be typed and in appropriate format [double-spaced, with headers, numbered pages and standard fonts & margins]. Use full & correct citations: Consult UC Berkeley's Resource Page for Citing Resources [Print & Electronic] for what's required in a citation. Web pages generally have authors, titles, dates, etc. All the proper information may not be there but you must cite the information that is available rather than just the URL.

For this class, use Modern Languages Association [MLA] style manual format - print out this MLA template for citing various kinds of sources.

Performance Analysis (15%). (4 pages plus bibliography) For this paper, you will do an in-depth critical analysis of a public performance event or a specific public occurrence of a cultural or social performative practice. You may choose to analyze a performance that you have participated in or witnessed more than once – perhaps on a regular basis. You will do research as relevant to your project, in addition to applying dynamics and concepts of performance theory to develop your claims.

Address the items below in your analysis; depending on the performance you choose, some items will be more central than others.

• Describe the circumstance or context within which the performance occurs, and what functions it serves (using Schechner’s 7 functions of performance). What does it accomplish, and how? For whom?
• Identify and characterize the site or community involved in the performance. What are its defining features? What binds the performers and audience in the event?
• Where on the performance fan do you place it, and why? Explicate the performance features and dynamics of the performance [framing, rules, script, etc].
• Do an in-depth analysis of the most significant or revealing aspects of the performance, applying definitions, concepts and schema most appropriate for this performance, and justify your choice.
• Analyze the larger context or system within which this performance is nested. How is it “in the service of larger systems” (Schechner, 245) of cultural values, beliefs, ideologies or institutions?
• How does it reinforce, subvert, or contradict the status quo? How does it negotiate the continuum of tradition ----------- innovation,
  accommodation ------------ resistance?
• Do research on the historical evolution or adaptations for the performance. *If a family or communal performance tradition, you might want to ask a parent, a grandparent or friend older than you about this – you might get some interesting insights into the historical changes in the performance formulas & features.
• Consider the power dynamics – who benefits from accomplishing this performance? What (or who) controls the framing and progression of the performance (who has the power to start it, and to stop it)?

2 Exams (20% each) will cover all material prior to the exam date. Exams will be blue-book style - true/false, definitions, short answer and longer essay. Emphasis will be placed on your ability to apply theory and concepts and to use critical methods of analysis/interpretation learned during the semester. I recommend you start a study group on email - or use the 301 chatrooms - as early as possible in the semester.

INDIVIDUAL CASE STUDY RESEARCH PROJECT (30% total)

This individual research project is your opportunity to examine in depth an issue or theme in the course as it is articulated or played out in a particular case (e.g, a community or site) in Los Angeles. Using course materials, library research and ethnographic methods, you will develop an analysis of the semiotic and performative dynamics of a specific site or venue -- that is, a performance space, theme park, historical site, commercial site, "natural" site, museum, evolving built landscape, community or iconic text in the Los Angeles area. The culmination of your research is a paper of 8 typed, double-spaced pages plus bibliography.

Early in the semester - check the course schedule - each student will turn in a 1-page typed prospectus. The prospectus should identify the following:

1. Focus of the research: specify the particular LA text, community, event, performance, or site that you will focus on

2. Relevance & significance: justify why you chose this site or text; what might it teach us?

3. Method of approach: how will you explore, examine and engage with the site?
Preliminary bibliography: a minimum of 3 sources at this point. (Note: Google or other search engines are not sources, they’re places to find sources – like a library).

Case Study General Format: Every case study must involve research, fieldwork and semiotic analysis. You will do library research on your case’s origins and history and ethnographic fieldwork at the site. Record your experiences in the place and interviews with relevant people on its history, evolution and present status. Interviews also should engage people on what this site means to them, and why.

More detail on how to proceed with the LA ethnography project: [added 3/18/08]

Historical and news research: Don’t rely on the materials available through the site; you’ll need to search news and history sources from the origins through to the present day. You may find stories of events and people that comprise a more complete and authentic history of its origins and development to today – not just the edited history for promotional purposes. These sources also will give you an historical context for analyzing its significance to the city - to particular communities, cultures,
and other interests (commerce for instance) – in its various phases. For local history and archives, use the “California & LA Archives & Resources” section of the 301 research resources page, and also additional sources posted on the newsgroup.

** A note on wikipedia – While this may be useful as you begin your research, this is not a reliable source and its content is not always credible, can be incomplete and sometimes is downright wrong. Its content is constantly changing, it’s not monitored or centrally edited and is easily sabotaged. Do not use this as a scholarly or historical source. Sometimes entries are excellent and the most solid ones will also provide endnotes and bibliographies – which you can then find on your own and
use - but wikipedia entries are not acceptable sources for this paper.

Analysis of the site as iconic of Los Angeles: Look in scholarly books and journals in cultural geography, popular culture criticism, semiotics of place, urban architecture and analyses of built environments– I posted on the newsgroup several books to give you a sampling of sources; you’ll be able to find others more specific to your particular site. You want to analyze its visual semiotics– how it represents a significant image, theme or resource of the area, and how these meanings developed through various phases of its history.

Ethnographic fieldwork and research: As we’ll discuss in class, you want to be a reflexive participant observer on your several visits to the site. Analyze the space itself and how it’s designed, how it enables and constrains bodies moving through the space. Pay attention to where your attention is drawn, where open access beckons and what areas or spaces are masked, hidden or otherwise off-limits to the public. Watch how you behave and compare it to how others interact with the space and perhaps with each other. Find sources analyzing built environments like the Goss article in the course schedule.

Find a range of people to interview. Try to find a staff member who has worked at the site for a while and can give you firsthand experiences of changes s/he’s seen over time, as well as "backstage" stories and insights. Also do interviews with a range of visitors – 1st-time tourists and locals who visit regularly. This will give you multiple perspectives on the site.

301 Home	Course Syllabus	Assignment Guidelines	email Dr. Logan	WebCT Guides
T/TH Day Schedule	T/TH Day Newsgroup	CHOOSE <==========>	Wed 7:00 Schedule	Wed 7:00 Newsgroup