third quarter feedback

1. what connections have you seen among all the imaginative representations of gender and technology that we’ve looked @?

In every example we looked at, technology is seen as something destructive. In Metropolis it drives a wedge between humanity, in Watchmen it nearly destroys the world by propelling the planet into a moral-less cesspool of cold war, and in Handmaid’s Tale technology gives the select few the ability to suppress the general population.

2. how do these works contribute to your understandings of gender, technology or the relations between them?

In all of these popular culture representations of gender and technology, technology is decidedly male. Whether it be embodied in the form of Dr. Manhattan, created in the guise of a women to suit the needs of the powerful male characters, or used to create a  strict governing body, it is almost always used and created by men.

3. any other feedback about how the class has been working the past three weeks, w/ all the small group work we’ve been doing? are there other things you’d like to be doing in class that we haven’t done yet, or that you’d like to do more of?

The small group stuff is good. I like how we have been formulating ideas and then bringing them to the rest of the group. This method makes for a more coherent discussion.

4. what concrete suggestions do you have in particular about wordpress functionality? (Laura and Anne have started a log here….)

I’ve got nothing specific to say about wordpress. I think wordpress does well for what it is (but then again, I’m not the one teaching the course).

5. what has your experience been with posting and receiving on-line commentary on your papers?

We’ve already talked a little about my discomfort with the way this class is set up (as compared to previous online classes). I don’t mind recieving online commentary on my papers, the only thing that is problematic for me is the online identity mess (that I know I have created for myself).