Quick and Dirty:
A project with just one week to complete. The aim is to toe the very fine line between the mindfully simple and the simple-minded. Think of the one-liner. Haste, simplicity, brevity, the over-obvious, lightness, and the slight gesture should be at the fore of the project.
Slow Learner:
Unlike the first – quick – project, each student will develop a more deeply considered approach to this assignment. As Flaubert stated in his satirical Dictionary of Received Ideas, “Imbeciles: Those who don’t think like you.” In many examples of art, literature, and popular culture, stupidity is conflated with alterity. Nobody wants to identify with the designation ‘stupid’, and so ‘the idiot’ is also ‘the other’. This brings with it a whole host of problematics, prejudices, and nuances. Here students should take up a project that investigates the concepts of stupidity and alterity.
Final Project:
Students will propose and develop a final project related to the themes explored in the course.