Here it is. My rationale. The culmination of my undergraduate career at NYU. Well, it’s actually more like the 5-page written explanation of my upcoming colloquium – an oral exam with a panel of professors on a list of 20-25 books and how they all connect to the topic of my choice. Right, so think of this as the proverbial roadmap to that anxiety-ridden, two-hour-long, pass/fail culmination of my individualized major at Gallatin. And now for some disclaimers…
- I formatted my rationale as a guide to my intellectual trajectory at NYU, mapping the issues that most interested me according to the key texts that help me understand these topics. Gallatin has already approved this draft twice so I don’t need to edit it so much as dig into (and make sense of) the texts and ideas.
- Gallatin requires that every booklist contain seven (yes, SEVEN) ancient/medieval/renaissance classics, from before the year 1650. No joke. (Read: if you can think of any compelling connections between Ovid’s Metamorphoses and the Internet, feel free to leave a comment…)
- My actual colloquium will take place on the afternoon of December 11. I will preparing from now until then, so I appreciate any feedback you might have!
Title: New Media & Re-Imagining Communities
With three months remaining until I complete my undergraduate career at Gallatin, my concentration can be articulated as follows: the study of digital technology and the ways in which people utilize new media and the Internet to express their worldview; broadly, how media is produced by and simultaneously produces culture (as manifested in hierarchy, identity, community, knowledge, and so on); the Internet as an unprecedented medium that has transformed individuals from consumers to collaborators/producers, connecting people in real-time across the world; the decentralization of hierarchy in the spread of information and culture, and the power of “new” media in organizing collective action toward social/political progress; all of the above interpreted with an anthropological mindset.
