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Open thread on this week’s readings
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Category Archives: Readings
Scholarship on The Wire
As you start working on your research projects, you should look to the published scholarship about The Wire as useful sources. As of now, there is one published book of essays, The Wire: Urban Decay & American Television (edited by Tiffany Potter & C.W. Marshall) that is on reserve for our course (PN1992.77.W53 W57 2009) – you can view the table of contents on the publisher’s page. There are also two theme issues of academic journals on the show: an issue of dark matter (an online journal) and Film Quarterly (available on-campus through this link).
It is essential that you look through these sources for potential research that relates to your projects. However, note that until we’ve finished the series, many essays will reveal crucial plot points from season 5, so tread lightly for spoilers or plan to start digging in on May 4.
If you find other sources that are helpful, please post links or citations to them in the comment thread here.
Open thread on readings
We’re shifting away from readings about the social issues portrayed on The Wire toward readings on the show itself. Note that it’s hard to find readings that don’t contain any reference to things we’ve yet to seen, so you may want to read with a “mental fast-forward” when you see a reference to future events. I’ve tried to avoid sequencing anything too early that contains major spoilers, but there will be minor references at times.
Please post comments here on what you’ve read and whether you agree or disagree with various authors’ arguments.
Thoughts on In Search of Respect
A place to share thoughts about Phillipe Bourgois’s book…
More on The Corner
An open thread on the remainder of The Corner.
Open thread on part 1 of The Corner
As you start The Corner, reflect on its relation to The Wire, and how it compares with our other books.
Open Thread on Cop in the Hood
You’ve (hopefully) read the whole book – what do you think?
Open thread on first half of Cop in the Hood
Thoughts on the book thus far? Any resonances with The Wire or things that seem to clarify or contradict each other?
Open Thread on Clockers (full book)
Now that you’ve (hopefully) finished reading Clockers, how do you see it in relation to The Wire? Do you find that they offer different ways of engaging with similar stories? What aspects of the book and show point to the different possibilities of television versus literature?
Open thread on Clockers (first half)
Here’s a place to post your thoughts about the first half of Clockers, which you can read & join in once you’re that far along. While I’m certainly interested in your thoughts on the book on its own terms, also be sure think about how it relates to the world portrayed in The Wire, and the differences in representation between a novel and a TV series.