Electronic Textuality and Cyberculture

This colloquium is designed to understand the impact of information technologies which are redefining our conception of language, subjectivity and representation. Hypertext which is characterized by multivocality, multilinearity and open-endedness has changed our experience of writing, reading and producing texts. The course is divided into two parts--in the first part we would discuss in depth how the underlying premises and assumptions of electronic textuality differ from those of the print media. We will read contemporary theoretical and literary works and explore the connections between hypertext theory and multiethnic cultural experience in a world that is increasingly becoming smaller. In the second part of the course, we will specifically focus on how information technologies are transforming not only our conceptions of time and space, but also of the body. Here we will also briefly cover the social, political, and economic implications of cyberspace.