e-term papers--curiouser and curiouser

[Joseph Murphy]

>    As annoying as the subject of e-term papers is to all educators, I
>feel I need to clarify exactly why the subject might be worth paying
>attention to in the context of image studies such as some of us do, and
>more of us consume.

Agreed about that.  In the context of an internet discussion list trading
ideas about Japanese film, the point is precisely about the hegemony of
knowledge, about a resourceful new player in the production of meaning, a
set of "pre-conceived" opinions available at competitive prices, easily
digestible and indistinguishable once set into circulation from the real
thing.  And there may be a sentimental, moral or ethical reason for
preferring the latter in terms of originality or genuineness, but I can't
think of a theoretical one, so the point is to look at the phenomenon, and
see if there's anything interesting.  Aside from Kurosawa and Ozu, Japanese
film doesn't appear to be on the radar of these sites for knowledge
production, but film studies in general, comp lit and the set of
theoretical concerns about power and identity that drive these fields
definitely are and its a bit unnerving what a reasonable facsimile of the
discourse of cultural criticism they can produce.  Click to Order OZU.
JM