Cyberpunk: "high tech and low life" ... Outline

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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk

 

Facilitator:  Bekka Kahn

Bio: Bekka Kahn is a writer and researcher based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She holds an Honours degree in Literature from Rhodes University and a Masters in Journalism from The University of the Witwatersrand. The first time she saw Blade Runner, her life was changed for good.

Facilitator contact: If you have any questions about the course, you can email punk@p2pu.org with your queries.

Course Blog: http://blogs.p2pu.org/cyberpunk/

 

What is Cyberpunk?

 

Cyberpunk literature, in general, deals with marginalized people in technologically-enhanced cultural 'systems'. In cyberpunk stories' settings, there is usually a 'system' which dominates the lives of most 'ordinary' people, be it an oppressive government, a group of large, paternalistic corporations, or a fundamentalist religion. These systems are enhanced by certain technologies (today advancing at a rate that is bewildering to most people), particularly 'information technology' (computers, the mass media), making the system better at keeping those within it inside it. Often this technological system extends into its human 'components' as well, via brain implants, prosthetic limbs, cloned or genetically engineered organs, etc. Humans themselves become part of 'the Machine'. This is the 'cyber' aspect of cyberpunk. However, in any cultural system, there are always those who live on its margins, on 'the Edge': criminals, outcasts, visionaries, or those who simply want freedom for its own sake. Cyberpunk literature focuses on these people, and often on how they turn the system's technological tools to their own ends. This is the 'punk' aspect of cyberpunk"

 

Theme for the Course

 

In the past, literary studies tended to overlook "genre fiction" in favour of focussing on more traditional forms of literary works. Cyberpunk (which developed from the literary traditions of gothic, detective, and science fiction and has been popularized in contemporary movies such as Blade Runner, eXistenZ, and The Matrix) has, however, become an integrated subject, along with science fiction, in the intellectual practice of literary studies. Furthermore, as this course will investigate, cyberpunk has developed strong resonance with literary theory, contemporary philosophy, and cultural studies. In short, cyberpunk has emerged as a valuable subject in contemporary literature studies.

 

This course covers the works of the  four major writers of cyberpunk: William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, Neal Stephenson, and Pat Cadigan. Other theoretical and scholarly texts that articulate cyberpunk as a site of intellectual and literary investigation will be read and will inform discussions . Popular films (Blade Runner and The Matrix) which are good examples of cyberpunk films are will also be referred to.  The thematic concerns of cyberpunk, that speak directly to contemporary issues like globalisation, corporate ethics, postmodern politics and terrorism will also be discussed. 

 

Target Group 

 

This course assumes a degree of familiarity with science fiction and cyberpunk as genres in film and literature. However, participants needn't have a critical understanding of the works we will be examining - it is enough to have read some cyberpunk or seen some films, enjoyed them, and have some curiosity about the genre and the ideas that inform it.

 

Learning Outcomes

 

By the end of this course, you will, hopefully, be a dyed-in-the-wool-cyberpunk-fan-for-life. And will be able to hold your own admirably in any pub quiz or argument. More than that, you should come away from this course with a deeper understanding of the traditions of the genre, and the ability to see parallels between what we have read, watched and discussed, and our constantly evolving technological reality.

 

Necessary Prerequisites

 

Anyone interested in participating in this course should submit a short piece of writing in which they outline their favourite examples of cyberpunk/science-fictio writing and/or film. Explain why you like the book or film, why you consider it to be a good example of the genre, and what elements of the future it describes appeal to you the most.  

 

Grading

 

In keeping with the collaborative and participatory ethos of p2pu, the grading of work in the cyberpunk course will be done by the participants themselves, through comments on the assignments and a more formal rubric. Their grading will in turn be graded by the course co-ordinator at various random points in the course to ensure that the grading is fair and of a reasonable standard. Overall participation will also be considered and factored into  the grading process.

 

 

Reading and Viewing List

Cyberpunk is a rich genre with countless excellent novels and films that are fun to read and watch, as well as being excellent examples of the genre. However, due to the limited time-span of this course, and the unique nature of the P2PU experiment, only a handful of easily available texts and films form the core reading and viewing list for the course. This was done to minimise the possibility that participants from around the world might struggle to get their hands on the materials. The readings lists on the resources page offer a wider selection of books and films for anyone who wishes to expand their reading and viewing.

 

Core Texts

 

Pat Cadigan - Mindplayers, 1987, ISBN 0553265857

Philip K Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, 1968, ISBN 0-345-40447-5

William Gibson - Neuromancer 1984, ISBN 0-441-56956-0

Bruce Sterling - Islands in the Net, 1988, ISBN  0877959528

Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash, 1992, ISBN 0-553-08853-X

 

Films

 

Blade Runner 1982, dir. Ridley Scott

The Matrix  1999, dir. The Wachowski brothers

 

 

Class Structure

This class will meet online once a week, for between 1-1.5 hours. Depending on people's location and facilities, we may do a conference call, IM or some other type of online chat. Dpending on time zones, we may schedule 1 or 2 meetings. Once we're done with enrollment, we'll schedule the course meetings with the group.

Classes will be divided into 2 sections: wrap up/feedback of any discussion from the previous week for a maximum of 30 minutes, and then the scheduled discussion for the rest of the class.

 

 

Week 1 - Who's That Punk?

 This week's course offers a broad overview of the genre, its history and development in terms of science fiction literature. Many critics feel that there was a distinct point at which some scienc fiction writers moved towards cyberpunk, and certain contrasts exist between examples of science fiction and cyberpunk writing.

 

Introduction Text for Participants:

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K Dick.

 

 

 Week 2  - Punk Anti-Heros

This week's discussion looks at the main protagonists in the core readings and films, from The Matrix's Neo to Neuromancer's Case. What are the outstanding features they share? How do they interact with the world they find themselves in, and how do they move from being peripheral outcasts to heroes, if at all? How do these genre heroes compare and contrats with other examples of the "hero" and "anti-hero" in literature, from Shakespeares's flawed tragic heroes to the modern bildungsroman?

 

Resources

Transcript of debate from  from e-zine Computer Underground Digest , 1991

 

Tasks

Write a short paper (1-2 pages) on two of the anti-heroes from the prescribed readings/films. Compare and contrast their main characteristics and progression through the story. Can they be said to be variations on the same type of protagonist? Does this mean that there could be an archetype used in classic cyberpunk? 

 

 

 

Week 3 The Punk Scene

In cyberpunk novels and film, setting is often as much a character as the human and non-human characters. The dystopian futures are often nightmarish visions of imagined post-capitalist societies where large multinational corporations have more power than national governments. Grey skies and polluted air permeate Gibson's novels; the famous opening line of Neuromancer describes a sky that is "a color of television, tuned to a dead channel". Blade Runner and The Matrix both illustrate similar realities, and Snowcrash imagines a world where governance has been ceded to corporations and entrepreneurs.

This week's discussion will focus on the idea of setting in cyberpunk novels and film. What is the effect of the crowded cityscapes, rain, eternal dusk or nighttime, neon signs, faceless masses and speeding rapid transit on the narrative? How do these elements contribute to the tone of the novels, and could they be said to be responsive characters in their own right?

 

 

Week 4

 

Introduction Text for Participants

 

 

Images

 

 

Resources

 

 

Tasks

 

 

 

Discussion Questions

 

 

Additional Resources

 

Week 5 - Is Cyberpunk dead?

 

 

Introduction Text for Participants

 

 

Images

 

Resources

 

 

Tasks

 

Discussion Questions

 

 

Additional Resources

 

 

Week 6

Hey, Punk...

 

Introduction Text for Participants This week, participants will use the basic elements of cyberpunk, as discussed over the last 5 weeks, as the basis for their own cyberpunk writings.

 

Images

 

 

Resources

Read Tips on Writing Cyberpunk by Ken "Wirehead" Wronkiewicz and Marshall Motley. 

 

 Tasks

 

Discussion Questions

 

 

Additional Resources