This is wonderful! One question I have is format of classes; is it like a set of case studies (my vote), or classes that cover topics textbook style (for lack of a better word). Also, I don’t fully get the gondala/wojak part, don’t understand their particular inclusion.
I'm not sure what you mean by the class VS case studies VS textbook style. Could you explain what each is?
The Gondola VS Wojak part is about postironic memes and metaironic memes, and the two were selected for being striking examples to explain the dynamics. I may modify this part later on.
I’m not perfectly sure what I mean either lol, but I think it’s like would it be taught chronologically like a history class, where you discuss effects and analyze things as they happened, or like a literature class where you start with a meme and expand the class/lesson from that point; as I type it out, I think different sections of the syllabus lend themselves to different styles, but I’m curious as to your opinion on an ideal format for a class. From an educational standpoint, how the information is presented can influence what students take away from the class: present everything with an emphasis on history and continuity, and that can bleed in presumptions and after the fact analyses. Whereas a case study style (where you start with a meme and then expand outward in your analysis), class may be inclined towards fundamental concepts and defining characteristics. And there are many more ways of structuring classes. Hope that makes sense, what do you think?
That's a really interesting idea, about starting with a meme and expanding the class from that point. We could test out different approaches and see which ones work best for which topic.
For the MEME101 course, I had a really straightforward and basic design in mind: a roughly chronological picture of meme history and meme studies as the core, with readings presented in a pair to be read comparatively, and with explanations of case studies to contextualise the theory. This discussion is making me wonder if it might serve us well to devote a section to this kind of debate about metamemetics, but that may be premature.
I think that meme studies, more than most topics, frequently runs into trouble with different theories of history. That's not the least because it was at the outset an evolutionary theory of culture, and all evolutionary theories are about history. I've been learning that art historians have had precisely the same kind of debates about their own theories of history over the past centuries, and that's been invaluable as a point of reference.
I'll put together the full list of reading materials at a later date! We have a Moodle set up so that part is taken care of (but I wonder if mirroring the courses might be a good way to make them more accessible for students and educators).
